[Notes on the South Carolina Conference preachers]

William McKendree. [Notes on the South Carolina Conference preachers]. 1815–1816. Holograph document. Reproduction. William McKendree Papers. 

William McKendree was the first American-born bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was born in Virginia on July 6, 1757, to John and Mary McKendree. Despite being raised as an Anglican, the young McKendree converted to Methodism, and in 1788, he began as an itinerant minister in Virginia.

By the time this notebook was created, McKendree had been elected a bishop and was responsible for much of the church’s administration. He presided over conferences across the nation, and in 1816 he approved the General Conference’s establishment of a Missouri Conference encompassing all of Illinois, western Indiana, Missouri, and Arkansas. This 1815-1816 notebook features his recommendations of young preachers listing their skills, appearance, and, on occasion, whether they owned enslaved people.

Within this book are lists of dozens of novice preachers from many of the state conferences he attended.