Alexander Balmain
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Alexander Balmain | |
|---|---|
| Church | Episcopal |
| Diocese | Virginia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1740 |
| Died | June 10, 1821 (aged 80–81) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Denomination | Presbyterian-Anglican |
| Alma mater | St. Andrew's |
Alexander Balmain (1740 – June 10, 1821) was an American Episcopal minister and teacher in Winchester, Virginia. He ministered Christ Episcopal Church, as well as serving as rector of Frederick Parish, for four decades, the longest of any rector in the parish. He was married to a cousin of President James Madison, whose marriage to Dolley Payne Todd he would also go on to consecrate.
Originally from Scotland, and trained as a Presbyterian, Balmain traveled to Virginia to become teacher to the children of Richard Henry Lee. He was later ordained as a minister and served under the rector of Augusta Parish at Trinity Episcopal Church in Staunton. On the eve of the American Revolutionary War, he chaired the local Committee of Safety and drafted the Augusta Resolves. During the war, he served as a chaplain under Peter Muhlenberg. After the war, he settled in Winchester where he became rector of Frederick Parish, with William Meade as his understudy.
Apart from his duties in the clergy, Balmain also helped George Washington map the most convenient route from the Potomac to the Ohio.[1]
Balmain's ledger still exists and contains genealogical information from his time, such as marriage and funeral records.
Traveling to America
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Born and raised in Scotland, Balmain went on to study to be a Presbyterian minister at the University of St Andrews, receiving a Master of Arts in 1758.[2] He also studied theology with Dr. Robert Hamilton at the University of Edinburgh.[2]
During the Stamp Act controversy in 1765, Balmain and his brother sided with the American colonists leading to difficulties, for Balmain, in obtaining employment,[2] and as a result, he moved to London, England.[3] There he met Arthur Lee, who recommended him as a tutor for the children of his brother, Richard Henry Lee in Westmoreland County, Virginia; Balmain accepted the position and departed for America in 1767.[4][5] In 1772, after a brief return to England, he was ordained as a minister,[2][6] and, in 1773, had become curate to Rev. John Jones, the "seriously incapacitated" rector of Augusta Parish in Staunton, earning 100 pounds a year.[6][7][8]
American Revolution
On the eve of the American Revolutionary War, Balmain was chair of the Augusta County Committee of Safety.[9][10][11] In "the first patriotic meeting of the people of Augusta County" on February 22, 1775, Balmain likely wrote the instructions to the delegates of the Colony Convention in Richmond, known as the Augusta freeholders statement or the Augusta Resolves:[2][12]
"Many of us and our forefathers left our native land and explored this once savage wilderness to enjoy the free exercise of the rights of conscience and of human nature. These rights we are fully resolved, with our lives and fortunes, inviolably to preserve, nor will we surrender such inestimable blessings, the purchase of toil and danger, to any Ministry, to any Parliament, or any body of men upon earth, by whom we are not represented, and in whose decisions, therefore, we have no voice."[13]
In June 1775, Balmain served on a diplomatic mission to negotiate with Indians at Fort Dunmore (Pittsburgh).[14]
By 1777, he was chaplain to the 13th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army and, on May 22, 1778, became chaplain to Gen. Muhlenberg's Brigade, serving until at least June 1780.[15][16][17] One consequence of the revolution was that his salary no longer came from tax proceeds, but from voluntary donations given by parishioners. "This revolution, however important in its effects, has been fatal to the Clergy of Virginia." wrote Balmain to his brother in Scotland.[18][19]
During the war, Balmain came into contact with James Wood, who would later become governor of Virginia.[6] Shortly after the end of the war, on September 6, 1784, George Washington met with Balmain and noted his account of the distance from Staunton to the Sweet Springs.[5]
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