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or Asbury's Journal October 18 - 25th 1814

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Tuesday, 18. Our ride brought us to Jarratt's, on Pigeon River.

I've found no reference to Jarratt's. For Pigeon River of course there are really only two choices for there were only two communities of note on the river in 1814. One was at the mouth of the river in Tennessee near where Newport is today, the other 40 miles up stream in the neighborhood of Jacob Shook.

Asbury often visited the area near Jacob Shook's on the upper river, records exist for vists in 1810, 1812, 1813 and this in 1814. He never mentions Jarrat's again. Still if tracing his movements from Knoxville toward the mountains it isn't probable that he traveled to the upper Pigeon before his journey ot Bollen's the next day.

O my excellent son, John Bond! A tree had fallen across our way - what was to be done? Brother Bond sprung on the axe fastened under our carriage, mounted upon the large limbs, chewing and hacking, stroke after stroke, with no intermission, until he had cut away five of them on one side as he severed them, so we passed without difficulty. Is there an equal to be found in the United States?

John Bond was assigned the job of escorting Asbury on this his 69th visit to North Carolina. In this trip they were going from Tennessee to South Carolina in a "Jersey Wagon".

He drives me along with utmost care and tenderness, he fills my appointments by preaching for me when I am disabled, he watches over me at night after the fatigue of driving all day, and if, when he is in bed asleep, and I call, he is awake and up in the instant to give me medicine, or to perform other services his sick father may require of him; and this is done so readily, and with so much patience, when my constant infimaties and ill health require so many and oft-repeated attentions! We have a great drought - I think I never saw the rivers so low. The asthma presses sorely upon my panting breast: Lord, sanctify all my afflictions!

Asbury was 68 years old and would die in just two years. He was extremely ill most of the time in these last years and it is a testament to his faith that he continued the rigours of such travel.

The work of God groweth in the neighborhood; there is a house thirty - five by forty feet built in the fork of Pigeon River. Ought we not to have a Holston Conference, and unite with the circuit west of the Blue Ridge, Bottetourt and New River, the circuits in North Carolina?

He might be referring to the Baptist meeting house at the Fork of the Pigeon and French Broad on the lower river, and Jarratt's would have been in that neighborhood if he was on the lower river. A Methodist minister named O'Harver was active in Cocke County TN at that time and may have lived in that area as well.

Wednesday 19. Rode to Bollen's. Behold! Richard Bird came one hundred miles to hasten us to camp meeting in the bleak hills of Haywood. I was forced by misery to retire to my room and bed a Bollen's; but son John held a meeting and preached.

Michael Bollen's was often the destination of Asbury when he came to Western North Carolina from Tennessee. Most auithorities believe his home to have been south of Greeneville Tennessee. Richard Bird found Asbury resting here and encouraged him to come to the Camp Meeting in Haywood County scheduled for the next weekend. The "hundred miles" Bird rode may correspond to the distance from Shook's in "Haywood" to Bollen's.

Thursday 20. We came by Nelson's Springs to Barnett's gate, for, poor man! Some wicked people had burnt his barn; his house escaped. Does Hootenpile pray? I asked. You called upon him; and God did bless the word and prayer to his soul: this was the answer in rememberence he sent me by Richard Bird.

This was the usual route into Western North Carolina taken by Asbury, by "Nelson's", a tavern and Inn near today's Hot Springs, NC, then Barnett's, near today's Marshall, NC. Hootenpile was Philip Hoodenpyle who lived just north of Asheville on the French Broad River.

We came on the camp ground, Friday, 21.

There is circumstantial evidence that this camp ground was at the home of Jacob Shook, however there is no proof that this is so. Haywood in 1814 was a big place, extending all the way to the Tennessee line, but it had a very small population. There is evidence of other "camp grounds" in this vast area, but no other were Methodist. Camp Ground, often called Shook's Camp Ground continued to operate until the late 1880s having moved slightly when Jacob Shook deeded land to the Methodist Church for the formation of Louisa Chapel from his farm in 1834. Traditions of that church claim that it was called originally Camp Ground and that it was founded by Samuel Edney.

Saturday I preached and ordained W. Span and J. Evans deacons.

Future research may show that J Evans was Rev. John Evans father of Mahala Evans, Jacob's son Peter's wife.

Sabbath, 23. Ordained two elders, Thomas Bird and Samuel Edney, after preaching. In our tent we contrived a hearth, and had a fire.

Thomas Bird of today's McDowell County and Samuel Edney of Henderson County were both early circuit riders of Methodism. Edney founded many congregations throughout Western North Carolina that still exist today. Both men had been active with the Methodists since the 1790s and this ordaination marked their highest rise in that church. This also marked the last official acts or preachings by Asbury in Western North Carolina.

The comment about his "tent" probably means that Asbury didn't actually hold these ordination services in Jacob Shook's "Prophet's Room" as stated in an article in State Magazine in 1941, but as we now have evidence that room was in existance 18 months later when Reuben Philips held a singing school there we can't be sure that some services weren't offered there by the Bishop.

Some would say that the indication that these services were held at the Camp Ground surrounding Shook's house or slightly up the creek on his farm means that Shook's House was not actually a "preaching place of Asbury" as noted on the historical marker in front of the house. This seems to be a case of "splitting hairs" to me.

Monday we visited Richard Bird's.

Richard Bird's home was near today's Old Fort, North Carolina at the foot of the mountains. Asbury proceeded from there into South Carolina.

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