Samuel Wait
Samuel Wait [1]
a Baptist minister, was born in Washington County, N.Y., December 19, 1789. He made a profession of religion March 12, 1809; was ordained at Sharon, Massachusetts, June 3, 1818, and afterwards pursued his studies at Columbian College, Washington, D.C., where for a time he was a tutor. He became pastor at Newbern, N.C., in 1827, and for a number of years travelled through that state. Under his auspices the religious organ of the denomination, the Recorder, was established. To him, also, Wake Forest College owes its existence. It was started as a manual-labor institution in 1833, and he was called to preside over it. The school, in 1839, having abandoned the manual-labor feature, was made a college, and Dr. Wait continued at its head until 1846, and then resigned, filling the position of pastor of one or two churches until 1851, when he became principal of a female school in Oxford, N.C., where he remained until 1856. He died July 28, 1867. See Cathcart, Baptist Encyclop. page 1198. (J.C.S.)
