Born in 1786 in Middletown, Connecticut, Samuel Farmar Jarvis was the first historiographer of the Episcopal Church. He was the son of Bishop Abraham Jarvis of Connecticut. Ordained in 1811, he served as rector of several New York and Boston churches in his first 15 years of ministry, including St. James’ Church in New York City (1813-1819), and St. Paul’s Church in Boston (1820-1826). During this time period, he was also appointed the first professor of biblical learning at General Theological Seminary, shortly following its establishment. After traveling Europe on a tour of its most important libraries, Jarvis returned to America in 1835 to serve as a professor at Washington (Trinity) College and then as rector of Christ Church, Middletown from 1837 to 1842. The General Convention named him historiographer in 1838, directing him to produce a history. One volume, The Church of the Redeemed, was published in 1850. Jarvis died in Middletown in 1851. He has been remembered as “a theological writer of distinction,” and also for his notable private library. The Jarvis Papers, donated to the Archives by the Diocese of Connecticut, include unpublished manuscripts, notebooks of his wife, Sarah Hart Jarvis, and correspondence, which complements his correspondence in other Archives' collections. A substantial portion of the papers includes an inventory of purchases made in Italy, which he seems to have created in relation to a divorce petition sought by his wife. The Papers total six cubic feet, and include an oversize, framed oil portrait of Jarvis.
