Campbell, J. H., D.D., was born in McIntosh Co., Ga., on the 10th of February, 1807.

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9/19/23 1h  · Daily Baptist Encyclopedia Post by Jim Curran

Campbell, J. H., D.D., was born in McIntosh Co., Ga., on the 10th of February, 1807. His father, of the same name, could trace his lineage in a direct line to the Scottish clan of Campbell. His mother’s name was Denham, and her parents, John Denham and Sarah Clancy, came to this country as emigrants in the same ship with Gen. Oglethorpe, in 1733. He was educated in early life at Sunbury, Liberty County, under the tuition of Rey. James Shannon, a teacher of distinguished excellence. Entering the State University at Athens, he spent part of a year there, being recalled home by the death of his father to take charge of the estate and protect his two orphan sisters. Converted in his six- teenth year, he was baptized, joined the church, and soon began to preach. He immediately ex- hibited remarkable powers as a preacher, and was designated the “boy preacher.” In his twenty- second year, after the marriage of his sisters, he repaired to Hatonton, Ga., and remained for two years in the theological school taught by Rev. Adiel Sherwood, pastor of the Eatonton Baptist church. Ile was ordained in 1830, by a Presbytery consist- ing of C. O. Screven, 8. 8. Law, J. H. Dunham, and Luther Rice. His first pastorate was at Macon, Ga., in 1831; then he served at various times during a long, laborious, and very useful life the churches at Clinton, McDonough, Richland, Twiggs County, Lumpkin, Griffin, and Perry, among others. All through life he devoted himself entirely to the duties of his sacred calling, never turning aside to engage in any secular occupation, and through his instru- mentality thousands have been brought into the kingdom of Jesus. For five years he was the very successful agent for foreign missions in Georgia, after which he entered upon the work of an evan- gelist for the State at large, in which he was also eminently successful. While thus engaged the late war commenced, when he became a voluntary mis- sionary in the army, in which useful work he per- severed until the conflict ended. His labors were sanctified to the salvation of hundreds, if not of thousands. Mr. Campbell has been a willing and active fel- low-laborer with the most prominent Baptists of Georgia for the last halfcentury, participating actively in all their educational and benevolent schemes and enterprises. For more than thirty years he acted upon the board of trustees for Mer- cer University ; was instrumental in founding col- leges for young ladies at Lumpkin and Cuthbert, and in establishing the Georgia Deaf and Dumb Institution at Cave Spring. Perhaps no man of modern times has been more devoted to the work of preaching Christ and him. crucified, and few have been more successful in building up his kingdom. Asa revival preacher he is very powerful, his style being ardent, earnest, pathetic, and eloquent. He is a man of great firmness of will, never abandoning an object when convinced of its propriety and importance. His chief literary work is ‘‘ Georgia Baptists—Histori- cal and Biographical,’ an exceedingly valuable book, in which is gathered much information which otherwise would have been lost. Two of his sons are now ministers of the gospel, occupying promi- nent pastorates in the State. Mr. Campbell’s life has been no failure. Side by side with the wisest and best of the denomination he has labored faithfully and efficiently to build up the Baptist interests of Georgia and promote the honor of Jesus. From the Baptist Encyclopedia by William Cathcart photo from findagrave