Skip to main content

Papers of John Finley Crowe

 Collection
Call Number: MS E11

Overview

This collection consists of John Finley Crowe's financial accounts and handwritten lectures. Includes professional (founding, fundraising, and administration of Hanover Academy, Shelbyville: of Shelbyville Female Academy; and of Bible Society) accounts, intermingled with his private accounts. The lectures focus on political economy and Greek antiquity. There are miscellaneous other items included, incluing a wedding register.

Dates

  • Creation: 1817 - 1849

Creator

Language of Materials

English; Greek

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

Biography of John Finley Crowe, 1787-1860

John Finley Crowe was born in 1787 in Tennessee, his family moving in 1802 to Bellevue, Missouri. In 1808 Crowe was persuaded by Robert Stevenson to become a Presbyterian minister and lived with his uncle, William Crowe, in Danville, Kentucky during his training, studying under Dr. Samuel Demaree and Reverend Samuel Finley.

In 1811, Crowe entered Transylvania College; he later briefly enrolled in Princeton around 1814/1815. In November 1813 he married Esther Alexander and they returned to Kentucky; in May 1814 he was in Pennslyvania, attending the Presbyterian General Assembly.

In May 1815, Crowe returned to Kentucky, teaching at Bryant's Academy. Eventually he moved to Shelbyville, Jefferson County, Indiana, replacing Robert Fulton to teach at the Shelbyville Academy. He preached at three Presbyterian churches in the Shelbyville area and became fulltime pastor at Fox Run and Bullskin. In May 1822 he founded the Abolition Intelligence and Missionary Magazine. In 1823 he gave up the press and became pastor of the Hanover Presbyterian Church in Shelby County.

In 1824 Crowe began building a house near his church, spending a quarter of his time in missionary work. He began agitating among Indiana Presbyterians for a school to train ministers and convinced the Salem Presbytery to appoint such a committee. In 1826 the attempt was taken over by the Madison Presbytery; Crowe later agreed to be the Hanover teacher himself.

Extent

2 Volumes (2 volumes + 4 folders) : Scribe: Crowe? ; Neither volume measures larger than 37 cm tall.

Physical Location

MS E11

Physical Location

MS E19

Physical Location

MS P564

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Domenico Gagliardo, 1954

Title
Guide to the John Finley Crowe Collection
Subtitle
Papers of John Finley Crowe
Author
Finding aid prepared by alh, 1977; revised by ksc, 2006; revised by cl, 2010. Finding aid encoded by skt, 2006.
Date
2006
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in English.
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/1774744038
Preferred citation
Papers of John Finley Crowe, Department of Special Collections, MS E11, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334