Reverend Henry Davidson (1823-1903): Maintaining and Creating Boundaries

Abstract

“It is painful to say yes, but how can I say no?” Henry Davidson’s response to his daughter Frances’s announcement in the mid-1890s of her call to pioneer in the Brethren in Christ (River Brethren) fledging mission project articulates his struggle. A trailblazer himself, he was among the most ardent of supporters of missions in the denomination. In his latter mid-life years, Davidson had also broken ground with the launch of a denominational paper, the Evangelical Visitor. He had used the paper to bring together the far reaches of the mobile late nineteenth-century community and to broadcast the denomination’s version of the gospel message well beyond the sectarian community’s borders. Recently, he had been coerced into giving over the reins of editorship of the nine-year-old paper. Newly bereaved by the death of his wife and Frances’s mother, his words reflected deep conflict. His loss would be multiplied as his beloved daughter stepped forward, the first to volunteer to explore the potential of an overseas missionary enterprise. At the same time, his response demonstrates integrity and hints at his reputation as a calm, objective, visionary leader. Frances Davidson’s twenty-four year career in South and South Central Africa has been well documented. While researching her preAfrica days, I have found myself increasingly drawn to her father, especially in his role as founding editor of the Evangelical Visitor. In a surprising gender reversal, far more is known about his daughter than this significant male leader, despite his role in launching what quickly became a bi-weekly transnational periodical that survived for over 125 years.