author
Nathaniel S. (Nathaniel Scudder) Prime
1785–1856
A Presbyterian minister, historian, and prolific religious writer, he is best remembered for recording the early history of Long Island in the mid-19th century. His work blends local history with a strong interest in church life, giving modern readers a vivid window into early New York.
1 Audiobook
The year of jubilee; but not to Africans a discourse, delivered July 4th, 1825, being the 49th anniversary of American independence
by Nathaniel S. (Nathaniel Scudder) Prime
About the author
Born in Huntington, Long Island, on April 21, 1785, Nathaniel Scudder Prime was a Presbyterian clergyman who graduated from the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, in 1804. Archival records describe him as part of a multigenerational family of Presbyterian ministers, and note that he served congregations in several New York communities during his life.
Alongside his ministry, he wrote on religion, church practice, temperance, and public questions. His best-known book is A History of Long Island, published in 1845, a substantial early account of the region from its European settlement through his own century, with special attention to ecclesiastical history.
Prime died on March 27, 1856. Today he is remembered both as a minister and as an important early chronicler of Long Island, whose writing preserves details of local communities, churches, and institutions that might otherwise have been lost.