CHARLES WOODMASON
Anglican Itinerant Minister
&
His Account in 1765 of the Weberite Heresy
Saxe Gotha, South Carolina
By: Brenda Helen Keck Reed
"The New Lights now infest the whole
Back Country."
Reverend Charles Woodmason wrote his account of the Weberite Heresy in a report on religion in the south aftrer he made a decision to apply for the position of itinerant minister in St. Mark's Parish in South Carolina. The original manuscripts are now in the Office of Church Commissioners in London. While being an energetic, curious and intelligent man, Woodmason's strong judgments, prejudices, and convictions fill every page of his journal and this report. The following excerpt is taken from The Carolina Backcountry on the Eve of the Revolution, the Journal & Other Writings of Charles Woodmason, Anglican Itinerant; edited with an introduction by Richard J. Hooker; published by the University of North Carolina Press at Chapel Hill in 1953; pages 78-80. Following the reports in the South Carolina Gazette , April 26th 1761, Woodmason's account represents the earliest written account of the Weberite heresy. In 1774 Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg recorded an account in his journal, following conversations with Rev. John Nicholas Martin of the church at Cedar Creek and Rev. Christian Theus of the Congarees. Woodmason does not mention the three victims (Captain John George Smithpeter, Michael Hentz, and Frederick Daubert) of the Weberites by name. Woodmason makes reference to only two men's being murdered in accordance with the South Carolina Gazette's reports in 1761 of the murders of Captain Smithpeter and Michael Hentz, omitting any mention of the black man, Dauber. In his 1774 account Muhlenberg makes mention of Schmidt Peter and "the godless colored preacher" Dauber but makes no mention of Hentz.
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Excerpt:
"Africk never more abounded with New Monsters, than Pennsylvania does with New Sects, who are continually sending out their Emissaries around. One of these Parties, known by the Title of New Lights or the Gifted Brethern (for they pretend to Inspiration) now infest the whole Back Country, and have even penetrated South Carolina. One of C.W.'s [Charles Woodmson's] strongest Endeavours, must, and will be, to disperse these Wretches Which will not be a hard Task, as they will fly before Him as Chaff. Some of them lately kill'd a Travelling Person {Michael Hentz}, and cut Him into Atoms singing Hymns, making Processions and Prayers, and offering up this inhuman Sacrifice to the Deity, as an acceptable Oblation -- Six of them were secur'd and brought down to Charlestown, where they were kept six Months -- During which Period, not all the Expostulations, Reasonings and Remonstrances of our Gentry and Clergy could make any Impression on their Diabolical Minds, or bring them back to Reason or Reflection. One of the Principal {Jacob Weber} was hang'd -- And that made Impression on them, and after some Months Confinement, they (shewing Marks of Penitence and Contrition) were banish'd the Province. [This refers to the murder of two men {Captain John George Smithpeter and Michael Hentz} in the Congarees in February 1761. Seven men {Jacob Weber, his wife Hannah Weber, John Geiger, Jacob Bourghardt, and three others}, four were convicted {Jacob Weber, Mrs. Hannah Weber, John Geiger, & Jacob Bourghardt}, and one, Jacob Weber, was hanged. Weber seems to have called himself the "most High" and to have stated that one of the men murdered was the "old Serpent" without whose death the world could not be saved. The accounts of the Weberites of their character and crimes, are all secondary, but none of them seem to lack in weird details.]
"Lately they took another extraordinary Step. For, after deluding a Rich Planter, wasting his Substance, and perverting his Understanding One of their Teachers pretended to work Miracles, and declared that He had Power equal with Christ, and that God has given Him Authority even to raise the Dead -- And that to evince his Assertion, He would raise the first Dead Body they should meet with. The bigotted Planter had no such strong Faith, but that he called on Him to realise His Assertions. This Nonplus'd the Villain, and put Him on a Scheme, how to deceive his Votary and bring Himself off. So one of the Fraternity was procur'd and properly tutored to counterfeit Himself Dead, and to revive on certain Prayers and Breathings being utter'd over Him. Accordingly this abominable Farce was play'd. The fellow lay as Dead -- The Pretended Prophet, prays, anoints, exercises, and calls the seemingly inanimate Wretch to Arise -- But whether the fellow kept his Breath so long as to suffer Suffocation, or the Exorcist made his Conjurations too long, Certain it was, That the Wicked Wretch was really gone, and (by playing the Fool too well) was with Great difficulty recover'd. The Person thus impos'd on, was one Mr. Skinking Moore, [This probably refers to Schenking Moore, who is listed in the militia returns as captain of the New Hanover Foot Company for 1754. Colonial Records of North Carolina, XX, pp 306, 388], of Little-River the Boundary between the two Carolina's. This Moore was alway reckon'd a sensible Man -- Nor was his Senses so far darkened by thesse Fascinations, but for Him to perceive some Gross Delusions some Great Deceptions -- These Children of Satan gave out that the Party was in a Trance -- and they would have perswaded the unhappy Victim, to have utter'd Blasphemies and Prophecies, as Matters revealed to Him, while his Soul had left the Body, and till her reentering her House of Clay. But the Poor Sinner's Pain had been so great and the Sense of his Guilt bore heavy on his Mind, as to make Him confess the whole Cheat to Mr. Moore, and thereby recover Him from his Lethergy, but not to his Estate, which he had so foolishly lavish'd on them."
Source: THE CAROLINA BACKCOUNTRY ON THE EVE OF THE REVOLUTION, THE JOURNAL AND OTHER WRITINGS OF CHARLES WOODMASON, ANGLICAN ITINERANT; Editied with an Introduction by Richard J. Hooker; published for The Institute of Early American History & Culture at Williamsburg, Virginia; 1953; University of North Carolina Press; Chapel Hill. Call Number F272W65 located in the Main Library, University of California, Berkeley, California.
Copyright 2000. All Rights Reserved. Brenda Helen Keck Reed
