Harold W. Percival
Barbadian writer
Harold Waldwin Percival (April 15, 1868 – March 6, 1953) was a philosopher and writer, best known for Thinking and Destiny, in print since 1946. Between 1904 and 1917, he published The Word. In 1950, he founded The Word Foundation, Inc. to keep Thinking and Destiny and all of his other works in print.
Biography
Harold Waldwin Percival was born in 1868 in Bridgetown, Barbados, British West Indies, to parents of English descent. When his father died his mother moved to the United States, eventually settling in New York City.
Even as a young boy, Harold Percival was a seeker of truth. He was convinced that there were "wise ones" who could answer his many questions and impart knowledge. As a young man, one of his first experiences on his quest for knowledge came in 1892 when he joined the Theosophical Society. He would later help to organize the Theosophical Society Independent of New York and for many years serve as its president while also writing and lecturing.
The public source identifies “Harold W. Percival” as barbadian writer. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Harold, Percival and Barbadian.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Harold W. Percival”, the useful work is to connect “barbadian writer” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15485375. The first chronological checks are 1868, 1953, 1946 and 1904.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Harold W. Percival”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Harold W. Percival primary sources, Harold W. Percival archive and Harold research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Harold W. Percival”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Harold W. Percival” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.