Finding aid for the William Davis Saunders Sermons
Repository: Western Reserve Historical Society
Creator: Saunders, William Davis
Title: William Davis Saunders Sermons
Dates: 1853-1854
Extent: 0.10 linear feet (1 container)
Abstract: William Davis Saunders (1821-1897) was the pastor of the First Congregational Church in Ravenna, Ohio, and an 1851 graduate of Western Reserve Theological Seminary. He later moved to Jacksonville, Illinois where he taught at Illinois College, 1854, founded the Young Ladies Athenaeum in 1864, and the Illinois Conservatory of Music in 1872. The collection consists of a bound volume containing two anti-slavery sermons delivered by Rev. Saunders in Ravenna, Ohio, in 1853 and 1854. The first, entitled "Slavery", illustrates the wave of anti-slavery feeling prevalent in northeastern Ohio in 1853. The second, "Freedom for Nebraska and Kansas", denounces the Kansas-Nebraska Bill as a satanic plot to extend slavery to the western territories.
MS Number MS 3919
Location: closed stacks
Language: The records are in English

Scope and Content

The William Davis Saunders Sermons, 1853-1854, consist of a bound volume containing two anti-slavery sermons delivered by Rev. Saunders in Ravenna, Ohio in 1853 and 1854. The first, entitled "Slavery", illustrates the wave of anti-slavery feeling prevalent in northeastern Ohio in 1853. The second, "Freedom for Nebraska and Kansas", denounces the Kansas-Nebraska Bill as a satanic plot to extend slavery to the western territories.

These sermons were published in 1964 under the name William Davis Sanders, with title: Two anti-slavery sermons. Saunders' descendants appear to have changed the spelling of his name.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of the abolitionist movement in the Western Reserve, and the history of religion in the nineteenth century.

Statement of Arrangement

The collection consists of one volume.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Saunders, William Davis, 1821-1897.
Slavery -- United States -- Extension to the territories.
Slavery -- United States -- Sermons.
Slavery and the church -- Ohio -- Ravenna.

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3919 William Davis Saunders Sermons, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio