The research collection is devoted to the history of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Historic materials contained in the collection date back to 1773 and mainly include official records of the church such as the Journal and the Discipline. With a few exceptions, we do not have birth, death, or marriage records for genealogical research. The collection of books on the subject of Methodism includes over 2800 volumes that are listed on R-MC ' s online catalog, MaconCat .
Researchers are welcome.
Information on the use of the collection is included on the Special Collections home page. The circuit riders of early Methodism were itinerant preachers who rode on horseback from town to town, preaching the gospel. Their lives were austere as they often traveled in bad weather along treacherous frontier trails. In addition to the spiritual message, the ministers are credited with bringing progress to remote areas of early America. Often churches were built, followed by schools, industry, and cultural development.