USA > Pennsylvania > Cumberland County > Centennial biography : Men of mark of Cumberland Valley, Pa., 1776-1876 > Part 30
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In the war of 1812, Mr. Nevin, in the capacity of Major, with a large number of the citizens of Shippensburg, in which place he had then come to reside, marched to Baltimore for the defence of that city.
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The scene at the separation on this occasion, as wives, mothers and sisters bade, though with sad hearts and tearful eyes, their loved ones go forth and battle for their country, is represented as peculiarly thrilling. All interests, however dear, seemed to be merged in that of patriotism. And hence, satisfied that duty called them to imperil their lives in the tent; on pestiferous plains, or amidst the death-missiles of the field of conflict, the brave men went for- ward with steady step and unyielding nerve to vindicate the right, and repel the invading foe. The principal elements of Major Nevin's character were courage, self-reliance, kindness, uprightness, enterprise, and decision. He was felt, in the entire section of the county in which his days were chiefly spent, to be a man of truth, wis- dom, sincerity, justice and force. The Hon. George Sanderson, late Mayor of Lancaster, a life-long friend of Major Nevin, says of him : "He was one of the best known and most prominent men in the Cumberland valley. By his industry and energy he secured for him- self the reputation-and deservedly so-of being one of the most successful merchants and business men of the community in which he resided. A man of the strictest integrity in all his dealings and inter- course with his fellow men, his word was at all times as good as his bond, and his character was beyond reproach. Kind and generous by nature, he was liberal to the poor, never turning a deaf car to the appeals of the distressed, and his numerous charities were bestowed without ostentation or self-glorification. Take him all in all, he was a model man, and the place he occupied in Shippensburg and its vicinity it would be difficult to fill. In short, he was emphatically one of nature's noblemen.
"Major Nevin was a firm and consistent Democrat from principle, a sincere admirer of the doctrines promulgated and inculcated by Thomas Jefferson, and was withal a man of more than ordinary intel- ligence and of great influence in his party. He was a representative from Cumberland county in the Reform Convention, 1837-8, and assisted in remodeling the State Constitution. Although not a speak- ing member, owing to a diffidence in his own ability, his sound judg- ment and the liberal principles which he entertained gave his opinions, which were eagerly sought for by his colleagues, a weight in that assemblage of the talented men of the commonwealth, which few of his fellow members of greater pretentions possessed."
In person Major Nevin was tall, of robust frame, and commanding appearance. His countenance was indicative of benignity, quick per- ception, prompt action, and strong decision. His manner was dignified
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and somewhat reserved, ever exhibiting the culture which arose from frequent intercourse with the world, and much travel. His whole bearing, whilst utterly free from haughtiness, or any undue assumption of worth, was expressive of a consciousness of rectitude of intention, and a high degree of self-respect. He felt equally at home in associa- ting with the great, and in mingling with the humble.
Major Nevin's health, during many of his last years, was feeble, by reason of a severe shock which his system had sustained from a pro- tracted attack of malignant fever in 1823. But notwithstanding he was thus called to battle with physical prostration and suffering, few men were more active in attention to business. " Perseverantia," the motto on the family coat of arms, brought over by a kinsman from Scotland, seemed to be his actuating and ruling principle. With heroic spirit he bore up under a complication of maladies, thus, in all probability, as his physician told him, lengthening his earthly career, by not allowing himself to sink under the operation of causes which threatened, and, but for this reason, must have hastened its termina- tion.
At length, after a long struggle with disease, he departed this life on May 27th, 1848, surrounded by most of his family, and in the full exer- cise of his mental powers. By special request of the military of the town, permission was granted them to march with his funeral, and after an admirable funeral discourse pronounced in his late dwelling in the centre of the town, by his nephew, John Williamson Nevin, D. D., LL. D., the very large concourse which followed his mortal remains to the grave showed that his hold upon the public regard was such as it is the privilege of but few to have, and that he was as extensively and deeply lamented by the community, when dead, as he was respected by them while living. His body is now entombed in the family lot in Spring Hill Cemetery, where also slumbers the dust of his wife, and eldest son, Joseph P., since deceased, and that of two young daughters, whom, in early life, he followed to the grave.
The surviving sons of Major Nevin, in the order of their age, are : Edwin H. Nevin, D. D., Philadelphia, Alfred Nevin, D. D., LL. D., of the same city, Samuel Williamson Nevin, Esq., and William Wallace Nevin, M. D., both of Shippensburg, and David Robert Bruce Nevin, Pension Agent, U. S. A., Philadelphia. The explanation of the giving of two such eminent Scottish names to two of his children, is to be found in the fact that the family, as reliable tradition affirms, are lineally descended from the Scottish heroes from whom these names are taken.
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SAMUEL DUNCAN CULBERTSON, M. D.
MONG the remarkable men of the Cumberland valley, no one is more entitled to distinction than Samuel Duncan Culbert- son. Descending from the best blood of the best days of the Republic ---- the honest, steadfast, patriotic Scotch-Irish of the Revolu- tionary period-he lived to an old age, honoured for his great intellec- tual gifts, for his probity and his professional eminence ; admired for his commanding. personal appearance, his dignity of character, his energy and surprising business success ; and beloved for his social attractions, benevolence and practical friendliness.
S. D. Culbertson's ancestors were fervent patriots, and were promi- nent actors in the War of Independence. His father, Robert Culbert- son, was captain of a battalion of Col. Joseph Armstrong's command as early in the Revolution as August, 1776. Captain Culbertson was subsequently appointed Wagon Master for Cumberland county, (an office of much more dignity and importance than it appears in modern military grades,) on the 1.4th of August, 17So, previous to which he had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
· Col. Joseph Culbertson lived on an adjoining farm ; of him we know nothing special. Col. Samuel Culbertson, a cousin of the foregoing brothers, and the most noted of the family, lived in the neighbourhood, raised a company of Provincial troops, and marched thein to the spring running through Robert's farm, when he formed them in confronting lines on its opposite shores. Then clasping hands across the stream they swore fidelity to the cause of their country. This was a form of Scotch swearing which was deemed peculiarly solemn and irrevocable. After the vows were uttered, the oaths were confirmed by draughts from a tinful of whisky, which Robert supplied from his still house which stood at the head of his famous spring.
Colonel Samuel Culbertson was a prominent elder of the Rocky Spring Church, and was a member of the Assembly for a number of sessions. He died on his farm in the " Row." April 17th, 1817. A daughter married General John Rea, member of the Twelfth Congress. The Rev. James Culbertson, of Zanesville, Ohio, was his son.
Colonel Robert Culbertson was married to a daughter of William Duncan, who resided near Middle Spring, and whose family was among the earliest settlers of that neighbourhood. He was an active
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member of the Presbyterian congregation, then under the pastorate of Rev. Dr. Cooper, distinguished alike for his piety and patriotismn. . The Duncan name is found in the sessions of the Middle Spring Church, during the Rev. John Blair's ministry, in 1742. William Duncan paid an annual pew rent of {1 19s. 6d. in 1782.
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The Culbertsons were connected with the Rocky Spring Church. Robert was an attendant of the Old Colonial Meeting House and paid to Rev. Craighead, {1 17s. 6d. as his annual pew rent, in 1776.
Samuel Duncan, son of Robert Culbertson, was born near Cham- bersburg, at " Culbertson's Row," on the 21st of February, 1786. His father dying when he was quite young, he was left to the care of his widowed mother, a woman of very superior character and culture. He received a classical education at Jefferson College, Cannonsburg, where, we believe, he was graduated. At that early day, means of conveyance to such a distant western point were limited and difficult. and our youthful student was accustomed to make his long way to and from the college on foot.
After quitting Cannonsburg, he began the study of medicine under Dr. Walmsley, a practitioner of reputation in Chambersburg, who removed to Hagerstown, whither his pupil followed him. Dr. Walmsley died soon after changing his location, when young Culbert- son finished his course of study in the office of Dr. Young, of the latter place. During his pupilage, Mr. Culbertson spent one winter in attending medical instruction at the celebrated University of Pennsyl- vania, then, as now, the foremost medical school in America.
In 1836, the honourary degree of M. D. was conferred upon him in grateful recognition of his eminence and usefulness in the profession. Dr. Culbertson commenced the practice of medicine in Chambersburg, probably in 1808, and succeeded speedily to a large business and acquired great celebrity. His practice extended to a great distance from his home, as at that time the country was ill supplied with physi- cians, and diseases of a malarious origin were greatly more frequent than since the country has been opened up and settled. The luxuri- ous vehicles, which carry the doctors so comfortably now, protecting them from the fierce beating of the sun and pitiless peltings of storms, were unknown to the rural physician, and he was compelled to make his laborious rounds on horseback. Wide spread epidemics of bilious fevers, dysenteries, and kindred diseases prevailed for a succession of years, making the work of the practitioner onerous and oppressive indeed. From a letter written in 1823, by a student of Dr. C., we learn that the Doctor had ridden from four o'clock in one morning until
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three of the next, three days in succession ; and that his office was often so full that many patients had to wait for hours before they could get speaking to him. In connection with his profession, he opened, at an early part of his career, a small drug store, a custom which was quite common among doctors at that time. One sultry day, a worn and dusty footman walked into his shop, and begged a drink of water. The sympathetic proprietor stepped into his yard to get a cool draught from the well. While he was gone the ungrateful stranger robbed the till. A few years before the Doctor's death, he received from a Catholic priest a letter containing a sum of money, which the holy father said a rich penitent, in his extreme hour, had ordered to be sent to Dr. Culbertson as the principal and interest on the amount stolen more than fifty years before.
Growing weary, he sought to escape from his arduous duties, and went to Philadelphia in 1815, and engaged in merchandising, but being unsuccessful in his new pursuit, he returned to Chambersburg, and resumed his practice, in which he continued until 1831, when he finally relinquished it in favour of Drs. Lane and Bain. He then entered upon the manufacturing of straw boards, in conjunction with Mr. George A. Shryock (the great pioneer in that new branch of industry.) and others, in the first mill of the kind ever erected. Subsequently, he purchased the interest of his partners, and conducted the business alone, amassing a large fortune.
During the late war with England, Dr. Culbertson. true to his ancestry, was a fiery patriot, and shared in the struggle. With a little band of volunteers gathered from the neighbourhood. he left Chambers- burg September 5th, 1812, and marched to Buffalo, where they lay until January, 1813, without any other winter quarters than their own rude huts. He held the position of First Lieutenant of his company until they reached Meadville. Then the First Pennsylvania Regiment was organized and he was appointed Surgeon, in which capacity he served until they were mustered out. On the return of the command. he resumed his practice. But his quiet life was soon again disturbed. In 1814, the country was alarmed by the intelligence that the British threatened Baltimore. The Doctor promptly called his neighbours to arms, raised a company rapidly, was chosen its captain, and marched hurriedly, with some eighteen hundred men of Franklin county, to the endangered city. Then he was once more elevated to the surgeoncy of the brigade. We have often listened with enthusiasm to the descriptions given of the tumultuous night in which the news was brought that the enemy were approaching Baltimore; when Dr. Cul-
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bertson turned out at midnight, and with drums beating, marched through the village streets, summoning his excited townsmen to the rescue ; and have felt the glow of patriotic pride as we have heard how the dusky forms of responding citizens were seen falling with alacrity into the ranks of the swelling procession.
The love of country which warmed the bosoms of the Culbertsons in the days that tried men's souls, and which glowed in the ardent heart of their illustrious descendant in the vigour of his manhood, suffered no cooling amid the infirmities of his age. When the wicked rebellion massed its hosts for the overthrow of the Government and dismember- ment of the Republic, he gave no equivocal support to the earnest, strenuous prosecution of the war for national existence, but uttered a full voiced advocacy of prompt, decided, unintermitting action.
As a business man, Dr. Culbertson is known to have been extraor- dinarily successful; but it was his professional career that made him eminent. In surgery he was very expert and daring ; as an obstetrician he especially excelled. One who knew him well, says : " his medical qualification which most impressed me, was his wonderful readiness in discovering the seat of disease, its nature, and its probable issuc. This rare faculty made his counsel extremely valuable. If a new disease appeared (or perhaps I had better say, an unusual disease, as a new disease is generally but the re-appearance of a disease itself not new,) no one was so apt to detect its character and tendencies, and hence none better able to suggest its treatment than Dr. Culbertson."
Dr. C. was not unknown as a medical writer. A lengthy report of a case treated by him, was deemed of sufficient value to be appended to a work upon kindred diseases by a writer of authority ; and a com- munication of his on a vexed question in Physiology attracted the hearty commendations of the celebrated Prof. Chapman. The style of his compositions was admirable, strong, chaste and easy. After he had retired from the practice, he was always willing to consult with his medical brethren, and, of course, his opinions and advice were frequently sought. In his intercourse with his medical brethren, he was ever respectful and courteous, observing its ethics with strict · fidelity, and deporting himself with a delicacy that became proverbial. It was fitting then, from this view of his character, no less than out of regard to his acknowledged abilities, that the physicians of Franklin county, when they formed their first medical society, should have unanimously elected him their President.
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Among the families he attended, he was looked up to as a general counsellor, and his advice has strengthened many a household strug- gling with affliction ; and he was willing to give not advice only, but more substantial assistance.
The above sketch is written in no spirit of eulogy, but for the sole object of historical fidelity.
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JOHN WILLIAMSON NEVIN, D.D., LL. D.,
AS born near the village of Strasburg, Franklin county, Pa., February 20th, 1803. His parents were Christian people, members of the Presbyterian Church, and much esteemed for their uprightness and excellent character. His father, John Nevin, was a gentleman of more than ordinary intelligence, a graduate of Dick- inson College under the Presidency of Dr. Nisbet, and fond of books, but in harmony with his tastes he spent his life in the noble occupa- tion of a farmer, living for many years on his beautiful place near Shippensburg. For a time he served as a Trustee of the institution of which he was an Alumnus, and frequently he contributed articles to some of the public journals of his day. His mother was a sister of Dr. Hugh Williamson, a distinguished physician, patriot, and states- man during the Revolutionary war, who is noticed elsewhere in this volume.
Receiving his preparatory training from his father, John W. Nevin, when fourteen years old, entered the Freshman class at Union College, Schenectady, N. Y., of which the eminent Dr. Nott was President, and although the youngest member of his class, graduated with honour in 1821. His too much secluded life at college having told upon his health, study and books had to be in a great measure given up after his graduation, and the idea of pursuing a literary life seemed to le shut out forever. His health, however, gradually improved, and in the fall of 1823 he entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton.
Mr. Nevin remained at Princeton five years, three years as student of Theology, and two as teacher in the Seminary, Dr. Charles Hodge having asked him to take his place during his absence for this length of time at the Universities of Germany. Whilst occupying this position. at the earnest request of some friends of the Sabbath school cause, he wrote his work on Biblical Intiquities, which was afterwards adopted by the American Sunday School Union, and has ever since, by reason of its great merit, had a wide circulation.
Before leaving Princeton he was fixed upon as a proper person to fill the chair of Biblical Literature in the Western Theological Semi- nary, about to be established by the Presbyterian church at Allegheny City. In the fall of 1828 he was licensed to preach the Gospel by the Presbytery of Carlisle. Having accepted the invitation to the Semi-
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nary at Allegheny, he remained in connection with it ten years, during which, in connection with his colleagues, Dr. Halsey and Dr. Elliot, he performed a vast amount of work. In addition to his duties as Professor he also edited with ability a paper called The Friend, and frequently preached as opportunity offered. At the same time his attention was directed to the study of the German language, and it is but right to say, that no American scholar has done more in elevating the language and literature of the Fatherland to the high repute in which they now stand in this country.
On the 29th of January, 1840, the Synod of the German Reformed Church met in a special session at Chambersburg, and elected Dr. Nevin to the vacant chair of Theology in the Seminary at Mercersburg. This appointment he accepted, and entered upon his duties in the following May, with his characteristic energy. At the decease of Dr. Rauch, who was President of Marshall College, March 2d, 1841, both college and seminary were left solely in the hands of Dr. Nevin. He remained at the head of the college from the year 1841 to 1853, when it was removed to Lancaster. During this time, with the exception of the last two years, he discharged all his duties as a Professor of Theology, and until 1844, when the Rev. Dr. Philip Schaff was associated with him as Professor of Theology, he was the only Pro- fessor in the Seminary. Besides his official duties, he was a frequent contributor to the public press, preached often, and carried forward many important theological controversies.
When Marshall College was consolidated with Franklin College, at Lancaster, in 1853, Dr. Nevin was elected President of the new insti- tution, but felt it to be his duty to decline the position. Removing to Lancaster, in 1855, he soon after built his beautiful home, Carnarvon Place, in which he has ever since resided. During the period in which he had no official position in the church, he took an active part in bringing to completion the new liturgy or order of worship which had engaged the attention of the German Reformed Church, and had called out its best talent. His health being somewhat improved, he was induced, in 1861, to become Teacher of Esthetics and the Philosophy of History in the college. Five years later, in 1866, he again became President of the college, by the general wish of the church as well as of its Trustees and Alumni.
Space will not permit us here to speak in detail of Dr. Nevin's numerous writings, consisting of books, addresses, sermons, and other articles prepared for the public press. In 18440, he prepared a series of articles for the German Reformed Messenger on the Heidelberg
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JOHN WILLIAMSON NEVIN, D. D., L.L. D.
Catechism, which excited general attention. They were published in book form in 1847, with the title: THE HISTORY AND GENIUS OF THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM. This has become a standard work on that subject in the church. In 1845, he translated the Inaugural Address of Dr. Schaff, on The True Principle of Protestantism as related to the Present State of the Church, with an introduction of his own, con- mending the work, and a Sermon on Catholic Unity. In 1846, he published his Mystical Presence; a Vindication of the Reformed or Calvinistic Doctrine of the Holy Eucharist. This was by far one of his most important publications. It made him favourably known in . England and Germany as a theologian of rare ability. His views of the evils and weaknesses of Protestantism are embodied in a tract enti- tled Antichrist : or, the Spirit of Sect and Schism, which was published in 1848.
We append here the titles of a few other productions of Dr. Nevin's pen, some of which have appeared in pamphlet form, others only in the Review: Pa ty Spirit; Inaugural Address at Mercersburg; The German Language; Eulogy on Dr. Frederick Augustus Rauch; Baccalaureate Addresses; Early Christianity; Cyprian; Plea for Philosophy; Human Freedom; Address at the Formal Opening of Franklin and Marshall College, at Lancaster: Man's True Destiny; The Wonderful Nature of Man; Address at the Installation of Dr. B. C. Wolff ; The Dutch Crusade; Some Notice of Dr. Berg's Last Words: The Lutheran Confession: Modern Civilization, by Balmes : The Anglican Crisis; Anticreed Heresy: The Moral Order of Sex: Wilberforce on the Incarnation; Review of Dr. Hodge's Commentary on the Ephesians; Christ and Him Crucified: The Liturgical Question: Vindication of the Revised Liturgy; Reply to Dr. Dorner, of Berlin, Germany: Revelation and Redemption; Revelation of God in Christ: Christ and his Spirit: Philosophy of History: The Old Catholic More- ment: Review of Apollos by Bishop Cox: Reply to an Anglican Catholic: Christianity and Humanity, read before the Evangelical Alliance; and other articles of a kindred nature. His lectures on . Esthetics and Ethics, and his Notes on Theology have not appeared in print.
Dr. Nevin still remains at the head of Franklin and Marshall College. He occasionally uses his pen and frequently preaches. He shows no abatement in his intellectual vigour. His discourses are full of unc- tion and power, and exhibit a profound knowledge of the Scriptures. as well as great compass of thought. Most of the ministers of the
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Reformed Church in this State, were at one time his students, and all regard him with much veneration and affection.
Since he left the Seminary at Princeton, his theology has undergone many and important changes. This could not well be otherwise. By some this has been regarded as an objection, or as a serious defection from the faith. He, however, does not think so, but maintains that all his changes have been simply parts of his progress in the true faith in Christ and Him crucified. This he has brought out in an interesting way, and with much seriousness and naivete in a series of articles in the Reformed Church Messenger, during the year 1871, under the title " My Own Life." Unfortunately they extend only up to the period when he was called to the Professorship in the Seminary at Mercers- burg.
On the first of January, 1835, Dr. Nevin was united in matrimony to Martha, second daughter of the Hon. Robert Jenkins, a gentleman of excellence and influence, of Windsor Place, near Churchtown, Lan- caster county, Pa. His eldest son, Captain W. W. Nevin, is now editor of " The Press," in Philadelphia, his second son, Robert J. Nevin, D. D., is the Rector of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in Rome, Italy, and his second daughter, Blanche, is an artist in the city first named. Two daughters remain at Carnarvon Place. Three sons have died, one in childhood, the others in promising youth.
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