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Some children have been recogonized as moving preachers. This seems to have been a uniquely American phenomenon. And an entirely Protestant one. As far as I know they were always boys.
One is reminded of course of the novel Elmer Gantry and the movie The Apostle, with Robert Duvall, whose character preached as a boy in the Pentecostal church. We believe there have been quite a number of these children, especially in evangelical fundamentalist churches. Presumably this is why most of the boys we have noted have been Americans. Since the 1930s, however, the phenomenon has become less common. These boys appear to have only preched locally and HBC has been unable to find much information about them.
Mayo Cleveland at age of 8 had already been licensed a preacher and he delivered his first sermon, prepared entirely by himself, lasting twenty five minutes, before a large audience in the Baptist Church, Kingston, Pennsylvania. The repuredly youngest preacher in the world was the son of Rev. and Mrs. W.G.Cleveland of Greenville, Texas.
Lonnie was a 8-yearold boy was was known as a "Baby Preacher". While we know little about him, a surviving pgotographic image does show how he was dressed--ringlet curls and a sailor suit.
Here we have a boy preacher conducting services. Newton E. Hastings of Salisbury, Md. is only six years old, and he has just entered the public schools of his home town with no conscious preparation for coaching for ecclessiastical pursuits ; but recently he conducted serveices in St. Paul's Methodist Protestant Church in Baltimore, in the manner of an experienced cleric. The outhful preacher has, for the past six months been speaking before congregations in Salisbury and near by towns but his recent services in Baltimore were the first in that city. His father claims that the boy has had no Biblical instruction other than the Bible stories and passages which have been read to him at home and at sunday School.
Here we have another child preacher. He is pictured on a card printed on a heavy paper. It was given out at church events. It says the boy is "Oliver D. Henry Boy Preacher, Age 13 of Philadelphia, Pa." We know nothing more bout Oliver. He is shown wearing a knickes suit. The card is undated, but looks as if printed in the 1920s
HBC has noted a postcard of a W. Jackson Holtzinger who was described as a "boy evangelist, age 13" He was apparently preaching at Lakemont, Pennsylvania. He wears a knickers suit with long stockings that suggests the portrait was taken about 1910.
This is an AZO photo portrait post card of an African American boy preacher, perhaps 10 years old. He stands with on hand lifted, the other resting on a bible. He wears glasses, a belted knickers suit. He was Paul J. Perkins. The portrait was taken March 25, 1922. Te studio was Patton in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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