Josiah Blake Tidwell (1870 - 1946)

Born 8 Oct 1870 in Cleveland, Blount, Alabama, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Kansas Itally (Reid) Tidwell — married 24 Apr 1887 in Blount County, Alabama, United States

Husband of Minnie Lee (Hayes) Tidwell — married 7 Sep 1910 in Hays County, Texas, United States

Husband of Minnie Alma (Wilson) Tidwell — married 18 Aug 1926 in McLennan, Texas, United States

Descendants

Died 17 Mar 1946 at age 75 in Waco, McLennan, Texas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Sheila Tidwell [send private message]

Biography

Josiah Tidwell was born in Appalachia, in Alabama.

Josiah Blake Tidwell was born October 8, 1970 to Francis Tidwell and Sarah Chambers in Cleveland, Alabama.^[1]

He married Kansas Itally Reid on April 24, 1887 in Blount County, Alabama. ^[2] Their children were:

1. Eras Tidwell
2. Reginald Arthur Tidwell
3. Sarah Ann Tidwell
4. John Albert Broadus Tidwell ^[3]
5. Kalvart Kay Tidwell ^[4]
6. Francis Tidwell ^[5]

He married Minnie Lee Hayes on September 7, 1910 in Hays County, Texas.^[6] They didn't have children.

He married Minnie Alma Wilson on August 18, 1926 in McLennan, Texas. ^[7] They didn't have children.

He died, at the age of 75, on March 17, 1946 in Waco, Texas.^[1] He is buried at the Oakwood Cemetery, Waco, McLennan County, Texas.^[8]

Research Notes

From Find A Grave:
TIDWELL, JOSIAH BLAKE (1870-1946). Josiah Blake Tidwell, Baptist educator, son of Francis and Ann (Chambers) Tidwell, was born in Cleveland, Alabama, on October 8, 1870. Tidwell was the first of three children born to the poor farm couple and spent his youth in Alabama. Tidwell's parents, unlike most rural families of that era, encouraged him in his education. Shortly after marrying for the first time, he worked as a laborer in Alabama and central Texas. Returning to Alabama after a brief period, Tidwell became a schoolteacher after passing a state exam. In 1892 he took the first step toward what would become his permanent career: the ministry. At a typical revival meeting at a Methodist church in Cleveland, Alabama, Tidwell claimed to have had a conversion experience. Consequently he decided to pursue a career in the ministry. Unlike many southern ministers, however, he gained an advanced education in preparation for his new profession. In 1898 he graduated from Alabama's Howard College (now Samford University). That year he returned to Texas, taking a position on the faculty of Decatur Baptist College. He earned a master of arts from Baylor University in 1903, and he did advanced study through a correspondence program of the University of Chicago. He also received several honorary degrees. By 1907 he had assumed the presidency of Decatur Baptist College, a position he held for one year. Tidwell left that school to begin his long association with Baylor University. He first served Baylor as secretary of the endowment fund, for which he raised $90,000 in two years, an impressive sum for that time.

The formation of the modern religion department at Baylor stands as Tidwell's enduring legacy. The original Bible department at the university, headed by Benajah H. Carroll, offered professional training for ministers, and under Carroll's leadership this department became Baylor Theological Seminary in 1905. In 1908 the department became independent of the university, took the name Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and in 1910 moved to Fort Worth. Baylor University next moved to create a new Bible department. Unlike the former department, the new department under Tidwell, who had succeeded Carroll as its head on June 7, 1910, geared its curriculum toward undergraduates and was more a traditional university department than a professional-training department for ministers. It was still, however, very conservative. Tidwell himself continued to be traditional in his religious outlook. His own subfield of religious studies was biblical studies, and at one time he had a public, yet friendly, disagreement with Baylor president Samuel Palmer Brooks, who did not share Tidwell's literal understanding of the creation story. Tidwell nevertheless understood his department to be an academic department, and the current department of religion at Baylor had its origin in his work. He was a prolific writer and his works dealt mainly with biblical issues and ministerial preparation; they were popular with students and active church members. His books include The Bible, Book by Book (1914), The Bible, Period by Period (1916), Genesis: A Study of the Plan of Redemption (1924), and John and His Five Books (1937). He also contributed regularly to the Baptist Standard. Tidwell's first two wives preceded him in death. He married Kansas Italy Reid on April 24, 1887, and the couple had six children. She died in 1906. On September 7, 1910, Tidwell married Minnie Lee Hayes, who died in 1925. A year later, on August 18, he married Alma W. Lile. Tidwell died at Waco on March 17, 1946, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery. The Tidwell Bible Building on the Baylor campus was dedicated on October 22, 1954.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Cliff D. Cates, Pioneer History of Wise County (Decatur, Texas: Old Settlers Association, 1907). Dayton Kelley, ed., The Handbook of Waco and McLennan County, Texas (Waco: Texian, 1972). Who's Who in America, 1946-47.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:9M6T-4W4Z : 20 February 2021), Entry for Josiah Blake Tidwell, 17 Mar 1946; citing certificate number 14319, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm .
2. ↑ "Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:MDK5-JXY : 19 February 2021), Entry for J. B. Tidwell and Cancis Itallia Reid, 24 Apr 1887; citing Blount, Alabama, United States, County Probate Courts, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,034,800.
3. ↑ "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K36Y-MG3 : 20 February 2021), J B Tidwell in entry for John Broadus Tidwell, 28 Jan 1974; citing certificate number 08949, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm .
4. ↑ "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7DQ-GDJ : 20 February 2021), J B Tidwell in entry for Kalvart Kay Tidwell, 19 Nov 1962; citing certificate number 77424, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,117,122.
5. ↑ "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3QL-YZR : 20 February 2021), J B Tidwell in entry for Francis Tidwell, 01 Mar 1925; citing certificate number 9937, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,113,844.
6. ↑ "Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:Q2CY-5BT3 : 23 February 2021), Entry for J B Tidwell and Minnie Lee Hayes, 07 Sep 1910; citing Marriage, citing Hays, Texas, United States, Texas State Library, Archives Division, and various Texas county clerks; FHL microfilm 956,636.
7. ↑ "Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1837-1965", McLennan County Clerk's Office; Waco, Texas; McLennan County Marriages, 1850-1965, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 9168 #42045500 (accessed 19 July 2022), Josiah B Tidwell marriage to Alma W. Lile on 18 Aug 1926 in McLennan, Texas, USA.
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100651726/josiah-blake-tidwell : accessed 19 July 2022), memorial page for Rev Josiah Blake Tidwell (8 Oct 1870–17 Mar 1946), Find A Grave: Memorial #100651726 citing Oakwood Cemetery, Waco, McLennan County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by *♥ ღ Celeste ღ ♥'* (contributor 48585739) .

See Also:

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4N1-1PH : 13 January 2022), Josiah G. Tidwell in household of Francis Tidwell, Blount, Alabama, United States; citing enumeration district ED 4, sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm
• "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:1B1N-M3S : 30 November 2021), Household of Joe Tidwell, 1900.
• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:9Z8S-N5F : accessed 19 July 2022), Household of Josiah B Tidwell, Waco Ward 4, McLennan, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 89, sheet 23B, family 256, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1575; FHL microfilm 1,375,588.
• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:M8KD-FV3 : accessed 19 July 2022), Household of Josiah B Tidwell, McLennan, Texas, United States; citing , sheet , line , family , NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll ; FHL microfilm 1,821,830.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:1B7L-JV3 : accessed 19 July 2022), Household of Josiah Tidwell, Waco, McLennan, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 9, sheet 11A, line 24, family 252, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2373; FHL microfilm 2,342,107.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4SS-D4S : 10 January 2021), Josiah B Tidwell, Justice Precinct 1, McLennan, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 155-18, sheet 12A, line 20, family 236, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4099.
• Family Search Profile for Josiah Blake Tidwell