Introduction

Biography

Leonard W. was the son of hym­nist Le­on­ard Ba­con.

He gra­du­at­ed from Yale Uni­ver­si­ty, New Ha­ven, Con­nec­ti­cut, in 1850.

He served pas­tor­ates at the First Church, Litch­field, Con­nec­ti­cut; New Eng­land Con­gre­ga­tion­al Church, Brook­lyn, New York; and First Church, Stam­ford, Con­nec­ti­cut.

He then spent se­ver­al years in Eur­ope, main­ly in Ge­ne­va, Swit­zer­land, as a stu­dent, preach­er, and writ­er.

Upon re­tur­ning to Am­er­ica, he served as pas­tor of the Park Con­gre­ga­tion­al Church, Nor­wich, Con­nec­ti­cut (1878–82), and lat­er of oth­er Con­gre­ga­tion­al and Pres­by­te­ri­an church­es.

Works

• Church Mu­sic (Ro­che­ster, New York: E. Dar­row & Bro­ther, 1855)
• Luther’s Deutsche geist­liche Lied­er (New York: 1883) (ed­it­or)
• A Life Worth Liv­ing: Life of Emi­ly Bliss Gould, 1878
• Irenics and Po­le­mics, with Sun­dry Es­says in Church His­to­ry, 1898
• History of Am­er­ican Chris­ti­an­ity, 1898
• Young Peo­ple’s So­cie­ties, with C. A. North­rup, 1900
• The Con­gre­ga­tion­al­ists, 1904