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Maclean, Rev. Mathew
Witherspoon, M.A. Minister of St. Andrew's church, Belleville, was born in
Glasgow, Scotland, on the 11th June, 1842. His parents were Malcolm
Maclean and Catherine Macpherson. Mathew Witherspoon Maclean completed his
education at the University of Glasgow in 1862. While a divinity student,
he visited Canada, and was then prevailed upon to make this country the
field of his future labours. He entered the Divinity Hall of Queen's
College, Kingston, where he studied for two years; and then took a session
at Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey, U.S., where he graduated in
1866. Shortly afterwards he returned to Canada, and was licensed by the
presbytery of Niagara, in connection with the Church of Scotland, on the
13th June, 1866. In August of the same year he was ordained and inducted
to the pastorate of St. Andrew's church, Paisley, in the County of Bruce,
by the presbytery of Guelph, in connection with the Church of Scotland.
Here he found abundant scope for his zeal and energy. "The country," says
the 'Scot in British North America,' "was newly settled, and the spiritual
wants of the people has been but inefficiently and irregularly supplied."
We further learn that Mr. Maclean was the only pastor belonging to his
denomination within forty miles. His work extended over the large area of
five townships, and in addition to daily pastoral visits, he travelled,
every Sabbath from twenty to forty miles, preaching three times a day. His
church increased so rapidly that it became necessary to provide additional
accommodation for what had previously been a sparse and dwindling
congregation. Three mission stations were organized at different points in
the neighbourhood. In 1871, he accepted a call to the pastorate of the
Mill Street Presbyterian church at Port Hope, where he remained for two
years. On November 12th, 1873, he became pastor of St. Andrew's,
Belleville, the oldest Presbyterian church in the city. Mr. Maclean was
clerk of the presbytery of Kingston, in connection with the Church of
Scotland, from the date of his settlement at Belleville up to the time of
the union of the Presbyterian churches of the Dominion. He is a member of
the Board of Trustees of Queen's University, Kingston; is president of the
Belleville Mechanics' Institute and Library Association, of which he was a
prominent originator and promoter; is a trustee of the Belleville High
School; is convener of the Home Mission Committee of the presbytery of
Kingston, having charge of an extensive mission field, and is chaplain of
several local organizations. Mr. Maclean has been a somewhat extensive
traveller: he has visited the West Indies, the Western States, Europe and
Manitoba. On the 29th of September, 1869, he married Isabella Elizabeth,
eldest daughter of George Davidson, of the firm of Davidson & Doran,
Kingston foundry, an ex-mayor of that city, and one of the oldest members
of the Board of Trustees of Queen's University. |
