William Weston Patton papers, circa 1830 -- 1940

Summary Information

Abstract

William Weston patton (1821-1889) was a UTS Alumnus (1842); Presbyterian minister; abolitionist; and the son of William Patton (a faculty member and director at Union Theological Seminary). The collection contains family photographs, books written or owned by members of the family, and newsletters, service programs, and other materials relating to the Congregational Church of Christ in Westfield, NJ.

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains family photographs, including images of various members of the Patton family and houses where they lived )some photographs include captions and annotations); books written or owned by the family, including some written by W.W. Patton's father, William Patton, and others by William Weston Patton himself; and newsletters, service programs, and other materials relating to the Congregational Church of Christ in Westfield, NJ.

• Series 1: Photographs, circa 1830 -- 1890

  This series contains family photographs, including images of various members of the Patton family and houses where they lived. Some photographs include captions and annotations.

• Series 2: Published and Unpublished Writings, 1836 -- 1940

  This series contains books written or owned by the family, including some written by W.W. Patton's father, William Patton, and others by William Weston Patton himself. One book was written by his children to publish a biography and the sermon preached by his son on the occasion of his death.

• Series 3: Congregational Church of Christ, 1874 -- 1918

  This series contains newsletters, service programs, and other materials relating to the Congregational Church of Christ in Westfield, NJ. Some materials relate to the town itself. WWP's son, Cornelius H. Patton, was a pastor at this church.

Burke Library record group:

Union Theological Seminary Archives: UTS 1, papers of faculty and students

Arrangement

This collection is organized in three series: Series 1: Photographs; Series 2: Published and Unpublished Writings; and Series 3: Congregational Church of Christ.

• Series 1: Photographs, circa 1830 -- 1890
• Series 2: Published and Unpublished Writings, 1836 -- 1940
• Series 3: Congregational Church of Christ, 1874 -- 1918

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research. Please see the detailed contents list for fragile materials and handle with care.

Series 1 onsite storage.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.

Preferred Citation

Item description, UTS1: William Weston Patton papers, series #, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Related Materials

Rev. William W. Patton diaries and account book, 1835-1889, Ms 68129. Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, CT.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers were donated to the library at Union Theological Seminary by Mr. Patton's descendant in 2004.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

Any folded items were flattened. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Acidic items were separated from one another by interleaving with acid-free paper as needed. Any items in an advanced state of deterioration were placed in Mylar envelopes. Photographs that are in frames were wrapped in acid-free paper. The finding aid was created by Maya Naunton and Rebecca Nieto in 2017 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2022.

Revision Description

2022-08-05 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman.

Biographical / Historical

William Weston Patton was a minister and a key figure in the abolitionist movement. Patton wrote the lyrics to what became the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." He was the president of Howard University from 1877 to 1889. William Weston Patton was born on October 19th, 1821. He was the oldest surviving child of Rev. William Patton, D.D., and Mary Weston Patton. His father was one of the founders of the Union Theological Seminary (and briefly served as director from 1836 to 1849) and the Evangelical Alliance. Patton's grandfather was a colonel in the Revolutionary War and the first Postmaster of Philadelphia in the new Republic. William Weston Patton graduated from New York University and the Union Theological Seminary and became a minister at age 20. Not long after that, Patton left the Presbyterian Church partly because of his anti-slavery stance and became a minister in a Congregational Church. He married Sarah Jane Mott in 1843. They had 3 children, two of whom died in childhood. His first wife died in childbirth and he married Mary Boardman Smith in 1851. With her he had 6 children all of whom survived into maturity. Patton served as a minister in Chicago and was one of the organizers and a President of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Theological Seminary. During the Civil War Patton was a vice-president of the Northwestern Sanitary Commission. In that capacity he inspected army camps throughout the central United States. It was during his travels for the commission that he wrote new lyrics to the song that was then familiarly known as "John Brown's Body". The text was published in the Chicago Tribune and then was modified by Julia Ward Howe into what is known today as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." In 1862 Patton presided over a mass meeting in Chicago, where he drew up a memorial on proclamation of emancipation and he was the head of the Committee that presented it to President Lincoln. In 1867 he resigned his pastorate and became an editor of the Advance, a Congregational paper in the Northwest. In 1877 he became a president of Howard University. He held that post to shortly before his death on December 31, 1889, at the age of 69.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Name
Patton, William W (William Weston), 1821-1889 -- : Archives	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Subject
Clergy	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID