Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Adams, Nehemiah

ADAMS, Nehemiah, clergyman, b. in Salem, Mass., 19 Feb., 1806; d. 6 Oct., 1878. He was graduated at Harvard in 1826, and at Andover theological seminary in 1829. His first pastoral charge, beginning immediately after his graduation, was the first church of Cambridge, as the colleague of the Rev. Abiel Holmes, D. D. On 26 March, 1834, he became pastor of the Essex st. church, Boston, a relation which lasted until his death. He took a prominent part in the theological and ecclesiastical controversies of his time, and for many years was an officer of the American tract society, and of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions. His “South Side View of Slavery” (Boston, 1854), and his correspondence with Governor Wise, of Virginia, on kindred topics, the best-known of his works, called out many unfavorable comments from the anti-slavery press. His “Sable Cloud” (Boston, 1863), “a Southern tale with Northern Comments,” provoked similar discussion. He also wrote “The Cross in the Cell,” “Scriptural Argument for Endless Punishment,” “Broadcast,” and “At Eventide.” In 1869, in consequence of his failing health, his people procured an associate pastor and gave Dr. Adams a long leave of absence. He made a voyage round the world and described it in “Under the Mizzenmast” (1871).