1884
Licentiate - Georgia Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Sumach, Ga.
[This should be candidate not licentiate.]
[Source: Minutes of the Fifty-Fourth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1884, page 112]

1885
Catalogue of Students
Henry, James Robert - Sumach, Ga. - Junior Class Theology
[Source: Catalogue of Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee. 1885, page 9]

1885
Candidate - Georgia Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Sumach, Ga.
[Source: Minutes of the Fifty-Fifth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1885, page 127]

1886
Licentiate - Georgia Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Sumach, Ga.
[Source: Minutes of the Fifty-Sixth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1886, page 155]

1887
Minister - Georgia Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Sumach, Ga.
[Source: Minutes of the Fifty-Seventh General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1887, page 152]

1888
Minister - Georgia Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Cleveland, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the Fifty-Eighth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1888, page 152]

1889
Minister - Georgia Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Cleveland, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the Fifty-Ninth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1889, page 191]

1890
Minister - Lebanon Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Nashville, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the Sixtieth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1890, page 123]

1891
Minister - Lebanon Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Nashville, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the Sixty-First General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1891, page 137]

1892
Minister - Lebanon Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Nashville, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the Sixty-Second General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1892, page 144]

1893
Minister - Lebanon Presbytery
Henry, J. R., New York, New York
[Source: Minutes of the Sixty-Third General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1893, page 146]

1894
Minister - Lebanon Presbytery
Henry, J. R., East End, Pittsburg, Pa.
[Source: Minutes of the Sixty-Fourth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1894, page 161]

1895
Minister - Pittsburgh Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Pittsburg, East End, Pa.
Pastor - Shady Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
[Source: Minutes of the Sixty-Fifth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1895, pages 173 & 262]

1896
Minister - Pittsburgh Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Pittsburgh, East End, Pa.
Pastor - Shady Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Pittsburgh, Pa.
[Source: Minutes of the Sixty-Sixth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1896, pages 159 & 236]

1897
Minister - Pittsburgh Presbytery
Henry, J. R., East Liberty, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Pastor - Shady Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Pittsburg, East End, Pa.
[Source: Minutes of the Sixty-Seventh General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1897, pages 200 & 282]

1898
Minister - Pittsburg Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Pittsburg, Pa.
Pastor - Shady Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Pittsburg, East End, Pa.
[Source: Minutes of the Sixty-Eighth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1898, pages 220 & 296]

1899
Minister - Pittsburg Presbytery
Henry, J. R., East Liberty, Pittsburg, Pa.
Pastor - Pittsburg Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Pittsburg, Pa.
[Source: Minutes of the Sixty-Ninth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1899, pages 115a & 200a]

1900
Minister - Pittsburg Presbytery
Henry, J. R., East Liberty, Pittsburg, Pa.
Pastor - Shady Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Pittsburg, Pa.
[Source: Minutes of the Seventieth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1900, pages 134a & 215a]

1901
Minister - Pittsburg Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Pittsburg, Pa.
Pastor - Pittsburg, First Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Pittsburg, Pa.
[Source: Minutes of the Seventy-First General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1901, pages 161a & 273a]

1902
Minister - Pittsburg Presbytery
Henry, J. R., Pittsburg, Pa.
Pastor - Pittsburg First Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Pittsburg, Pa.
[Source: Minutes of the Seventy-Second General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1902, pages 151a & 226a]

1903
J. R. Henry, B.D., Practical Theology. Dean of Theological School

JAS. R. HENRY came from the State of Georgia. He graduated form the Theological School in 1885, taking the degree of B.D.; also from the Union Theological Seminary, New York. After graduation in New York he spent some months in Oxford, England, in special work. In addition to traveling in England and Scotland, he spent some time on the Continent. In 1890-92 he was Secretary of the Board of Education of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. After this time he made a tour of Europe, and on his return in April, 1894, he accepted the call to the Shady Avenue Church, of Pittsburg, Pa. During his pastorate the church grew in membership from one hundred to three hundred; the Sunday school from seventy-five to two hundred. A second church was organized which has a membership of one hundred and twenty-five. The congregation during this time cleared itself of an indebtedness amounting to $11,500, and bought additional property worth $10,500. Mr. Henry is the representative of his Church on the executive committees of the Western Section of the Pan-Presbyterian Alliance. During his one year's administration of the affairs of the Seminary another member has been added to the faculty and five specialists have lectured to the students of his department on the work not covered in the regular course.

[Source: The Phoenix [Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee] 1903, page 19]

1903
Minister - Lebanon Presbytery
Henry, J. R., teacher, Lebanon, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the Seventy-Third General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1903, page 206a]

1904
Minister - Lebanon Presbytery
Henry, J. R., teacher, Lebanon, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the Seventy-Fourth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1904, page 186a]

1905
Minister - Lebanon Presbytery
Henry, J. R., teacher, Lebanon, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the Seventy-Fifth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1905, page 164a]

1906
Minister - Lebanon Presbytery
Henry, J. R., teacher, Lebanon, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the Seventy-Sixth General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1906, page 153a]

1907
Ordained Ministers Dismissed and Seceding to Other Denominations
Name: J. R. Henry
Presby. Lebanon
Synod: Tennessee
Denomination: blank
Date: Sept. 11, 1906
[Source: Minutes of the Seventy-Seventh General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1907, page 5b]

The members of the Kentucky Avenue Church, Paducah, Ky., are greatly encouraged by the progress which is being made by their congregation under the leadership of Rev. J. R. Henry. The church had been pastorless for some time when Mr. Henry accepted a call to the work last fall, and there had been some difference of opinion over the union question, causing apprehension as to the effect on the church; but with a pastor in charge the church has again moved forward in effective service. Mr. Henry was installed on June 30, the following account of the day being given in the Paducah Evening Sun:

"Beautiful and impressive services marked the formal installation of the Rev. J. R. Henry as pastor of the Kentucky Avenue Presbyterian Church. In the morning the prescribed form of installation was observed, and at night the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church worshiped with the church, joint communion being held and fraternal fellowship extended. The Rev. Donald McDonald, of Danville, appointed by the synod, presided at the morning service and preached a sermon, his subject being "The Need of the Holy Spirit in the Pulpit and Congregations of Twentieth Century Churches." Rev. M. E. Chappell, of Princeton, delivered the charge to the congregation, and the Rev. Mr. Thompson, of Kuttawa, delivered the charge to the pastor. Miss Caroline Ham and Mr. H. E. Norton sang solos, while the services were replete with special music.

"Both the morning and evening services were attended by congregations that nearly filled the edifice. At night the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church attended the service, at which the Rev. M. E. Chappell preached. He was pastor of this church when the present edifice and manse were built. His sermon was in sympathy with the occasion. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper was observed. Drs. Donald McDonald and W. E. Cave administered it. The elders, who officiated, were George O. Hart and T. A. Baker, of the First Church, and Capt. James Koger and C. J. Acree, of the Kentucky Avenue Church. Mrs. Lelia Wade Lewis sang at the evening service."

The prosperity of the church since Mr. Henry was called to the field is indicated by the fact that thirty members have been received since the first of January, nine being admitted on the day of installation. Mr. Henry went to this church from the Theological Seminary at Lebanon, of which he had been the dean for several years, previous to which he had been the successful pastor of the Shady Avenue Church, Pittsburg.

[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, July 11, 1907, page 60]

Name: Henry, James R., D.D.
Occupation: Pastor
Presbytery: Southwest Florida
Place of Death: Fort Myers, Fla.
Date of Death: Feb. 24, 1930
Age: 64

[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. 1930, page 558]

James Robert Henry, D.D. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, succeeded Dr. J. M. Hubbert as Dean and Professor of Practical Theology. He entered upon this work in September, 1902, and retired from it in 1906, when he returned to the pastorate.

Dr. Henry was born in Cohutta, Georgia, and was the son of a noted minister, Rev. Samuel Henry. His literary education was received in the schools of Georgia. From Cumberland University he received the B.D. degree in 1886. He was a member of a class of nineteen, three of whom became Professors in the Theological School. For three years after graduation he was pastor at Cleveland, Tennessee. At the end of this period, in 1889, he became the Secretary of the Church's Educational Society, or Board of Education, with headquarters in Nashville. After two years or more in this work, he resigned and spent a year in Oxford University, England, and in European travel. On his return to the United States, he became the pastor of the Shady Avenue Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh.

During the four years of his administration as Dean, the Theological School was quite prosperous. The attendance for the four years was 56, 76, 67, and 54, the largest in its history. Dr. R. G. Pearson was added to the Faculty. During this period a larger number than usual of prominent men from the outside delivered courses of lectures to the student body. After leaving his work in Lebanon Dr. Henry had three pastorates: Bridgewater, Pennsylvania; Anna, Illinois; and Fort Myers, Florida, where his death occurred February 24, 1930.

[Source: Bone, Winstead Paine. A History of Cumberland University, 1842-1935. Lebanon, Tennessee: Published by the Author, 1935, pages 239-240.]

The Rev. James Robert Henry served as pastor of the Cleveland Church from June 1887 until November 1889. He was pastor here immediately after graduating from Cumberland University and led the church in phenomenal growth.

The Rev. James R. Henry was born October 8, 1865, at Cohutta, Georgia, son of the Rev. Samuel Houston Henry and Rossie Ann Henry. Mr. Henry received his early education in the schools of the North Georgia area. He likely received a better education than that typical of the times due to his father's being a charter trustee of the Flint Springs Academy and the first elected county school commissioner of Murray County. Graduating from Cumberland University, he was immediately called the the Cleveland Church.

He was an active minister and the membership increased by about 75 percent during the 26 months he served as pastor. In his final report to the Session he stated that an average of two souls per month had been converted during his pastorate. He stated in his letter of resignation that he had wanted to be near his parents while they were living, but that if God directed he would like to pursue further studies in Scotland.

After leaving Cleveland, he became Secretary of the Church Education Society of Board of Education headquartered in Nashville. About three years later he resigned to spend a year at Oxford University in England and to travel in Europe. On return from Europe he became a pastor of the Shady Avenue Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Dr. J. R. Henry became Dean and Professor of Practical Theology of Cumberland University in 1902 and served for four years. The Theological School prospered during his tenure and the attendance was the largest in its history. He secured a large number of prominent speakers from the outside to deliver lectures to the entire student body.

Dr. Henry retired from Cumberland University in 1906 to return to the pastorate but returned to earn a doctorate there in 1911. He served Presbyterian Churches in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania; Anna, Illinois; and Fort Myers, Florida. He died at Fort Myers on February 24, 1930, and was survived by two daughters.

[Source: Morelock, Ann and Katharine Trewhitt, eds. History of The First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cleveland, Tennessee 1837-1987. Cleveland, Tennessee, 1989, pages 214-215]

The Rev. James Robert Henry, D.D. was born on October 8, 1865 in Cohutta, Georgia, and was the son of the Rev. Samuel Houston Henry. James Robert was born just six months after the War for Southern Independence ended, and less than two months after the August 1865 revival at Sumach Cumberland Presbyterian Church in which the Rev. S. H. Henry, and an elder in the church, Dr. Thomas Leach, unbuckled Confederate and Union soldier firearms and laid them silently down, never again to be used against anyone in military combat.

As a child growing up in northwest Georgia, J. R. Henry was educated at Sumach Seminary. This school, along with the Sumach Cumberland Presbyterian Church, was founded by the Rev. S. H. Henry. J. R. Henry graduated from Sumach Seminary in 1884 with an A.B. Certificate. From 1884 to 1886, he attended Cumberland Theological Seminary of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, graduating with a B.D. degree in a class of 19 students. From this graduating class, three students, including J. R. Henry, later became professors of theology in the university. While attending Cumberland University, J. R. Henry met and later married Miss Annie B. Satterwhite of Nashville, Tennessee. To this marriage were later added two daughters.

Following graduation from Cumberland University, J. R. Henry, who was described by his late niece, Mrs. Lille Petty, as being "quite tall and handsome," was ordained by Georgia Presbytery. His first pastorate was with the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, Tennessee. He served this congregation from 1887 to 1889, and was paid an annual salary of $600.00. In 1888, he represented Georgia Presbytery at the General Assembly meeting of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

While pastor of the Cleveland Church, the congregation experienced phenomenal growth. Membership increased by 75%. During his 26 month tenure with the congregation, however, Henry was internally divided about what to do with his life. On the one hand, he wanted very much to live near his parents, who were advancing in years, and was content being pastor of the Cleveland Church. On the other hand, he also recognized the need to further his education, and wanted very much to study in Scotland. In 1889, after much soul searching, he finally decided to pursue further educational opportunities. In his letter of resignation to the Cleveland Church session, the Rev. Henry stated that while he had wanted very much to be near his parents, he also wanted to further his ministerial education by studying in Scotland. In order to do this, he had to break with the past and make his career aspirations a priority.

After resigning from the Cleveland Church, the Rev. Henry, unable to immediately pursue his educational goals, moved to Nashville, Tennessee to become stated supply pastor of a Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and to serve as secretary of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church's Educational Society. In 1892, the Rev. Henry resigned as secretary of the Church's Board of Education to enroll in Union Theological Seminary. His plans were to pursue a Master of Divinity degree. He had hoped to enroll several years before 1892. However, because of financial restraints and a prior commitment to the Synod of Tennessee convening with the Cleveland congregation in late October 1889, he was prevented from enrolling in the school. Prior to entering Union Theological Seminary, Henry completed, during the spring and summer of 1892, several courses at Columbia University.

After being enrolled for one academic year in Union Theological Seminary, the Rev. Henry withdrew from the school to fulfill his lifelong ambition of studying in Europe. Except for the thesis, he had completed all the requirements for the Master of Divinity degree. Upon withdrawing from Union Theological Seminary, he was awarded a diploma for completing all of the course work in the Master of Divinity degree program of study.

The Rev. Henry transferred, in the fall of 1893, to Mansfield College in Oxford, England. He remained at Mansfield College for one academic year completing additional graduate level theology courses. However, as with Union Theological Seminary, he failed to complete all of the requirements for the advanced degree. After withdrawing from the college, he spent the summer of 1894 traveling across the European Continent, before returning to the United States.

In late 1894, the Rev. Henry was appointed pastor of the Shady Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. The congregation was organized in 1889 with 28 members. He was pastor of the church for eight years. As with the First Cumberland Church in Cleveland, Tennessee, the Shady Avenue Church prospered under the direction of the Rev.Henry. When he resigned in 1902, the church had grown to 257 members, and had a Sunday school enrollment of 243. A second Cumberland Presbyterian congregation also sprang from the Shady Grove organization, and by 1903 had a membership of 125. The new congregation had also cleared an indebtedness of $11,500, and purchased property amounting to $10,500.

In September 1902, the Rev. Henry was appointed Professor Practical Theology, and Dean of Cumberland University's Theological Seminary. During his tenure as professor and dean of the theological seminary, student enrollment in the religious department reached a record high in the history of the university. The size of the faculty was increased by one, and a large number of prominent lecturers were invited to address the student body. According to the 1905 Cumberland University yearbook, The Phoenix, the Rev. Henry "manifested great interest in the growth of the seminary school..." and "is ever on the lookout for young ministers needing an education. He never misses an opportunity to give a fellow a lift, just when he needs it. The students have enjoyed the benefit of hearing the best evangelistic and Sunday school lectures that the nation affords. (Henry) is an ardent admirer of athletics, believing that ministers as well as other men should have strong bodies, bright minds, and warm hearts. His long experiences a a practical pastor served him well in the school." While dean of the school, the Rev. Henry also served as the Cumberland Presbyterian representative on the executive committee of the western section of the Pan Presbyterian Alliance.

At the time of his resignation as dean of the theology department at Cumberland University, Henry was convinced that the differences which had divided the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. were sufficiently resolved to support the union of the two religious bodies. He advocated, as did the Rev. John Morgan Wooten, the Rev. A. R. T. Hambright, and others, that the two denominations should become one. It is ironic that the son of one of the pioneer ministers of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Georgia and a defender to his death of the continued existence of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church would support the organic union.

In resigning as dean of the theology department in May 1906, the Rev. Henry cited financial reasons for giving up the position. He had become distressed by the school's failure to pay the professors in the department, and the dean, an adequate salary. Henry stated in his letter of resignation that, "I am well aware that under existing circumstances you (the board of trustees) are wholly unable to provide a salary that will meet the needs of the professors in the theological department; and since there has never been any permanent provision made for the maintenance of the Chair which I occupy, and since you have no fund by which you can provide for the same, I most respectfully ask your permission to retire from the Chair which I now occupy, and to sever my connection with Cumberland University. In taking this step...I do it with a view to the best interests of Cumberland University. I have reached the place where I can no longer make the financial sacrifices which I would be compelled to make in order to remain with the head of the theological school." According to the June 28, 1906 issue of the Cumberland Presbyterian, the position of dean and chair of the homiletics and practical theology department was established in 1902, from an endowment fund given by a friend of the university. The endowment, unfortunately, was not increased and after three years was insufficient to pay the dean's salary.

The article also described the Rev. Henry's appointment as dean in 1902 as being influenced by his success as pastor of the Shady Avenue Church in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. According to the article, Henry "entered upon his work with zest, and during his administration the seminary enjoyed the largest attendance in its history. Several new features were introduced in the curriculum, notably the annual series of lectures by guest speakers. The students have benefited greatly from these talks. Mr. Henry will . . . return to his first love, the pastorate, for which he is so well fitted by both his training and his experience. . . ."

In accepting the Rev. Henry's resignation, the board of trustees issued a statement that they wished "to place upon the record (their) expression of regret (in being) unable to remove the causes set forth in his letter of resignation. . . The board remembers the discouraging conditions surrounding that department of the university at the time he was called to the deanship. He deserves to be heartily congratulated upon the great change for the better, which has been brought about during his administration. He came to the school, when, in the opinion of many, its very existence was threatened. He leaves it in the period of its greatest prosperity, and the board acknowledges its indebtedness to him as the author, in a large degree, of the encouraging wise and zealous supporter of every interest of the school. His relations with the board have been most intimate and cordial, and it parts with him with regret." In 1911, Cumberland University awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity to the Rev. Henry in recognition of his work for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., and Cumberland University.

After leaving Cumberland University, the Rev. Henry was appointed pastor of the Paducah Presbyterian Church in Kentucky. He remained with this church for three years before accepting a call to be pastor of the Bridgewater Presbyterian Church in Beaver, Pennsylvania. He served this congregation until 1914.

From Beaver, Pennsylvania, the Rev. Henry moved his family to Anna, Illinois, to become pastor of the Anna Presbyterian Church. He remained with this congregation for six years before accepting a call to serve the Park Presbyterian Church in Streaton [sic: Streator], Illinois. He served this congregation for three years, and helped supervise the erection of a new $100,000 church house.

In 1924, the Rev. Henry's wife of nearly forty years, died. She was buried in Nashville, Tennessee on October 22. The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. L. Cicero Kirkes, D.D., and President Harris of Cumberland University. Shortly after his wife's death, he accepted a call to serve the First Presbyterian Church in Ft. Myers, Florida. Here, he met his second wife, Miss Ruth Weeks.

The Rev. Henry served the Ft. Myers congregation until his death on February 24, 1930. He was buried next to his first wife in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to being a minister, he was also an active Mason, and prominent in Scottish Rite Circles.

[Source: Conway, Jr., Gregory. A Presbytery Called Chattanooga: Tracing the History of Chattanooga Presbytery, Cumberland Presbyterian Church from 1842 to 1989. Alpharetta, Georgia: WH Wolfe Associates, 1994, pages 609-612 ]

Name: J. R. Henry
Candidacy: Fall 1883
Licensure: Fall 1885
Ordination: Fall 1886

[Source: Conway, Jr., Gregory. A Presbytery Called Chattanooga: Tracing the History of Chattanooga Presbytery, Cumberland Presbyterian Church from 1842 to 1989. Alpharetta, Georgia: WH Wolfe Associates, 1994, page 697]