Biography
Richard Henderson Rivers (1814-1894) was an educator and Methodist minister. Born in Montgomery
County, Tennessee, he is the son of Edmund Rivers (1783–1859) and Sallie Henderson Rivers (1787–1876). Rivers joined the
Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1831. He graduated from LaGrange
College (Leighton, Ala.) in 1835 and taught as that college’s professor of ancient languages from 1836
to 1843. He next served as president of the following institutions: Athens Female Institute (Athens,
Ala.) from 1843 to 1848, Centenary College of Louisiana (Jackson, La.) from 1849 to 1853, LaGrange
College (Leighton, Ala.) and its successor Florence Wesleyan University (Florence, Ala.) from 1854 to
1861, Centenary College (Summerfield, Ala.), Somerville Female Institute (Somerville, Tenn.), Logan
Female College (Russellville, Ky.) in 1868, and Martin Female College (Pulaski, Tenn.) from 1874 to
1879. During the 1870s and 1880s, Rivers also served as pastor at churches in Kentucky and Alabama.
Rivers authored the following books: Elements of Moral Philosophy (1859), Elements of Mental
Philosophy (1862), Our Young People (1880), The Life of Robert Paine (1884), Arrows from Two
Quivers (1890). During the 1890s, he also served as corresponding editor of the newspaper Central
Methodist (Catlettsburg, Ky.).
In 1836, Rivers married Martha Bolling Cox Jones (1818–1897); they had nine children.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Collection
Identifier: CCL-Trustees
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of records of the board of trustees of Centenary College (Brandon Springs,
Mississippi) and Centenary College of Louisiana (Jackson, Louisiana). It includes administrative
records (1843-1882), minutes (1841-1906), resolutions (1842-circa 1905), and correspondence and
reports (circa 1845-1904).The administrative records include bylaws (1843), acts of incorporation (1848-1882), property records
(1845-1871), and a construction contract for the Center/Centre...
Dates:
1841 - 1906
Collection
Identifier: SC-Cent. Misc. Mss. 46
Scope and Contents
Collection consists of letters addressed to Richard Henderson Rivers, who served as president of
Centenary College of Louisiana (Jackson, La.) from 1849 to 1853. Letter dated 1851 from Daniel
Martindale, Centenary faculty secretary, contains details about students suspended during the past
year. Letter dated 1853 from Henry Tutwiler expresses thanks for being awarded an honorary degree.
Letter dated 1854 from Thomas Coffee (with additional note from E.R. Porter) contains details...
Dates:
1851 - 1854
Collection
Identifier: SC-Mss. Coll. 111
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of digital facsimile printouts of correspondence to and from members of the Dr. John Y. Young family.Series 1: John Smith Young correspondence, 1853-1855. This series consists of letters written by John Smith Young to his siblings and parents. During this time, Young was a student at Centenary College of Louisiana. Many letters contain details about life at Centenary, his personal views on religion, and news of family members, especially his cousin...
Dates:
1848 - 1868