Jonathan Townley Crane
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Townley Crane was an American
clergyman, author and abolitionist. He was born in Connecticut Farms, in Union Township, New Jersey
, and is most widely known as the father of writer Stephen Crane
.
, he rejected its deterministic teachings. Accidentally, in 1838, he wandered into a Revival meeting
, and was converted to Methodism
.
in Princeton, New Jersey
in 1843 and in 1844 was licensed to preach, after which he was admitted to the New Jersey Annual conference
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
in 1845. Dickinson College
conferred upon him the Doctorate of Divinity in 1856.
, and in 1847 at Belvidere, New Jersey
. In 1848-49, he was the pastor at Orange, New Jersey
, and in June 1849, was elected principal of the Conference school and seminary at Pennington, New Jersey
, the post from which he resigned in 1858 to become pastor of Trinity Church in Jersey City, New Jersey
. From 1863-65, he was the pastor of another large and important church, the Methodist Episcopal Church in Morristown, New Jersey
. In 1868-72, he was the presiding elder
of the Newark, New Jersey
district, during which time his son Stephen was born. Crane was a delegate to the General conferences
of 1860, 1864, 1868, and 1872 while he was the elder of the Newark (1868-1872) and Elizabeth districts (1872-76). He rejected the mid-19th century Holiness Movement
of Christian perfection
as unattainable and unreasonable; Crane's opposition subsequently limited his advancement as an administrator in the Methodist Episcopal denomination and drew the wrath of his father-in-law, Bishop George Peck
. After his administrative career ended, he returned to parish work, serving at Cross Street Church in Patterson, New Jersey, and then to Drew Methodist Episcopal Church in Port Jervis, New York
.
Crane's literary works traditionally have been used as a foil for his son's urban grittiness, but more recent scholarship posits his writing as a critique of nineteenth century social failures to address problems of poverty, disease, education, and employment. In his "Christ and the Painters," which was published in the Sunday School Times in 1877, he criticized the sentimental piety of contemporary painters who depicted Jesus blessing a clutch of rosy cheeked children; such "specimens of infantile innocence and grace" as were portrayed in these paintings were "perhaps just such a lot of little wretches as the modern traveler in that same region sees crawling out of their mud huts, dirty, unkempt, ragged, or without even a rag, to stare at him with their sore eyes." He rejected his contemporaries overly simplistic sentimentality that desensitized people to the real and abject problems of their fellow beings. The poison of sectionalism, he further explained in Methodism and its Methods, had distracted Christians from the real work of the Gospel, which was living the Word.
, in Hackettstown, New Jersey
, in 1867, which was originally a coeducational preparatory school for girls. Both of his daughters attended the school, and his son Edmund was a librarian there. He also founded a school in Port Jervis to serve the African American population; one of his daughters taught there for several years. He was also involved in the founding of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association in 1869.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
clergyman, author and abolitionist. He was born in Connecticut Farms, in Union Township, New Jersey
Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
Union is a Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms...
, and is most widely known as the father of writer Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane was an American novelist, short story writer, poet and journalist. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism...
.
Early years
Crane was the son of William Crane (1778-1830) and Sarah Townley (1776-1830), who both died when he was 11 years old. He was subsequently apprenticed to a trunk maker in Newark. Although raised in the Congregational churchCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, he rejected its deterministic teachings. Accidentally, in 1838, he wandered into a Revival meeting
Revival meeting
A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held in order to inspire active members of a church body, to raise funds and to gain new converts...
, and was converted to Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
.
Education
He graduated from the Princeton Theological SeminaryPrinceton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
in 1843 and in 1844 was licensed to preach, after which he was admitted to the New Jersey Annual conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
in 1845. Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
conferred upon him the Doctorate of Divinity in 1856.
Career
Throughout his career as an educator, pastor and writer, Crane was active in local temperance movements, and strongly supported abolitionist causes.Ministry
In 1846, he was stationed as pastor at Hope, Warren County, New JerseyWarren County, New Jersey
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 108,692. Its county seat is Belvidere...
, and in 1847 at Belvidere, New Jersey
Belvidere, New Jersey
Belvidere is a Town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 2,681. It is the county seat of Warren County....
. In 1848-49, he was the pastor at Orange, New Jersey
Orange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a city and township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 30,134...
, and in June 1849, was elected principal of the Conference school and seminary at Pennington, New Jersey
Pennington, New Jersey
Pennington is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,585.Pennington was established as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 31, 1890, from portions of Hopewell Township, based on the results of...
, the post from which he resigned in 1858 to become pastor of Trinity Church in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. From 1863-65, he was the pastor of another large and important church, the Methodist Episcopal Church in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
. In 1868-72, he was the presiding elder
Elder (Methodism)
An Elder in the Methodist Church — sometimes called a Presbyter or Minister — is someone who has been ordained by a Bishop to the ministry of Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service...
of the Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
district, during which time his son Stephen was born. Crane was a delegate to the General conferences
General conference (United Methodist Church)
The General Conference of The United Methodist Church is the denomination's top legislative body for all matters affecting the United Methodist connection...
of 1860, 1864, 1868, and 1872 while he was the elder of the Newark (1868-1872) and Elizabeth districts (1872-76). He rejected the mid-19th century Holiness Movement
Holiness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
of Christian perfection
Christian perfection
Christian perfection, also known as perfect love; heart purity; the baptism of the Holy Spirit; the fullness of the blessing; Christian holiness; the second blessing; and entire sanctification, is a Christian doctrine which holds that the heart of the regenerant Christian may attain a state of...
as unattainable and unreasonable; Crane's opposition subsequently limited his advancement as an administrator in the Methodist Episcopal denomination and drew the wrath of his father-in-law, Bishop George Peck
George Peck (clergyman)
George Peck, born August 8, 1797, in Middlefield, New York, and died on May 20, 1876, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He is buried in Forty Fort Meeting, near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Luther Peck, a blacksmith, and his wife, Annis nee Collar. He and his four brothers became...
. After his administrative career ended, he returned to parish work, serving at Cross Street Church in Patterson, New Jersey, and then to Drew Methodist Episcopal Church in Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city on the Delaware River in western Orange County, New York, with a population of 8,860 at the 2000 census. The communities of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are adjacent to Port Jervis, and the towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the...
.
Writer
As a religious writer, his contributions appeared largely in the periodical literature of his denomination. Most notably, he wrote "Essay on Dancing " (1848) in which he expounded its evils; despite his own personal lack of experience with dancing, he claimed he understood its evils. His books, The Right Way, or Practical Lectures on the Decalogue (1853) and Popular Amusements (1869), in which he described how even the most apparently innocent amusements led people into sin were aimed at juvenile audiences. In Arts of Intoxication (1870), he wrote against alcoholic beverages of any kind and advocated temperance. He also wrote theological tracts Holiness, the Birthright of all God's Children (1874) and Methodism and its Methods (1875).Crane's literary works traditionally have been used as a foil for his son's urban grittiness, but more recent scholarship posits his writing as a critique of nineteenth century social failures to address problems of poverty, disease, education, and employment. In his "Christ and the Painters," which was published in the Sunday School Times in 1877, he criticized the sentimental piety of contemporary painters who depicted Jesus blessing a clutch of rosy cheeked children; such "specimens of infantile innocence and grace" as were portrayed in these paintings were "perhaps just such a lot of little wretches as the modern traveler in that same region sees crawling out of their mud huts, dirty, unkempt, ragged, or without even a rag, to stare at him with their sore eyes." He rejected his contemporaries overly simplistic sentimentality that desensitized people to the real and abject problems of their fellow beings. The poison of sectionalism, he further explained in Methodism and its Methods, had distracted Christians from the real work of the Gospel, which was living the Word.
Educator
While presiding elder of the Newark District, Crane helped to found the Centenary Collegiate Institute, now known as Centenary CollegeCentenary College of New Jersey
Centenary College was founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church. Centenary has evolved from a coeducational preparatory school to a girls' preparatory school , to a Junior college for women , to a four-year women's college , to a coeducational...
, in Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 9,724. The town is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley....
, in 1867, which was originally a coeducational preparatory school for girls. Both of his daughters attended the school, and his son Edmund was a librarian there. He also founded a school in Port Jervis to serve the African American population; one of his daughters taught there for several years. He was also involved in the founding of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association in 1869.
Family
- Mary Helen Peck (1827-1891),wife; married 1848. She was the daughter of an itinerantItinerantAn itinerant is a person who travels from place to place with no fixed home. The term comes from the late 16th century: from late Latin itinerant , from the verb itinerari, from Latin iter, itiner ....
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania clergyman, George PeckGeorge Peck (clergyman)George Peck, born August 8, 1797, in Middlefield, New York, and died on May 20, 1876, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He is buried in Forty Fort Meeting, near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Luther Peck, a blacksmith, and his wife, Annis nee Collar. He and his four brothers became...
, who, at the time, was also the editor of the Methodist Quarterly Review. Like her husband, Mary Helen Peck was an ardent abolitionist and an even more ardent member of the temperance movementTemperance movementA temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
. They had fourteen children, although only nine survived into adulthood. After her husband's death, she moved to the predominantly Methodist Episcopal community at Asbury Park, New JerseyAsbury Park, New JerseyAsbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
, where she bought a small cottage, Arbutus Cottage. - William Crane (1782-1830) father
- Sarah Townley mother; descendant of Colonel Richard TownleyRichard TownleyColonel Richard Townley was born in England probably at Astlam Manor in Littleton . He was the 8th son of Nicholas Townley of Littleton and Joanne White. He emigrated to the New World in the suite of Lord Effingham Howard, Governor of Virginia in 1683...
- Joseph Crane; grandfather, brother of General William Crane who was the father of Ichabod CraneIchabod Crane (Colonel)Ichabod Bennet Crane was a military officer and probable namesake of the protagonist in Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.-Personal life:...
. - Stephen CraneStephen Crane (delegate)Stephen Crane was an American politician from Elizabethtown who was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776. He also served in the New Jersey General Assembly and New Jersey Legislative Council...
(1709-1780), great-grandfather. Member of First Continental CongressFirst Continental CongressThe First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen North American colonies that met on September 5, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to the passage of the Coercive Acts by the...
.
Children
- Mary Helen Crane (1849–1933), wrote children stories for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Gazette
- George Peck Crane (1850–1903), Postal Service employee, railroad employee.
- Jonathan Townley Crane, Jr. (1853–1908), known as "Townley". Reporter in Asbury Park, New JerseyAsbury Park, New JerseyAsbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
. - William Howe Crane (1854–1926), attended Centenary, graduated from Albany Law, had an independent law practice in Port Jervis, New YorkPort Jervis, New YorkPort Jervis is a city on the Delaware River in western Orange County, New York, with a population of 8,860 at the 2000 census. The communities of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are adjacent to Port Jervis, and the towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the...
. - Agnes Elizabeth Crane (1856–1884), teacher.
- Edmund Brian Crane (1857–1922).
- Wilbur Fiske Crane (1858–1918), known as "Burt".
- Luther Peck Crane (1863–1886), flagman and brakeman for Erie Railroad; fell in front of an ongoing train.
- Stephen Crane (1871–1900), author.
Crane's contemporary published work
- The Art of Intoxication: Its Aims and Results, University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, MI 2006, ISBN 9781425523985
- Popular Amusements, University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, MI 2006, ISBN 9781425517359