Thomas Davidson Christie
Encyclopedia
Thomas Davidson Christie (21 Jan 1843 - 25 May 1921) was a Civil War veteran and a missionary and educator in Turkey from 1877 to 1920. He was born in Sion Mills, County Tyrone, Ireland, the son of James and Eliza (Reid) Christie. He married Carmelite Sarah Brewer in 1872. His wife was related to David Josiah Brewer
, Stephen Johnson Field
(both US Supreme Court Justices) and David Dudley Field I. Their correspondence, diaries and papers are located at the Minnesota Historical Society
. http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1281.xml http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1282.xml http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1283.xml
Thomas's older brother, William Gilcrist Christie went to Minnesota. James sent Thomas there to help William with his farm.
. They were in the "Hornet's Nest" in the Battle of Shiloh
, the Siege of Vicksburg, and in 1964 joined Sherman's army for the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
. They participated in the Battle of Atlanta
and Sherman's March to the Sea
. Both Thomas and William wrote to their family during their service. Thomas mustered out in 1865. http://www.mnhs.org/library/Christie/intropage.html http://www.beloit.edu/archives/documents/archival_collections/civil_war/reminiscence_christie
and graduated in July 1871. He met his wife at Rockford Seminary for Women where she graduated in 1871. In August 1871 he started teaching at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. He married in March 1872 and returned to Beloit College in Sept 1872 to teach and to complete work on his masters degree, which he received in 1874. He went to Andover Theological Seminary for further studies and was ordained a minister in Beloit.http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1282.xml
to Turkey. He taught in Marash, Turkey
at the Central Turkey Theological Seminary for 16 years. In 1893 they moved to Tarsus, Turkey where he assumed the presidency of St. Paul's Institute
, a privately funded college. At times Thomas was away from the college for extended periods (once for 4 years) and Carmelite acted on his behalf. http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1282.xml
The Christies provided refuge, relief and assistance to many Armenian and Turkish people. They were in Turkey during the troubles of 1895, 1909 and 1915. Thomas and his son-in-law were at a gathering of ministers and missionaries at Adana
in 1909, while Carmelite worked with the local Turkish government to protect the College and hundreds of refugees when Armenian Christians came under attack by the Turkish army. Thomas's speedy and brave actions saved hundreds, if not thousands, of refugees from death by removing them to the school grounds at Tarsus, where he and his wife begged and borrowed to shelter and support them—and bury those who didn’t survive. Their son-in-law was killed, among thousands who died in the massacres that enflamed the province. Thomas was said to never be the same after Adana. http://books.google.com/books?id=klwDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA788&lpg=PA788&dq=%22thomas+davidson+christie%22&source=bl&ots=AyCG5VDcaX&sig=olIrZGCx4CMK_X-nIL-yWhRt-m4&hl=en&ei=s9KHTK7IOsOAlAetu-3HDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22thomas%20davidson%20christie%22&f=false
Thomas and Carmelite returned to the United States in 1920 and lived in Southern California. http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1282.xml Thomas and Carmelite are buried in the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission's plot in the Walnut Street Cemetery, Newton Massachusetts.
David Josiah Brewer
David Josiah Brewer was an American jurist and an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for 20 years.-Early life:...
, Stephen Johnson Field
Stephen Johnson Field
Stephen Johnson Field was an American jurist. He was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court of the United States Supreme Court from May 20, 1863, to December 1, 1897...
(both US Supreme Court Justices) and David Dudley Field I. Their correspondence, diaries and papers are located at the Minnesota Historical Society
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
. http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1281.xml http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1282.xml http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1283.xml
Early family life
James Christie left Dundee Scotland to work in the flax mills in Ireland. His two brothers, Alexander and William, emigrated in the 1840s to the United States where they worked as machinists. During the winter season they worked in Cuba, operating machines designed by Dudley Pray used in the sugar cane fields. In 1846, they sent for the James Christie family in Ireland and their extended family in Dundee. Eventually all settled near each other in Clyman Township, Dodge County, Wisconsin.http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1281.xmlThomas's older brother, William Gilcrist Christie went to Minnesota. James sent Thomas there to help William with his farm.
Civil War
In October 1861, Thomas and William enlisted at Fort Snelling MN in the 1st Minnesota Light Artillery Battery1st Minnesota Light Artillery Battery
The 1st Minnesota Light Artillery Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The battery was mustered in at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. on November 21, 1861....
. They were in the "Hornet's Nest" in the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
, the Siege of Vicksburg, and in 1964 joined Sherman's army for the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E...
. They participated in the Battle of Atlanta
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply center of Atlanta, Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman overwhelmed...
and Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
. Both Thomas and William wrote to their family during their service. Thomas mustered out in 1865. http://www.mnhs.org/library/Christie/intropage.html http://www.beloit.edu/archives/documents/archival_collections/civil_war/reminiscence_christie
College and seminaries
After his discharge he surveyed land for the Winona and St. Peter Railroad Company near Winona, MN. In April 1866 he entered Beloit CollegeBeloit College
Beloit College is a liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and has an enrollment of roughly 1,300 undergraduate students. Beloit is the oldest continuously operated college in Wisconsin, and has the oldest building of any college...
and graduated in July 1871. He met his wife at Rockford Seminary for Women where she graduated in 1871. In August 1871 he started teaching at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. He married in March 1872 and returned to Beloit College in Sept 1872 to teach and to complete work on his masters degree, which he received in 1874. He went to Andover Theological Seminary for further studies and was ordained a minister in Beloit.http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1282.xml
Turkish period
In September 1877 he and his family were sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign MissionsAmerican Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
to Turkey. He taught in Marash, Turkey
Kahramanmaras
-Industry:Kahramanmaraş's industry is mainly based on textile and ice cream. Kahramanmaraş is one of the biggest textile industry cities of Turkey. Companies like Kipaş, İskur, Arsan and Bozkurt are one of the richest companies in the city...
at the Central Turkey Theological Seminary for 16 years. In 1893 they moved to Tarsus, Turkey where he assumed the presidency of St. Paul's Institute
Tarsus American College
-Overview:Tarsus American College or Tarsus American School is a private coeducational high school located in Tarsus, province Mersin, Turkey.It is known for the success of its alumni throughout the world...
, a privately funded college. At times Thomas was away from the college for extended periods (once for 4 years) and Carmelite acted on his behalf. http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1282.xml
The Christies provided refuge, relief and assistance to many Armenian and Turkish people. They were in Turkey during the troubles of 1895, 1909 and 1915. Thomas and his son-in-law were at a gathering of ministers and missionaries at Adana
Adana massacre
The Adana massacre occurred in Adana Province, in the Ottoman Empire, in April 1909. An massacre of Armenian Christians in the city of Adana amidst governmental upheaval resulted in a series of anti-Armenian pogroms throughout the district...
in 1909, while Carmelite worked with the local Turkish government to protect the College and hundreds of refugees when Armenian Christians came under attack by the Turkish army. Thomas's speedy and brave actions saved hundreds, if not thousands, of refugees from death by removing them to the school grounds at Tarsus, where he and his wife begged and borrowed to shelter and support them—and bury those who didn’t survive. Their son-in-law was killed, among thousands who died in the massacres that enflamed the province. Thomas was said to never be the same after Adana. http://books.google.com/books?id=klwDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA788&lpg=PA788&dq=%22thomas+davidson+christie%22&source=bl&ots=AyCG5VDcaX&sig=olIrZGCx4CMK_X-nIL-yWhRt-m4&hl=en&ei=s9KHTK7IOsOAlAetu-3HDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22thomas%20davidson%20christie%22&f=false
Thomas and Carmelite returned to the United States in 1920 and lived in Southern California. http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1282.xml Thomas and Carmelite are buried in the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission's plot in the Walnut Street Cemetery, Newton Massachusetts.
Children
Thomas and Carmilite had 7 children, 3 did not reach their 25th birthday.http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/P1282.xml- Emerson Christie Emerson(1878–1967) was an ethnologist and linguist. He worked with the Subanun people of the Philippines Island. He worked for the State Department as a special assistant and was Chief of its Translation Bureau (1928–1944).http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:BHQ2YAn5fWYJ:languageservices.state.gov/Content/documents/LS%2520information%2520for%2520translators.pdf+Translation+Bureau+state+department&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgu7kC8vlmA1eaugVQKz6N9AR6TNc4GwkZW7EDMSrC4qx02aK0cu3ULTf0xQ2S3PgmfitbPt8WqgrQc-m3P3xRTxplrh3lL7QpdB7Te2GFGPfwR-5zFtajlcTF6-oUQtA0ghJdc&sig=AHIEtbQ4Zg1sIlunKHg2QmR1JBuP2b0obQ&pli=1 He worked to mediated the "Chaco" boundary between Bolivia and Paraguay. He married Clara Pray, his cousin.
- Mary Phelps Christie(1881–1975) was an educator. After her first husband was killed in 1915, she married Dr. William Nute. The Nutes worked in Turkey in rural health and education.
- Jean Ogilvie Christie Lien (1891–1984) was an educator. She received a degree from Wellesley College, taught in Turkey, Occidental CollegeOccidental CollegeOccidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
and University of CaliforniaUniversity of CaliforniaThe University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
at Berkeley with her husband. - Paul Theodore Christie (1853–1959) was an educator. He received his degree from Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and taught at St. George's School, NewportSt. George's School, NewportSt. George's School is a private, Episcopal, coeducational boarding school in Middletown, Rhode Island, USA, just east of the city of Newport. The school was founded in 1896 by the Rev. John Byron Diman, a member of a prominent Rhode Island family. It sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean...
Rhode Island. He married Miriam McLoud, granddaughter of Rev. Anson McLoud, a Congregational minister (1841–1869) of Topsfield Massachusetts.
See also
- David Dudley Field I-
- Eliza Field - daughter. married Rev Josiah Brewer who was also a missionary in Turkey. Their son was David Joshia Brewer, a US Supreme Court Justice.
- David Dudley Field II - son noted New York Lawyer
- Stephen Johnson FieldStephen Johnson FieldStephen Johnson Field was an American jurist. He was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court of the United States Supreme Court from May 20, 1863, to December 1, 1897...
- another son of David Field and a US Supreme Court Justice who at 13 went with his sister to Turkey.
Further reading
- Brother of Mine: The Civil War Letters of Thomas and William Christie - Editor Hampton Smith
- Red Rugs of Tarsus by Helen Davenport Gibbons
External reference links
- James C. Christie Collection brief biographies and inventory of contents at MNHS.org
- Thomas D. and Carmelite Brewer Christie Collection brief bios and inventory of contents at MNHS.org
- Some Civil War letters of the Christie family online at MNHS.org
- Summary of Thomas Christie service by Beloit College
- Excerpt from: Beloit Daily News (May 28, 1921)
- http://books.google.com/books?id=klwDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA788&lpg=PA788&dq=%22thomas+davidson+christie%22&source=bl&ots=AyCG5VDcaX&sig=olIrZGCx4CMK_X-nIL-yWhRt-m4&hl=en&ei=s9KHTK7IOsOAlAetu-3HDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22thomas%20davidson%20christie%22&f=falseSummary of Christie's life,Missionary Review of the World, January 1922, "Forty-three Years in Turkey: An Appreciation of Thomas Davidson Christie.]