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Title: Letter from Joseph Caldwell to "My dear Friend," June 3, 1807: Electronic Edition.
Author: Caldwell, Joseph, 1773-1835
Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text transcribed by Bari Helms
Images scanned by Bari Helms
Text encoded by Sarah Ficke
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 13K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005

No Copyright in US

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-11-11, Sarah Ficke finished TEI/XML encoding.
Source(s):
Title of collection: University of North Carolina Papers (#40005), University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: Letter from Joseph Caldwell to "My dear Friend," June 3, 1807
Author: Joseph Caldwell
Description: 3 pages, 3 page images
Note: Call number 40005 (University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Editorial practices
The text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines.
Originals are in the University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.
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Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".
All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.
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Indentation in lines has not been preserved.

For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions, see the section Editorial Practices.
Letter from Joseph Caldwell to "My dear Friend," June 3, 1807
Caldwell, Joseph, 1773-1835



Page 1
Chapel Hill June 3d 1807

My dear Friend,

I had the unexpected pleasure of your letter a few days ago, in which you give me information of many interesting events which have passed since our separation. I had learned some time ago that you were settled as a pastor in one of the congregations of Connecticut; but was totally unacquainted with the removal you have made into another state. In 1796 I received an invitation while I was studying at Princeton and acting as tutor there, from an old friend to come to N. Carolina and fill his place as Professor of Mathematics in the University. After further correspondence I determined to accept and answered him on the last day of October. There I have continued ever since, and am likely to spend here the remainder of my days. The difficulties, trials, and anxieties I have encountered through this lapse of time, are too numerous to be recounted within a short compass. About three and a half ago I married, and at the end of two years had a daughter who with my wife has a few months since been surrendered into the hands of Him who gave them.
When I first came here I found the University just commencing business, and it took two years afterwards to render the highest class fit for its degrees. There was no president, and I suffered myself to be

Page 2
persuaded, young and inexperienced as I was to take the superintendency of the institution. After a year's experience, I determined to resign, and stated to the Trustees that this was the only condition upon which I could consent to act any longer in the college. At that time there was but one officer in the University beside myself. On this resignation, I continued as professor of mathematics, and another professor was appointed to whom the superintendence was assigned. In little more than eighteen months he left us, and the consequence was that I was obliged to assume his business anew. For four successive sessions I continued to solicit of the Board the appointment of some other person to the chief professorship, but a person was not to be easily had, and the trustees still insisted that I should continue. At last finding it no longer to any purpose I went on in the business, and had the good fortune to give general satisfaction to the Trustees, the students, & the public. In July 1803 I married, and a year afterwards was regularly elected President with a salary of $1000. This is a small sum for such an office, and the heavy duties annexed to it; but the buildings of the University are not all finished, and the Trustees are forced to apply their funds to that object as far as possible. I was made happy by a daughter, who died six months ago when she was 14 months old, and my wife soon followed her to the grave. Such is the fallacy of human expectations,

Page 3
and the transition of present happiness!
About 8 or ten months ago the trustees of Columbia college in South Carolina elected me to the professorship of mathematics in that college with a salary of $2000 but finding my attachments grown to this place, and disliking change I declined the appointment, though they held up as an inducement the prospect of a speedy succession to the Presidency which is endowed with a salary of $3000.
I must confess I was surprised at those parts of your letter which speak of the change of your sentiments with respect to the doctrine of the Trinity. No doubt you may have found reasons satisfactory to your mind to induce you to relinquish the opinions you formerly held. I have not seen the books you have published on this important subject but hope that I shall be able to procure them either from you or by some other means. It is a doctrine which has been the occasion of many controversies & schemes in every age; but often having settled my opinions with respect to it I have never felt myself shaken by the arguments which have been advanced against it. It would seem by the title of your book that you think what is called the orthodox doctrine denies the unity of the divine Being. This I hope is not the case.