James Jones Wilmer (January 15, 1750 – 1814) was an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

clergyman who served as

Chaplain of the Senate The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Early life

James Jones Wilmer was born in 1750 to Simon Wilmer and his wife Mary Price Wilmer, in

Kent County, Maryland Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,198, making it the least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Chestertown. The county was named for the county of Kent in En ...

. He studied at

St Paul's School (London) (''By Faith and By Learning'') , established = , closed = , type = Independent school Public school , religion = Church of England , president = , he ...

, before matriculating at Christ Church,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He was ordained in England in 1773.

Ministry

In 1779, Wilmer was rector of Shrewsbury Church, South Sassafras, Kent County. In 1780, the rectors of the local parishes gathered at Emmanuel’s Parish Hall (Chestertown, Maryland). Wilmer proposed renaming the church to the

Protestant Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine Ecclesiastical provinces and dioces ...

, which was adopted as the name of the American branch of the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

. In 1783 he was rector of St John's and St. George's, Harford County. In 1786 he moved to North Sassafrass and Augustine in

Cecil County Cecil County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The county was ...

. He was residing in Havre de Grace in 1793, and had adopted some of the tenets of

Emanuel Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758). Swedenborg had ...

. Upon his renouncing them in 1799, he took charge of Trinity Church,

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. Returning to Maryland the following year, he served parishes in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, in Harford County and in Prince George's County. He spent four years from 1805 in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. In 1809 he was

. Thereafter he returned to Havre de Grace, then to Baltimore, where he edited the "Baltimore American". He was made chaplain of the army in 1813, and died in 1814, his sixty-sixth year.

Personal life

On 21 May 1783, he married Sarah Magee. They were the parents of five children including Mary Ann Wlmer.rootsweb.com, Lane Family Tree His nephew, Rev.

William Holland Wilmer William Holland Wilmer (October 9, 1782 – July 24, 1827) was an Episcopal priest, teacher and writer in Maryland and Virginia who served briefly as the eleventh president of the College of William and Mary. Early life and education The fift ...

, wrote a popular manual of Episcopal church practices and also became the 11th President of the College of William and Mary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmer, James Jones 1750 births 1814 deaths Chaplains of the United States Senate People from Kent County, Maryland People from Havre de Grace, Maryland People from Cecil County, Maryland Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford