The Scorned Wesley Brothers in Savannah

Mrs. Wesley of Lincolnshire, England had seven sons who were ministers of the Gospel. When General Oglethorpe visited the family in Epworth to convince the lady to send one of her sons to Georgia, she declared that she regretted that she only had her two youngest sons to give to the cause, the others were already engaged. Charles and John Wesley were clerics of the new religion of Methodism. It was catching on, but still unpopular. On the voyage to America, the brothers felt compassion for the savages and thus possessed a strong desire to teach the Gospel to the Creeks in the region. John Wesley settled in Savannah and Charles Wesley in Frederica.

Charles Wesley whose ministry was assigned to St. Simon’s Island found it difficult to convince the new settlers in Frederica to attend church service.

They had never heard of the Methodist religion and had no use for its strict principles. As a result, Wesley was only allowed the occupation of a tiny hut constructed of palm leaves where they frequently tested his patience by removing his clothes and toothbrush. Too, there were frequent disputes amongst the colonists and Wesley found himself in the mix.

A particular instance sets the stage for Wesley’s mistreatment. Mrs. Anderson’s husband owned an apothecary shop. She called upon Wesley to chastise her maid. But rather than chastise the maid, Wesley attempted to convince Mrs. Anderson to employ more patience towards her maid. Mrs. Anderson exploded into a tirade of anger and revenge.

In addition, Wesley was surrounded by rowdy opposition against prayer books, communion, and the rituals of religion. And to make things more explosive, certain settlers had the habit of making hoopla on Saturday evenings which continued throughout the night. Although rum was forbidden in Frederica, there were whiskey-runners who sneaked it into the town.

On Sunday morning, Rev. Wesley’s sermon was disrupted by the drunken scoundrels firing guns on the Sabbath.

Charles Wesley, generally mistreated and shunned by the colonists on St. Simons, soon followed his brother back to England.

The Romance of John Wesley

The Magistrate of Savannah, Thomas Causton, had a young niece, Sophie, who had come from Charleston…