J E Hodder Williams

The Life of Sir George Williams: Founder of the Young Men's Christian Association J E Hodder Williams

"Owing to the fact that Sir George Williams destroyed all his correspondence, and only kept a diary for a short period after he came to London, I have been compelled to rely chiefly upon the reminiscences and co-operation of those who knew and loved him. It would be impossible to acknowledge in anything like detail the help I have received from all quarters, but I take this opportunity of recording my indebtedness to Mr. Edwin Catford, of Dulverton, to Mr. George B. Sully, of Burnham, and to the Rev. Harry Butler, of Bridgwater, for their kindness in assisting me to picture Sir George Williams's early years; to Mr. William Creese, one of the twelve first members of the Association, who has taken the greatest interest in the work, giving me the benefit of his recollections of the early meetings, and ensuring the correctness of what is, I believe, the first authentic account of the beginning of the Young Men's Christian Association, in the upper room in St. Paul's Churchyard; to my grandfather, Mr. M. H. Hodder, a life-long friend of Sir George Williams and among the earliest members of the Association; to my father, who was for nearly forty years so closely connected with him in business and in private life;..."