Henry Clay Trumbull (June 8, 1830 – December 8, 1903) was an American clergyman and author. He became a world-famous editor, author, and pioneer of the Sunday School Movement.
Early life
Henry Clay Trumbull was born on June 8, 1830, at Stonington, Connecticut, and educated at Williston Northampton School.
Poor health kept him from formal education past the age of fourteen. He was eventually awarded honorary degrees from Yale, Lafayette College and New York University.
Early career
In 1851, at the age of 21, Trumbull had a religious conversion experience and found employment as a clerk in Hartford, Connecticut with the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad.
In 1852, Trumbull joined the Congregationalist church and, while continuing to work for the railroad, became the superintendent of a mission Sunday-school under the Connecticut State Sunday School Association.
In 1854, he married Alice Cogswell Gallaudet, the daughter of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, the founder of the American School for the Deaf. Alice was named in honor of Alice Cogswell, the daughter of Dr. Mason Cogswell and first deaf pupil of the American School for the Deaf. Gallaudet University, which specializes in the education of deaf persons, was founded by the elder Gallaudet's son, Edward Miner Gallaudet.
After trying a few different jobs, in 1858 Trumbull became the state Sunday-school missionary for Connecticut.
Military service
Trumbull was ordained a Congregational minister in 1862 and, shortly after, served as chaplain of the 10th Connecticut Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. Trumbull was captured at the battle of Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina on July 19, 1863. He was held in several Confederate prisons as a prisoner of war. After being exchanged on November 24, 1863, he rejoined the 10th Connecticut and served with that regiment until it was mustered out of service in August 1865.
