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George Homer Emerson, D. D., was born in
Roxbury, Mass., September 3, 1822, and died in
Salem, Mass., March 24, 1898.
His early educational advantages in the schools were limited, but he was a quick and accurate observer of human nature, and marked out for himself a line of study of books that resulted in his becoming one of the best-informed men of his time.
The religious atmosphere of the home of his childhood was permeated with the most rigid
Baptist ideas, but whatever impression these made on his mind was easily dissipated when, as a young clerk in a hardware store in
Lowell, Mass., he began to attend on the preaching of
Rev. Abel C. Thomas, then pastor of one of the
Universalist churches in that new and stirring town.
He was soon converted to Universalism, and was persuaded by his pastor that he ought to prepare for the ministry.
His special studies were under the direction of
Mr. Thomas.
He was ordained at
Laporte, O., in the summer of 1843.
With his residence first in
Cleveland, and afterwards at
Dayton, he preached in various parts of
Ohio and
Kentucky, until 1849, when he moved to
Massachusetts.
While in
Ohio, he edited, in 1845, the
Ohio Universalist and Literary Companion, which was, in 1846, merged in the
Western Evangelist, published in
Buffalo, N. Y. As the agent of the
Massachusetts Universalist Home Missionary Society, he preached in various parts of that state, organizing, and being for several years pastor of the church in
Somerville, where for nine years he was also superintendent of the public schools.
From 1858 to 1864 he edited the
Universalist Quarterly.
From November, 1862, to May, 1864, he was associated with
Sylvanus Cobb, D. D., in editing the
