Author: Christie, William
Biography:
CHRISTIE, William (1750-1823: ODNB)
The youngest son of Thomas Christie, merchant and provost of Montrose in Scotland, and his wife Margaret (Thompson) Christie. In 1774 he married Agnes Speid: they had eight children, three of whom survived. Christie started life as a merchant but his private study of theology led him to leave the Church of Scotland and eventually, in 1781, to establish a Unitarian Society at Montrose, of which he became the minister. After retiring from business to devote himself to the Unitarian cause, he preached for a time in Glasgow and then followed his mentor Joseph Priestley to America, where in various states he worked as a language teacher and occasionally preached to Unitarian assemblies. He gave the address at Priestley's funeral in 1804 and contributed to Priestley's Memoirs (1806). He died in Long Branch NJ. (ODNB 8 Mar. 2018)