"David Trumbull, 1819-1888", written by Alice Trumbull

DAVIU TRUMBULL 1 81 9 - 1888

A man who has lived - full abundant life, having done th’rgs of
urusual import and who is kin, yet of whom e child h-s no recollec-
tion becomes to that child almost a legendary character.

Were it possible to quote from the earliest of the diaries of
David Trumbull written during the lest week® of hiS senior year at
Princeton Theological Seminary the selections would meet your eyes.
Hewer as • memory orriudo, the first ps«®». writtmn sfter toe oell

to South Ammrl.a we. glvemetth#^ ** lBt,BM

faith, aueh tumble heert searchings with himself, sueh yearning® for

light and wisdom to live to the glory of the Master;thet to have read
tnose pages of the ’legendary' character transmuted him into a very
human, lovable personality, besieged with onnfUota eerly In his cs-
reer. out of these quest usings came the deteminat 1 on to eons te flout h
Ameriee to minister to the needs of the English spooking community ’n
Velrar-iso, Chile, and to work unsparingly to further the knowledge and

love of Christ.

On Christmas day 1845 after a voyage of six months out from boston
in a sailing vessel around Ce e Born, David Trumbull arrived in Valpa-
raiso harbour. On board the Bethel, « hulk in the bay he held his fir*t
service. From this cnao his connection with the Mission to teamen. The
f<y.nt „rT^s on shore was held on the premises of the daily newspaper

El Mereur ' o dm^d great rolls of pacer.

The young men of twenty-six who arrived in Valparaiso that Chr st-
ows day h«d given a miniature of himself to Jane Fitch of ><e» h»ven,
Connecticut, it shows a face of unusual strength, a noble brow ab«ve s
pair of deep blue eyes, s true American nose, a mouth s ">v’ng 1 °v« of
humanity, a firm chin and a stern look r«re in youth. Ke hed sloping
shoulders and was of raediuw height, but his thin, 1 1 ^

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A portrait of him done by r Chilean artist from a photograph taken a
few years before his death, snows the sane clear blue eyes and the no-
ble brow but the stern look h^s gone end there Is e gentleness of matu-
rity.

The Wheelwright brotners were Influential in sending the cell for
a pastor to Princeton so they became his friends in Chile. One of the
Wheelwrights had a young ladies «ohool on tue Cerro Alegre end he was

advised that b»ndits were to ettaek the aohool during e eertaln week.

So he eskod fcVit yo”ng sinister to sltop at- t** e~nd h*lp in e&at

of ne»d. David Truabvll »eeur*d the loan of two pistols from the Ameri-
can consulate. ( vendor handled with a ramming iron attached for the pow-

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der) He laid t^e niatol on the de*»k *nd ws at work writing when s

young lady ruened in shortly after widalght ewying," Mr Trumbull the
bandits ere here." He only Just had time to tell her to hid# under the

desk when tne door opened and s men raised a elub to hit him over the

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head, pointed th' ^istol »t the man’s hee’-t »tl?|^ll«A tha|trlgs?er.

It clicked but did not go off 1 Firaerras were so rare «*t that time that
the m«n v»i>s frightened, dropped the club and r*n. Young David followed,
candle in hi=nd to rouse Mr. Wheelwright end was horrified to see him
lying in e pool of blood, ep arently dead, he went out on to the p rch
and in a stentorian voice, call ad to an imaginary friend *s he fired ;
then creeniog across a^oke in hir own voice snd fired. He kept up the
game nut * 1 the aevan b nd’ts left. Foruna+ely Mr. Wheelwright recov-

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ered from the aVven gaahes on his head when he was clubbed. The Maho-

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g'-ny club *(■' a fearsome weapon, terrifying to children and the pistol
looks strerure *»nd unwieldy for siuiefc defense. David always said that
the pistol having friled to go off, saved his life, for had the ban-
dit fallen the others wo- Id orobbly h«ve entered and d 're him in.

Definite this experience, a year or eo after his arrival he wrote

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to Jene Fitch and asked her to be hie wife. he had to wait for oyer a
year for her "newer, as the sailing vessels took at least six month*
for the trip eaoh way. He went to the States to fetch her end was mar-
r<ed there. later, both her mother and skater erne to Chile and helped
1h t e aehool they had for young girls in Las Zorr«s.

Nine children were born to them and they adopted three. Seven of
their own grew to manhood and womanhood end they were sent to the
dtetee to oollogo. Tho boy. to his Aim Meter Yale and the girl* to

miooioy.^ihM wmgs^m

t8 b'lr °*7 tor **“» rhr.. th«

tr,*1”lly ln thelr trenties- K»vld the eldest ... drowned in Lon.
ao. .ft., -ring the life of e to, end hi. f.th.r, Stephen the ,0ung

•Ur**°" 1>url,’d •* 7i" d*f* ~t of f.n.« .her# n. eontr..t.d

fttw. du,„. i, rdienin nil. nr

f.th.e end ,.th„ .... attending . ,.«d l„g lB T.l... Th„.

trt.l, to the old eounle, whleh the, hone with fortitude.

Inr.r, .11 the re.r. of Derid Triurtull's pe.torete of Union Church

euoonn ec bT e extoup of steunoh, generous Scotchmen,
Messrs ha 1 four, Williamson, Koxbury and others.

Fariy during his pastorate, before Union Church w-s founded, he

reeled the need, of Justice for residing Protester*. .he -ere denied

the rltee of merrleg. end burlel In consecr-ted ground. Therefore, he

«t hi. mind to .in demoeretic, religion, end etvie liberties for the

people of Chile, ii, ,eid he would ,hee-„, . Chilean oitiren .hen the oi.

▼ 11 rrmrri^tfe Ipws were passed.

In 1384 when Congress approved these laws, ho asked for oi tizenM**,

-ship ■ spars. That year, in the first volume of the letter T of the civil

register In :e recorded. In his own hand, the hlrths pf his

nine children.

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The passing of the o^Til marriage lews and the seeurlrg of rail-

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g 1 ou s liberty in Chile were matters of deep satisfaction to David Trum-
bull. ^e had used hie pen In the Chile n press and hia Influence in ma-
ny circles to gain support for these laws.

The religious work he had started, he s«w with pleasure young
raetors continuing. Intar-den o~itn*t ional Union Church had Rev. Mil irm
E. Dodp-e, h » eon-ln-1 »w, *»s as^iatant pastor. The Spanish work was
led hw Hev.W«11ia« kerwln end there ware two young Chilian divinity
Trkufnrt- -•stTir'ng -m»3erth#- eed-ar*.* Jhjgnlaj^

!b Valparaiso was e growing educational concern end the Institute Inglds
was burgeoning In Santiago. The Children's Sheltering Korae for Protes-
tant connected waifs was doing good work. All the^e institutions were
under the Presbyterian Board of foreign Missions, with which he had be-
oo me affiliated yaare before*

It wee a very different Vslperaieo that hp left in 1888. There wee
a Protestant cemetery, Protestant churchee with English and 8 »nirh ser-
vices. A busy town with s'nipB arriving from all ports of tne world, steam

boats, telegraph, o-ble, and railroad services. A great company of the

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eighty **nd th* humble, the rich ••nfl the poor, escorted him to his last
rert'ug rinoe in t*a Pr-'tastant eematary on the hil 1 in Valparaiso. By
pub i * c oub"er ' pt ‘ on, a mo-um^nt of grey granite.was raised attesting to

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th* abundant life of a follower of Christ.