Archives

The Confessional Presbyterian Archive is a curated digital library dedicated to preserving and promoting the writings of 17th–20th century Presbyterian pastors, teachers, and leaders. Featuring thousands of searchable texts, biographies, and historical resources, the archive provides direct access to the primary-source materials of American Presbyterianism.

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The Literary Profession in the South

Essay argues that literature flourishes in urban centers. The antebellum South lacked a professional literary class due to aristocratic settlement, plantation life, slavery, and rural isolation.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1881

The Poet’s Answer

Scribner's Monthly (Dec 1879) includes an article on the New York Capitol and a series of poems by American women exploring nature, faith, domestic life, and reflection.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1879

What She Could

Devotional essays and poems on the Christian pilgrimage: trust amid doubt, patient service, and refuge in Christ. Pastoral meditations urging personal piety.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1876

A Year in Heaven

Selections from The Family Treasury (1876) reflecting on the Christian pilgrimage amid 'Vanity Fair' and accommodation with the world, alongside poems about heaven, loss, and consolation.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1876

The Ballad of the Bell-Tower

Lippincott's Magazine (May 1876): table of contents and selections including an essay on the Centennial Exhibition, Constantinople sketches, poems (The Ballad of the Bell-Tower) and biographies.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1876

Cartoons

Poetic sketches and short tales about artists, saints, and the old masters. Meditations on art, vocation, mortality, and faith.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1875

Harvested: William S. White, D.D., Died in Lexington, Va., November 29, 1873, Aged Seventy-Three

Memorial biography of Dr. William S. White (1800–1873), recounting his life, ministry, funeral memorials, Synod proceedings, and the poem 'Harvested' honoring his death.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1891

Old Song and New

Margaret J. Preston's 1870 poetry collection Old Song and New retells biblical narratives (Ruth, Bathsheba), Greek tales, ballads, sonnets and devotional pieces on faith and loss.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1870

The Young Ruler’s Question

Devotional hymn recounting Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler, urging surrender of earthly possessions to follow Christ. Themes: discipleship, sacrifice, and eternal treasure.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1869

Equipoise: A Sonnet

1868 southern magazine article probing who burned Columbia, S.C., accompanied by a Christ-centered poem on equipoise and a biographical sketch of Brig. Gen. John H. Kelly.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1868

The Color-Bearer

1867 collection of standard lectures, prose and poetry for declamation in schools and colleges, featuring Civil War poems (e.g. "The Color-Bearer") and Milton's creation piece.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1867

The Only Son of His Mother

Collection of declamatory pieces for schools. Includes the poem "The Only Son of His Mother," portraying Christ's compassion and the miracle of raising the widow's son.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1867

Count Hugo: A Ballad for the Times

January 1867 issue of The Land We Love: Civil War reporting (Gen. Johnston's Battle of Manassas), fiction and poetry (ballad 'Count Hugo'), and an essay on Virginia's mineral wealth.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1867

Beechenbrook: A Rhyme of the War

A Civil War–era poem by Margaret J. Preston depicting a family's sorrow, patriotic duty, and women's sacrifices on the homefront as soldiers depart for battle.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1866

Stonewall Jackson’s Grave

1864 Richmond Presbyterian paper: appeal for domestic missions/army chaplains; poem honoring Stonewall Jackson; child-rearing advice, soldiers' dying testimonies, ministry notes and Andersonville report.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1864

Silverwood: A Book of Memories

A mid-19th-century domestic novel following the Irvine family as sudden financial loss tests maternal faith, filial devotion, and trust in God's providence.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1856

Confessions of Zephyrus: A Phantasy of the Antique

1850 Southern Literary Messenger pieces debate the Fugitive Slave Bill and rising North–South tensions, warning of disunion and possible war; also includes poetry and literary essays.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1850

Dante in Exile

Southern Literary Messenger piece: a rendition/synopsis of Aeneid Book II on Troy's fall, followed by Margaret Junkin's essay "Dante in Exile," reflecting on poetic exile (Shelley, Tennyson).

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1850

The Haunts of the Student

Southern Literary Messenger excerpt (Oct 1850): vivid travelogue of Virginia's Alleghany and House Mountain, plus "The Haunts of the Student"—a tale of grief, consolation, and literary life.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1850

Hither Bring Thy Magic Pencil

1850 Southern Literary Messenger: an American's Paris sketches—muddy streets, poverty, street-sweepers—and reflections on American landscape painters, notably A. B. Durand.

Margaret Junkin Preston ⬩ 1850

Showing 10,181–10,200 of 22,007 items

Archives

The Literary Profession in the South

The Poet’s Answer

What She Could

A Year in Heaven

The Ballad of the Bell-Tower

Cartoons

Harvested: William S. White, D.D., Died in Lexington, Va., November 29, 1873, Aged Seventy-Three

Old Song and New

The Young Ruler’s Question

Equipoise: A Sonnet

The Color-Bearer

The Only Son of His Mother

Count Hugo: A Ballad for the Times

Beechenbrook: A Rhyme of the War

Stonewall Jackson’s Grave

Silverwood: A Book of Memories

Confessions of Zephyrus: A Phantasy of the Antique

Dante in Exile

The Haunts of the Student

Hither Bring Thy Magic Pencil

Confessional Intelligence

AI Response

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