Bible Encyclopedias
McSwain, William Adney

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

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a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, was born in Montgomery (now Stanley) County, N. C., Nov. 5, 1814; was converted and joined the Church in 1831; was licensed to preach in 1836, and entered the South Carolina Conference in 1838. He served on the following circuits: Pleasant Grove in 1843; Rutherford in 1844-45; Union in 1846- 47, and again in 1854; Neuberry in 1848. and again in 1855-56; Black Swamp in 1849-50. In 185152 he was pastor of Trinity Church, Charleston; in 1853 of Spartansburg station; in 1857 tract agent of his Conference; from 1859-62 presiding elder on the Cokesbury District; in 1863-64 pastor of Ninety-six, and in 1865 of Laurens Circuit. He died Jan. 7, 1866. Besides the trustworthiness indicated in his appointments, he served as a delegate to the last two sessions of the Southern General Conference, and was elected to that which was to meet in 1862. and was at the time of his death president of the Sunday-school Society of the South Carolina Conference. "Few men, with similar disadvantages, ever attained that measure of ability, degree of eminence, and width of popularity which constituted that honor which was so cheerfully and universally awarded by the Church and world to this self-made man. Possessed of great versatility of genius, gifted with rare social qualities and conversational powers, and blessed with a singular descriptive faculty, he was well qualified, from his vast fund of general information, to give life, interest, and information to the fireside or social circle. His appearance in the pulpit, his engaging address, flow of language, and tone of voice, and ease and naturalness of manner, his own interest in the subject, with the general persuasiveness of his style, gave to his sermons, which evinced much thought and research, an effectiveness which was only equaled by the great popularity of the preacher himself. He was a favorite divine with all sects of Christians and all classes of people." See Conference Minutes of the M. E. Church South, 3:17.