Thaddeus Dod

Thaddeus Dod (March 7, 1740 – May 20, 1793) was a prominent Presbyterian minister in Western Pennsylvania. He is one of the founders of Washington & Jefferson College.

Dod's ancestors were English Puritans who settled in Connecticut in 1645 and migrated to the Newark, New Jersey area.[1] Dod was born in 1740 and was raised in the "hill town" of Mendham Borough in Morris County, New Jersey.[1] In 1751 at the age of 11, he dedicated his life to "God and doctrine."[1] Dod funded his education at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) by teaching for a number of years, graduating in 1773 at the age of 33.[1] He married Phoebe Baldwin shortly thereafter.[1] He continued to study theology and was licensed to preach in 1775.[2] He was ordained by the Presbytery of New York in 1777 and left to preach at Patterson Creek, Hampshire County, Virginia (now in West Virginia)[3]

In addition to a devotion to religion, Dod held a strong grasp of the classical subjects, especially the languages of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.[1] He exhibited an uncommon proficiency in literature and sciences; he composed poetry, often breaking into verse in a dead language in his diaries.[1] As a preacher, he spoke on the importance of sacred music, a subject he studied scientifically, and introduced "singing without reading the line" to his congregations.[1] In person, he was described as "dark and vivid, quick and ardent."[1]

In 1778, Dod accepted a ministerial call from two congregations in present-day Washington County, Pennsylvania: Lindley's Fort at Lower Ten Mile near Amity (now Amwell Township, Pennsylvania) and Cook's Fort at Upper Ten Mile (Prosperity).[1] He was the second minister to settle west of the Monongahela River and the first to establish a Presbytery west of the Allegheny Mountains.[2] His family remained in Patterson Creek for two years before moving into a log cabin near his congregations.[1] Dod's home was in a dangerous location near Fort Henry, perched on a steep rise with wooded valleys on either side. His home, log school, and churches were often subject to attacks from local Indian populations.[1]

In 1781, Dod and his neighbors built a log school building, the first of its kind in the west and much larger than any other dwelling in the settlement.[1] In 1782, the school contained 13 pupils.[2] It was furnished with three or four beds for students in attendance.[1] Dod taught classes in English, the classics, mathematics, and surveying before its closure in 1785.[2] He was one of the original trustees of Washington Academy, located in the Washington, Pennsylvania courthouse, and he held office as its first principal.[2] The courthouse burned during the winter of 1790-1791, destroying Dod's collection of books.[2] Dod also helped organize the academy in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, which would later grow into Jefferson College.[2]