In the 1740's, the word "itinerant" was a code word that went far beyond a description of the mode of operation of the leaders of alternative religious thought. Virginia was maturing in its social organization and becoming more solidified in its structure. The large planters and their extended families were in control, or thought they were. The new religious leaders were not answerable to anyone in the ruling class, which was a challenge to their power.
The commotion caused by the Presbyterian dissenters was soon overshadowed by the appearance of another religious group. In 1754, Shubal Stearns, missionary of the Separate Baptists, came from Connecticut through the back country. His emissaries, and those they recruited, found ready followers in Virginia. A strong and popular movement developed in the 1760's.
The Presbyterian and Baptist movements would not have found such a ready acceptance had the Anglican church offered more of what the people wanted. The Anglican program was not inspiring and the clergy were more interested in the Vestries than the broader membership. Physical expansion, reined in by the authority of the colony, had not kept pace with the needs.
Several characteristics divided the Anglicans from the dissenters. On the one hand, it was the ruling class versus the small property owners and the slaves. Authority was the hallmark of one side while personal participation was the champion of the other. An example illustrates this difference. An Anglican congregation dispersed without any attempt at worship when the minister was prevented from attending by a storm. The Baptists, even if they knew no minister would be present, would convene and spend the time in prayer, singing, and reading.
A 1771 diary entry describes an attempt by the parson, clerk, sheriff, and other men of the Established Church to upset a Baptist meeting. The Baptist leader (Brother Waller) was horsewhipped by the sheriff with twenty lashes. Yet, he refused to stop the service, saying that the Lord had stood by him.
The evangelicals wanted to impose controls on the "loose" society that they perceived as existing around them. The traditional Virginia method of keeping the Sabbath with "sport, merriment, and dissipation" was not for the Baptists. The cosmic order was to be upheld by putting aside all worldly pursuits on the Lord's Day.
The Separatist Baptists quickly outpaced the New Side Presbyterians in their impact. By 1772, the Baptists amounted to perhaps ten percent of the population. Their willingness, even eagerness, to send out missionaries paid dividends. This policy, as opposed to the conservative nature of the Anglicans, Lutherans, or Reformed Churches, won acceptance. In 1769, there were only seven Separate Baptist churches in Virginia, with only three of them north of the James River. By October of 1774, the numbers had climbed to fifty-four total, with twenty-four north of the river.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.