Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1833-1879 (Creation)
Extent
0.45 cubic feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
Pelatiah Ward was born in Dover, Dutchess County, New York. The year of his birth is not known. While studying/practicing law at Poughkeepsie, New York, a religious experience eventually led to his call to the Methodist ministry. Ward decided to enroll in Amenia Seminary, located in New York State, for theological preparation. He joined the New York Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1846 and served several churches including Dutchess, Lee, Salisbury, New Concord, Chatham, Harlem, Yonkers, and Yorkville. Ward was active in local temperance movements. He was a part-time lecturer at Spencertown Academy. In 1861, Ward was the pastor at Ellenville, New York. It was during this pastorate that Ward volunteered to serve in the Union Army. As a part of his enlistment he encouraged others to join as well. One hundred and thirty men joined him. His original intent was to go as a chaplain, but the men voted that he be their commander with the rank of captain. Their first engagement was at the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 3, 1862. During the battle Ward was wounded three times. He died of those wounds on September 2, 1862.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
These papers document Reverend Ward's life while he was in seminary, serving as a pastor, and his subsequent death after the Second Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War. Ward was a copious writer on a variety of subjects. The papers show his development as an individual which eventually laid the foundation for his personal conviction to serve actively in the war. There are some documents assigned to Mrs. Jane E. Ward, Pelatiah's wife, after his death.
System of arrangement
The folders are arranged by record type.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
There are no restrictions on this collection.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
1982-007: The Santa Cruz County Museum
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers, followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection. To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved.
General note
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Pelatiah Ward Collection, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Prepared by Daisy Wiggins King, Student Assistant, Robert Drew Simpson, Assistant Archivist and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Methodist Episcopal Church (Subject)