Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1859-1906, 1874-1906 predominant (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
80.6 cm of textual records
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
James Paterson Sheraton was born in Saint John, New Brunswick on November 29, 1841. He began his studies at an early age under the direction of his grandfather, Dr. James Paterson, who was the long time principal of a grammar school in Saint John and was regarded as one of the most distinguished scholars in the Maritimes. At the age of 20, Sheraton graduated with honors in Classics and Natural Science from the University of New Brunswick. He continued his studies for the ministry at King’s College in Windsor, Nova Scotia under the tutelage of the Bishop of Fredericton, John Medley. In December 1864, he was ordained as a deacon by Bishop Medley and a year later he entered the priesthood. He first served several missionary parishes before he assumed the rectorship of the parish of Pictou, Nova Scotia, spending 13 years in total in parochial work. In 1866 he married his first wife, Margaret Wright Sheraton, who passed away in 1874. In 1875, Sheraton remarried; his second wife, Rachel Mary Sheraton, survived him.
In 1877, he moved to Toronto to become the principal of the Protestant Episcopal Divinity School, later renamed Wycliffe College. Under his leadership the college found its home on College Street. Later, Sheraton oversaw the building of the Hoskin Ave. location, which was completed in the Autumn of 1891. Sheraton was personally involved in the education of all of the students at Wycliffe and was affectionately referred to as “the little Doctor”, due to his diminutive stature. He was described as a great scholar of Hebrew. Sheraton was incredibly well read, not just in theology and Biblical studies, but also in natural science, classical literature, and philosophy. In 1883, Sheraton received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Queen’s University and in 1886 the University of Toronto conferred a LL.D. upon him. It was under Sheraton that Wycliffe College began to grow. Sheraton retained the position of principal until he passed away due to “overwork” on January 24, 1906 in Toronto.
Aside from his duties at Wycliffe, Sheraton also served as a member of the governing body of Ridley College at St. Catharines, Ontario; as president of the Toronto branch of the Lord’s Day Alliance; as vice-president of the Evangelical Alliance; as vice-president of the Upper Canada Bible Society; and as a member of the Board of Examiners for divinity degrees in the ecclesiastical province of Canada. He was the editor of The Evangelical Churchman for a number of years. Additionally, he regularly attended meetings of the Senate of the University of Toronto as a member who was well regarded for his dedication to the university.
James Paterson Sheraton is the author of a number of printed pamphlets, including: Christian science ([Toronto, 1891]); The history and principles of Wycliffe College: an address to the alumni . . . October 7th, 1891 (Toronto, 1891); The inspiration and authority of the Holy Scriptures: an address to the alumni, October 3rd, 1893 (Toronto, 1893); The idea of the church: an address to the alumni, October 8th, 1896 (Toronto, [1896]); Our Lord’s teaching concerning himself ([Princeton, N.J.?], 1904); The higher criticism . . . (Toronto, 1904); and The higher criticism of the Old Testament, intro. William Caven (New York, 1905).
Repository
Archival history
There is no clear custodial history of Sheraton’s papers from the time of his death in 1906 until they show up in a guide to the Wycliffe archives in 1977. What appears to have happened is that after Sheraton’s death, his papers were subsumed into his successor’s, T.R. O’Meara, papers and were not separated again until 1976/1977 when O’Meara’s papers were arranged. There is a note on the inside of the covers of a series of 15 notebooks of students’ lecture notes that states “Found Bundled with Sheraton’s Papers 12/76”. The vast majority of these notes, many of which bear dates after his death, have nothing to do with Sheraton. The ones that were related to Sheraton’s lectures can be found in the Notes series.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The fonds consists of records pertaining to Sheraton’s professional life as a minister, theologian, educator, and administrator. The majority of the materials within the fonds are his sermons, theological manuscripts, and lecture notes. Also included are correspondence that was sent to him, certificates reflecting his various ordinations, a book that belonged to him that he had made annotations in, as well as lecture notes taken by his students during his lectures. None of the published pamphlets referenced above survive in his fonds. This fonds has been arranged into the following series: Sermons, Manuscripts, Notes, Correspondence, Professional Memorabilia, and Miscellaneous.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals expected
System of arrangement
Much of the records in this fonds were completely disorganized when arrangement began. Attempts were made to restore original order, but those were ultimately unsuccessful in most cases. The records have been ordered into series by function.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
No restrictions on access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English