REV. A. C. HERRICK

REV. A. C. HERRICK, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, has, with one exception, been settled in charge of this influential society a longer time than any other Baptist minister in California, his charge beginning in 1884. He was born in Sedgwick, Maine, in May, 1834, his father being a sea captain who was lost at sea when the subject of this sketch was but twelve years of age. By this sad calamity he was left as an orphan, as his mother had died sometime previously. He was prepared for college at Hebron, Maine, where is the oldest Baptist Academy in that State, and in 1857 was graduated at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. For one year Mr. Herrick acted as principal of Orono High School, and then for two years occupied the same position at East Corinth Academy. In 1860 he went to Europe, visiting not only the points of usual interest to the tourist, but also spending sometime in the Holy Land, Egypt, etc. Returning from this journey, Mr. Herrick was principal of Hebron Academy ten years. During this time he took a course of three years' duration at the Union Theological Seminary in New York, graduating in 1866. This he was enable to accomplish by the kindness of a friend to whom he entrusted the management of the academy while his studies necessitated his absence in New York. Was pastor of the Hebron Baptist Church one year. In 1871 he was settled in charge of the Baptist Church at Canton, Maine, holding the charge until 1876, when he became pastor of the Freeport Baptist Church. While at Canton he was ordained to the Baptist ministry, in October 1872. In the same year he made a short trip to Europe, visiting St. Petersburg, Russia, and other parts of the less customary routes of travel. It was in this way that Mr. Herrick gained the material for the illustrated lectures on in the Holy Land, Europe, United States, etc., that they made his name well-known in the lecture field. Mr. Herrick was married in 1867 to Miss Kate Powers, of Armenia, New York. She is one of a family that has made itself felt in more than one direction in this country. One of her brothers is the Rev. H. N. Powers, D. D., in an eminent and popular Episcopal clergyman on the Hudson, New York. Another brother is Dr. Fred. Powers, a prominent physician of Connecticut; while other brothers occupy leading positions as lawyers and civil engineers. Mrs. Herrick is herself a lady of high artistic talent, conducting a large and successful class in art in the city. They have two daughters, Jennie, aged fifteen, and Katie, aged fourteen--both attending the High School here. Since Mr. Herrick was settled in charge of Calvary Church in 1884, it has known a period of enlargement and progress. In 1886 a vestry was built, at a cost of $1, 200. Again, in 1887, a mission was opened in Washington that has about 100 members, and of which Mr. Herrick has charge. During his pastorate of Calvary Church no fewer than 127 persons have united with the church, and now active steps are being taken to erect a new church edifice on the corner of Sixteenth and I streets, at a cost of $20,000, thus keeping pace with the growth of spiritual interests. Cavalry Church also opened the Sabbath-school in the Orphans' Home, and has now a young man preparing for the ministry of the Rochester, New York, University; another, of Mexican birth, studying here with the view to teaching in Mexico, while a young lady is diligently preparing herself for missionary labor on the Congo. Mr. Herrick is a pastor beloved by his people, and a minister esteemed by the people at large. He is an orator; sound, clear and deep in his arguments. There is no more active and energetic worker then he, in all causes that tend to the moral and spiritual good of man. Finally, he is personally a hearty, whole-souled man of engaging presence. He has also had some experience in political life, as he represented in the Legislature during one term (1867) the Oxford District in Maine.

An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. By Hon. Win. J Davis. Lewis Publishing Company 1890. Page 262-263.

Submitted by: Nancy Pratt Melton.