James Waddel was an Irish American Presbyterian preacher from Virginia noted for his eloquence.
15 Facts About James Waddel
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James Waddel was a founding trustee of Liberty Hall, when it was made into a college in 1776.
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North Carolina-born Rev Moses James Waddel is reputedly a cousin.
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When James Waddel was about twelve years old, he suffered a hand injury.
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James Waddel became so proficient in ancient languages that he became a tutor there when he was just fifteen years old.
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James Waddel then became an assistant teacher in Reverend Robert Smith's academy in Pequea, Lancaster County.
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Later, in Lancaster County, Virginia, James Waddel met Mary Gordon, the daughter of Mary Gordon and James Waddel Gordon, a wealthy and influential planter.
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When nineteen or twenty years old, James Waddel moved to Louisa County, Virginia, where he became a tutor.
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Under the influence of Samuel Davies, whose circuit included Hanover and Louisa Counties James Waddel decided to study for the ministry.
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James Waddel studied theology under John Todd and was licensed to preach in 1761.
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James Waddel started several churches in Northumberland and Lancaster counties, introducing the Presbyterian Church into areas where previously only the Anglican Church existed.
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James Waddel purchased a large farm called "Springhill" on the South River by Waynesboro.
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In 1785 James Waddel settled on an estate in Louisa County, where he supplied vacant pulpits and ran a classical school.
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James Waddel was invariably described as cheerful, happy, and resigned to his physical afflictions.
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James Waddel died at "Hopewell", his Louisa County estate near Gordonsville, Virginia, on September 17,1805, survived by his wife Mary and seven children.