Holston Methodism

HOLSTON METHODISM. (0 HOLSTON METHODISM FROM ITS ORIGIN TO THE PRESENT TIME. By R. N. PRICE. VOLUME I. From the Introduction of Methodism into the Holston Country to the Year 1804. THIRD THOUSAND Nashville, Tenn. ; Dallas, Tex.: Publishing House of the M. E. Church, South. Smith & Lamar, Agents. 1904. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1903, By R. N. Price, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. PREFACE. Much of the material used in writing this history was col- lected by my predecessor in office, 'the late lamented William G. E. Cunnyngham, D.D., but I have been fortunate in adding to it considerably. I began collecting and writing under an impression of the great value and importance of Holston Methodist history, and with the intention of sparing no pains in gathering facts, searching everything to the bottom, and presenting a connected and logical story. This intention has led to the neces- sity of two, three, or more volumes to bring the work to com- pletion. This prolixity may be objectionable in the eyes of some, but I believe that the patience and purses of our people will bear the strain. I pray that God may spare my life, and that the people may furnish "the sinews of war," to enable me to bring the work down to the present day. The educating and inspiring influence of such a work can hardly be overrated. The provincial character of the Holston Conference, hemmed in, as it is, on all sides by mountains, weakens the interest of our people in the events of the outside world, and intensifies their interest in whatever is local. Hence a sectional feeling will lead our people to read such a history as we now offer to them when mere literary taste might fail to do this ; and yet it will enlarge and liberalize their views, and cultivate in them a love of reading that will extend to other and different forms of literature. Besides, since there is a tendency in the Methodists of the present day to depart from the first principles and the old landmarks of Methodism, this work, I trust, will have the effect of stirring up their "pure minds by way of remembrance," and so bringing before them the simplicity, self-denial, earnestness, and spiritual power of the fathers as to restore somewhat and fix the doctrines and earnest methods of a hundred years ago. I shall be well re- paid for my labor, and the preachers and people for their money, if this work shall have the effect, even in a degree, of old faith and the old revival fire. restoring the M VI HOLSTON METHODISM. I have attempted to make the work a compromise between a racy story and an authority on historical questions. I have not attempted fine writing in this work, as such a arti- style would be unnatural to me ; and, while its glitter and ficiality might captivate shallow readers, it would disgust the more thoughtful, and, like everything wanting in naturalness, would soon pass into merited neglect and contempt. I have written in a style easy and natural to myself, just as I would write a letter to a friend, being anxious to deliver the goods and not the vehicle. As far as possible, I have attempted to make this history a history of the Methodist people in Holston, and not exclu- sively a history of the preachers. To the history of the "Kings" I have attempted to add the "Chronicles" of the subjects, and to the "Acts of the Apostles" the doings of the rank and file of the "saints." All the preachers who labored in the Holston Country down to 1824 have had, or will have, mention of some sort ; but special notices have been, or will be, given only of those whose lives, as far as our information extends, have been of historical importance. Short notices, however, of obscure men have been, or will be, prepared and reserved for an appendix, if such an appendix should ever be deemed necessary. It has been my policy to postpone a biographical sketch of each preacher to the time of the severance of his connection with the itinerancy in Holston by death, location, or otherwise. This rule, however, will be ignored in Volume II. in the cases of those who labored in Holston both before and after the year 1824. Every man of historical importance who labored in Holston down to that date will be sketched when we reach that date. In the present volume I have inserted the Conference appointments and statistics in the body of the work, since in our earlier history these do not occupy much space. When we reach the organization of the Holston Conference, this cannot be done, as the data would occupy too much space. A few of the more important men who labored in Western North Carolina before it became a part of the Holston Con- ference have been sketched as Holston men by anticipation; PREFACE. Vll for that section was, for a long time, a part of Holston Con- ference territory. In this volume the reader will find the most elaborate and exhaustive history of the revival of 1800 ever given in a single book. The three chapters containing this history I have named "A Symposium;" and they contain statements of different men, of different denominations, in order that the reader may have a full and impartial knowledge of that great work of grace, furnished from different standpoints of experience and observation. The Presbyterians and Methodists were the principal workers and subjects of that revival, and the symposium is taken mainly from these two denominations. I have given the Presbyterians a large proportion of the space, since it is desirable that the modern critic and advocate of "decency and order" shall not have reason to think that the revival was a mere exhibition of Methodist fanaticism. I take this opportunity to return thanks to those noble preachers and laymen whose money and contributions of facts have rendered the work possible. The publishing committee appointed by the Conference have stood manfully at my back, and, by pledging their means and honor, have given me credit with the publishers. The publishers have taken great pains with the work, and the free use of such cuts in the possession of the Publishing House as we could make available has diminished the cost and enhanced the value of the work. R. N. Price. Morristown, Tenn., August 23, 1903. ——— CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Page Introductory—Some First Things of Methodism. The Holy Club—First Hymn Book—Kingswood School First Chapel—First Society—First Newspaper—First Annual Conference—First Society in America—First Meetinghouse in America—First Missionaries to Amer- ica—First American Circuit—First Quarterly Confer- ence—First Circuits in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee—First Annual Con- ference in America—First Societies in the Holston Country—Holston Circuit—Christmas Conference Methodist Episcopal Church Organized— First Confer- ences in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Kentucky—First Conference West of the Alleghanies—Book Concern Begun—Sunday Schools Established—First Delegated General Conference—Hol- ston Conference Organized—The Separation of 1844 M. E. Church, South, Organized—Colored M. E. Church. 1 CHAPTER II. The Lay of the Land. The Rivers of the Holston Country—Talmage on Western Carolina—The Soil and Products of Holston—Its Min- eral Resources—Beautiful and Sublime Scenery—Analy- sis of the Western Carolina Mountains—Cumberland Mountain—Roan Mountain—Eloquent Speech of Lan- don C. Haynes—View from White Top—Lookout Mountain 25 CHAPTER III. Introduction of Methodism into the Holston Country. Territory of Holston Conference—The Local Ministry Obstacles to Emigration—The Great Park—Forts Lou- (ix) —— X HOLSTON METHODISM. Page. don and Chiswell—Settlement of Southwestern Vir- ginia—The Legal Barrier to Emigration Removed Eloquent Extract from Ramsey—The Nollichucky, Carter's Valley and Watauga Settlements—Wesley and Watt—The Abb's Valley Massacre—Origin of Meth- odism in Giles and Pulaski Counties, Va.—Edward Morgan— Prominent Laymen of Giles County—Page's Meetinghouse and Morgan Chapel—Edward Cox 55 CHAPTER IV. Holston Methodism from 1783 to 1788. The Physical Condition of the Country and the Character of the Early Settlers—The Importance of Holston Methodist History—Causes of Rapid Emigration to the Holston Country—Holston Circuit : How Manned Up to 1788—Nollichucky Circuit Formed—The Growth of the Membership in the Holston Country—Jeremiah Lambert—Henry Willis—Mark Moore—Reuben Ellis Thomas Ware—Micajah Tracy—Mr. Ware's Troubles in the French Broad Country 86 CHAPTER V. The First Conference West of the Alleghanies. The Keywood Conference—Stephen Keywood and Michael Huffaker—Mahanaim Church—Anecdote of Father Catlett—Three Early Meetinghouses in Virginia—Ram- sey's Complimentary Allusion to Bishop Asbury—As- bury Crosses the Blue Ridge and Alleghanies—An At- tempt to Reconcile the Apparent Contradiction between Thomas Ware and Bishop Asbury as to the Date of the Conference—The Religious Exercises Preceding and Connected with the Conference—The Conversion of Madam Russell—The Chief Personalties of the Con- ference—Asbury—Mastin—Ware—Tunnell—Gen. and Mrs. Russell 113 CHAPTER VI. From 1788 to 1792. First Societies in East Tennessee—Anecdote of Asbury — CONTENTS. XI Page. Appointments Made at the Keywood Conference—Con- ference at McKnight's—The Bishop's Visit to Holston in 1790—His Wonderful Activity—Sullivan County Methodists—The War between Arminianism and Cal- vinism—The Winton Family and the Pine Chapel So- ciety—Conference of 1791 —Conference of 1792 Nathanael Munsey—The Munsey Family—Richard Price—Francis Browning—Anecdote of Gen.

Load more