Lindsley, James Harvey

Lindsley, James Harvey a Baptist preacher, was born in North Branford, Connecticut, May 5, 1787. Brought to consider his spiritual condition through a severe illness. he sought and found pardon in December, 1810. Shortly after he began a course of study with the view of entering the ministry, and graduated at Yale College in 1817. For a number of years his health was so poor as to forbid his preaching, and he was engaged in teaching. He introduced into the Baptist denomination the religious meetings styled '"Conference of the Churches," and was chairman of the first two. His first regular preaching was in Stratford, in a store hired by himself in 1831, and in the same year he received a regular license to preach. For five years he had charge of the churches in Milford and Stratfield. In 1836 his health became impaired. He ceased preaching, and for a part of the year assisted in the compilation of the Baptist Select Hymns. He died December 29, 1843. Mr. Lindsley was a ready writer, and a large contributor to several of the periodicals of the day. His articles took a wide range, including politics, religion, moral reform, literature, and especially natural science. — Sprague, Annals of the American Pulpit, volume 6.