The Hovey book : describing the English ancestry and American descendants of
Daniel Hovey of Ipswich, Massachusetts
Haverhill, Mass.: Press of L.R. Hovey, 1913, p. 366. #1593 -- Rev. Horace
Carter HOVEY, DD born in a log cabin near Rob Roy, in Fountain County,
Indiana Jan 28, 1833 was the son of Edmund Otis Hovey and Mary Carter Hovey.
His father was for 47 years identified with Wabash College as founder,
trustee and professor (see NO. 1051). Mr. Hovey was graduated from Wabash
in 1853 and was subsequently honored by election to the Phi Beta Kappa
society. He joined the Centre Presbyterian Church of Crawfordsville when 12
years of age and was teacher in its Sunday School and for several years a
member and then director of its large chorus. For two yeaers he was tutor
in college. He served one summer on Sunday School Missionary in Fountain
County where he organized 20 schools and devised a method of Sunday Scool
map making that has since been generally adopted throughout the country.
While fitting for the ministry at Lane Theological Seminary, from which he
was graduate din 1857 he taught music in the public schools of Cincinnati
and directed a chorus in what is now known as the 3rd Presbyterian Church of
that city. He was ordained by the Presbytery of Madison April 16, 1858
within whose bounds he labored 3 years as a home missionary, followed by a
year as field secretary of the American and Foreign Christian Union in
Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Declining a call to the pastorate of a
church at Coldwater, MIchigan and also an offer to serve as chaplain in the
US Army Mr. Hovey accept as his first settled pastorate the care of the
Florence Church of Christ in Northampton, Mass where he remained from
1863-66. While there he served for two terms of two months each as a
delegate to the US Christian Commission. The first term he did what was
styled "battlefield duty" amid the perils of the WIlderness, North Anna and
Cold Harbor. The second term was more quietly spent amid the hospitals at
Washington and after the fall of Richmond in aiding its starving citizens.
Dr. Hovey held several other pastorates: Second Presbyterian Church, New
Albany, In 1866-69; Fulton Street Presbyterian CHurch, Peoria Ill 1869-73;
First Presb. Church, Kansas city, Mo 1873-75; Pilgrim Congregational Church,
New Haven, Conn 1876-83; Park Avenue Conregational Minneapolis, MN 1883-87;
Park Street Congregational Bridgeport, Conn 1887-91; 1st Presbyterian Church
(Old South) Newburyport, mass 1893-1909. On resigining the latter charge at
age 75 and after more than 50 years of active service, he retired from
public life in order to devote himself to special literary, scientific and
theological pursuits, though frequently answering invitations to occupy the
pulpit or platform. Dr. Hovey received in course the degree of Master of
Arts from Wabash College in 1856; and honorary degree of Dr. of dIvinity
first from Gale University, Wisconsin in 1883 and again from Wabash in 1907.
He is a fellow of the AAAS, a member of the Geological Society of America
and of the International Geological Congress of the National Geographic
Society of La Society de Speleologie (France), a charter member of the Conn
SAR has been for 15 years president of the Merrimac Bible society, is an
honorary member of the local GAR and was one of the founderso f the Dnaiel
Hovey Association of which he has been the president since its inception in
1900. He has also held numerous offices in the ecclesiastical bodies with
which he has been connected. In 1897, with his son Dr. Edmund Otis Hovey,
he attended a meeting of the International Geological Congress at St.
Petersburg; previous to which, with a select party, they made explorations
in European Russia and across the Ural Mountains into Asia and later made an
excursion into Finland. Subsequently Dr. Hovey returned to Paris and
accompanied members of the societe de Speleologie on an exploring tour
through the caverns and cayons of the region of the Causses and goreges of
the Tarn, Jonte and Durbais, with remarkable results. Although not claiming
to be a professional geologist, Dr. Hovey has been interested in geological
research from boyhood. When but 9 years old he found the first of all the
myriads of Crawfordsville crinoids that have since been sent by Corey,
Bassett, Springer and others beside himself to the leading museums of
America and Europe; and the original crinoid-bank known as Corey's Bluff is
still owned in the family. In the summer of 1854 he made an independent
reconnaissance of the geological features of southern Indiana and was among
the first to call attention to the marble quarries and coal field of that
state. During that year he explored a number of Indiana caverns, including
the famous Wyandotte Cave, which he mapped and of which he published an
account at the time in the NY Tribune and Indianapolis Journal. He has
since explored many other caves and grottoes, and is a recognized authority
on the subject. He has lectured in the principal cities of the US and
Canada on his travels and on popular science. he has been a frequent
contributor to the leading magazines and more than a 100 articles from his
pen have appeared in the Scientific American. Articles by him have been
published in the 9th, 10th, 11th editions of Encyclopedia Britannica. He is
the author of Celebrated American Caversn, 1882; Guide-Book to Mammoth Cave,
15 editions; Mammoth Cave Illustrated jointly with Dr. RE Clal , 1897 and a
new edition of the same greatly enlarged by him 1912; On the Banks of the
Quinnipiac, an historical poem, 1889; The Origin and Annals of the 1st
Presbyterian Church of Newburport, 1897; and a New Handbook of the Mammouth
Cave with new maps, 1909 and more than 30 of his sermons and addresses have
been published in pamphlet form. A complete Bibliography of works about
Mammoth Cave has been prepared by him and will shortly be published in
Spelunca, a scientific magazine issued in Paris, France. Dr. Hovey married
Nov 18, 1857 Helen Lavinia Blatchley, of New Haven, Conn, a daughter of
Samuel Loper Blatchley, descendant of WIlliam Blatchley, an early merchant
in Boston and Hartford and on her maternal side she came from Ebenezer and
James Robinson, both Revolutionary soldier and through them from the Spelman
family, famous in early English annals (See Spelman Genealogy published by
Frank Allaben, 1910). She was born at North Madison, Conn and was a teacher
at New Haven and in both the Cincinnati HS until the time of her marriage.
Dr. and Mrs. Hoven celebrated their Golden Wedding Nov 18, 1907 and a large
delegation from the Daniel Hovey association were among the many guests.
Testimonials were presented by the Essex North Ministerial Association and
by the prebytery of Boston. (which followed). Dr. and Mrs. Hovey reside at
71 Lime Street, Newburyport in which city they have had their home for the
last 20 years. Their children:
Helen Carter born Jan 4, 1859 in Madison Ind; educated at Mount Holyoke
College and Claverack College and approved by the NY State Regents; studied
vocal music with Dr. Barnett of New Haven and Hugh Clarke of NY; married
Rev. Henry Feld Ellinwood April 6, 1891 at Anniston, Alabama. He is the son
of Henry P and Helen Ellinwood of East Pembroke, NY was graduated from
William College after teaching a short time he studied theology for two
years at Andover and one year at Auburn Seminary whence he was graduated and
was ordained as Presbyteiran minister... Edmund Otis born Sept 15, 1862 at
New Haven, Conn -- see Family 1997. Samuel Blatchley born Aug 20, 1864 in
Florence Mass died after a short illness at Peoria, Ill Aug 8, 1869 in the
5th year of his age; a singularly spiritual child. Clara Louise, born Nov
27, 1872 in Peoria; graduated at Bridgeport Conn HS June 1891; wa a student
at Wellesley College 1891-93; studied piano with Junius W. Hill of Boston
and with Madame MInna Staties Severn of NY CIty; married Rev. Royal Wilkins
son of Franklin M. and Elizabeth Wilkins Raymond (sic) of Westport, Conn
Sept 15, 1896 at Newburyport, Mass.. Their child was born in Newburyport -
Horace Hovey b June 29, 1897 resides with his mother, Mrs. Raymond (sic) in
Newburyport.