OUR LEGACY FROM THE PAST - NCCUMC

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John Watts served the people in Williamston as minister until
1805.He was not a full-time preacher, but was also the driver of a
stagecoach carrying mail from Halifax to Plymouth. In 1806,he
was still preaching the Gospel of Jesus which he loved so well.
Before the church was built, his home served as a meeting place
for the Methodists of the town.
Conference records of 1775 show the names of Robert
Williams, George Shadford, Edward Dromgoole, Robert Lindsay,
and William Glendening of Scotland as preachers on the
ROANOKE CIRCUIT. By 1778however, Glendening was the only
one of them left. In 1784,he began to lapse into a deep depression,
which ultimately developed into insanity. At times when his mind
would clear a bit, he would try to resume preaching, but he finally
had to give it up. Even though he was unable to preach anymore,
he did recover sufficiently to open a grocery store in Raleigh,
which he managed until his death in 1816.
In 1779, Henry Willis and Jesse Lee were assigned the
ROANOKE CIRCUIT. Willis, born in Brunswick County, Virginia,
was admired by Bishop Asbury, who mentioned him frequently in
his JOURNAL. His wife, Ann, was the sister of Francis Hollingsworth,
the first transcriber of Asbury's JOURNAL. This man
"of great gifts" really believed that his call to the ministry was of
a divine nature, and he was said to be the most notable and pious
leader of the early church.
J esse Lee was born in Prince Georges County, Virginia, in
1758. He was a friend and companion of Bishop Asbury and was
held in high esteem by the church. In 1780,he was drafted into the
militia, but since he was opposed to fighting, refused to carry a rifle
and was made to drive a wagon instead. After the war was
over, he continued preaching and was made Chaplain of the US
House of Representatives from 1809-1815.For some reason,
Bishop Asbury did not approve of this appointment however, and
the ensuing arguments over it caused such bitterness between the
two of them, that it was never resolved. In 1816,he wrote the first
history of American Methodism. He died in September of that
same year, and his tombstone inscription said simply, "Apostle of
American Methodism."