Stephen Bloomer Balch (April 5, 1747 – September 7, 1833) was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister and educator in Georgetown, which is now part of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1780, Balch established Georgetown Presbyterian Church, which was the second church in Georgetown. He also served as headmaster of the Columbian Academy in Georgetown.

Early life

Balch was born on April 5, 1747, on his father James Balch's holding, "Bond's Hope," on the north side of Deer Creek in what was then Baltimore Co., but is now in Harford County, Maryland. He attended the College of New Jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

), where his classmates included Aaron Burr and William Bradford, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1774. Soon thereafter, he became principal of the Lower Marlborough Academy in

Calvert County Calvert County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimore, the proprietors of t ...

in southern Maryland. Balch also served in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Georgetown Presbyterian Church

In 1779, Balch was ordained as minister by the

church. After that, he arrived in Georgetown and briefly preached at the Georgetown Lutheran Church. In 1780, he began preaching out of a small house near Bridge Street (now M Street), which was used during the week as a school. Around this time, Balch also became headmaster of the Columbian Academy in Georgetown, which is where

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

sent his nephews. A building was constructed for the church on Bridge Street at Washington Street (30th Street) in 1782. The church was expanded in 1793 and again in 1801, but the size was still insufficient. A new structure was built in 1821, and the church later relocated to P Street the 1870s. Many notable residents of Washington and Georgetown attended the church. Balch preached to a large crowd after George Washington died.

Personal life

In 1781, Balch married Elizabeth Beall, who was the daughter of

George Beall George Beall, Jr. (February 26, 1729 – October 15, 1807) was a wealthy landowner in Maryland and Georgetown, Washington, D.C., Georgetown in what is now Washington, D.C., son of George Beall, Sr. (1695-1780) and Elizabeth Brooke (1699-1748); th ...

. Balch had a home built in 1783 on Duck Lane (now 33rd Street). Balch also owned an island in the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

, as well as a farm outside of Washington. He spent the later years of his life living at 3302 N Street. The Balches had eleven children including Harriet Balch (married 1st James Reid Wilson, and 2nd Gen. Alexander Macomb), Alfred Balch (Princeton, 1805), Lewis Penn Witherspoon Balch (Princeton, 1805), George Ninian Beall Balch, the Reverend Thomas Bloomer Balch (Princeton, 1813), Anne Eleanora Balch (married Capt. James Campbell Wilson), Elizabeth Maria Balch (married Rev. Septimus Tustin), Jane Whann Balch (married Rev. William Williamson) and Hezekiah James (died young) and Franklin (died young). His wife died in 1827, and a year later at age 82 he married Elizabeth King, who survived the ceremony only eighteen days. In 1830 he married again to a widow, Mrs. Jane Parrott. Balch remained the pastor of Georgetown Presbyterian Church until his death in 1833. Balch was originally interred in the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

of Georgetown Presbyterian Church at 30th and M Streets NW beneath a small pyramidal marble stone. His remains were disinterred and reburied at Presbyterian Burying Ground (the church's cemetery) in the spring of 1873. They were disinterred again and reburied at nearby Oak Hill Cemetery on June 18, 1874.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balch, Stephen Bloomer 1747 births 1833 deaths History of Washington, D.C. Princeton University alumni Burials at Presbyterian Burying Ground Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) People from Baltimore County, Maryland People of Maryland in the American Revolution People from Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) Beall family of Maryland