Before the Throne of Grace
An Evangelical Family in the Early Republic

Cloth $39.95    |    1-57736-148-2    |    2006

A portrait of the changing political, economic, social, and cultural milieu of nineteenth century-American society seen through the lens of a prominent New York State evangelical family.

Reviews
"Religion, revolution, romance . . . and, of course, commerce. This book has them all. A fascinating look at one family’s fortunes in the New Republic."
—Kenneth Cmiel, author of Democratic Eloquence

"The family letters in this volume are a valuable source for students of American religion and society . . . [and] balance any thoughts that families were less complex and less dysfunctional in the good old days. The story they tell goes well beyond a history of the Presbyterian clergy and can be read solely for the narrative of a group of Americans involved in the personal, political, and spiritual crisis of a new nation."
—Barbara Welter, professor, Hunter College

Description
Before the Throne of Grace is the story of two generations of minister and theologian James Richards’ family beginning with Richard’s boyhood in Connecticut during the American revolution and extending nearly a century beyond into the mid-1870s. This is a riveting account of the religious, business, and institutional life of a northern evangelical family during this dynamic period in the nation's history.

Author
Laura S. Seitz is the great-great granddaughter of James Richards, Jr. and Elizabeth Beals Richards. She has taught history and social studies in private and public high schools for many years. Elaine D. Baxter has taught English and social studies in public and private high schools.

6 x 9, 470 pages, notes, bibliography, index

Distributed for Providence House Publishers