1954 - Special Collections

YEAR BOOK AMERICA N CLA N GREG OR S OCIETY
79
THE REv. JAMES M ITCH ELL M AGRU DER, D.D.
1865-1955
by his dauqhter
L OUI SE
E. M AGRUDER
Th e second son of Wi lliam Howard Magruder, M.A., LL.D., by his first wife
Ann E lizabeth Mitchell, descendant of Capt. George Mitchell of the Continental
Arm y in North Carolina, was born at Richland, H olmes County, Mississippi,
August 4th ., 1865. He was named for his mother' s only brother and received his
early education from his fat her, graduating with the degree of Bache lor of Science
in 1886 from Mississippi Agri cultural & Mechanical College. While attending the
University of Mississippi he was initiated as a member of Sigma Chi fr aterni ty.
I n the fall of 1887 he made application for Holy Orders in Th e P rotestant Ep iscopal
Churc h study ing under Rt. Rev. Hugh Miller Th ompson, Bishop of Miss. and Rev.
Dr. Short, Rector of St. Andrew's Church, Jackson, Miss., and at T he Virg inia
T heologica l Seminary and in the Theologica l Depar tment of Th e University of
the South at Sewanee, Tennessee. In December 1892 he was ordained P riest in
St . Columb's Chapel, Battle H ill, Ja ckson, Mississippi.
On January 17th. 1894 he married Miss Mar gar et McKi e Mosby of Canton,
Miss. and they celebrated their sixty -first wedding ann iversary this year.
He serv ed churches in Mississippi at Sardis, Win ona, Vaden, Como, H ernando
and Aberdeen; in South Carolina at Darlingt on, Marion and Sparta nburg; in
Kentucky at Covington. After moving to Maryland in 1914 Dr. Magruder , in
most par t, took temporary char ge of churches in vari ous parts of the count ry.
Among these St. Ma rgar et's, \Vestmin ster Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
; Pro-Cathedral of Th e Incarnation, Baltim ore; Chri st Church, Baltimore;
Church of the Ascension, Baltim ore; Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington, Kentucky
; St. Andrew's Church, Richmond, Vir ginia ; St. Micha el's Church, Charleston,
South Car olina. Dur ing the First World War he was a Civilian Chaplain
at Camp Meade, Maryland, and for three month s was Chaplain-in-charge of the
United States Base Hospita l at Camp Meade. On June 21st. 1916 he received
"H onoris Causa" the degr ee of Doctor of Div inity at th e hands of the venerable
president, Dr. Th omas Fell, of St. John' s College in Annapolis.
Among the patriotic societies to which he belonged are: The American Clan
Gre gor Societ y, of which he was Chieftain for one term 1927-1930 ; The Society
of T he Ark and The Dove of Maryland , of which he was Govern or for twentyone
years; Th e Maryland Society of Colonial Wars, of which he was Chaplain
for many year s; and T he Order of the Society of The Cincinnati .
Dr. Magruder designed and saw to the castin g of the bronze tablet placed in
St. Paul's Church, P rince George's County, Maryland, in 1930 by Th e American
Clan Gregor Society. Han s Schul er, Sculptor , considered it the hand somest tab let
erected by the Society, though the one in the State H ouse at Annap olis may be
larger. The two articles he gave to the Clan on our first Magruder ancestor seem
distinctive contributions to the archives of the Society because they made available
to all members the benefit of his years of study of the history of Maryland and
England in relation to the manuscript records of Maryland. So that by collecting