Early life and education William Elder was born in
Baltimore, Maryland, on March 22, 1819. His father, Basil Elder, was a descendant of William Elder, a Catholic immigrant from
England to the
Province of Maryland in
colonial times. His grandfather was Thomas Elder, husband of Elizabeth Spalding, thus making William a first cousin once removed of
Catherine Spalding, co-founder of the
Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. His mother was Elisabeth Miles (née Snowden) Elder.
Priesthood Elder was ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of Baltimore in
Rome on March 29, 1846, by Cardinal Giovanni Brunelli.During the war, Elder celebrated mass for wounded soldiers and ministered to soldiers and
freedmen gathered in Natchez. He sent priests to serve as chaplains in the
Confederate States Army and Sisters of Mercy to nurse their sick and wounded He gave his blessing to a volunteer company of soldiers from Natchez. In July 1863, the
Union Army took control of Natchez. On June 18, 1864, Colonel B.G. Farrar, the Union Army commander at Natchez and former schoolmate of Elder's at Mount St. Mary's, ordered the clergy in Natchez to include prayers for US President
Abraham Lincoln in their services. Farrar termed it as a "public recognition of allegiance under which they live, and to which they are indebted for protection..." Elder refused to comply, saying that it had nothing to due with politics, but the "Liberty of the Church to discharge her divine functions, without interference form other persons." In 1878, a
yellow fever epidemic broke out in Natchez. Ministering to the sick, Elder caught the disease. He survived but lost six diocesan priests. He instituted the office of chancellor and insisted on annual financial reports from clergy and parishes in order to reduced the archdiocesan debt.
Death and legacy Elder died in Cincinnati on October 31, 1904, from
influenza.
Elder High School, a Cincinnati
parochial school, was named for Elder. ==See also==