Peter Cartwright (1) (1785–1872)

Peter Cartwright was one of the first circuit-riding Methodist ministers in early Kentucky and Tennessee. The book was recommended to me because he was a contemporary of my ancestors who settled Russellville, Logan County, Kentucky, and also because I have early Methodist ministers in my family. It was fascinating to read his description of the times and the places; I had no idea that when my 3G grandparents left Virginia they were migrating to a place then nicknamed Rogue's Harbor, "because show more it was the home of the lawless from almost all parts of the Union-murderers, horse thieves, highway robbers, and counterfeiters." The law-abiding people who went there for the rich farm land had an uphill battle for many years, trying to bring law and order to the area.
The struggles with lawlessness made the area ripe for the revivalist movement which was spreading throughout the country. Cartwright describes camp meetings where thousands of people gathered from far and near and camped out for days and weeks at a time to hear preachers. It sounds like these were some pretty crazy events with people showing their religion by loud praising, falling on the ground with shakes (but not Shakers), loudly praying for mercy for hours.
The life of a traveling preacher was challenging as they rode horseback for miles on end through hostile environments, swimming across rivers with their horse, riding days sometimes without seeing another person, trusting that settlers along the way would put up a stranger for the night. Cartwright was often gone 4-8 weeks on his circuit. He eventually moved to Illinois and rode the circuit near Nauvoo, an "idolotrous city," and he met and debated with "uncle Jo." It was interesting to read a contemporary's description, which of course was quite negative.
At times the book is slow, being written in mid-19th century style and sometimes focusing too much on church politics, but all in all it was a fascinating look at a time period that mirrored those of my early Kentucky-settling ancestors. show less

: The Backwoods Preacher