History of Williamsburg, (Clermont County) Ohio United States of America

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Biographies:

Randolph Sinks Foster, M.E. bishop, was born in Williamsburg, Ohio, Feb. 22, 1820; son of Randolph Israel and Mary K. Foster. He attended Augusta college, Ky., 1835-37, and joined the itinerant ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church in the latter year. Later in the same year he was transferred from the Kentucky to the Ohio conference, and until 1850 held various pastorates in the latter state. In that year he was transferred to the New York conference and until 1857 preached in New York city and Brooklyn. He was president of Northwestern university, Evanston, Ill., 1857-60, returning to the ministry in the latter year. He accepted the chair of systematic theology in Drew theological seminary, Madison, N.J., in 1868, and two years later became president of the institution, still continuing his professorship. He was elected a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1872, and subsequently travelled through western Europe, India and South America in the interest of his denomination. In 1873 he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1876 to Boston, Mass. He was a member of the general conferences of 1864, 1868 and 1872; fraternal delegate to the British Wesleyan conference of 1868; a member of the Methodist centennial conference of 1884, and of the Methodist Ecumenical conference of 1891. He was married in 1840 to Sarah, daughter of John and Anne Miley of Butler county, Ohio. Ohio Wesleyan university conferred upon him the degree of D.D. in 1853 and that of LL.D. in 1858. He published: Objections to Calvinism as it is (1848); Christian Purity (1851, rev. ed., 1869); Ministry for the Times (1852); Theism in the Ingham Lectures (1872); Beyond the Grave (1879); Centenary Thoughts for the Pulpit and Pew of Methodism (1884); Studies in Theology ; Prolegomena, The Supernatural Book, and Theism (3 vols., 1889); Philosophy of Christian Experience ( 1890 ); The Union of Episcopal Methodisms (1892); Studies in Theology (Vol. IV., 1895); God: Nature and Attributes (1898). He died in Newton Centre, Mass., May 1, 1903.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Calvin Hervey French, educator, was born in Williamsburg, Ohio, June 13, 1862; son of the Rev. Charles P. and Mary (Brown) French; and grandson of George French of Washington county, Pa. He was graduated from Lake Forest university, Ill., in 1888, and from the Union theological seminary in New York in 1891. He was ordained a Presbyterian minister, Nov. 17, 1891, and was pastor of the Presbyterian church in Scotland, South Dakota, 1891-98. He was principal of the Scotland academy, 1897-98, and in the latter year was elected president of Huron college, Huron, South Dakota. He was secretary of the Presbytery of South Dakota, 1896-98.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor