James Smith White (1822 - 1902)

Born 30 Dec 1822 in Glasgow, Scotland

Husband of Sarah Maria Louisa (McCumstie) White — married 7 Jul 1865 in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia

Died 16 Jun 1902 at age 79 in Singleton, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

When James was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Assembly of NSW in 1892 it was reported that:

The Rev. James Smith White, M.A., LL.B., and LL.D., the newly-elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales, of St. Andrew's, Singleton, and of whom we are able to give an excellent portrait from a favorite family picture, was born in Glasgow, and came to this colony with his father in the first passenger ship, under ' the immigrant military commutation system.

For many years he was a member of the Royal Society of N.S.W., and one of the original members of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, and principal of the Singleton Grammar School. In 1889 he was appointed a commissioner to the exhibition in Victoria, and in other ways has been recognised by those in authority. The new Moderator has written largely for the press on subjects of general interest, and he has published pamphlets on educational, political, and social questions, his literary productions having been favorably criticised, and more than once reproduced both in the colonies and in Scotland. His long residence in Singleton (40 years it appears) has given Dr. White opportunities possessed by few, and with St. Andrew's as his home and six preaching centres, he ministers nominally to over 400 adherents and 70 communicants.^[1]

As reported in the press in 1865^[2]:

WHITE—McCUMSTIE—On the 7th July, at Sydney, by the Rev. W. Purves, of Maitland, the Rev. James Smith White, minister of the Synod of Australia, in connection with the Established Church of Scotland, Singleton, to Miss Sarah Maria Louisa McCumstie, of Balmain, Sydney.

One obituary on the day after his death recorded that:

The Rev. Dr. James Smith White, M.A., LL.D., ex-Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly, and pastor at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church here since 1847, died at his residence, Gowrie, yesterday, in his 81st year, after a brief illness. The deceased clergyman was born in Glasgow in 1822, and came to Sydney with his parents at the age of 10 years. He was a pupil of the late Dr. Lang at the Australian College, where he was subsequently assistant master. He was licensed as a preacher in 1846 by the Presbyterian Synod of Australia, and in the following year succeeded the Rev. I. Hetherington (who had been called to Scots Church, Melbourne) as pastor at Singleton, holding the unique Australian record of having filled one charge for fifty-five years, having ministered continuously until last Sabbath, with the exception of one or two brief holidays. The deceased clergyman was a scholar of some eminence. In addition to his ministerial duties, he conducted a school, and for two years was teacher of the Singleton Grammar School. In the year 1870 he graduated B.A. at the Sydney University, and subsequently took his M.A., LL..B., and LL.D. degrees. He was a member of the Royal Society of N.S.W., and was also one of the original members of the Australian' Association for the Advancement of Science. He was an able preacher and lecturer, and published several pamphlets on prominent topics. His remains will be interred at the private cemetery at Gowrie to-morrow afternoon.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Australian Town and Country Journal, 12 Mar 1892, p19
2. ↑ Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1875) Fri 21 Jul 1865, Page 8 (Family Notices: Marriages)
3. ↑ Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931) Tuesday 17 June 1902 p 6 Article Illustrated

• Birth James White 30/12/1822 at Glasgow, Scotland. Ref# 644/1 310 321. Parents; ANDREW WHITE & LILLIAS MCMILLAN. https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
• NSW BDM death registration 7015/1902
• State Library of NSW