Francis Asbury, one of Appalachia’s most well-known circuit riders. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
Digital Heritage Moment
Circuit-riding clergymen, mostly Methodist and Baptist, brought religion to the scattered and hard-to-reach settlements of Appalachia before the Civil War. Obtaining resident pastors for sparsely settled mountain communities was an ongoing problem. For many pioneer families, a visit from a circuit rider a few times a year was the only form of organized religion they would experience. Such visits encouraged believers to hold to their faith in a harsh environment.
But tying local communities into established circuits also provided broader social benefits. Circuit riders provided news about current events occurring outside the region, medical remedies and agricultural techniques used elsewhere, and even information about family members and acquaintances spread across a broader region. Circuit riders exerted influence far beyond their religious impact.
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I need data on Joseph Anthony of Henry Co. VA in the 1780’s. He crossed the Blue Ridge into Mont. Co. VA to marry my ancestors William Rogers and Rosannah Heard in 1786. However, instead of putting their marriage bond in Mont. Co. VA courthouse, he took them home and deposited the marriage bond in the Henry Co. VA courthouse. DAR says that the couple must have been residents of Henry Co. because a bride usually married at her home town or parent’s home.
I am having a hard time trying to prove to DAR that this WAS an actual event which happened in Mont. Co. VA as deed records prove that their parents were residents on Elk Creek in then Mont. Co. VA.
There are two men living in Henry Co. VA named Joseph Anthony. I am interested in ONLY the circuit riding Baptist preacher who married my ancestors. Any help you can give me will be appreciated and you will be rewarded with a contribution to your organization.