Stephen Bloomer Balch
Stephen Bloomer Balch | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | September 7, 1833 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 86)
Burial place | Oak Hill Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Education | College of New Jersey |
Spouses | Elizabeth Beall
(m. 1781; died 1827)Elizabeth King
(m. 1828; died 1828)Jane Parrott (m. 1830) |
Children | 11 |
Religion | Georgetown, D.C. |
Stephen Bloomer Balch (April 5, 1747 – September 7, 1833) was a
Early life
Balch was born on April 5, 1747, on his father James Balch's holding, "Bond's Hope", on the north side of Deer Creek in what was then Baltimore Co., but is now in
Georgetown Presbyterian Church
In 1779, Balch was ordained as minister by the
A building was constructed for the church on Bridge Street at Washington Street (30th Street) in 1782. The church was expanded in 1793 and again in 1801, but the size was still insufficient. A new structure was built in 1821, and the church later relocated to P Street the 1870s. Many notable residents of Washington and Georgetown attended the church. Balch preached to a large crowd after George Washington died.[2]
Personal life
In 1781, Balch married Elizabeth Beall, who was the daughter of George Beall.[1] Balch had a home built in 1783 on Duck Lane (now 33rd Street). Balch also owned an island in the Potomac River, as well as a 10-acre (40,000 m2) farm outside of Washington. He spent the later years of his life living at 3302 N Street.[3]
The Balches had eleven children including Harriet Balch (married 1st James Reid Wilson, and 2nd Gen. Alexander Macomb), Alfred Balch (Princeton, 1805), Lewis Penn Witherspoon Balch (Princeton, 1805), George Ninian Beall Balch, the Reverend Thomas Bloomer Balch (Princeton, 1813), Anne Eleanora Balch (married Capt. James Campbell Wilson), Elizabeth Maria Balch (married Rev. Septimus Tustin), Jane Whann Balch (married Rev. William Williamson) and Hezekiah James (died young) and Franklin (died young).
His wife died in 1827, and a year later at age 82 he married Elizabeth King, who survived the ceremony only eighteen days. In 1830 he married again to a widow, Mrs. Jane Parrott. Balch remained the pastor of Georgetown Presbyterian Church until his death in 1833.[3] Balch was originally interred in the narthex of Georgetown Presbyterian Church at 30th and M Streets NW beneath a small pyramidal marble stone. His remains were disinterred and reburied at Presbyterian Burying Ground (the church's cemetery) in the spring of 1873. They were disinterred again and reburied at nearby Oak Hill Cemetery on June 18, 1874.[4][5]
References
- ^ JSTOR 40067034.
- ^ a b "A Brief History of the Presbyterian Congregation in George Town" (PDF). Georgetown Presbyterian Church. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 6, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
- ^ a b c Ecker, Grace Dunlop (1933). A Portrait of Old Georgetown. Garrett & Massie, Inc. pp. 41–43.
- ^ "Dr. Balch's Career". Washington Evening Star. April 1, 1893. p. 11.
- ^ "Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C. (Chapel Hill) - Lot 632 1/4" (PDF). oakhillcemeterydc.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.