LIFE OF WILLIAM CAPERS, D.D., ONE OP THE BISHOPS OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH INCLUDING AN ^tttflHagntpjJij BY WILLIAM M. WIGHTMAN, D.D., PRESIDENT OF WOFFOKD COLLEGE. Nashville, Tenn. : Publishing House of the M. E. Church, South. Barbee & Smith, Agents. 1902. — Caithnb. Preface ix Autobiography 11 CHAPTER I. Value of autobiography—Mr. Capers appointed Superintendent of a Mission to the Creek Indians—Stationed at Milledgeville, Ga.. 231 CHAPTER II. Stationed in Charleston—Editor of the Wesleyan Journal—Appointed Presiding Elder—Defence of Bishop Soule's Sermon—Elected Dele- gate to the British Conference 248 CHAPTER III. Embarks in the John Jay—Voyage—Reception in England—Estimate of the leading Wesleyan preachers — Resolutions of the British Conference — Visits Dr. Adam Clarke at Haydon Hall — Return voyage 264 CHAPTER IV. Invitation to go to Baltimore—Missions to the blacks established Results of these Missions 288 CHAPTER V. Elected to a Professorship in Franklin College, Ga. —His own humble appreciation of his scholastic abilities—Severe illness—Castile Sel- by—Stationed in Columbia—Correspondence with Dr. Cooper.. 303 CHAPTER VI. Miss Jane A. Faust—Miss Maxwell—An awakening sermon—Rhymes —Dr. Capers removes to Charleston—General Conference of 18<V2 —Is offered the Presidency of LaGrange College 317 (iii) — iv CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. Hospitality— Rev. John Hutchinson — The little mail-carrier and the overcoat — Outlay of benevolence speedily returned, and doubled 332 CHAPTER VIII. Troubles in the Church in Charleston—Transferred to the Georgia Conference, and stationed at Savannah—Lewis Myers—Delivers a eulogy on Lafayette 339 CHAPTER IX. Removal to Columbia—Accepts the Professorship of Moral and Intel- lectual Philosophy in the South Carolina College—Reasons for an early resignation—Denominational education 352 CHAPTER X. Lays the corner-stone of the Cokesbury School—George Holloway Visits Georgia—Stationed in Charleston—Congregational singing Appointed Editor of the Southern Christian Advocate—Great fire in Charleston—Collections for rebuilding the churches—Centenary of Methodism 362 CHAPTER XI. General Conference of 1840 — Conversion of his son William — Ap- pointed Missionary Secretary for the South—Preaches the funeral sermon of Mrs. Andrew 371 CHAPTER XII. Removes from Oxford to Charleston—Makes the tour of the South- western Conferences—Visits his aunt in Kentucky—Incidents of travel—Maum Rachel 383 CHAPTER XIII. General Conference at New York—Debate on Finley's resolution Incipient measures for a division of the Church 398 — CONTENTS. T CHAPTER XIV. Elected and ordained Bishop—First tour of Episcopal visitations Travels through the border territory of the Virginia Confer- ence 413 CHAPTER XV. Second tour of visitations—The far West — Travels through the Indian Territory, Arkansas, and Texas 426 CHAPTER XVI. Dr. Bascom visits South Carolina—His mind and manners—Meeting of the Bishops and Commissioners of the Church suit called by Bishop Soule—Bishop Capers's third and fourth tours of visita- tions 439 CHAPTER XVII. General Conference at St. Louis—Fifth tour of visitations—Writes his Autobiography—Illness at Augusta—Sixth tour—Correspond- ence 451 CHAPTER XVIII. The Methodist itinerant system—Its suitableness to the expanding population of the country — Statistics — Seventh tour of visita- tions 469 CHAPTER XIX. Eighth tour of visitations—Failing health—General Conference at Columbus, Ga. —Last tour—Illness and death 482 CHAPTER XX. Personnel of Bishop Capers—Intellectual character—Conversational powers—Religious experience—Style of preaching— Theology of the John Wesley school—Administrative capacity—Family feelings —Belief in a special Providence—Disinterestedness—Results of his ministry 492 preface. The writer of the following memoir deems it proper to state that shortly after the death of his honored and lamented friend, the Rev. Bishop Capers, an application was made to him by the family of the deceased to undertake the prepara- tion of a biography. This application, although it furnished a touching proof of personal attachment and regard, he was at the time constrained to de- cline, under the conviction that the pressure of engagements in a new and important field of labor would not allow him the time and leisure demanded by such an undertaking. The lapse of a couple of years having supplied no biographer, he yielded to a renewed application, and consented to make the attempt. He was encouraged by the consideration that his venerable friend had left a minute account of the early years of his active and varied life, bring- ing the narrative nearly to the point of time at which the writer was favored to form a personal (vii) Vlll PREFACE. acquaintance with him, to enjoy his friendship, and to possess many opportunities, in the in- timacy of daily intercourse, to study the develop- ments of his mind and character. His aim has been to draw the portrait of his friend just as the vivid recollections of thirty years presented 'him to the mental vision ; aiming at simple exactness and fidelity to truth in the picture. The lessons taught by the life of this eminent, useful, and beloved minister of Christ are of great value to the Church, and should not be lost or forgotten. May this volume, which presents the memorabilia of that life, be the means of perpetuating in the world not only the impression of its excellences, but the living spirit of grace in Christ Jesus, which was the source of all its sanctity and usefulness. Wofford College, S. C. LIFE OF WILLIAM CAPERS, D.D. IN MY PAST LIFE. 1 i was born January 26, 1790, at my father s winter residence, (his plantation,) on Bull-Head Swamp, in the Prrish of St. Thomas, South Caro- lina, some twenty miles from Charleston : a place which at the present time might be accounted no place ; though it was then valuable, and had served to make my forefathers comfortable, and to keep them so for several generations. Indeed, it could have been no mean place at the time of my birth ; for when, some four years afterwards, my father re- moved to Georgetown District, it was with the pro- ceeds of the sale of this Bull-Head plantation, as I have heard him say, that he purchased a planta- tion on the island just by Georgetown, than which there are now no lands in the State more valuable. It is fair to say, however, that the change was then only beginning which transferred the culture of rice from the inland swamps, with their reservoirs of water, to the tide-lands; where only, for the last (11) 12 LIFE OF WILLIAM CAPERS. half century, this grain has been produced for market. Our name, Capers, I suppose to be derived from France, and the first of the name in South Caro- lina were Huguenots. Of this, however, I am not certain, nor is it of any consequence. I remember to have heard no more from my father about it than that he had never seen the name in any English catalogue of names. Those of the name in Beau- fort District, South Carolina, who are descended from the same original stock with us, say that the name is French, and that our. ancestor was of the Euguenots ; and I dare say they are right. My father's name was William ; and that of his father and grandfather, Eichard. Of my father's father, I know little more than that he died in middle life, leaving two sons, George Sinclair and William, and no daughter. After his death, his widow, my grandmother, having contracted an un- happy marriage, my father's uncle, Major Gabriel Capers, of Christ Church Parish, became his foster- father, and did nobly for him. He had five (or more) daughters, but no son, and my father became his son in all possible respects. My great-grand- father survived his son many jea,vs : a large healthy fat man of peculiar manners ; dressing in osnaburgs and plains, (a kind of coarse woollen,) at home, and in broadcloth and silks, stiffened with excess of gold lace and a powdered wig, when he went abroad. A different kind of man was my father, whose name I cannot mention without emotion. AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 13 after thirty-eight years since I saw him buried. I have studied his character with intense interest, and honor his memory in every feature of it with my whole soul. A chivalrous soldier of the Revo- lution was he, whose ardent patriotism cooled not to the last of life ; and yet, after a few years in the Legislature following the establishment of peace, he held no civil office whatever, and was seldom seen on public occasions, except in his office as Major of Brigade, to muster the troops. He was a military man—the war of the Revolution had made him so—and to muster a brigade seemed his high- est recreation. But no one I ever knew was more a man of peace than my father was. Social and unselfish, generous, kind, and gentle, he loved not war. I dare say his nature was impulsive, but it was the opposite of passionate. Benevolence sup- plied his strongest incentives, and the serving of others seemed to be his favorite mode of serving himself. I never knew him to be involved in a per- sonal difficulty but once ; and then it was on ac- count of a wrong done by an unreasonable neigh- bor to one of his negroes. His education had been interrupted by the Revolutionary war, and was therefore imperfect; but he had a clear and strong understanding, was fond of Natural Philosophy and Mechanics, wrote with ease and perspicuity, and in conversation was eminently engaging. He was born at right October 13, 1758 ; just the time, he was fond to say, that he might have a full share in the war of his country's independence.