Samuel Macauley Jackson papers, circa 1871 -- 1972, bulk circa 1871 -- 1897

Collection context

Creator:
Jackson, Samuel Macauley, 1851-1912
Abstract:
Samuel Macauley Jackson (1851-1912) was a UTS alum of 1873, Presbyterian minister, church historian, and New York University professor. The collection contains notes on the lectures of Roswell Dwight Hitchcock and Henry Boynton Smith taken by Jackson while at Union, as well as translations of the sermons of Swiss thinker Huldrich Zwingli, with additional correspondence of Robert Handy on the index of Jackson's translations.
Extent:
1.25 linear feet 1.25 linear feet; 3 boxes
Language:
English .
Scope and content:

This collection contains manuscript notes on the lectures of Roswell Dwight Hitchcock and Henry Boynton Smith taken by Jackson during his years as a student at Union, as well as translations of the sermons of Swiss thinker Huldrich Zwingli, with additional correspondence of Robert Handy on the index of Jackson's translations.

Biographical / historical:

Samuel Macauley Jackson was an American church historian, Presbyterian minister and philanthropist. He was born in New York City on June 19, 1851 to George T. Jackson and Letitia Jane Aiken Macauley. Jackson came from an affluent, educated family, a background that positioned him for a career in academia. He graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1870, followed by a brief time studying at Princeton Theological Seminary. In 1871 he transferred to Union Theological Seminary, where he earned his Bachelor of Divinity in 1873. At Union, Jackson met Phillip Schaff, a distinctive theologian whose thinking would impact Jackson's own theological career. After Union, Jackson spent a brief period abroad at the Universities of Leipzig and Berlin before becoming ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1876, when he also received his A.M. from the College of the City of New York. Jackson served as a Presbyterian pastor in Norwood, New Jersey between 1876 and 1880. In 1880, Jackson left full-time ministerial work to work as Schaff's assistant editor on his Bible Dictionary. After Schaff's dictionary, Jackson led the writing and editing of the thirteen-volume The New SchaffHerzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (1908-1914), as well as the Encyclopedia of Living Divines (1887), The Encylopaedia of Missions (1890), and served as joint editor of the American Church History series.

Jackson's interests in church history were primarily situated in the Protestant Reformation, with particular emphasis on the works of Swiss reformer Huldreich Zwingli. Jackson worked on a biography and various editions of Zwingli's works, and also translated portions of Zwingli's works. In addition to his editorial and writing work, Jackson performed a number of administrative and teaching roles. He served as secretary of the American Society of Church History beginning in 1888, and later became president of the Society. He was engaged in philanthropic activities with the Charity Organization Society and the Prison Associations in New York City. He taught as a professor at New York University beginning in 1895, and was Philip Schaff Chair of Church History at New York University until his death in 1912. Jackson was remembered as a vocal figure in the cultivation of modern church history as a discipline, and his scrupulous work in the field and in service to his peers and mentors is evidenced in his prolific (if often uncredited) writing and editing credentials. He died in Washington, Connecticut on August 2, 1912.

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

The following boxes are located offsite: Box 1-3. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three business days in advance.

Terms of access:

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Preferred citation:

Item description, UTS1: Samuel Macauley Jackson papers, circa 1871-1972, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Location of this collection:
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