Introduction

Biography

Eli was the son of John How­ell Cor­win and Cyn­thia Wells.

He grad­uat­ed from the New­burgh Aca­de­my, New­burgh, New York, in 1844. He en­rolled at Wil­liams Col­lege, Wil­liams­town, Mas­sa­chu­setts, grad­ua­ting in 1848. He grad­ua­ted from Un­ion Theo­lo­gic­al Se­mi­na­ry, New York Ci­ty, in 1851.

That sum­mer he mar­ried Hen­ri­et­ta So­phia Howe­ll, of Cok­len­ham (mis­spelled Col­den­ham?), New York.

They moved to Ca­li­for­nia, and in 1858 he re­ceived a call to be pas­tor of the Fort Street Pres­by­te­ri­an Church, Ho­no­lu­lu, Ha­waii.

In 1868 they re­turned to Ca­li­for­nia, and in 1872 moved to New­burgh, New York, to the First Con­gre­ga­tion­al Church of James­town.

In 1875, they moved to Jack­son­ville, Il­li­nois, and he re­ceived his Doc­tor of Di­vi­ni­ty de­gree from Will­iams Col­lege. Af­ter serv­ing as pas­tor of the First Pres­by­ter­ian Church of Ra­cine, Wis­con­sin (1880–88), he moved to Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois.