James Jones Wilmer
Encyclopedia
James Jones Wilmer was an Episcopal
clergyman who served as Chaplain of the Senate of the United States
.
. He studied at St Paul's School (London),
before matriculating at Christ Church College, Oxford
. He was ordained in England in 1773.
, South Sassafras, Kent County. In 1780, the rectors of the local parishes gathered at Emmanuel’s Parish Hall (Chestertown, Maryland). Wilmer proposed renaming the church to the Protestant Episcopal Church
, which was adopted as the name of the American branch of the Anglican Church.
In 1783 he was rector of St John's and St. George's, Harford County. In 1786 he moved to North Sassafrass and Augustine in Cecil County. He was residing in Havre de Grace in 1793, and had adopted some of the tenants of Emanuel Swedenborg
. Upon his renouncing them in 1799, he took charge of Trinity Church, Wilmington, Delaware
. Returning to Maryland the following year, he served parishes in Baltimore
, in Harford County and in Prince George's County. He spent four years from 1805 in Virginia
.
In 1809 he was Chaplain of the Senate. Therafer he returned to Havre de Grace, then to Baltimore, where he edited the "Baltimore American". He was made chaplain of the army in 1813, and died in 1814, his sixty-sixth year.
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
clergyman who served as Chaplain of the Senate of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early life
James Jones Wilmer was born in 1750 to Simon Wilmer and his wife Mary Price Wilmer, in Kent County, MarylandKent County, Maryland
Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, on its Eastern Shore. It was named for the county of Kent in England. Its county seat is Chestertown. In 2010, the county population was 20,197...
. He studied at St Paul's School (London),
before matriculating at Christ Church College, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. He was ordained in England in 1773.
Ministry
In 1779, Wilmer was rector of Shrewsbury ChurchShrewsbury Church
Shrewsbury Church is a historic Episcopal church located at Kennedyville, Kent County, Maryland, United States. It is a rural parish church constructed in 1834, and remodeled to its present vernacular Gothic-influenced appearance in 1890...
, South Sassafras, Kent County. In 1780, the rectors of the local parishes gathered at Emmanuel’s Parish Hall (Chestertown, Maryland). Wilmer proposed renaming the church to the Protestant Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
, which was adopted as the name of the American branch of the Anglican Church.
In 1783 he was rector of St John's and St. George's, Harford County. In 1786 he moved to North Sassafrass and Augustine in Cecil County. He was residing in Havre de Grace in 1793, and had adopted some of the tenants of Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg
was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
. Upon his renouncing them in 1799, he took charge of Trinity Church, Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
. Returning to Maryland the following year, he served parishes in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, in Harford County and in Prince George's County. He spent four years from 1805 in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
In 1809 he was Chaplain of the Senate. Therafer he returned to Havre de Grace, then to Baltimore, where he edited the "Baltimore American". He was made chaplain of the army in 1813, and died in 1814, his sixty-sixth year.