Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Jonathan Brace, Jr. Composition Notebook, Ms1993-002, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Jonathan Brace, Jr. Composition Notebook was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1993.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Jonathan Brace, Jr. Composition Notebook commenced and was completed in October, 2023.

Biographical / Historical

Jonathan Brace, Jr., son of Thomas K. and Lucy Mather Lee Brace, was born in Hartford County, Connecticut on June 12, 1810. He attended Yale College from 1827 to 1828 and graduated from Amherst Colleges in 1831. Around 1837, he married Sarah E. Finch (1818-1866); the couple had two daughters who surived to adulthood and a son who died in childhood. After studying for the ministery in Andover, New Haven, and Princeton, Brace became pastor of the Congregational Church at Litchfield, Connecticut, ca. 1838. After six years, he moved to New York City, where he served for a short time as pastor of Central Presbyterian Church before returning to Connecticut and serving as pastor of First Congregational Church at Milford for 18 years. During this time, he became editor of the Religious Herald , a position that he held until his death in Hartford, Connecticut on October 1, 1877. He was buried in Hartford's Old North Cemetery.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of a composition book belonging to Jonathan Brace, Jr., a Presbyterian minister of Hartford, Connecticut during the mid-19th century. The book, which dates from Brace's years as a student at Yale and Amherst (1827-1831), bears the title "Jonathan Brace Jr's Book: Containing Orations, Compositions, Disputes, &c." Included are Brace's debate positions on such questions as "Ought an Infidel to be Eligible to Office?" and "Are Capital Punishments Justifiable?" Also included are essays, such as "On Eminent Poets and Their Productions" and "On Chastity," and several oration texts, such as "The American Aboriginal."

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Jonathan Brace, Jr. Composition Notebook by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).