First a little history lesson about the formation of the Methodist church.
John Wesley went back to Oxford in 1729 to lecture in Greek, logic, and philosophy. (He had been a student there earlier.) John's older brother Charles (the hymn writer) was also at Oxford and had formed an informal club for study and devotion. John joined the club, and soon became its leader. Kirk(man/ham) was also a member of the club. The group met regularly in John's room and attended services together, visted the sick and prisons. One of their resolves was "Never to let sleep or company hinder me from going to prayers."
The sight of this little group meeting so regularly and for long hours excited some ribald comment. The little company was dubbed "Bible Moths" the "Holy Club" the "Godly Club" and last "Methodists." That name stuck.
Wesley always was loyal to the Church of England. The little Methodist
groups or "societies" that were formed in the colonies were to see priests
from the Church of England when they needed sacraments. After the
Revolution, there were no more Church of England priests in America, so
John Wesley took it upon himself to send a "Superintendent" to America
and the local lay Methodist preachers who were here were ordained and the
Methodist Episcopal Church began.
[Thanks Dad!]
Kay Kirkman wrote on Mon, 10 Nov 1997:
"According to an article by Mrs. Leo Palmer, Sr. in the Greensboro
paper, Robert Kirkman and his brother, William, came to Savannah, GA with
John and Charles Wesley on 5 Feb 1736. Robert was accompanied by
his son, George. This George was a preacher in the Methodist church, making
his home at one time in Maryland, and he had a son, George Kirkman, who
emigrated from Maryland to North Carolina sometime prior to 1794, settling
in Guilford County. He was one of the founders of the Pleasant Garden
Methodist Church and a class leader for years. ... Elijah went
to Tennessee in 1802 and became a preacher. Thomas, also a preacher,
lived either in Illinois or Tennessee."
Kay Kirkman wrote on Tue, 19 Jan 1999:
"I've been leaning towards connecting James Kirkman to the George who
was the son of the George Kirkman who immigrated with the Wesley's who
founded the Methodist Church."
Don Kirkman wrote on Mon, 25 Jan 1999:
"... A Robert Kirkman/Kirkham supposedly came to Maryland with the
Wesleys, but that's too late to be this Robert. ..."
Kay Kirkman wrote on Fri, 29 Jan 1999:
"You know that I've been wondering if we aren't mistaken in thinking
that George, the father of James, is descended from the George who arrived
in 1648 in MD. He could be the son of George, who was the son of
Robert who came with the Wesleys in 1734 (or thereabouts--didn't check
my file just now.)"
Vic Kirkman wrote on Mon, 5 Jul 1999:
"Although I have not been able to find evidence which will substantiate
it, I believe there was a blood relationship to Rev. Robert Kirkman who
was born in Oxford, England and probably came to America with his son Rev.
George Kirkman about 1760. Rev. Robert Kirkman was supposed to have
been a co-worker with John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and a Mr. Morgan in
the first Methodist Society started in 1729. About the year 1915,
the late Rev. Abel G Kirkman and Miss Emily A. Kirkman concluded that this
Robert Kirkman had a brother William who was an exhorter in John Wesley's
church. I also wonder if this Rev. Robert Kirkman was the "Bob" Kirkman
of Merton College, son of a Gloucester clergyman. Several sources
refer to this "Bob" Kirkman [or Kirkham] as a colleague of the Wesleys."
Burt Kirkman wrote on Tue, 12 Jul 1999:
I went the library today to see what I could find about the Wesley
connection. I looked in several biographies of Wesley, but all the
ones I looked in spelled the name Kirkham not Kirkman. I am sure
I have seen it as Kirkman sometime somewhere. Anyway,
here is what it said in "John Wesley and His World" by John Pudney (1978).
John was ordained in 1725 and elected Fellow at Lincoln College in Oxford
in 1726. He became good friends with Robert Kirkham at that time.
Kirkman was "a pious jovial individual", of Merten College, son of the
vicar of the Cotswold village of Stanton. John Wesley visited Robert
Kirkham's home many times, perhaps because of his three "amiable vivacious
" sisters. John and one of the sisters had pet nicknames for each
other. John was "Cyrus" and the sister was called "Aspisia".
Robert Kirkham was one of the original members of Charles Wesley's Holy
Club (precursor of Methodism) and appears to
have influenced John to join as I mentioned yesterday [the history
section above]. I can only assume that Kirkham and Kirkman are the
same guy.
Kay Kirkman wrote on Fri, 23 Jul 1999:
I have a copy of a newspaper article written by Mrs. Leo Palmer, Sr.
which I found in the North Carolina Biography file when we visited Surry
County. I believe it was originally printed in the Greensboro paper.
Here's what it says:
The Kirkman families, which are among the oldest inhabitants
of Guilford County as well as of North Carolina, are of English descent,
and the earliest known ancestor, Robert Kirkman, was an intimate friend
and co-worker of John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism.
In discussing the early history of Methodism, Bishop Holland McIntyre of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, writes: "The first Methodists
were the two Wesleys, John and Charles, with Robert Kirkman and William
Merton...Bob Kirkman of Merton College was the son of a clergyman, a rollicking
fellow, wasting time and money, he seems to have been gained over to temperance
and steadiness by our fellow worker, John Wesley."
Three months after the first Methodist meeting in Oxford in
1730, John Wesley wrote him mother concerning Bob Kirkman's strange reformation.
"Why, he has left off tea, struck off his drinking acquaintances to a man,
given to the hoves above specified to the Greek testament, and Hugo Grotus,
and spend the evenings either by himself, or with my brother and me."
John Wesley, his brother, Charles, and 124 persons left London,
England, for America October 14, 1735, but they did not get started across
until December and February 5, 1736, landed at Savannah, Ga, then a town
of 40 houses. The original Kirkman, then an old man, and his son
George were in this company it is thought, but for a time records of his
movements were lost.
Old Methodist records found in Duke University library, Durham,
NC disclose these statements: "In the western conference of 1808 Rev. Thomas
Kirkman was admitted on trial as a preacher; this western conference then
included Kentucky, Tennessee, parts of West Virginia and Ohio. In
1809 he served the Livingston charge in Cumberland district, Tennessee."
Later in the article: These facts were collected on the Kirkman
history by Rev. Abel G. Kirkman and Miss Emily A. Kirkman in 1915.
William Kirkman, an exhorter in John Wesley's church, had a brother Robert
Kirkman who perhaps
came to America with his on, George. Rev. George Kirkman was
a local preacher in the Methodist church making his home at one time in
Maryland and he had a son, George Kirkman, who emigrated to North Carolina
sometime prior to 1794 from Maryland and settled in Guilford county.
He was one of the founders of the Pleasant Garden Methodist Church and
a class leader for years. He died in 1830 and is buried two miles west
of Pleasant Garden. This George and Elizabeth Kirkman had 12 children,
all of whom emigrated to Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana, except Martha
and Levin Kirkman, ancestors of those in Guilford county. The names
of the children (of George and Elizabeth) were William, Peter, John, James,
George, Elijah, Thomas, Mary K. who married a Furgeson, Anna K. who married
a Wood, Levin and Martha K. the oldest daughter who married an Adams, whose
son was Peter Adams, the first mayor of Greensboro. Of the family
of children, George, Jr. built on of the first houses in Springfield, IL;
Elijah, who wesnt to Tennessee in 1802 became a preacher, Thomas, also
a preacher, lived either in Illinois or Tennessee.
It should be easy to check the references to Robert Kirkman in Methodist
history, and there should be a list of passengers who came to Savannah
on Feb. 5 1736. However, figuring out the rest of it may be hard!
Page last modified Monday, 26-Jul-1999 07:28:21 MDT