Bodies of Belief: Baptist Community in Early America

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments The support of many people and institutions made this publication possible. I need to thank Rowan University for providing internal funding and release time to work on this book. Fellowships from a number of institutions also supported my research: the University of Minnesota, the John Carter Brown Center, the Virginia Historical Society, and the McNeil Center for Early American Studies. I want to express my gratitude to the staff at several historical societies and archives that provided invaluable help: the American Baptist Historical Society, the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, the Virginia Historical Society, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Library of Virginia, the Pennsylvania Historical Society, the New Jersey Historical Society , the Rhode Island Historical Society, and the John Hay Library and John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. I wish to thank the editors of the American History and Culture series of the University of Pennsylvania Press, Dan Richter and Kathy Brown, for their enthusiastic support. I wish to especially thank Kathy for her penetrating comments on the manuscript. The careful and incisive reviews provided by the two outside readers also greatly improved the book. Bob Lockhart at the University of Pennsylvania Press helped me navigate the process from proposal to final publication with good humor and great advice. Alison Anderson provided invaluable help copyediting the final version of the manuscript . I would also like to thank Dick Scott in the Geography/Anthropology Department at Rowan University for his assistance in creating the map. My advisors in graduate school, Sara Evans and Rus Menard, deserve my deepest gratitude for the rich education they provided in women’s history and early American history during my years at the University of Minnesota . Other faculty who also contributed to my knowledge include Roland Dellatre, John Howe, M.J. Maynes, David Noble, Lisa Norling, Jean O’Brien, Riv-Ellen Prell, and Steve Ruggles. I want to recognize some friends who made graduate school enjoyable and the work meaningful: Susan Cahn, Liz Faue, Steve Gross, Mary Hedberg, John Sayer, Nancy Shoemaker, Lucy Simler , Ed Tebbenhoff, and Ruth Townsend. I also want to express my thanks to friends and colleagues who have supported and critiqued my scholarship over the years, including Dee Andrews, David Applebaum, Catherine Brekus, Jon Butler, Konstantin Dierks, Toby Ditz, Richard Dunn, John Fea, Joyce Goodfriend, Joan Gundersen, Christine Heyrman, Charles Irons, Susan Juster, Susan Klepp, Anna Lawrence, Ann Little, John Murrin, Erik Seeman, Jean Soderlund, Michele Tarter, Joy Wiltenburg, and Mike Zuckerman. I also want to thank my family and friends for their understanding and patience during the long process of bringing this project to fruition. My siblings , stepchildren, in-laws, and grandchildren were a welcome respite when I needed a break from the eighteenth century. My book club and canasta friends also helped me keep the work in perspective. Finally, I wish to thank Ed Kelly, my wonderful partner, best friend, and superior husband. Your editorial and technical skills as well as your constant support greatly aided the completion of this book. Your fortitude in reading and re-reading seemingly endless chapters is also appreciated. Most importantly, your deep love and goofy humor make our journey through life a blissful adventure. As promised , I have never been bored. 270 Acknowledgments ,!7IA8B2-cebbed! ...