1818–1888

Introduction

portrait

Born: Sep­tem­ber 12, 1818, Car­lisle, Penn­syl­van­ia.

Died: Ju­ly 6, 1888, Bloom­field, New Jer­sey, at the home of his son Sam­uel.

Buried: Wood­lawn Ce­me­te­ry, De­troit, Mi­chi­gan.

portrait

Biography

George was the fa­ther of hym­no­lo­gist Sam­uel Duf­field.

Duffield gra­du­at­ed from Yale Uni­ver­si­ty in 1837, and from Un­ion Theo­lo­gic­al Se­mi­na­ry in 1840.

Ordained a Pres­by­te­ri­an mi­ni­ster, like his fa­ther and grand­fa­ther, he first pas­tored at the Fifth Pres­by­te­ri­an Church in Brook­lyn, New York, for se­ven years. He then served at the First Church of Bloom­field, New Jer­sey (1847–52), and the Cen­tral Pres­by­te­ri­an Church of the North­ern Li­ber­ties in Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia (1852–61).

There he found a mort­gaged church build­ing in a neigh­bor­hood from which the po­pu­la­tion was mov­ing west­ward, a con­gre­ga­tion re­duced in num­bers, dis­heart­ened, and un­a­ble to meet its fi­nan­cial ob­li­ga­tions. Duf­field held on un­til 1861, when he re­signed his pas­tor­ate.

He lat­er served at Adri­an, Mi­chi­gan (1861–65); Gales­burg, Il­li­nois (1865–69); then Sa­gi­naw (1869), Ann Ar­bor and Lan­sing, Mi­chi­gan (from 1869).

He was al­so on the Board of Re­gents for the Uni­ver­si­ty of Mi­chi­gan, and re­ceived a DD de­gree from Knox Col­lege.

Works

Sources

Lyrics