Noble Leslie DeVotie
| Noble Leslie DeVotie | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 24, 1838 Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Died |
February 12, 1861 (aged 23) Fort Morgan, Alabama |
| Resting place | Linwood Cemetery |
| Education | Princeton Theological Seminary |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama |
| Occupation | Pastor |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Parent(s) |
James H. DeVotie Margaret Noble DeVotie |
Noble Leslie DeVotie (January 24, 1838 – February 12, 1861) was a Baptist minister, Confederate chaplain, and the lead founder of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a national fraternity.
Early life
Noble Leslie DeVotie was born on January 24, 1838 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[1][2] His father, Dr James H. DeVotie, was the pastor of Siloam Baptist Church in Marion, Alabama and later the First Baptist Church of Columbus, Georgia.[1][2] His mother was Margaret Noble DeVotie.[1] He had a brother, Howard DeVotie.[2] DeVotie was baptized in the Baptist faith by his father at Siloam Baptist Church when he was eleven years old.[1]
DeVotie first attended Howard College, later known as Samford University, before transferring to the University of Alabama.[1] He graduated in 1856.[1] While there, he co-founded Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the age of eighteen.[2] He then studied Christian Theology at the Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey for three years.[1]
Career
He was ordained as a Baptist pastor in Selma, Alabama in November 1859.[1] He served as pastor at the (now demolished) First Baptist Church of Selma, built in 1850 and located on the corner of Church Street and Alabama Avenue.[3]
At the outset of the American Civil War of 1861-1865, he joined the Confederate States Army as a chaplain.[1] Many of his young male congregants had joined the CSA.[1] He was stationed at Fort Morgan near Mobile, where he pastored many of his former congregants.[1] He also pastored the Independent Blues and Governor's Guards, two Confederate companies from Selma.[1]
Death
He drowned on February 12, 1861.[1] As he was about to board a steamer at Fort Morgan, he made a misstep and drowned.[1] He was buried at Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia.[2][4] His funeral was conducted by Isaac T. Tichenor,[5] with a sermon by Basil Manly, Sr..[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Samuel Boykin, History of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia, Paris, Arkansas: The Baptist Standard Bearer, 2001, Volume 2, pp. 191-193
- 1 2 3 4 5 Linda J. Kennedy, Mary Jane Galer, Historic Linwood Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2004, p. 93
- ↑ Selma, Alabama: Historic Churches of Selma Prior to 1925, p. 21
- ↑ Linwood Cemetery: Notable residents
- ↑ Daniel J. McDonough, Kenneth W. Noe, Politics and Culture of the Civil War Era: Essays in Honor of Robert W. Johannsen, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania: Susquehanna University Press, 2006, p. 244