Category: Early Converts
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The Orthodox Baptism of a Civil War Veteran
Last week, we published the story of William Hoskins, an 89-year-old veteran of the American Civil War who traveled from Los Angeles to San Francisco in December 1900 to be baptized into the Orthodox faith by St Sebastian Dabovich. Shortly after this, Fr Kirill Sokolov, dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral (OCA) in San Francisco, sent…
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US Civil War Veteran Baptized by St Sebastian Dabovich
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the number of Orthodox in America had not reached 50,000, but it already had several distinguished converts to the Orthodox Faith from Protestantism and Roman Catholicism: William Hoskins, an eighty-nine-year-old Civil War veteran who was a Baptist from Los Angeles, who traveled to San Francisco to meet a…
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When Do “Firsts” Really Matter? Thoughts on Orthodox History in the Americas
Working on the history of Orthodox Christianity in North America means toiling in a vineyard mostly unplanted. Unlike other significant denominations on this continent, scholars of American religions have paid very little attention to Orthodoxy. As a result, there’s a lot of work to be done, and thankfully, a growing number of people are finally…
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The Birth of Fr. Raphael Morgan
So I think I found something I’ve been looking for for many, many years — the birthdate of Fr. Raphael Morgan, the first black Orthodox priest in America. First, the backstory. Until now, the closest I’ve been able to get to nailing down a birthdate for Fr. Raphael is to say, “circa 1864 to 1871.”…
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Photos from Nicholas Chapman’s Ludwell Research Trip in Texas
Editor’s note: Yesterday, we published an article by Nicholas Chapman on his latest discoveries about Philip Ludwell III, his circle, and his descendants. Today, we’re publishing some photos from Nicholas’ excursion to Texas, where he found more startling evidence that continues to reshape our understanding of early Orthodoxy in America.
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Virginian Orthodoxy in the Early American Republic
For almost four years now I have been researching the story of Colonel Philip Ludwell III of Williamsburg, Virginia, since learning of his reception into the Orthodox Church in 1738. During the last few days of July just past I was able to spend some time travelling in the great state, (or should that be…
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An Unexpected Discovery Concerning Philip Ludwell III
On the last day of May I returned home at close to midnight from a full week in New York City where I had attended Book Expo America. There was a stack of mail awaiting me, but I put it to one side assuming it contained little of interest beyond the normal credit card offers.…
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The Righteous Shall Be in Everlasting Remembrance: Further Reflections on Colonel Philip Ludwell III
Introduction March 14/27 this year will mark the 266th anniversary of the falling asleep in the Lord of Colonel Philip Ludwell III of Williamsburg, Virginia. As many readers of this web site will know he is the first documented convert to Orthodoxy in the Americas, following his reception into the Church in London in December…
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Thanksgiving at St. Nicholas Cathedral, 1921
Thanksgiving Day as it is constituted as a civil holiday in the United States (and Canada) is not specifically found on the Orthodox liturgical calendar, but that doesn’t mean that Orthodox Christians in North America have ignored it. Here’s a notice from the New York Tribune for a Thanksgiving Divine Liturgy held at St. Nicholas…
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St Raphael Hawaweeny & Spanish language Orthodoxy in the Americas
St Raphael Hawaweeny was a native of Lebanon, who in 1904 became the first Orthodox bishop ordained in the new world. As Bishop of Brooklyn he had oversight over the Syro-Lebanese communities that were beginning to appear in the Americas in the early twentieth century and he worked tirelessly for their growth and consolidation. It…