Reverend William J. Norfleet: Circuit Rider

Most of what I know about the circuit riding Methodist pastor of the 18th and 19th Century comes from Wikipedia and Little House on the Prairie. Yes, I, Rachel Anders, lover of history, just said that! (Why do I suddenly feel less burdened?) 

I do know that Bishop Francis Asbury set the pace for circuit riding. Francis Asbury (1745 - 1816), the founding bishop of American Methodism traveled 270,000 miles and preached 16,000 sermons as he traveled the circuits. Peter Cartwright (1785-1872) described the life of the circuit- rider. He wrote in his Autobiography: "A Methodist preacher, when he felt that God had called him to preach, instead of hunting up a college or Biblical Institute, hunted up a hardy pony, and some traveling apparatus, and with his library always at hand, namely, a Bible, Hymn book, and Discipline, he started, and with a text that never wore out nor grew stale, he cried, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.' In this way he went through storms of wind, hail, snow, and rain; climbed hills and mountains, traversed valleys, plunged through swamps, swollen streams, lay out all night, wet, weary, and hungry, held his horse by the bridle all night, or tied him to a limb, slept with his saddle blanket for a bed, his saddle-bags for a pillow. Often he slept in dirty cabins, ate roasting ears for bread, drank butter-milk for coffee; took deer or bear meat, or wild turkey, for breakfast, dinner, and supper. This was old-fashioned Methodist preacher fare and fortune." Not only did the preacher face physical hardship, but often he endured persecution. Freeborn Garrettson (1752-1827) wrote of his experience: "I was pursued by the wicked, knocked down, and left almost dead on the highway, my face scarred and bleeding and then imprisoned." No wonder most of these preachers died before their careers had hardly begun. Of those who died up to 1847, nearly half were less than 30 years old. Many were too worn out to travel. What did they earn? Not much in dollars. Bishop Asbury expressed their reward when he recruited Jesse Lee, "I am going to enlist Brother Lee. What bounty? Grace here and glory hereafter, if he is faithful, will be given."


Very rarely do I write about historical figures. However, this morning I have spent my time listening to some music that I love, while reading out of an 1851 Pulpit Cyclopedia. The formal title of the book is The Pulpit Cyclopedia and Christian Minister's Companion containing Three Hundred and Sixty Skeletons and Sketches of Sermons and Eighty-Two Essays on Biblical Learning, Theological Studies and the Composition and Delivery of Sermons (Four Volumes Complete in One) I feel very lucky to own this volume and as a young lady, when I purchased this book for a mere $.50, I didn't expect that someday, I would remotely care about the name of the person in the book, nor of the lives that this book may have touched in it's (now) 167 years since publication.

As I sit here this morning, I am thinking about what it probably cost a congregation to purchase this type of book in the 1850s for a beloved Pastor. At best I can come up (with the help of Oxford University) at 10s6d (shillings and pence/ $1.06), but I am more than likely wrong--since books were rather expensive and in the 1800s not a necessity, so I have to think it was a lot more than a $1.06...more like $3-15 depending on the book. Plus for this book it took an entire circuit (8 charges) to purchase this book. What this tells me about this minister is that he was a beloved pastor of his congregations.

So who is this pastor that I am talking about? William J. Norfleet

William J. Norfleet

One Biography from 1881 reads: Rev. William John Norfleet. The Virginia Conference owes to the great Commonwealth of North Carolina a large score for the number of excellent ministers in our ranks who are natives of this State. The reader of these pages will note the contribution. Among the accessions from North Carolina, the subject of this sketch may be counted. "Whether in the social circle, or in the church, he has honored his sacred calling and added another name to the long roll of noble Carolinians. The picture on a foregoing page shows a face of native dignity and tried worth. His parents were James and Mary Norfleet. He was bom in Edenton, N. C, March 8th, 1815; His educational advantages were limited to a primary school, and an academy in his- native town.Before he was two years old, he was left an orphan, but was in the hands of Christian relatives, who trained him up in the church of his parents, who were among the first members of the Methodist church in Edenton. His religious convictions date back to the summer of 1829, when under the ministry of the Eev James Dey, he became a penitent at the altar in that city ; but not being satisfied of his conversion he did not join the church until January, 1831. On the 16th day of February, 1839, he was licensed as a local preacher, by the Quarterly Conference of Edenton station, and was employed by Rev. G. "W. Nolley, Presiding Elder, a part of that year as assistant preacher on the Princess Anne circuit. He commenced his work in August at a protracted meeting, conducted by the local preachers at Cuthrel's, near the Great Bridge. That meeting was a great blessing to him. He was encouraged. God attested his call and gave him many souls to his ministry. He was received on trial in the Virginia Conference at its session in Farmville, February, 1840, and was assigned to Smithfield circuit, with Bev. Joshua Leigh as preacher in charge. This was a large circuit, embracing the counties of Isle of Wight and Surry, with some appointments in South Hampton, Sussex, and Prince George. His next appointment was Farmville station in 1841. At the close of that year he was elected to deacons' orders and received into full connection. He was returned to Smithfield circuit, which had been reduced in size, and made a compact little circuit with eight appointments. During the next twenty years he filled the following appointments consecutively: Amelia, two years ; Lunenburg, one year; Gloucester, two years; Gates, two years; Suffolk, two years; Elizabeth City, two years; Nottoway, one year; Murfreesboro, one year; Pasquotank, two years; Edenton, station, one year ; and Edenton mission to colored people, four years. On the Murfreesboro circuit, his health began to fail, and on Pasquotank circuit his health was so enfeebled, that at the next Conference he asked a supernumerary relation; but at the solicitation of his Presiding Elder, he withdrew his request, and consented to take Edenton station. In all these circuits and stations God gave him success in winning souls, and in several of them there were gracious revivals, and very many souls converted to God. At the Conference of 1862 he was placed on the Supernumerary list, which relation he sustains at this time.