Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Benajah Williams diaries
- Dates:
- circa 1818-1862
- Creators:
- Williams, Benajah, 1789-1864
- Abstract:
- Five handwritten diaries by Methodist preacher Benajah Williams (1789-1864) documenting his activities during the years 1818-1862.
- Extent:
- 2.34 linear feet (2 flat boxes)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Benajah Williams diaries, ARC Mss 85. Department of Special Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection comprises five volumes, each of which is composed of 25 individual pocket-sized diaries that have been bound together. The total number of pages for these volumes totals at nearly 4,700. All of these have diaries seem to have been hand written by the Rev. Benajah Williams, a Methodist preacher and "circuit rider" active during the years of these journals from 1818-1862 (with some gaps). Williams composed these manuscripts during these years while traveling the Northeast Circuits. The parties responsible for the binding these journals are unknown at this time.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The Rev. Benajah Williams was born in Pownal, Vermont in 1789, and soon after moved to Cazenovia, New York with his family. He married his wife Jerusha Wiliams in 1808, and by 1816 he was first licensed to preach in the Methodist faith. Williams was quickly assigned as a traveling preacher to many circuits (which were assigned routes provided by the church in order to ensure access to religious services for residents of rural areas) inside of New York including Old Bloomfield, Caladonia, Sweeden, Batavia, Danaville, Plattsburg, Naples, Scottsville, Elba, Richmond, and East Liberty, with Honeyoe Falls serving as his central station before 1840. Williams life was very difficult for him and his family, and often most of his annual salary was paid in produce by members of his congregation. Perhaps because of this, he briefly left New York and relocated to Chagrin Falls, Ohio where he owned and operated an iron foundry beginning in June of 1840. He would return to his preaching, however, in 1848, and this time he was assigned to the Coudersport, Pennsylvania circuit. Williams was known to be a strict man, shunning and condemning extravagance or display in dressing such as jewelry and adornments. This garnered him the reputation of an extremist, though most accounts note that he was well regarded and kind in many other areas. Williams was also a known Abolitionist, and he was known to distribute anti-slavery materials along with his religious teachings. Wiliams was known to be suspicious of Catholicism, and saw the Pope as a threat to Republicanism and the Protestant Church.
- Acquisition information:
- Library purchase, 2017.
- Arrangement:
-
These diaries have been arranged in chronological order.
- Physical location:
- Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2019-03-06 13:13:35 -0800 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Research Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Research Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Research Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Benajah Williams diaries, ARC Mss 85. Department of Special Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
- Location of this collection:
-
UC Santa Barbara LibrarySanta Barbara, CA 93106-9010, US
- Contact:
- (805) 893-3062