Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-27

Conference holds its thirty
fifth session in Atlanta this
week, but it is the descend
ant of conferences which date back in
Georgia to 1888.
AS have said in other articles.
Mr.. Wesley. the acknowledged found
err of Methodism, was not a Methodist
when he was in Georgia. He was then
a High Church Episcopalian. Mr..
WHITEHEAD was a Methodist, although
like his friend Wesley, he was an
Episcopalian, but he was CalV1nlst
and was never a Wesleyan.
The first Methodists of the Wesleyan
stripe who came to Georgia were lay
people from Virginia and North Caro-
lima. The societies OF Mr.. wesley IN
America became the M. e. church In
1874, and in 1855 a Methodist preacher
was appointed to Georgia. He was
a young man Of fine family, fine gift
and fine person, and was very popular
and useful. His brother had moved
to the new state of Georgia and ne
was appointed to it as a missionary.
but he did not come then nor several
years afterward. His name was BeV-
erly Allen There are two members
of the North Georgia conference, Rev.
]. Beverly Allen and Rev. Beverly
Allen, who bear the same name, al
though they have no direct connec-
ton with him. His story Is sad
and tragic one and is not called for
here. The two Methodist preachers
who brought Methodism into large
notice in Georgia were John Major
and Thomas HUMPHREYS, two Virgin
ians, who crossed the Savannah in
what is now Ebert county, in 1876
and began their work. There were
at that time in Georgia one Episcopal
church in Savannah, one Baptist
church at Keokee, in Columbia coun-
ty, one Congregational church in
Liberty county, one Union church in
Augusta, one Presbyterian church in
Savannah, one Lutheran church at
Ebenezer, and these were all the
churches in the state, which had at
that time $1,000 preachers.
The people were many of them Chris
tians and church members, who had
not as yet become organized into To-
cal churches in their new homes. The
Methodist preacher began an timer
ancy when they had not church
building to shelter them. They
They preached in private homes and to
small groups Of people as they were
able to find them in the new settle
menI. InCY OIBdDAACu SOSAC0~o go
over the country as they Travelled.
Then new circuits were laid out, and
17Ss the first Georgia conference was
held in the forks Of Broad river. In my
History OF Methodism in Georgia l
said this conference was held probably
at the home of David Merriwether,
whom Governor Gilmer's map placed
near the forks Of Broad and Savan-
nah. After this a letter was pub
lished by Kew DR.. Martin, of South
Carolina, and saw, too late to correct
IL. that / had made an error. The
first Georgia conference was held at
the house OF James Marks, in the
fork of Broad river, in what is now
the lower part of Madison county. 1t
consisted of six preachers, presided
over by Bishop Asbury. 1t was
feeble body and was enterprising a
bold work. 1t was to reach TO the
Catholic province Of Florida on the
so1th and was to find it's western
boundary the wide forests tenanted
only by Indian tribes. The preachers
were none Of them married; they wore
straight-breasted cut-away coats,
broad-brimmed hats, no collars, nor
cuffs. no buckles on their shoes. no
ornaments anywhere. They were clean
shaver, sober looking young men; none
of them were at that time over forty,
except the bishop, who was forty
three. Among them was a young
Marylander, whose name find in each
Saturdays Journal, borne by his great
grandson. Hope Hull, man to whom
Methodism owes more for her early es-
adjustment in Georgia than to any
other and to whose watchful care the
State university owes more than to
that of any other man of his time.
There was not a college graduate
among them, and John Andrew, from
the old Puritan settlement Of Midway,
was perhaps the best educated man
in the little group.
Among the laymen there were men
of the best blood and highest position.
The leading man among them had been
in Virginia and North Carolina,
PRESBYTERIAN elder. He was Daniel
Grant. the ancestor Of Captain William
Daniel Grant, of Atlanta. He and his
son, Thomas, had built a church far
down in wilkes, on Little river, and
when this little conference closed it
adjourned to meet at Grants meeting
house.
This little conference met for six
years and then was merged into the
South Carolina. In 1881 the city of
Macon a SecOnu GSOTSld COHASIehSS
held its first session. For over thirty
years the Georgia preachers had be-
longed to what Bishop Asbury called
the Old South conference, which was
known technically as the South Car
DINA conference, and included in its
boundaries North Carolina in part,
South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
This conference was divided in 1880
and the Georgia and Florida were or
ganized into a separate body. 1t met
in the young town of Macon, for Ma
con was not a city till 1888 There were
now nearly 80, 900 Methodists in Georgia
and Florida and a very strong body of
preachers. The leading men, unlike
those of the first conference, were
nearly all married. The most of them,
indeed, all Of the men Of years, wore
the old straight breasted coats and
white neckties Of the fathers. The knee
breeches had given way to pantaloons,
and the old PREDETERMINED hats had
been largely replaced by the beaver or
by the wool hats Of our fathers times.
They were still as rigid in their ex-
actions for n-conformity to the
fashionable world, and still as fer
vent in their responses, and as emo
tional in their preaching as the AS
bury preachers were. Their circuits
were very large and their salaries
Cf than had