Gallery
BIRTH & DEATH
b: 14 May 1754; Grafton, Massachusetts
d: 14 January 1841; Adams, Massachusetts
EDUCATION
Largely in part due to Bible reading
HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Wrote about 2 dozen hymns, some reprinted 500 times in American collections, and other texts continued in use into the 20th century
Played a substantial part in the molding of the American tradition of separation of church and state
Much of Leland’s 67-year career as a Baptist evangelist was expended in fighting to remove social disabilities—not only for Baptists but for persons of all faiths, Christian and non-Christian, and even for those who held no recognized religious faith.
He also played a prominent part in the disestablishment of the Episcopal Church in Virginia
He was deeply opposed to slavery and was the most outspoken and articulate Baptist critic of slavery
Publications about him include:
* Separation of Church and State (2002) by Philip Hamburger
* The Writings of John Leland (1845) by L.F. Greene
FAMILY
James Leland, Jr. (1720-1807), father; Lucy Warren (1721 — ), mother. Both were Congregationalists.
Sally Devine, (1752-1837) wife
Betsy, Hannah, Polly, John, Sally, Lucy, Fanny, Nancy, & Lemuel — children
FAITH, SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION
1774 – baptized by Elder Noah Alden (1725-1797)
1775 – joined the Baptist church
HYMNS INCLUDED IN THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST HYMNAL
O When Shall I See Jesus, SDAH 448
CLARK KIMBERLING.”John Leland.” The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed October 7, 2023, http://www.hymnology.co.uk/j/john-leland.
