_Historian_
From his youth Bishop Cheshire had been fond of history, and as he grew
older, his interest in it developed into a serious avocation. While
practicing law in Tarboro, he saw a good deal of his uncle-in-law,
ex-Governor Henry Clark, who had a decided taste for history. He had an
excellent library to which he made his nephew welcome. Cheshire spent
many happy hours browsing among the old books and manuscripts and
listening to the conversation of his uncle. Governor Clark had a
thorough acquaintance with the early history of North Carolina,
particularly that of his own section. In later years Bishop Cheshire
said of his uncle: "I have often felt that he had a greater influence
than any other person in developing my tastes and inclinations in the
direction of historical inquiry."[43]
For his first serious historical composition Cheshire chose a subject
with which he was intimately acquainted, the history of the church in
Edgecombe County. In a series of articles, under the title, "An
Historical Sketch of the Church in Edgecombe County, North Carolina,"
which appeared in the _Church Messenger_ from August 17 through
September 21, 1880, he traced the history of this parish from the
colonial period through the rectorate of his father. The sketch is
superior to the usual parish history in that it concerned itself with
the growth and development of the church in Edgecombe rather than with
the genealogy of the families in that county.
When Colonel William L. Saunders was in the process of compiling the
_Colonial Records of North Carolina_, he asked Cheshire to make a
collection of documents relating to the colonial Episcopal Church.
Cheshire secured from Bishop Perry of Iowa, Historiographer of the
Episcopal Church, a large body of material, which he had copied under
his personal supervision. Colonel Saunders found the material so
interesting and valuable that he incorporated it in its entirety in the
several volumes of the _Colonial Records_. In appreciation of his
contribution Cheshire was given a full set of this work. In 1893 Judge
Walter Clark, when he began to edit the _State Records of North
Carolina_, wrote Bishop Cheshire: "I beg that you will aid me with your
advice, suggestions and information as to what should be published and
the best means of procuring materials."[44] This statement well
illustrates the high regard in which the Bishop's historical acumen was
generally held.
In 1883, in the course of collecting materials for Colonel Saunders,
Cheshire visited Philadelphia. While there he examined the records of
the Pennsylvania Quakers for information concerning the early Quaker
settlements in North Carolina. From his examination of these records he
found sufficient evidence to disprove the long-held thesis that the
early settlers of North Carolina were religious refugees from New
England and Virginia. His conclusion was that the first settlers of the
Albemarle section came there primarily for economic reasons and not for
religious freedom. He embodied his findings in a pamphlet called "The
First Settlers of North Carolina Not Religious Refugees." After reading
the monograph, Colonel Saunders wrote Cheshire: "You have not only
_proved your proposition_; _You have demonstrated it._"[45] Saunders
adopted the same interpretation in his preface to the first volume of
the _Colonial Records_. Cheshire's original thesis was further expanded
and substantiated by future historians of the state.
In 1882 Cheshire edited and published the documents relating to the four
conventions, held between 1790 and 1794, which had made the abortive
attempt to set up a diocesan organization in North Carolina. The
documents of three of these conventions had never been published before.
They threw much light upon an important phase of the early history of
the Episcopal Church in North Carolina.
The Diocese recognized Cheshire's ability as an historian by electing
him historiographer at the convention of 1884. The convention of 1876
had created this office, and had elected Dr. M. M. Marshall, Rector of
Christ Church, Raleigh, the first historiographer. It had also passed a
resolution requiring each clergyman to compile a history of his parish.
When Cheshire became historiographer eight years later, only a few of
the clergy had complied with the resolution. After examining the
histories which had been written, he found that, with a few exceptions,
they were of no value. Several months after his election, in an article
for the _Church Messenger_, he stressed the importance of preserving
local church history. He announced that he was making a collection of
old documents and pamphlets on church history for the Diocese, and he
requested anyone possessing these materials to send them to him. One of
Cheshire's chief contributions as historiographer was the interest he
aroused among the churchmen in the history of the church and of their
respective parishes.
The publication of the _Colonial Records of North Carolina_ further
stimulated his interest in historical research. He planned and began to
write the "Annals of the Church in the Province of North Carolina." He
worked upon this history whenever he found an opportunity, but after his
election as bishop his duties were so pressing that he had to abandon
the project. He had made considerable progress, however, before laying
it aside. His research was not done in vain, for he was able to use much
of it in one of the papers he presented before the centennial convention
of the dioceses of East Carolina and North Carolina in 1890.
Probably Cheshire's most productive act as historiographer of the
Diocese was to initiate and successfully direct the celebration of the
one-hundredth anniversary of the convention of 1790. This convention,
held in Tarboro, had made the first, although unsuccessful, attempt to
form a diocese in North Carolina. As the centennial of the event drew
near, Cheshire thought that it should be commemorated in some
appropriate manner. Accordingly, at the diocesan convention of 1889 he
introduced a series of resolutions calling for a joint convention of the
dioceses of North Carolina and East Carolina to be held at Tarboro the
following year. The resolutions were adopted and a committee on
arrangements appointed, with Dr. Jarvis Buxton as chairman. Commenting
on the proceedings, Cheshire frankly remarked: "I took care, however, to
get myself elected Secretary of the Committee; and the Committee
cheerfully allowed me to do all the work."[46]
The Committee on Arrangements decided that the most fitting and
profitable manner of celebrating the occasion would be to present a
series of papers on the history of the Episcopal Church in North
Carolina. Cheshire organized the program, selecting the writers and the
subjects of the papers.
The joint convention met in Tarboro May 16-18, 1890, and was well
attended by churchmen from both dioceses. The papers covered the history
of the church in the colony, its decay following the Revolution, and its
revival after 1817. Cheshire read a paper on "The Church in the Province
of North Carolina." At the close of the proceedings, the convention
resolved that the addresses should be published in book form under
Cheshire's editorial direction. Upon the motion of the Rev. Robert
Strange, it was also resolved: "That the thanks of the joint Convention
of North and East Carolina be extended to the Rev. J. B. Cheshire, Jr.,
for conceiving and carrying to so successful an issue the reunion which
has been so delightful and edifying to us all."
Since there was not sufficient time, all of the addresses prepared for
the joint convention were not delivered. In addition to the paper
Cheshire read, he also wrote two others—"Decay and Revival, 1800-1830"
and "White Haven Church and the Rev. Robert Johnston Miller." These
papers, as well as all the others written for the centennial
celebration, were published in a volume entitled _Sketches of Church
History in North Carolina_. Besides the three papers and his editorial
work, Cheshire wrote the introduction to this book. The volume is a
distinct contribution to the history of the Episcopal Church in North
Carolina. Prior to this time little of any value had been written on the
subject. Cheshire's articles are probably more scholarly than any of the
others, and they definitely reveal more research in original sources.
In recognition of Cheshire's achievements as a clergyman and his
contributions as a historian, the University of North Carolina at its
commencement of 1890 conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of
Divinity. Four years later the University of the South bestowed upon him
the same honor, and in 1916 his alma mater, Trinity College, Hartford,
Connecticut, also gave him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was not
one to seek honors, but when they were conferred upon him he appreciated
them, particularly the thought which motivated the bestowal. Bishop
Cheshire became an honorary member of the North Carolina Society of the
Cincinnati in 1897 and a few years later an hereditary member. He served
for a time as chaplain of the North Carolina Society and later of the
national organization.
Although his diocesan work occupied most of his time, the Bishop found
the opportunity now and again throughout his episcopate to write
articles for ecclesiastical and historical publications. The subject
matter of most of his writings was drawn chiefly from North Carolina
history. One of his most interesting departures from this practice was
the editing of George Herbert's _A Priest to the Temple or, the Country
Parson, His Character and Rule of Holy Life_. This work, first published
in 1652, had attracted his attention when he was a young lawyer in
Baltimore. He was greatly impressed at the time with its earnestness and
its spiritual character. When in 1905 Professor Palmer, of Harvard
University, edited the complete works of Herbert, the _Country Parson_
was again brought to the Bishop's attention. He decided to bring out a
special edition of the _Country Parson_ in order to make it available to
all of the clergy. The work appeared in 1908 and was dedicated to his
father, whose sixty years in the ministry splendidly illustrated
Herbert's ideal of a country parson. In his introduction to the book
Bishop Cheshire commented: "It is not too much to say of it that for
beauty and truth to nature, for its combination of the ideal and the
practical, for its presentation of an almost heavenly perfection in
terms of human experience, it has not its equal in the religious
literature of our language." Whenever sending out a young clergyman as a
country parson, he always tried to supply him with a copy of this work,
believing that it would be of great value to him and his parishioners.
At the request of the editor of the _Carolina Churchman_ Bishop Cheshire
wrote, in 1910-1911, a sketch of the life of each of his predecessors,
Bishops Ravenscroft, Ives, Atkinson, and Lyman. He did not make the
sketches serious biographical studies, but tried to present intimate
pictures of the four bishops, including a few amusing anecdotes. The
sketch of Bishop Ravenscroft is probably the best and the most
interesting.
In the course of 1910 and 1911, at the invitation of the Episcopal
seminaries at Sewanee, Alexandria, New York, Philadelphia, Cambridge,
and Middletown, Bishop Cheshire delivered a series of lectures on the
history of the Episcopal Church in the Confederate States. The lectures
were well received, and upon their conclusion the Bishop was urged to
put them in permanent form. Realizing that the interest in the subject
was fairly widespread, he decided to arrange the lectures for
publication. In 1912 Longmans, Green, and Company published them under
the title, _The Church in the Confederate States_.
In this work the Bishop describes the organization of the Episcopal
Church in the Confederacy, the church's work among the soldiers, its
attitude towards the Negroes, its trials and burdens, its publications,
and, finally, the reunion of the northern and southern branches of the
church. Following the last chapter he included a brief study of the life
of Thomas Atkinson, Bishop of North Carolina, 1853-1881, who had been
one of the most important exponents of the reunion of the church in
1865.
In general, the critics praised the Bishop's work as a significant
contribution. Of it the _Outlook_ remarked: "His account of the attitude
of the Church in its political relations throughout those sad and trying
times is free from any tinge of bitterness. Its narrative of the work of
bishops and councils, and of the ministries of the church to the
soldiers and to the slaves, deserves to be widely read for the
little-known facts it records." _The Churchman_, of New York, declared:
"The temper of Bishop Cheshire's narrative is admirable, his account of
perplexing constitutional questions that arose from the relations of the
Church to the Confederacy and to the Union is clear, his analysis of the
issues is penetrating and acute, his conclusions will be generally
accepted." The church periodicals, North and South, were unanimous in
their praise of the Bishop's work. They felt he had done the American
Episcopal Church a great service in preserving this phase of her
history. _The Church Times_, of London, thought that while the book was
interesting and informative, it was not fair to the northern church.
Many of the reviewers considered the last chapter of the work, which
discussed the reunion of the church in 1865, the most interesting and
significant. The Bishop was able to write of this particular subject
with intimacy, since his father had taken an active part in the reunion.
_The Church in the Confederate States_ is Bishop Cheshire's most
important historical contribution. In it his style is direct, simple,
and restrained. It describes and interprets a phase of Civil War history
which had never before been adequately treated, and since its
publication no work on the subject has superseded it. For his
information Bishop Cheshire relied almost entirely upon original
sources. Some of the more personal incidents, however, were gained from
actual participants in that stormy period.
On one of his visitations to Milnor Jones' missions in Watauga County,
Bishop Cheshire told Jones that if he should outlive him he would see
that some recognition was made of Jones' work. Many years later the
Bishop fulfilled his promise by writing the volume, _Milnor Jones,
Deacon and Missionary_. The greater part of this biography is devoted to
the years 1894-1897, which Jones spent in the mountains of North
Carolina. It is an interesting picture of that most unique character,
and a good description of both the difficult and sometimes amusing sides
of missionary work in the mountains. Although the Bishop liked and
admired Jones, he did not fail to bring out his faults as well as his
many virtues.
Bishop Cheshire's last important literary work[47] was his reminiscences
of personalities and incidents in North Carolina history. He gave these
memories the title _Nonnulla_, meaning "Not Nothings." The Bishop began
this book on his seventy-fifth birthday, and completed it five years
later. He included in it stories and anecdotes about people and places
not customarily found in the serious histories, but which are not
entirely without significance "as illustrating, in an informal and
familiar way, the life of our State and our people." _Nonnulla_ is
replete with human interest to North Carolinians, and contributes much
to their understanding of some of the characters who helped to build
their state.
In recognition of Bishop Cheshire's contributions to North Carolina
history, the State Literary and Historical Association elected him its
president for 1931. In his presidential address the Bishop discussed the
religious provisions of the Fundamental Constitutions prepared by John
Locke for the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. Although Locke's document
was never put into effect, its provisions for religious freedom, in the
Bishop's opinion, "perhaps found lodgment in the life of the people and
attained a better development in their subsequent history."[48] While
the Church of England was made the established church of the colony,
liberty of conscience was permitted to all except atheists. Elaborating
upon the theme of religious freedom, he demonstrated that the colonial
government did not practice religious intolerance even though laws were
enacted for the support of an established church.
With his presidential address to the State Literary and Historical
Association, Bishop Cheshire concluded his work as an historian. It was
a fitting close to this phase of his life. Although history had been to
him a pleasant avocation, no professional historian ever took his work
more seriously or had a higher ideal of historical accuracy. In the
words of Dr. A. R. Newsome, of the University of North Carolina, "Native
ability, industry and self-discipline enabled him to achieve a degree of
historical scholarship seldom encountered among laymen." The Episcopal
Church in North Carolina owes him a debt of lasting gratitude for his
pioneer work in its history.