Francis Asbury (1745 - 1816)

Born 20 Aug 1745 in Hamstead Bridge, Staffordshire, England

Died 31 Mar 1816 at age 70 in Spotsylvania, Virginia, United States

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Biography

Francis Asbury was born in Staffordshire, England.

Francis Asbury is Notable.

Francis was a Protestant missionary.

Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, specifically Appalachia.

Francis Asbury was born at Hamstead Bridge, Parish of Handsworth, Staffordshire, England on August 20 or 21, 1745, to Joseph Asbury and Elizabeth Rogers. The family moved to a cottage at Great Barr, Sandwell, the next year. His boyhood home still stands and is open as Bishop Asbury Cottage museum.

Francis Asbury was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. As a young man in October 1771, the Englishman traveled to America and, during his 45 years there, he devoted his life to ministry, traveling on horseback and by carriage thousands of miles to those living on the frontier.

Asbury was the first to bring Methodism to the remote Appalachian areas. In one of his journals, he writes from Appalachia:

In journeying through this mountainous district I have been greatly blessed, my soul enjoying constant peace. I find a few humble, happy souls in my course; and although present appearances are gloomy, I have no doubt but that there will be a glorious, Gospel-day in this and every other part of America.

Reverend Asbury died 31 Mar 1816 and is buried in "The Bishop's Lot" in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.^[1]

Journals

• The journal of the Rev. Francis Asbury, bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church, from August 7, 1771, to December 7, 1815 (1821), Vol 2 of 3 vols.
• The journal of the Rev. Francis Asbury : bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church, Vol. 1
• The journal of the Rev. Francis Asbury : bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church, Vol. 2
• The heart of Asbury's journal Edited by Ezra Squier Tipple first published in 1904

Sources

1. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #6562477 (accessed 13 March 2024)
   Memorial page for Rev Francis Asbury (20 Aug 1745-31 Mar 1816), citing Mount Olivet Cemetery, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.

• Death: "Delaware Vital Records, 1650-1974"
  citing Death, Delaware, United States, Delaware Public Archives, Dover; FHL microfilm .
  FamilySearch Record: QK9R-NF74 (accessed 22 November 2022)
  FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GYQL-9XXQ Image number 00891
  Francis Asbury death 1816 in Delaware, United States.

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Francis Asbury
• Wikidata: Item Q145140, en:Wikipedia

Additional Journals and Biographies of Francis Asbury:

• Francis Asbury : the Prophet of the Long Road (1916)
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Francis Asbury Biography
• Francis Asbury's travel journal through Virginia (now West Virginia
• Family Search Archive Collection: Character and Career of Francis Asbury, Bishop of the Methodist
• Colonial Clergy, Page 172
• Ancestry.com ($): Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-22 for Francis Asbury, Dictionary of National Biography, 1921–1922. Volumes 1–22. London, England: Oxford University Press, 1921–1922, Stephen, Sir Leslie, ed. , London, England.