Introduction

Biography

Maxwell was the son of a farm­er, and hus­band of Ma­ry E. D. Cor­ne­li­us.

He start­ed his ca­reer as a car­pen­ter, then a build­ing con­tract­or. Af­ter hav­ing a leg am­pu­tat­ed due to an ac­ci­dent, he en­tered the min­is­try.

He was edu­cat­ed at the Ver­mil­li­on In­sti­tute, Hayes­ville, Ohio, then in 1871 graduated from West­ern Theo­lo­gic­al Se­mi­na­ry, Al­le­ghe­ny Ci­ty, Penn­sy­lva­nia (ci­ty was an­nexed by Pitts­burgh in 1907).

He was or­dained in the Pitts­burgh Pres­by­te­ry of the Pres­by­ter­ian Church USA, and served at the Oak­dale Pres­by­ter­ian Church, Oak­dale, Penn­syl­van­ia; the Pres­by­ter­ian Church, Al­too­na, Penn­syl­van­ia (1876–85); in Pa­sa­de­na, Ca­li­for­nia (1885–90); How­ard Church, San Fran­cis­co, California (1890–91); and at the East­ern Pres­by­ter­ian Church, Wash­ing­ton, DC, un­til his death.