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Original 1894 handwritten correspondence involving George Marsh Herrick, later president of Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, written on official letterhead of the American Education Society, Western Office, Chicago.
Dated March 1, 1894, the letter was written by Herrick to Rev. B. D. Conkling concerning possible speaking engagements in Kansas connected with Congregational educational work. Conkling then wrote his reply directly on the same sheet and continued it on the reverse.
This is an unusually interesting piece of late-19th-century Congregational and educational history because it preserves both sides of the exchange and includes a strikingly candid statement from Conkling that he was:
“just now a ‘minister out of a job.’”
He then asks Herrick to recommend him if he knows of a church needing a pastor.
Herrick’s Letter
Herrick writes from the American Education Society’s Western Office at 151 Washington Street, Chicago. The letterhead identifies the organization as formerly the American College and Education Society and the New West Education Commission.
Herrick tells Conkling that he expects to attend a meeting at Emporia, Kansas, and hopes to fill several dates around the meeting. He proposes traveling to Hiawatha, Kansas, to address a local audience on educational work and asks whether Conkling could arrange a suitable gathering.
The letter concludes:
“Sincerely yours,
Geo. M. Herrick.”
Conkling’s Reply
Conkling answers directly beneath Herrick’s letter and continues on the reverse.
He explains that he has recently left his pastorate and writes:
“I am just now a ‘minister out of a job.’”
He says that he and his wife are spending what may be their last extended visit with their elderly parents, who were approaching 80 years of age, and notes that it had been approximately fourteen years since they had enjoyed such a long visit.
He then makes a direct request to Herrick:
“If you know of some church needing a pastor within a month or so, you are at liberty to suggest my name to them.”
He signs:
“Yours fraternally,
B. D. Conkling
Lyons, Kan.
Rice Co.”
This provides a revealing glimpse into the informal denominational networks through which Protestant ministers found new pastorates in the late 19th century.
George Marsh Herrick
George Marsh Herrick (born 1856) was a Congregational educator and college administrator.
A biographical clipping attached to the reverse of the letter identifies him as:
- Born March 21, 1856, in Essex, Vermont
- Son of Leonard E. and Susan B. Coffren Herrick
- Graduate of Beloit College, 1878
- A.M., 1881
- Litt.D., 1897
- Married Julia A. Pickard in 1883
- Western Secretary of the Congregational Education Society in Chicago, 1889–1896
- President of Washburn College, Topeka, Kansas, beginning in 1896
Herrick’s career placed him at the intersection of Congregational ministry, higher education, and the expansion of Protestant educational institutions in the American Midwest.
At the time this letter was written, Herrick had not yet become president of Washburn College, making this correspondence an excellent example from his earlier work organizing educational and ministerial activity throughout the region.
B. D. Conkling
B. D. Conkling was a Congregational minister associated with Kansas in the 1890s.
His reply is particularly appealing because it is not simply a formal acknowledgment. Instead, it records the very practical realities facing a minister between pastorates. His request that Herrick recommend him to churches seeking a pastor demonstrates how influential denominational secretaries and educational officials could be in helping clergy secure new positions.
Historical Interest
This correspondence touches several collecting areas:
- George Marsh Herrick autograph material
- Washburn College history
- Beloit College alumni
- Congregational Church history
- American Education Society
- New West Education Commission
- Kansas religious history
- Emporia, Hiawatha, Lyons and Rice County history
- 19th-century ministerial placement
- American higher education
- Chicago institutional letterhead
- Religious and educational ephemera
The phrase “minister out of a job” gives the document an especially human and memorable quality that is uncommon in routine institutional correspondence.
Attached Biographical Clipping
A period biographical clipping concerning Herrick is pasted to the reverse and specifically records his later appointment as president of Washburn College.
The clipping provides strong contemporary identification of Herrick and significantly enhances the historical context of the manuscript.
Condition
Fair / fragile antique condition.
The sheet shows substantial age and storage wear, including:
- Heavy brown staining and spotting
- Overall toning
- Fold lines and creasing
- Edge wear and tears
- Areas of paper loss, especially along the right edge
- Multiple punched holes
- Small splits and weaknesses along folds
- Attached biographical clipping on reverse
Despite the condition issues, the majority of the correspondence remains legible, including the important passages, signatures, institutional letterhead, date, locations, and Conkling’s memorable “minister out of a job” statement.
Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.
An appealing piece of 1890s Congregational, Kansas, and American educational history, connecting George Marsh Herrick’s work with the American Education Society to his later presidency of Washburn College.
