A History of American Christianity

<p>Leonard Woolsey Bacon (January 1 1830 – May 12 1907) was an American clergyman born in New Haven Connecticut. He was a social commentator and a prolific author on religious social and historical matters. In social political and religious issues of his times he often broke with the traditions of his countrymen sometimes causing "great sensation."</p><p>Leonard Woolsey Bacon was a son of the Congregationalist preacher Leonard Bacon a brother of George B. Bacon of Orange New Jersey and Edward Woolsey Bacon and a half-brother of Thomas Rutherford Bacon of New Haven Connecticut all Congregational preachers. He graduated from Yale University in 1850 and in 1856 was ordained in Litchfield. He was also pastor of the First Church in Stamford Connecticut (1862–65) and of the New England Congregational Church in Brooklyn New York (1865–70).</p><p>Subsequently he spent several years in Europe chiefly in Geneva as a student preacher and writer; in Geneva he spent part of his time preaching to "Americans sojourning there." From 1878 to 1882 he was pastor of the Park Congregational Church in Norwich Connecticut and later of other Congregational and Presbyterian churches. In 1887 he was the pastor of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah Georgia. In 1898 he was pastor of the First Church in Litchfield Connecticut. He was pastor of the North Church in Assonet Massachusetts beginning in 1901 and authored a history of the churches of Freetown Massachusetts in 1902. He died at Assonet May 12 1907 and was buried in Grove Street Cemetery New Haven Connecticut. (wikipedia.org)</p>