1866-1908

Adoniram Judson Kempton

Baptist Pastor          Nova Scotia/Iowa

Adoniram Judson Kempton was born December 11, 1866, in North East Margaree, Nova Scotia.  He graduated from Arcadia College in Nova Scotia in 1889 and became pastor of Stony Creek Baptist Church in NY the next year. He finished Rochester Theological Seminary in 1892 and then spent five years (1894-99) as pastor of the First Baptist Church, Madison, WI. He helped the congregation celebrate its first 50 years in 1897 and lead in the planning for their second church building. The centennial history of the Madison congregation reports Kempton’s ministry in glowing terms in spite of his poor health.

A. Judson Kempton proved to be one of the most brilliant, enthusiastic and consecrated pastors the church had had. An interesting young man of kindly spirit and pleasing personality, he had a gift for preaching the word and reaching the hearts of young people. He was also single, which increased his attractiveness among the young ladies of the church. The church grew and prospered, and baptisms increased markedly. In fact, during the eight-year period of their ministries, Wilkinson and Kempton baptized 92 people.[1]

Two incidents during this time in Madison are of interest. During his third football season as a fan of the Wisconsin Badgers a riot started between the freshmen and sophomores and was reported in the media coast to coast.

The amazing spectacle of 300 fighting college students, all more or less denuded of their clothing and several of them absolutely naked, edified citizens and upper classmen at 4:30 yesterday afternoon….

The affair was witnessed by President C. K. Adams, several professors and a large number of citizens and students who had gathered to watch the foot ball practice.

Rev. A. J. Kempton, of the Baptist church, in this city, who was a spectator at foot ball practice and who crossed the street when the fighting began was caught in the crowd and roughly handled…

The result of the affray was inglorious defeat to the sophomore class, and at the conclusion of the battle several of its members were ducked in the lake…. The arrival of the police turned the minds of the fighters from their mutual strife to combat the officers, …  The officers were threatened with a ducking in Lake Mendota…should they attempt to make any arrests.[2]

Besides being caught in a campus riot at football practice in Madison, Adoniram Judson Kempton, met and married Annie Elizabeth Main on St. Valentine’s Day 1899.

It was a charming bit of genuine sentiment that led Miss Annie Elizabeth Main and the Rev. Adoniram Judson Kempton to select St. Valentine’s day as the date of their marriage… She is a young lady of scholarly tastes, profound earnestness of purpose, and exceedingly attractive personality… From childhood up she has been a devoted worker in the First Baptist church of her home city, of which she is a zealous member.  Mr. Kempton is a man of strong, manly character, a brilliant, orator, fearless and outspoken on all grave questions of moral and social import and exercises great influence on those about him for so young a man.[3]

Adoniram and Annie began their life together by leaving Madison to assume a pastorate in Mt. Carroll, IL, which was the location of a women’s seminary attached to the University of Chicago. Their first two children were born in Mt. Carroll, Willett Main Kempton (1900-1962); and Elizabeth Ann (Betty) Kempton (1901-1980). Rev. Adoniram Judson Kempton next led the Baptist congregation in Muscatine, IA, where his third child was born and named Adoniram Judson Kempton (1907-1980).

After several weeks’ illness with typhoid fever, Rev. A. J. Kempton, pastor of the First Baptist church here, passed away this morning at Madison, Wis., where he went several weeks ago to spend his vacation. He was one of the city’s most prominent clergymen, and had been a prime factor in the saloon war. The burial will be Wednesday, at Madison.[4]

Adoniram Judson Kempton died at age 41 on August 30, 1908, in Muscatine, IA, and is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison, WI. His grave marker quotes a passage from the Book of Daniel, “They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever.”[5]

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[1] “The First 150 Years of First Baptist Church, Madison, Wisconsin,“ 150th Anniversary, 1847-1997. First Baptist Church, Madison, Wisconsin, p. 20. Published by the church and available.

[2]“Badgers Again Riot,” Saint Paul Globe (Saint Paul, MN), Volume 19, October 16, 1896, p. 8.

[3] “A Madison Clergyman and His Bride-Elect,” Milwaukee Journal (Milwaukee, WI), February 11, 1899, p. 4.

[4] “Rev. Kempton Dead,” Evening Times-Republican (Marshalltown, IA), August 31, 1908, p. 2

[5] Thanks to Dr. Dennis Ray for local research in Madison, Wisconsin.

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