A heritage reading list
Methodist heritage, in their own words
The story of Methodism is a story of changed lives — frontier circuit riders, camp-meeting conversions, and the first Black women to preach. These are first-person accounts from the Methodist tradition, free to read in the public domain, offered here as clean editions with background and a study guide on every page.
- 1
1856 · American frontier · Circuit rider
Autobiography of Peter Cartwright
Peter Cartwright · 1856
The classic Methodist circuit-rider autobiography — a wild young Kentuckian converted at a camp meeting who spent half a century preaching across the frontier on horseback. The firsthand picture of frontier Methodism.
- 2
1849 · AME Church · First authorized AME woman preacher
Religious Experience and Journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee, Written by Herself
Jarena Lee · 1849
A free Black woman's account of her conversion and sanctification and her long struggle to be allowed to preach — finally authorized by AME founder Richard Allen, making her the denomination's first sanctioned female preacher.
- 3
1893 · Holiness · International evangelist
An Autobiography: The Story of the Lord's Dealings with Mrs. Amanda Smith
Amanda Smith · 1893
Born enslaved, Amanda Smith became a Holiness evangelist who preached across America, Britain, India, and Africa. Her autobiography frames an entire life as “the Lord's dealings” with her.
Questions about Methodist heritage
- Who are some famous early Methodists?
- Methodism was founded by John and Charles Wesley, and shaped in America above all by Francis Asbury. Among the first-person accounts gathered here are Peter Cartwright, the famous frontier circuit rider, and Jarena Lee and Amanda Smith, pioneering Black women preachers in the Methodist and AME tradition.
- What is a Methodist circuit rider?
- A circuit rider was a traveling Methodist preacher who served scattered frontier congregations on horseback, covering long circuits in all weather. Peter Cartwright's autobiography is the classic firsthand account of that life.
- What is the AME Church?
- The African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded by Richard Allen, was the first independent Black denomination in the United States. Jarena Lee, included here, was the first woman it authorized to preach.
- Are these Methodist texts free to read?
- Yes — all are in the public domain, and we link a free source for each. Our clean editions add readable typesetting, and each book's page carries background and a study guide.
More reading lists
T.S. Baker Books — Methodist classics in clean editions, free sources linked.