Samuel Chenery Damon (February 15, 1815 – February 7, 1885) was a missionary to Hawaii, pastor of the Seamen's Bethel Church, chaplain of the Honolulu American Seamen's Friend Society and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of the monthly newspaper ''The Friend''. He began his religious studies at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1838-39, and graduated from Andover Theological Seminary in 1841 after which he was ordained to the Congregational ministry. His work in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

began on October 19, 1842, under the help and support of the American Seaman's Friend Society. He was the pastor of Bethel Church for 42 years (1841 to 1882), where he preached every Sunday, not only to sailors but also to merchants, sea captains and many others who were drawn to this well-known place of worship. The Seamen's Bethel Church burned down in 1886, one year after Damon's death. The congregation has since evolved into the "Central Union Church" of Honolulu.

Early life

Samuel Chenery Damon, son of Colonel Samuel Damon and Alony Chenery, was born in Holden, Massachusetts on February 15, 1815. He graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1836, studied at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1838-39, and graduated from Andover Theological Seminary in 1841. Before studying for the ministry, he was for a year principal of the academy at

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, and while in the divinity school was tutor in a private family in

Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a city in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,743. Burlington was first incorporated on October 24, 1693, and was r ...

. He married Julia Sherman Mills (1817–1890) in Natick,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

on October 6, 1841, with whom he had five sons. She was daughter of

Samuel John Mills Samuel John Mills Jr. (April 12, 1783 – June 16, 1818) was an American preacher and missionary from Connecticut. He is known for contributing to the organization of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and to the formation of t ...

(1783–1818), a minister who took part in the

Haystack Prayer Meeting The Haystack Prayer Meeting, held in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in August 1806, is viewed by many scholars as the seminal event for the development of American Protestant missions in the subsequent decades and century. Missions are still suppo ...

which led to forming the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

Ministry

Damon was preparing to go to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

and was studying the

Tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...

for that purpose, when an urgent call came for a seaman's chaplain at the port of

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

in the Hawaiian islands. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the Congregational ministry on September 15, 1841, and he decided to accept the position at

. He began his work there October 19, 1842, under the auspices of the American Seaman's Friend Society. At the time around one hundred and fifty whaling vessels entered the port every year. Damon's own statement was: ''"From 1842 to 1867, at the lowest estimate six thousand seamen annually entered the port. During these twenty-five years my labors were abundant and sometimes, beyond my strength."'' Samuel Chenery Damon, carte de visite by Henry L

Samuel Chenery Damon, carte de visite by Henry L

For 42 years he was the pastor of "Bethel Church" from 1841 to 1882. He preached there every Sunday, not only to sailors but also to merchants, sea captains and many others who were drawn to this well known place of worship. He was an able speaker and was constantly in demand on public occasions. In 1855 he founded the

Honolulu Sailor's Home The Honolulu Sailor's Home is a non-profit lodge for international merchant seamen. The home was incorporated in May 1855 with a lot obtained by a grant from the Kingdom of Hawaii. Originally located on Bethel Street adjacent to the Port of Ho ...

and held services for sailors who died without family to be buried in the Oahu Cemetery. He was the editor and publisher of ''The Friend'', a monthly newspaper for seamen which included news from both American and English newspapers as well as announcements of upcoming events, reprints of sermons, poetry, local news, editorials, ship arrivals and departures and a listing of marriages and deaths. He published between a half million and a million copies of ''The Friend'', most of which he personally distributed. He was a strong supporter of the Chinese Christians in

. He made his church available for Sunday afternoon services, and later started a small night school in the parish hall to teach them English. From this humble beginning the Chinese Christian community began to outgrow their meeting place. In 1877, Damon assisted in organizing the first Chinese Church in Hawaii and was elected to the board of trustees. Damon traveled extensively throughout his life. In 1849 he visited California and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. In 1851 he visited the United States, coming by way of the Isthmus of

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, and returning in 1852 to the Hawaiian Islands. In 1861 he made a tour of the Micronesian Islands on the missionary ship, the ''

Morning Star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

''. In 1869 he came home again and then traveled through England, Palestine,

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, returning to

in 1870. In 1876 he came home again and visited the Centennial Exposition at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. In 1880 he came to the United States once more and made another and more extensive trip abroad, visiting England, Scotland, Germany, Austria,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and France. It is said that he also visited China and Japan. He received the degree of

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

from his alma mater,

, in 1867. He became a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

in 1869, and in 1879 a corresponding member of the

New England Historic Genealogical Society The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845. NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, original scholarship, website, Damon died on February 7, 1885, at

, and his funeral the next day was attended by a very large congregation, including

King Kalakaua King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and his ministers who said of him:

''"He was one of nature's noblemen—of fine personal appearance, always pleasant and cheerful, happy and always laboring to make others happy here and hereafter—a truly model Christian man and it may justly be said that the world was made better by his having lived in it."''

The Seamen's Bethel Church burned down in 1886. The congregation has evolved into the "Central Union Church" of Honolulu. His son, Samuel Mills Damon (1845–1924), married Harriet Melinda Baldwin, daughter of missionary physician Dwight Baldwin, and became a wealthy banker. At one time they were the fourth largest private landowner in Hawaii. Their collection of artifacts was donated to the

Bernice P. Bishop Museum The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the larg ...

in 2007, after the last grandchild of Samuel Mills died in 2004. Samuel Mills had served as a founding trustee of the museum, and was minister of finance of the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

. His son Francis Williams Damon (December 10, 1852 – June 22, 1915) married Mary Rebecca Happer, the daughter of Andrew Patton Happer, and continued working with the Chinese mission in Honolulu. Another son Edward Chenery Damon married Cornelia Beckwith April 17, 1877. Their daughter

Ethel Moseley Damon Ethel Moseley Damon (April 12, 1883 – April 1, 1965) was a teacher, writer and historian who served with the Red Cross in Europe during World War I, and was decorated by Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgium and by the Mayor of Le Havre. Backg ...

(1883–1965) became an educator and author.

References

External links

A Brief History of the First Chinese Church of Christ

Books authored by Samuel Chenery Damon on Google Book Search

Sermons
by Samuel Chenery Damon are in the Harvard Divinity School Library at Harvard Divinity School in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Damon, Samuel Chenery Congregationalist missionaries in Hawaii American chaplains American Congregationalist ministers 1815 births 1885 deaths Members of the American Antiquarian Society Burials at Oahu Cemetery People from Holden, Massachusetts 19th-century American clergy

Early life

Ministry

References

Further reading

External links