California marked the end of Pearson's attempt to find success through practising law. Being barred by the Californian legal authorities appeared to be the end of Pearson and scandal being almost synonymous. According to a report in New York's The Sun from March 1880 Pearson had given up on the legal profession and returned to preaching.[74] No definite evidence of Pearson has been found between his visit to Rhode Island in 1880 and spring 1885 when Pearson was advertised as preaching at the Baptist Church of the Pilgrim in San Francisco in May 1885.[75] When Pearson re-emerged it is probable that Pearson and his wife had been established in San Francisco for some time because both held important positions in the temperance movement by the end of 1885. In October 1885 Pearson was an officer of the Golden Rule Division of the Sons of Temperance while Mrs Pearson was the Lady Patriarch of the New Era Division.[76] Mrs Pearson was also the President of the Women's Christian Temperance Association in San Francisco.[77] In April 1886 Pearson was elected the important position of the Grand Worthy Patriarch of the Grand Division of the Sons of Temperance in California.[78] His reputation as a drunkard appeared to be well behind him and Pearson, and his wife, were respected citizens far from Pearson's working class background.

No evidence of Pearson having a church or congregation exists but he appeared to be a respected preacher, lecturer and campaigner for temperance and prohibition of the sale of alcohol in San Francisco and beyond.[79] In 1886 both Pearson and his wife moved into politics. Pearson acted as secretary of the County Central Commission of the Prohibition Party and both were chosen members of the new county committee and as delegates to the Prohibition Party convention in Sacramento in May 1886.[80] At that convention Pearson was elected as a member of the State Central Committee for the Fourth Congressional District in California.[81] After his term as Grand Worthy Patriarch, Pearson was elected as a delegate for Oakland to the Nation Division of the Sons of Temperance in Boston in July 1887.[82] Pearson had a role not only at state level but also at national level. Having achieved positions of such status and responsibility, Pearson's life changed again but, this time, the whiff of scandal seemed far away.

At the beginning of 1888 Pearson travelled with his wife to Arizona for the sake of her health. During their visit Pearson was invited to preach and to give lectures. As he had done from his brief time in London in 1861, he impressed, attracting large audiences. The Arizona Weekly Citizen described Pearson as 'a most eloquent and entertaining speaker'.[83] How long the Pearsons' trip to Arizona lasted is not known but by August 1888 they had moved to Phoenix, with Pearson becoming the pastor of Trinity Episcopalian Church.[84] How Pearson, a Baptist minister, became an Episcopalian minister is unclear but church administration was probably in flux in Arizona as the Bishop of Arizona and New Mexico, Rev. John Mills Kendrick, died in March 1888 and the new bishop, Rev. John Mills Kendrick, did not arrive in Arizona until February 1889. It is probable that the Phoenix Episcopalians were so impressed with Pearson's preaching that they offered him the church even though Pearson had not been ordained. Pearson was not ordained as an Episcopalian minister until after Bishop Kendrick's arrival in February 1889. Following a pattern in Pearson's life, soon he assumed other positions of responsibility, he was elected chaplain to the Arizona legislature and, shortly after his arrival, Bishop Kendrick appointed Pearson as chairman of the building committee for the new Grace Church in Tuscon.[85] Superficially, Pearson's new position in Arizona seems impressive but, on closer examination, it is not. In 1889 Arizona was a sparsely populated territory of the United States and the Episcopalian congregation small. In 1889 the church had only 459 communicants over ten missions in both Arizona and New Mexico.[86] During his short time in Arizona Pearson became well known but his position was not an improvement on his status as a respected Baptist preacher and promoter of temperance in San Francisco. Considering his previous career, doubts must remain about why Pearson left a prominent place in Los Angeles religious and political society for the frontiers of Arizona. Pearson's motive could have been purely altruistic, his concern for his wife's health.

Pearson's career ended in Arizona because, during a holiday in Los Angeles, he died on 29 September 1890 after suffering 'a shock of paralysis'.[87] Pearson was buried at St Paul's church in San Pedro, near Los Angeles. At his funeral he was remembered as 'a man of brilliant intellect' and some of his former parishioners from the Fourth Avenue Baptist Church in Pittsburgh who lived in Los Angeles 'esteeme[ed] him as one of the most gifted preachers and pastors'.[88] At his death Pearson's misdemeanours had been forgotten or, maybe, his former parishioners were some of those who continued to follow him despite his faults.

Conclusion

By the end of his life, Pearson succeeded in escaping his working-class beginnings in both Manchester and Blackburn to become an Episcopalian minister. Driven by ambition and with a talent for preaching and an ability to impress with his intellect Pearson found supporters in Professor Scott from Owens College and Rev. Parker, the founder of Cavendish College, and impressed Congregationalist chapels in London and Liverpool. However, scandals involving bogus doctorates and personal behaviour had destroyed his prospects with the nonconformist church in Britain. It seemed that Pearson's ability to court scandal would bring his downfall in the United States, too. Personal failings ruined his chances in the legal profession in Massachusetts and California. Allegations of sexual impropriety and drunkenness, similar to those that had driven Pearson from Blackburn, forced him to resign as Baptist minister in Pittsburgh, even though his mission had been so successful that a new, bigger church was needed. Even when the Pittsburgh Baptist Association turned against him most of his congregation continued to support Pearson, providing evidence of another of Pearson's talents: the ability to attract loyal followers who would disregard his failings. However, for 20 years those failings undermined Pearson's ambitions but he continued to strive with dogged determination. Then, for the last 5 years of his life, Pearson's charisma, preaching ability and apparent intellect gained him respect as a Baptist preacher and temperance campaigner in San Francisco and then as an Episcopalian minister in Arizona. If Pearson had died in 1880 he could have been considered 'a bad egg', someone whose life was defined by his character flaws, but, by the end of his life, he appeared to control these flaws to become a respected citizen. Through ambition, Pearson did escape his working-class roots to die an Episcopalian minister in Arizona on the frontier of the United States. Whether the young Pearson would have considered this a fulfilment of  his ambitions is another matter.

Researched and written by David Hughes, June 2018.

References

[1] Blackburn Central Library, H2/66, Rev. R. W. Pearson: To the Independent Congregation of Bolton Station Meeting House.

[2] Birth record accessed using FreeBMD, http://www.freebmd.org.uk/.

[3] Blackburn Standard, 3 January 1838.

[4] 1851 England, Wales and Scotland Census, accessed using www.findmypast.co.uk [All census data used was accessed using Findmypast]

[5] In 1841 Robert's occupation was manufacturer, 1851 warper and 1861 pattern-maker.

[6] Parish Register of St. John, Manchester, 7 October 1861, accessed using www.findmypast.co.uk.

[7] Preston Herald, 20 February 1864 and 14 May 1864.

[8] 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871 Census.

[9] John K. Walton, Lancashire: A Social History (Manchester, 1987), p. 110.

[10] 1841 Census, and birth record accessed using FreeBMD, http://www.freebmd.org.uk/.

[11] 1851 Census.

[12] In 1880 Owens College would become a constituent college of the Victoria University of Manchester and in 2004 would form part of the University of Manchester.

[13] Owens College was a failing institution when Pearson became a student in 1856. During his first academic year 154 students attended. However, only 33 were full-time students with the remainder being 33 schoolmasters receiving further education and 88 students who attended evening classes. By the time Pearson left in June 1860 the number of full-time students had increased to 57. Despite the struggle to attract students the staff and trustees rejected the idea of providing a practical education that would have suited the demands of local manufacturers and merchants: Joseph Thompson, The Owens College: its foundation and growth; and its connection with the Victoria University of Manchester (Manchester, 1886), pp. 138, 141, 153-4.

[14] J. Philip, 'Scott, Alexander John (Sandy) (1805-1866), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2004).

[15] George Whitefield (1714-70) was a founder of Methodism with John and Charles Wesley.

[16] R. Tudur Jones, 'Parker, Joseph (1830-1902)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2004). Parker moved back to London in 1869 and in 1876 became the minister at the City Temple in London, which became an important centre of Nonconformism in London. He was a prolific author and was considered to be a communicator of genius.

[17] R. R. Turner, 'Cavendish Theological College, 1860-63', Transactions of the Congregational Historical Society, Vol.21 (1971-2), pp. 94-101.

[18] The City Press, 16 and 23 March, 20 and 27 April, 4 and 11 May, 1861.

[19] Aberdeen Press and Journal, 19 June 1861, Chester Chronicle, 22 June 1861.

[20] The Watchman and Wesleyan Advertiser gave a full account of the Pearson scandal, drawn from the thrice-weekly London newspaper, The Patriot, in December 1861 and January 1862, including Pearson being considered as the minister at Great George Street Chapel. The 1851 Census, taken on Sunday, 7 April 1861, captured Pearson visiting Liverpool as a guest of James Howell, a cotton broker and prominent Liverpool Congregationalist. Pearson's qualifications were recorded as Ph.D. and M.D. and, mysteriously, his place of birth as Clifton in Gloucestershire.

[21] Liverpool Mercury, 25 November 1861.

[22] Liverpool Daily Post, 4 November 1861. Christian David Ginsburg was born in Warsaw, Poland and was converted from Judaism to Christianity after which he moved to England, becoming a missionary in Liverpool where he became an active member of the Literary and Philosophical Society and had his first book published in 1857: Fred N. Rainer, 'Ginsburg, Christian David (1821-1914)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2008).

[23] Liverpool Mercury, 6 November 1861.

[24] The Watchman and Wesleyan Advertiser, 4 December 1861, reprinted a letter published in the British Standard that stated Pearson had bought the diplomas 'before he was of age' as Pearson was born in the last quarter of 1838, he turned 21 in the last quarter of 1859.

[25] Liverpool Mercury, 25 November 1861.

[26] The Watchman and Wesleyan Advertiser, 4 December 1861.

[27] Liverpool Daily Post, 29 November 1861.

[28] Blackburn Standard, 13 November 1861.

[29] Liverpool Mercury, 25 November 1861.

[30] Blackburn Standard, 18 December 1861.

[31] Undated report from the Patriot reprinted in The Watchman and Wesleyan Advertiser, 8 January 1862.

[32] Blackburn Standard, 16 April 1862.

[33] Pearson was included among the Reverends on the platform of a meeting at Blackburn Town Hall to welcome relief ships for America and to pass anti-slavery resolutions in relation to the American Civil War in a report in the Blackburn Standard, 25 March 1863.

[34] Blackburn Standard, 28 October 1863; Blackburn Times, 31 October 1863.

[35] Blackburn Standard, 27 May 1863; Manchester Courier, 30 May 1863.

[36] Blackburn Times, 26 December 1863.

[37] According to Abram, Montague Street Congregational Church did not open until February 1866: W. Alexander Abram, A Century of Independency in Blackburn: 1778-1878 (Blackburn, 1878), p. 54; allegations of financial mismanagement, which emerged during a trial in which a former treasurer of the Build Sub-committee sued the current Treasure in July 1864, may offer a further explanation of the delay: Blackburn Standard, 27 July 1864.

[38] Blackburn Times, 30 August and 20 September 1862; Blackburn Standard, 27 May 1863; Blackburn Times, 14 November 1863.

[39] Blackburn Central Library, H2/60, Rev. R. W. Pearson.

[40] 1871 Census.

[41] Preston Herald, 17 December 1864.

[42] Alexander Bruce Denniston Sword was born in Manchester in 1841 and in the 1881 census was recorded as a solicitor in Stoke on Trent.

[43] Blackburn Times, 26 August 1864.

[44] Blackburn Times, 10 September 1864.

[45] Blackburn Times, 1 October 1864.

[46] Blackburn Times, 8 October 1864.

[47] Preston Herald, 17 December 1864.

[48] Benjamin Nightingale, Lancashire Nonconformity, or, Sketches, Historical & Descriptive, of the Congregational and Old Presbyterian Churches in the County, Vo. 2 (Manchester 1890), p. 99.

[49] England and Wales Marriages 1837-2005 accessed through Findmypast. From the baptism records for the mid 1830s on Findmypast, it is probable that Sarah Ann Dunkerley was born in Greater Manchester. Why Pearson married in South Wales is a mystery but, as his mother's maiden name was Williams, he may have taken flight to his mother's family after being driven from Blackburn.

[50] London Gazette, 23 May 1865.

[51] London Gazette, 20 June 1865: Pearson's examination and application for discharge was in Lancaster on 14 July.

[52] Blackburn Standard, 15 November 1865.

[53] Liverpool Mercury, 4 November 1865.

[54] Pearson became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America on 22 November 1865: California Voters' Register, 1886, accessed through www.ancestry.co.uk.

[55] Address before the Essex Bar Association, December 8 1885 (Salem, Massachusetts, 1885), p. 58; The Essex County Directory (Boston, 1869), p. 233.

[56] The Essex County Directory (Boston, 1870), p. 29; The Essex County Directory (Boston, 1871), p. 273.

[57] Franklin College, 1834-1884: First Half Century (Cincinnati, 1884), pp. 42-47.

[58] Circulars of Information of the Bureau of Education, No. 5 (Washington, 1873), p. 80.

[59] Indianapolis Journal, 16 July 1873.

[60] Thomas Cushing, History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania etc. (Chicago, 1889), p. 371.

[61] Rev. G. H. Humphrey and D. M. Bennett, Christianity and Infidelity; or the Humphrey-Bennett Discussion (New York, 1877), pp. 288, 295.

[62] Wheeling Daily Register (Wheeling, West Virginia), 6 June 1878.

[63] Chicago Tribune, 30 June 1878.

[64] The Evening Star (Washington D. C.), 20 June 1878.

[65] Chicago Daily Tribune, 18 August 1878.

[66] Cincinnati Daily Star, 6 January 1879.

[67] Blackburn Standard, 14 September 1878; Blackburn Times, 14 September 1878.

[68] New York Herald, 16 March 1879.

[69] Daily Evening Bulletin (San Francisco), 6 February 1879.

[70] Daily Evening Bulletin, 10 June 1880.

[71] Daily Alta California, 30 January 1880.

[72] Daily Evening Bulletin, 10 June 1880.

[73] United States Census 1880, accessed using www.findmypast.com: the census was taken on 11 June 1880. Pearson's brother, William, his wife, Catherine, their two eldest children, Lillian and Robert, and his mother, Mercy, all worked in cotton mills. Lillian's age was recorded as 15 and her place of birth given as England while her younger brother, Robert, was born in the United States making it possible that the William Pearson and his family emigrated with their brother but, as no record of Lillian Pearson being born in Britain has been found, which casts doubt on the accuracy of the census data.

[74] The Sun, 7 March 1880.

[75] Daily Evening Bulletin (San Francisco), 9 May 1885.

[76] Daily Alta California, 25 October 1885. The Order of the Sons of Temperance was a mutual society that assisted its members in leading a temperate life and, through defined contributions, provided assistance when members were sick; the Worthy Patriarch was the equivalent to the elected chair of a Division: Constitution and Revised Rules of the Sons of Temperance (Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1852), pp. 3, 5.

[77] Daily Alta California, 3 December 1885. More correctly, the Woman's Christian Temperance association was formed in 1874 with the Californian branch established in 1879; it became a national, campaigning temperance organization with foundations in evangelical Christianity: A Brief History of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (Evanston, Illinois, 1907), pp. 9, 21, 28.

[78] Daily Evening Bulletin, 9 May 1885.

[79] See lecture given at the Silver Star Hall, San Francisco: Daily Alta California, 18 January 1886.

[80] Daily Alta California, 2 May 1886.

[81] Sacramento Daily Union, 13 May 1886.

[82] Sacramento Daily Union, 2 May 1887.

[83] Arizona Weekly Citizen (Tucson), 14 January 1888.

[84] Voters' Register for Maricopa County, Arizona, accessed through www.ancestry.co.uk: Pearson registered to vote on 25 September 1888; Arizona Weekly Citizen, 8 December 1888, reported that Pearson as being in charge of the congregation at Trinity Church, Phoenix.

[85] Tombstone Daily Prospector, 9 February 1889; Arizona Episcopalian, Vo.l. 9 No. 1 (Winter, 2018), p. 20: mistakenly, the author of this article gives the date of Bishop Kendrick's arrival as February 1888.

[86] University of the South, Series B No. 53, Calendar 1888-90 (Swanee, Tennessee, 1889).

[87] Los Angeles Times, 8 September 1890; Los Angeles Herald, 1 October 1890.

[88] Los Angeles Herald, 5 October 1890.​

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