Rev. James Kemper

Religious Leader, Revolutionary War Veteran, Educator, Abolitionist, the Reverend James Kemper was most known for his contributions to Presbyterianism in Ohio and Kentucky. Compiled by Jaime Howley

Childhood friend of John Marshall 4th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Marshall was a cousin of Thomas Jefferson. They corresponded later in life.

The Kemper family came from Germany in the 17teens. Rev. James Kemper was the second generation born here, but his first language was German which was still spoken at home.

The Virginia native served as a soldier for the United States during the Revolutionary War which brought him to the West. He briefly settled in Tennessee in 1783 and worked as a surveyor before moving to Kentucky where he operated the commonwealth's first public school. He studied with Rev. David Rice while teaching school. Kemper was the first clergy ordained west of the Alleganies.

He moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1790 and became the first ordained minister in the Ohio River Valley. He founded and organized several churches including the First Presbyterian Church in Walnut Hills, where he finally settled with his family. He founded Lane Seminary in 1818 which grew until the "Great Slavery Debates" organized by students. The Abolitionist Theodore Weld was one of the student leaders. He later married Angelina Grimke. She and her sister came from a southern slave owning family. Sarah was 10+ years older than Angelina. Sarah left first and settled in Philadelphia. Angelina followed. They were the first abolitionist women to speak to groups with both men and women about slavery.

Kemper died when he was 80 years old during the first major cholera epidemic on the Ohio River. His oldest son Elnathan also died from cholera around the same time. Several streets in Hamilton County are named for him and his log cabin house has been preserved as part of the Sharon Woods Heritage Village.

Rev. James Kemper served in the Revolutionary war from Virginia. After the war he was a surveyor in North Carolina/Tennessee. He was there when he received the call to study for the ministry with the Reverend David Rice in Kentucky. Men were sent to accompany the family over Boone's trail through the wilderness. Think Indians. David Rice was an early and avowed Abolitionist who had been kicked out of Virginia for his activities with slaves. Rice served on the Constitutional Convention in Kentucky and proposed the gradual abolition of slavery which was of course voted down. James Kemper was the first minister to prepare under him. James also taught school while studying for the ministry. He was the first school master in Kentucky. After he was ordained he was called across the Ohio River to serve the settlers there. He is credited with the founding several churches and was a circuit rider. He had a farm called Walnut Hills. He founded the First Presbyterian Church of Cincinnati. His home is the oldest house in Cincinnati. It was moved to the zoo where it was for many years before being moved to Sharon Woods where it has been restored including a separate building with the kitchen and a sleeping loft above. The Kemper Family gave the land where Lane Seminary was built and helped to hire the Abolitionist Reverend Lyman Beecher to be President of the school. Both James and his oldest son, Elnathan, died in 1834. This was shortly after of the Great Slavery Debates at Lane which happened in February 1834. Lane students were very involved with the fugitive slaves. Beecher was away back east raising money for the school. The Board of trustees voted to expel the students who participated. Many students left and went to Oberlin College. Thomas Weld was one of the student leaders. Cincinnati was a very active center of abolition activity. The Blackwell family settled there when they came from England.

• http://germannafamily.org/getperson.php?personID=I002958&tree=tree1
• https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=18122147
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