James Redpath was born August 24, 1833, in Berwick Upon Tweed on the northeast coast of England. His mother was English and came from a seafaring family. His father was Scottish, and for a time he served as the master of schools in Berwick. The family was “seceder” Presbyterian, a denomination founded in opposition to the Patronage Act of 1712 which restored the power of land-owning patrons over congregants to choose church ministers. This was the religious climate in which Redpath, the oldest of seven children, was raised to become a minister. But he developed serious theological objections while still young and gave up his studies despite his father's strenuous resistance.
In 1849 the family emigrated to the United States and settled on a farm in Allegan County, Michigan. Redpath,
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Citation: Koontz, John. "James Redpath". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 June 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5400, accessed 22 November 2024.]
