death_date death_place children birth_place nationality birth_date spouse genre image article_title name occupation
7 february 1919 edinburgh , scotland , u.k. five sons and two daughters glasgow , scotland , u.k. scottish 18 december 1853 isabella herkless non-fiction , biography , poetry , religion john_wellwood . jpg john wellwood
 john wellwood poet church of scotland , writer , biographer and minister of the
john wellwood

john wellwood -lrb- 1853 -- 1919 -rrb- was a poet , writer , biographer and minister of the church of scotland .
he was born at george street , glasgow on 18 december 1853 .
his father was john wellwood , a commission agent , and his mother was margaret thomson .
he was educated at annfield school , bridgeton , glasgow and at the university of glasgow .
he chose the church of scotland instead of the united presbyterian church of which his parents were members , mainly because it `` offered more scope for freedom and breadth of thought . ''
after he was licensed by the presbytery of glasgow , he served as an assistant minister at auchterderran , at glasgow cathedral , and at campbeltown .
he was ordained on 5 april 1883 and immediately became minister in the parish of drainie in the presbytery of elgin .
besides poetry , his interests included liberal politics and musical composition and he composed several hymn tunes .
on 26 april 1883 , he married isabella herkless , the only daughter of william herkless , glasgow and the sister of sir john herkless , principal of st. andrews university .
they had five sons and two daughters .
two of their sons were officers in scottish regiments who died in action during the 1914-18 war .
wellwood remained minister at drainie till his death on 7 february 1919 .
the untimely death of his two sons contributed to his demise .
