William Winans Drake letter

Collection

Identifier: SC-Cent. Misc. Mss. 18

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Letter from Centenary College of Louisiana student William Winans Drake to his father, Rev. Benjamin Michael Drake, who served on Centenary’s board of trustees. Also includes a postscript to his sister, Jane. Letter discusses upcoming meeting of Centenary’s trustees, activities of the college’s literary societies and French Society, student enrollment and attendance, and classroom assignments.

Dates

1859

Creator

Drake, William Winans, 1843-1870 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Physical rights are retained by the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.

Biographical / Historical

William Winans Drake (1843-1870) is the son of Rev. Benjamin Michael Drake (1800-1860) and Susannah Priscilla Hawkins Magruder Drake (1811-1892). He attended Centenary College of Louisiana from 1858 until 1861, when the college suspended classes during the American Civil War. The college’s trustees awarded him a bachelor’s degree in 1868.

In 1862, Drake joined the Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Within the conference, he served the following positions (some dates are approximate): Port Gibson and Colored Mission pastor (1862), Port Gibson Female Academy teacher (1863), Adams Colored Mission (1864), Greenville pastor (1865-1869), Greenville District presiding elder (1867-1870).

In 1866, Drake married Alice Gorton (1847-1910). Their children were Benjamin Magruder Drake (1868-1947) and William Winans Drake (1871-1933).