A Forgotten President

By Lori Lockhart

Can you identify all the presidents of the United States? You might start your list with George Washington. But, what about names like John Hanson, Elias Boudinot or Thomas Mifflin? They are often left off any presidential roll. Yet, all of them (among others) were selected to be presidents of the United States Congress under the Articles of Confederation. Take Elias Boudinot (May 2, 1740-Oct. 24, 1821) for example, he was elected to be the president of the Confederation Congress Nov. 4, 1782. This made him the presiding officer of the first formal national government in the United States when the Treaty of Paris was signed with England that effectively ended the American Revolution.

J. W. Paradise engraving of Elias Boudinot (1740-1821).
THS Picture Collection, Tennessee State Library and Archives

Functioning as the head of the United States Congress wasn’t Boudinot’s only claim to fame. He also served on the board of directors of the College of New Jersey (Princeton), was a lawyer, a U. S. Representative, an author and a supporter of Native American rights. But, perhaps his greatest achievement was founding the American Bible Society (ABS) in 1816.

American Bible Society Lifetime Member Certificate for Rev. R. C. (Robert Clopton) Hatton, 1841.
Peyton Family Papers, Tennessee State Library and Archives

The British and Foreign Bible Society was formed in 1804. Four years later, the first Bible society in the United States was established in Philadelphia. Soon, similar Bible groups were being organized all over the Northeast. By June 1816, a published list would show the existence of 128 similar groups spread out over 21 U.S. states and territories. Tennessee was even home to several Bible societies.

Franklin County Bible Society membership list, ca. 1830s.
Carrick Academy Board of Trustees Minutes, Tennessee State Library and Archives

A plan for a national Bible society was suggested in 1815 by Boudinot, who was the head of the New Jersey Bible Society at the time. He thought a national society would unify the efforts of smaller local organizations and also be more effective at getting the Bible into unsettled areas of the U.S. that were still little more than wilderness.

According to “The Manual of the American Bible Society,” a convention was held May 8, 1816, in the “Consistory Room of the Reformed Dutch Church, in Garden Street, in New York” with 60 people from many different denominations in attendance. The meeting’s mission was established with harmony: “Resolved, That it is expedient to establish, without delay, a general Bible Institution for the circulation of the Holy Scriptures without note or comment.” The gathering was a success with a constitution being adopted and “Executive Officers” as well as a “Board of Managers” being selected for the new national group. (Boudinot would serve as the first President of the society.) With this illustrious start, “the American Bible Society entered at once upon its career of benevolence and Christian usefulness.”

The constitution of the ABS stated that “the sole object of the Institution is to encourage a wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures without note or comment.” It was unsectarian and did not want remarks included in the Bibles it published to contain denominational bias. The ABS prided itself on being made up of members from many different denominations and also strove to “circulate the Scriptures among all classes impartially,” giving away Bibles to those who could not afford them and charging only what the Bible cost to manufacture to those who were more affluent.

Excerpts from the William Driver Family Bible. Driver (March 17, 1803-March 3, 1886) was a sea captain and longtime Nashville resident who coined the moniker “Old Glory” for the U.S. flag. He is buried in Nashville City Cemetery.
William Driver Family Bible, Tennessee State Library and Archives

The society worked with many different organizations to distribute scriptures, including the United States military. The ABS gave Bibles to sailors on the USS John Adams in 1817 and has supplied Bibles to soldiers in every American war since the Mexican-American War in 1846. In fact, many Civil War (both Union and Confederate) and WWI soldiers carried pocket testaments published by the ABS.

Title page of pocket New Testament (1861) given to Jasper B. Griffith, Co. E, 3rd Wisc. Inf. Regt., USA. He was from Font du Lac, Wisconsin and moved to Lawrence County, Tenn. after the war. He died at the National Soldiers Home in East Tenn. in 1915. This New Testament edition also went to World War I with one of Jasper Griffith's descendants, Pvt. Samuel F. Clifton.
Looking Back at the Civil War Digital Collection, Tennessee State Library and Archives

Inside front cover of New Testament (1917) printed by the American Bible Society and given to Pvt. Euliss Grant Hallowell, 63rd Art. Brig., Coastal Art. Brig. He was assigned to Ft. Pickens and later Ft. Barrancas near Pensacola, Florida. Hallowell ultimately served in France beginning in September 1918. He remained overseas until March 1919. Hallowell farmed in Carroll County after the war and died in 1984.
Over Here, Over There WWI Digital Collection, Tennessee State Library and Archives

Through the years, the American Bible Society has been a leading innovator in the publishing world. According to John Fea (author of “The Bible Cause: A History of the American Bible Society”), the ABS was the “first publisher in the United States to use steam-powered presses.” The ABS also published the first braille Bible.

While the ABS’s mission/vision has changed slightly in recent years and their headquarters has moved from New York to Philadelphia, they continue to “make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford.” This continues the legacy started long ago by a largely forgotten president.

To explore items in the Library and Archives holdings related to the American Bible Society, browse through materials here.

To view more military memorabilia from the Civil War and World War I, please visit the Looking Back: The Civil War In Tennessee and the Over Here, Over There: Tennesseans in the First World War digital collections.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives is a division of the Office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett

TLBPH recognizes Tennessee presidents for President's Day

By Ruth Hemphill

The great state of Tennessee has provided our country with three presidents - Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson. In honor of the upcoming President’s Day holiday, we highlight books about these three important historical figures.

The most well-known president from Tennessee is Andrew Jackson, the first Tennessean to become president. Although he was not a native Tennessean, Jackson claimed Tennessee as his home state, having moved here at the age of 20 to practice law. Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times, by H.W. Brands, is available from Tennessee Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (TLBPH) in audio format as a commercial recording that has been adapted for libraries for the blind and physically handicapped across the country. Hearts of Hickory: A Story of Andrew Jackson and the War of 1812, a novel by former Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist John Trotwood Moore, is also available as an audio book.

The next Tennessean to follow Jackson into the White House was James K. Polk. A native of North Carolina, Polk served one term as United States president, from 1845 to 1849. Prior to his presidency, Polk served one term as governor of Tennessee, from 1839 to 1841 and represented Maury County in the Tennessee General Assembly from 1823 to 1825. Polk also served in Congress, having won election seven times and presided over the U.S. House as its speaker. He was the first former speaker of the House of Representatives to serve as president. TLBPH has James K. Polk: 11th President of the United States, by Miriam Greenblatt, and The Slender Reed: a Biographical Novel of James Knox Polk, Eleventh President of the United States by Noel B. Gerson, both available in braille. For audio book readers, we have The Presidency of James K. Polk, by Paul H. Bergeron.

Andrew Johnson, another North Carolina native who later moved to Tennessee, took office following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was the first vice-president to gain the office following an assassination. Johnson served as president of the United States from 1865 to 1869. Prior to his presidency, he served in the Tennessee General Assembly, the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor of Tennessee, both as an elected executive and as an appointed military governor during the Civil War. Johnson also has the dubious distinction of being the first president to be impeached, following the U.S. House of Representatives' vote on 11 articles of impeachment against him. Books about Johnson in TLBPH’s collections include: The Avenger Takes His Place: Andrew Johnson and the 45 Days that Changed the Nation, by Howard Means, which is available in braille, and The Presidency of Andrew Johnson, by Albert Castel, available in audio format.

We also have biographies of presidents available for children, including such titles as: Who Let Muddy Boots Into the White House: A Story of Andrew Jackson, by Robert M. Quackenbush, and James K. Polk, 11th President of the United States, by Miriam Greenblatt. Both are available in audio format.

All of these books are also available in print format and some on compact discs from public libraries across the state of Tennessee.

TLBPH is a division of the Tennessee State Library & Archives, which is part of Secretary of State Tre Hargett's office. For more information on eligibility to borrow books from TLBPH, and what is available, see: http://www.sos.tn.gov/tsla/lbph.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State

George Washington's Ledger Book

In honor of Presidents' Day, the Tennessee State Library and Archives is highlighting a unique and rare item in our collection. General George Washington's account book used at Mount Vernon, August 1776 through May 1785. This account book was originally donated to the Tennessee Historical Society, and currently can be found at TSLA in the THS Collection.

General George Washington Account Book. Presented by J. K. Brown of Nashville, Tennessee, THS Collection, TSLA.

In addition to being our nation's first president, Washington was a successful planter and devoted considerable energy to his agricultural enterprise. On his Mount Vernon plantation, he farmed a variety of crops and even operated his own distillery. Washington was known for keeping meticulous records, both on the battlefield and on his plantation home at Mount Vernon. This account book provides evidence of his attention to detail, giving us a unique glimpse into Washington's life as a plantation owner and agricultural entrepreneur.

When the account book first arrived in Nashville, the June 4, 1858 edition of the Daily News enthusiastically reported that the account book was "said to be in the handwriting of General George Washington." The paper further added, "The style in which the book is arranged, evinces a systematic habit of mind, and a careful observance of the minutia of business." Researchers at Mount Vernon later confirmed that the handwriting was actually that of Washington's farm manager (and distant cousin), Lund Washington. For almost a decade Lund Washington served as the Mount Vernon plantation manager during the extended period when George Washington was away during the Revolutionary War. Nonetheless, this item represents an important piece of American history, and we're fortunate that members of the Tennessee Historical Society had the foresight to save this account book for future generations.

Poster advertising the Account Book's arrival in Nashville.
THS Collection, Tennessee State Library and Archives.

To learn more about this and other fascinating collections held at TSLA, please visit our website, or better yet, visit us in person. The Tennessee State Library and Archives is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., with the exception of state holidays. Parking is available in front, behind and beside the building.
 

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.

July 12 - A Big Day for an Infamous Tennessean

Here’s a quick trivia question: Can you name five Tennesseans who became president?

If you’re a good student of the state’s history, you probably won’t have any trouble naming former U.S. presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson or James K. Polk. But a fourth or fifth?

It’s a trick question, because there were also Tennesseans who later became presidents of foreign countries, such as Sam Houston, who led the briefly-independent Republic of Texas, and William Walker, who was inaugurated as president of Nicaragua on this date in 1856.

Walker’s life is highlighted in one of the Tennessee State Library and Archives’ online exhibits. The exhibit can be found at http://tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/walker/index.htm.

Walker isn’t as famous as some Tennesseans chronicled at the State Library and Archives, but in his day, he was quite infamous for his efforts to colonize Central America.

Known as the "Grey-eyed Man of Destiny, " Nashville-born President of Nicaragua, William Walker was executed by the Honduran government at Truxillo, Honduras on September 12, 1860. In this studio portrait, Walker is seated with props symbolizing his expansionist vision: a telescoping spyglass and map. Library Collection Photo.

Three years before he became president of Nicaragua, the Nashvillian led a group of 45 men who landed in Baja California, Mexico. Walker declared the land to be the Republic of Lower California and proclaimed himself to be the new country’s president. Mexican forces soon threw him and his troops out of the country and he was tried (but acquitted) for violating U.S. neutrality laws when he returned.

Walker then led a group of 57 soldiers into Nicaragua. After fighting a number of battles and eventually becoming president, he launched a plan to “Americanize” the country by declaring English the official language and encouraging U.S. residents to immigrate there. He was later ousted by the combined forces of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. After unsuccessfully attempting to regain the presidency of Nicaragua, he was eventually captured and turned over to the Honduran government, which executed him for piracy.

“The story of William Walker is one of thousands that can be found at the Tennessee State Library and Archives,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “Because his life is chronicled in one of our online exhibits, it is accessible to Tennesseans free of charge, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. I encourage people to visit our web site and learn more about the resources that are just a few mouse clicks away.”

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.