Roger Viets
Roger Viets was an 18th-century clergyman, lecturer, and poet originally from Connecticut. After graduating from Yale College in 1758, he served as a lay reader at an Anglican church before traveling to England for theological training. Ordained in 1763, Viets returned to Connecticut as a missionary for the Church of England. Throughout the American Revolutionary War, he remained loyal to Britain, which led to conflicts with rebel factions; he was even imprisoned for a brief period due to accusations of harboring British officers. Following the war, Viets relocated to Digby, Nova Scotia, where he became a respected preacher and published several sermons that adhered to Anglican doctrine. He also turned to poetry, believing it to be a more appealing way to convey spiritual messages. His most notable work, "Annapolis Royal," published in 1788, is recognized as the first published poem in British North America and provided comfort to Nova Scotia emigrants facing hardships. Viets passed away in 1811, leaving behind a significant collection of manuscript sermons that document life in 18th-century Canada.
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Roger Viets
Nonfiction Writer
- Born: March 9, 1738
- Birthplace: Simsbury, Connecticut
- Died: August 15, 1811
- Place of death: Digby, Nova Scotia, Canada
Biography
Roger Viets, an eighteenth century clergyman, lecturer, and poet, was born in Connecticut. His parents were John and Louis Phelps Viets. In 1758, Viets graduated from Yale College in Connecticut. After graduation, he spent three years as a lay reader at an Anglican church in Simsbury, Connecticut. In the early 1760’s, Viets traveled to England, where he completed his theological training and in 1763, was ordained an Anglican priest. After his ordination, Viets was sent back to Simsbury, Connecticut, as a missionary for the Church of England.
In 1772, Viets married Hester Botsford. Together they had eight children, five of whom survived to adulthood. During the 1770’s, when many of the American colonists were beginning to rebel against British authority, Viets maintained his loyalties to Britain and the Church of England. Throughout the Revolutionary War, Viets managed to retain his clergy position in Simsbury. However, due to his loyalist tendencies, Viets was the target for many rebel factions. In 1776, he was accused of harboring fugitive British officers and was briefly imprisoned in Hartford, Connecticut.
After the Revolution, the Church of England withdrew its support of all missions in the colonies, but offered salaries to clergymen who were willing to relocate to the British North American Colonies in what is now known as Canada. In 1786, Viets was reassigned to Digby, Nova Scotia, where he served a large mission covering the area between Clementsport to Yarmouth. In 1800, Viets’s wife, Hester, died. Two years later, Viets married Mary Pickett, who was also widowed.
While in Nova Scotia, Viets became a popular preacher. He published several of his sermons, which focused on theological subjects. These sermons strictly adhered to Anglican doctrine but were delivered with a skillful blend of logic and persuasiveness, which appealed to his audiences. While his sermons were well received, Viets eventually turned to writing poetry as another means to elevate the spirituality and morality of his congregation. Viets thought that the use of poetry would be less argumentative than sermons and would be more appealing to his followers.
In 1788, Viets published his most noted poem, titled Annapolis Royal. This work, credited as being the first published poem in British North America, served as a source of comfort to the Nova Scotia emigrants who suffered extreme physical hardships and social deprivation. Annapolis Royal also contained an underlying Loyalist theme, which confirmed the emigrants’ duties to Britain.
Viets remained in Nova Scotia until his death in 1811. He left behind a large collection of manuscript sermons, which served as an important historical documentation of eighteenth century maritime life in Canada.