Methodist Episcopal Church
Frankfort • Franklin County, Kentucky
Source History: The History of Franklin County, Kentucky by L. F. Johnson (1912)
Transcribed By: Anne H. Lee
Early Circuit History & Kentucky Expansion
At a conference held in Baltimore in 1786, Bishop Francis Asbury sent James Haw and Benjamin Ogden to the Kentucky Circuit, reaching the territory in late summer. By 1787, the western work split into the Kentucky and Cumberland circuits, with Thomas Williamson and Wilson Lee joining Haw (reporting 90 members across Kentucky).
In 1788, the Lexington Circuit was established under Presiding Elder Francis Poythress, embracing the area that later became Fayette, Jessamine, Woodford, Franklin, Scott, and Harrison counties.
The first Kentucky conference met in 1790 at Masterson Station (five miles from Lexington). By 1796, under Thomas Scott, the circuit included stations at Lexington, Versailles, Frankfort, and sixteen other communities.
Methodist Preachers Sent to Frankfort (Lexington Circuit, 1800–1820)
| Years Served | Preacher Name | Historical Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | Thomas Wilkinson | Noted preacher who dressed in plain homespun (never black) and was known for moving sermons. |
| 1801–1802 | Lewis Hunt | — |
| 1803 | Miles Harper | — |
| 1804–1806 | John Sale | — |
| 1807 | Joseph Hays | — |
| 1808–1810 | Caleb W. Cloud | Later left the ministry to practice medicine in Lexington, KY. |
| 1811 | Nathan Stamper | — |
| 1812 | Thomas D. Porter | First term. |
| 1812–1813 | William Patterson | — |
| 1815–1817 | Thomas D. Porter | Second term. |
| 1818 | William Adams | — |
| 1819 | Josiah Whittaker | — |
| 1820 | David Gray | The last of the itinerant Circuit Riders for the area. |
Stationed Preachers at Frankfort, Kentucky (1821–1912)
| Tenure / Years | Pastor Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1821–1822 | Nathaniel Harris | First pastor officially stationed in Frankfort. |
| 1822–1825 | Josiah William Holman | — |
| 1826–1827, 1830 | B. T. Crouch | — |
| 1828–1829 | George C. Light | — |
| 1831 | Henry S. Duke | — |
| 1832 | H. H. Kavanaugh | — |
| 1833 | Thomas W. Chandler | — |
| 1834 | Thomas C. Cropper | — |
| 1835–1836 | George W. Kelso | — |
| 1837 | Henry N. Vandick | — |
| 1838 | A. D. Fox | Died in 1838 while actively serving in Frankfort. |
| 1839–1840 | Peter Taylor | — |
| 1841 | W. Atherton | — |
| 1842 | James D. Holding | — |
| 1843 | C. P. Parsons | — |
| 1844 | W. H. Anderson | — |
| 1845 | Drummond Welburn | — |
| 1846–1847 | Joseph A. Watterman | — |
| 1848–1849, 1852 | George W. Bush | — |
| 1850–1851 | George Smiley | — |
| 1853–1854 | John H. Linn | — |
| 1855 | John M. Bonnell | — |
| 1856–1858 | John C. Harrison | — |
| 1859 | John Rand | — |
| 1860–1861 | William McD. Abbett | — |
| 1862 | Robert Patterson | — |
| 1863–1866 | W. S. R. Robertson | — |
| 1867–1869 | H. A. M. Henderson | — |
| 1870–1872 | T. J. Dodd | — |
| 1873 | D. A. Beardsley | — |
| 1874–1875 | Robert Hiner | — |
| 1876 | J. W. Mitchell | — |
| 1877–1880 | C. W. Miller | — |
| 1881 | E. L. Southgate | — |
| 1882–1883 | Morris Evans | — |
| 1884–1887 | Gilby C. Kelly | — |
| 1888–1889 | H. C. Morrison | — |
| 1890–1893 | H. G. Henderson | — |
| 1896–1897 | George H. Means | — |
| 1898–1899 | T. F. Taliaferro | — |
| 1900–1901 | J. R. Savage | — |
| 1902–1904 | O. A. Vaught | — |
| 1905–1906 | C. J. Nugent | — |
| 1907–1910 | J. S. Sims | — |
| 1911–1912 | H. G. Turner | — |