Excerpt from The Development of Methodism in the Old Southwest, 1783-1824 The influence Of religious groups in Western life has indeed been so large that it seems remarkable that church history has failed to keep step with the political and social history Of Amer ica. Within recent years there have appeared several studies Of frontier churches, but the subject yet lies undisturbed below the surface. This book traces the development in the Old Southwest of the Methodist Episcopal Church from 1783, when it first appeared west of the Alleghenies, until 1824, when it may be considered to have assumed definite shape. By this time the organization Of the church had reached approximately the same form which it has today. To have continued the study beyond 1824 would have introduced no new phases Of structure other than the adjustment Of expansion into more distant regions. Some articles and portions of articles previously published in the Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Tennessee Historical Magazine, Social Science, and Nashville Christian Advocate have been brought together in this book, and for permission to use them again I am indebted to the editors of these journals. The suggestion Of this study and the pleasure Of inspiration came from the late Walter L. Fleming, an affectionate student Of Southern life. For innumerable criticisms and guidance I owe much to Dr. William C. Binkley, Of Vanderbilt University, whose scholarship and critical acumen have been invaluable. For reading and criticizing the manuscript I am indebted to Dr. Carl S. Driver and Dr. Frank L. Owsley Of Vanderbilt University; Dr. Arthur P. Whitaker Of Cornell University; Dr. William W. Sweet Of the University Of Chicago. TO my friend and colleague, Profes sor Wilbur D. Perry, Of birmingham-southern College, I am grateful for commas and colons. Justice demands an expression of indebtedness to my wife who has read and helped to revise the manuscript. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.