James Seaton Reid facts for kids

James Seaton Reid (born 1798, died 1851) was an important Irish Presbyterian minister and a historian of the church. He was known for writing a detailed history of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. He also held important positions in the church and at universities.

Life Story

Early Life and Education

James Seaton Reid was born in Lurgan, which is in County Armagh, Ireland. His father, Forest Reid, was a school teacher. Sadly, James lost his father when he was young. He spent much of his childhood in Ramelton, County Donegal, where his older brother, Edward, who was also a Presbyterian minister, looked after him.

When James was just fifteen, he went to the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He earned his first degree there in 1816. After that, he studied to become a minister at the university's divinity hall.

Becoming a Minister

In 1818, James was approved to preach by the church group in Letterkenny. The next year, he officially became a minister. He started working at the Presbyterian church in Donegore, County Antrim. Four years later, he moved to the Presbyterian church in Carrickfergus.

While working as a minister, James also started gathering information for a big project: a history of the Irish Presbyterian Church. He looked through old church records and other handwritten documents. He even traveled to Dublin, London, and Edinburgh to do research in libraries.

Church Leader and Professor

In 1827, when he was only 28 years old, James was chosen as the leader, or "moderator," of the Synod of Ulster. This was a time when there were many disagreements within the church. Even though James strongly believed in the traditional Christian idea of the Trinity, he was respected by all groups, including those who held different views.

During his time as moderator, he gave a sermon about these disagreements, which he later published. In 1829, James and others started a magazine called The Orthodox Presbyterian, and he wrote for it often. In 1833, the University of Glasgow gave him an honorary degree, making him a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.).

In 1837, he became a professor at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He taught church history, how churches are run, and how to be a good minister.

In 1841, Queen Victoria herself appointed him as a professor of church history at the University of Glasgow. He spent parts of 1845 and 1846 traveling in Europe, visiting countries like Germany, France, and Italy.

James Seaton Reid passed away in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 26, 1851. He is buried in Sighthill Cemetery in Glasgow.

His Writings

His Main History Book

In 1834, James published the first part of his most famous work, the History of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. People quickly saw how important and valuable this book was. Because of his excellent work, the Royal Irish Academy made him a member.

The second part of his history book came out in 1837. It included original documents about important historical events like the War of the Three Kingdoms and Oliver Cromwell's time ruling Ireland. James was working on the third part of his history when he died. Another historian, William Dool Killen, finished it for him.

Other Writings

Besides his main history book, James Seaton Reid also wrote other things:

• In 1824, he published a short book called A Brief Account of the Irish Presbyterian Church in the Form of Question and Answer.
• He also wrote The Sabbath, a Tract for the Times, which was a short paper about Sunday.
• In 1849, he published Seven Letters to Dr. Elrington, which were letters he wrote to a professor named Charles Richard Elrington about some parts of his history book.
• In 1848, he helped edit a translation of a Church History by Johann Lorenz von Mosheim, adding his own notes to it.

Family Life

In February 1826, James Reid married Elizabeth Arrott. Her father, Samuel Arrott, was a surgeon in Belfast. James and Elizabeth had eleven children together, but only five of them were still alive when James passed away. Because of his important work as a historian, the government gave a special payment, called a pension, to his wife and children after he died.