James Means sermons
Overview
118 sermons written by Reverend James Means during his tenure as a pastor in Concord, Massachussetts, and later as an army chaplain in New Bern, North Carolina.
Dates
- Creation: 1839-1862
- Creation: Majority of material found in 1839-1844
Condition Description
In good condition
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
This collection is shelved offsite. Retrieval requires advance notice. Readers should check with Houghton Public Services staff to determine retrieval policies and times.
Extent
1 linear feet (1 box)111 sermons written by Reverend James Means during his time as pastor of the Second Parish Orthodox Society in Concord, Massachusetts, and seven additional sermons written by Rev. Means while he was stationed in New Bern, North Carolina as a chaplain in the Union Army. Means has noted the dates and places where each sermon was delivered. Sermons are numbered from I to CLIII (1 to 153), though some sermons are not present. Topics addressed are frequently political, and reflect strong antislavery views. Also includes several invitations to the Auburndale, Massachussetts book club addressed to Rev. Means.
Biographical / Historical
James Means was the pastor of the Second Parish Orthodox Society (known informally as the Trinitarian Congregational Church) in Concord, Massachusetts from 1839 to 1844. He went on to serve in teaching and administrative roles at several private academies. In 1862, Means entered the Union Army as a chaplain, and was stationed in New Bern, North Carolina. He contracted yellow fever during his service, and died in New Bern in 1863. Means was outspoken against slavery, and against the United States government when it passed laws in support of states where slave owning was legal. The Trinitarian parish that Means pastored denied membership to slaveowners, and the church congregation was integrated. Though opposed to the Transcendentalists in spirit, the lifespan of whose publication The Dial exactly matched Means's tenure as pastor, he was in frequent contact with them as parishioners and in the course of daily civic life in Concord.
Arrangement
Sermons written from 1839 to 1844 are in numerical order as assigned by the creator. Present are numbers: 3, 4, 8, 10, 12-18, 20-24, 26-31, 35-40, 44-48, 50, 51, 53-70, 72, 75, 76, 78-85, 87, 89-96, 98, 99, 101-104, 107, 108, 110, 112, 117-119, 124, 128-131, 133-135, 137-153.
Sermons without assigned numbers and/or written after 1844 are arranged roughly by year and month of original delivery.
Physical Location
Harvard Depository
Custodial History
Ownership prior to this acquisition is unknown.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Carpe Librum Rare Books using the Houghton Fund to Support Study of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 2023 July 24.
Processing Information
This collection was processed to a basic level with minimal rehousing, organization, and preservation. (Aurora Charlow, 2023)
Subject
- Trinitarian Congregational Church (Concord, Mass.) (Organization)
- Title
- James Means sermons, 1839-1862 (MS Am 3453): Guide
- Status
- completed
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard University
- Date
- 2023 August 10
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- hou03590
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
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