- Thomas Cooke Middleton
Thomas Cooke Middleton (1842–1923) was born into a
Quaker family onMarch 30 ,1842 in Chestnut Hill, PA. At the age of twelve, he was baptized into theRoman Catholic faith with his mother and five sisters. [Gallagher, Dennis, O.S.A., and Laura Hutelmyer. “Featuring Villanova University’s librarians from the past.” Compass 2:4, May 2006. http://newsletter.library.villanova.edu/93 ] He became a novice in theOrder of St. Augustine at Tolentine, Italy in 1858 and wasordained to the priesthood in 1864.In 1865, he returned to the United States and served Villanova College as a
teacher , prefect of studies,archivist , Secretary and Socius of the Province, and, from 1865 to 1923, the college’s firstlibrarian . He was the tenth president of Villanova College, from 1876 to 1878, as well as first president of theAmerican Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia , an organization he helped to found in 1884.Fr. Middleton wrote many essays on local Catholic history and the Order of Saint Augustine, including his "Historical Sketch of the Augustinian Monastery, College, and Mission of St. Thomas of Villanova, Delaware County, PA: During the first half century of their existence, 1842-1892", which was published on the college’s fiftieth anniversary in 1893. [“Thomas Cooke Middleton, O.S.A.” Villanova University Archives. http://www.archives.villanova.edu/middle.htm ] Other documents by Father Middleton are viewable in Villanova University’s Digital Library, including an article in the Catholica Collection on
Keating Rawson , entitled “An Old-Time Catholic Pioneer of Lansingburgh, N.Y." Correspondence withMaria Daly Shea , who contributed many historical records to the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, [Griffin, Martin I. J. “Mrs. Maria Daly Shea.” Philadelphia Catholic Standard and Times. April 10, 1911. Newspaper clipping. http://digital.library.villanova.edu/Pennsylvaniana/Lloyd/Lloyd-00095.xml Lloyd Collection, Villanova University Digital Library ] is viewable in the library’s Lloyd Collection.Fr. Middleton died at
Villanova, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1923 at the age of eighty-one. He is buried in the Augustinian Community Cemetery on the grounds of Villanova University. Today, Middleton Hall, on Villanova's campus is named in his honor.Notes
External links
* [http://digital.library.villanova.edu/Pennsylvaniana/Lloyd/ Lloyd Collection at Villanova University]
* [http://digital.library.villanova.edu/Catholica%20Collection/ Catholica Collection at Villanova University]
* [http://www.amchs.org/ American Catholic Historical Society]
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