LIFE OF C OM M ISS A R" j A M ES BLA IR FO"N D E R OF WI LLI A M AN D M A R" COLLE GE N S E I "I o. I o R ES " . J OHNS HOP"INS "N IVE RS IT" ST"D I ES IN H I S T O I P O I I S I C R . C A L A N D L T C A L C E N E — E i 2 1 b H B Adams d ted 1 88 I 0 . ( 9 y . ) i M . I V C T d r . J . N EN , E to H I" P ol i ics and P olit ics ar e m - F r u m " is tor y pu t t p ent H is tor y . LIFE OF C OM M ISSA R" J A M ES BLA IR FO"N D E R OF WI LLI A M AN D M A R" COLL EG E B" D ANIE L E STEN M OTLE" BA LTIMO RE TH E j o H N S H O P "I N S P RE S S P"BLIS H E D M ONTH L" OCTOBE R 1 0 1 , 9 CONTE NTS — ’ CH A P TE R I . B LA I a s RE L I G I O"S WOR " Birthplac e and E du c atio n l M i e H i B ai r, in st r at enr c o A t J ame wn st o . A t Bruton Ch u r c h H is S e r mo ns H is appointment as Commissary Government o f the Churc h Conditi o n of the Clergy ’ H indran c es in Blair s Work E fforts to bet ter the Clergy Cleric al Conventions E fforts to disc ipline the Clergy E fforts to get more M inisters Blair’ s life and e xample Results of his religious work CH A P TE R I L— B L A I R a s TH E Fo r mo s a o r W I L LI A M A N D M A R " CO L L ao a Blair' s desire fo r a C o llege E arly efforts to establish a College Blai r moves I s sent to E ngland t o get a Charter D iffi c ulties in obtaining a Charter Ch arte r granted Organi z a tion of the College Obstac les in erec t ing t h e Building Teac hing begun Causes of slow gro w th D estruc tion of the fi rst College Building Rebuilding I ndi an E du c ation and the I ndian Building G ifts S c hol arships F u ll F ac ulty of 1 729 Work of the College Th e D ebt of the S o uth to Blair ’ — ' ' ‘ CH A P TE R I I I . B L u a s Co x xxor xox w I r n r a t Govaau z s r Bl air s M embe r of th e Co unc il F unc tions of the Counc il Rel ation s of Commi ssary and G overnor Governor A ndros and Blair Ch arges agai ns t A n dros A nd r os removed Governor N ic hol son and Blair Ch arge s agains t N ic hol son N ic hol so n removed G overnor S po tsw o od and Bl air S po ts w ood and the B u rgesse s and Counc il P oint in D ispute be t wee n S pot swood and Bl air S po tsw ood removed ’ Cl ose of Bl air s Life I nsc r ipti on on h is Tombstone A ppendix PRE FAC E t L The writer is grea ly indebted to President yon G . fo r th e o f Tyler , use old college papers and letters of the presidents and professors . The numerous papers and letters o f B President lair and Professor Inglis , were placed at my dispo sal and have been of great service in determining the o f o f . o rigin the college , and the construction the building Some o f these have been printed from time to time in the for William and Mary College "uarterly , but are the most part unpublished . LI FE OF COM M I S SA R"J A M ES BLA I R CH A P TE R I . B I R ’ S RE I G I O "S W O R" L A L . B Of the early life Of James lair , very little is known . 1 6 6 He was born in Scotland in the year 5 , and clearly showed a his origin by his ch racteristic , hard Scotch nature, o f strength moral character and his indomitable courage . He received his early education in Edinburgh and gradu ated at Edinburgh "niversity with the degree Of Master 1 6 Of Arts in 73. Soon after his graduation he was bene fic ed for in the Episcopal Church in Scotland , and several years was rector of Cranston parish in the diocese of ‘ Edinburgh . He served his church with such diligence , care and gravity ” that he won the admiration Of the B ishop Of the Edinburgh diocese and when he left Scotland ’ received from him a recommendation O f the highest order . Young B lair went to England in the latter part O f the reign o f the Charles Second . There he met Dr . Compton , the B L Of B ishop Of ondon , and the energy and zeal lair soon ’ “ attracted that prelate s further attention . B L B fo r The ishop Of ondon seeing in lair a power good , spoke to him o f the need O f ministers in the American colonies and prevailed upon him to gO to Virginia as a ‘ O f es missionary . The religious condition the colony , and e iall p c y the Odium into which the clergy had fallen , were ’ c l c . 2 . Perry s Histori a Colle tion , Virginia , p 47 ’ Ibid . ‘ ’ ‘ . S . c . J M Anderson s History of the Colonial Chur h , Vol II , D 384» Life of ommissar am Bla ir C y J es . no t at all enticing to the better ministers of England . It ‘ was hard to get any of them to go there . Again the livings O f the churches in Virginia were managed in such a precarious way that it was not certain that a minister could get a necessary support by his profession . Ander son , the English historian of the Colonial Church , in speak “ B i " ing of la r , says Nothing can be imagined more dis ” ur a in c o g g than the field of duty which there awaited him . - Notwithstanding these hindrances , which we to day are B too apt to underestimate , Dr . lair decided to venture , 1 i and in 685 sailed for Virg nia . He immediately went to Henrico City , which both in importance and interest f stood next to Jamestown . Excepting the ef orts made at Fail s R o and the of the James iver , at Nansem nd Hampton , Henrico was next to Jamestown the oldest settlement in i 1 6 1 1 Virg nia , having been planted in by Sir Thomas Dale B W . a and Rev. William hitaker Dr l ir soon after his arr ival was accepted as minister of Henrico parish and in ‘ ducted into it . He preached there for nine years until he o 1 6 M iddl e moved to Jamest wn , in 94, in order to be nearer Plantation , at which place he was establishing a college . He became minister of the Jamestown Church in 1 694 and at r emained pastor there for sixteen years . He became tached to the people there , and nothing but duty calling ' i him elsewhere caused him to leave . Some time dur ng ' the early pa rt of his ministry B lair was ma rried His th B W wife was e daughter of enjamin Harrison , of ake ” ’ field , Surry County . 1 1 0 Rev W . B In 7 , Solomon hately , the rector of ruton W Church , illiamsburg , having died , the vestrymen called ‘ ' r c c Pe ry s Histori al Colle tion , Virginia , p . 335 . ‘ ’ t l 8 i Vo . Anderson s His ory of the Colon al Churc h , II , p 3 4 “ c r . 2 . Perry s Histori al Collection , Vi ginia , p 4 c w v . 606 v Chur h Re ie , Vol viii , p . , or the estry book of Bruton Churc h . th e w c . If date is kno n , it has not been po ssible to as ertain it ‘ z v 1 1 6 . Virginia Maga ine of History , Vol . i , p . ’ r r k Blai s Religious Wa . r a meeting fo the purpose Of employing a minister . After o f a brief consideration a few prominent candidates , by m B Rev. e the Majority of Votes , the Ja es lair was elect d minister The church wardens informed D r . B t B lair that he had been called o the ruton Church . Here B ’ t . o is inserted a part of Dr lair s letter , addressed the B fl vestry Of ruton Church before his election . It may brie y tell the cause O f his leaving Jamestown " t h 1 1 0 .