William Losee (30 June 1757 – 16 October 1832) was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

minister, who acted as a circuit rider in the

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and

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Biography

Although not the first Methodist to preach in what was then the single

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colony of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, William Losee was the first to be officially appointed by the

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Conference to preach in Quebec (in the region known as

after 1791). He had previously worked the Champlain circuit in New York. He was appointed by Elder Garrettson to

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with wide latitude in how to conduct his preaching. Both Losee's relatives in the area and his favourable feelings toward the British Government contributed to his appointment. His first conversion was one of these relatives, Joshua Losee. There were very few ministers in

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at this time,

William Case William Case (August 10, 1818 – April 19, 1862) was an American politician of the Whig Party and served as the 12th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1850 and 1851. He was the first Cleveland-born citizen to become mayor. In his early career, ...

would later recall that he knew of only four, but guessed there might have been as many as six.Carroll, Volume I, page 8 Losee's preaching resulted in immediate conversions in what was then largely wilderness regions punctuated by tiny villages and isolated cabins. An early source reports that Losee was famous for vehement preaching and imploring God to smite sinners. On one occasion, while being heckled during a religious meeting, Losee pointed at the heckler and proclaimed "Smite him, my God!" The man, whose name is reported to have been Joseph Brouse, fell to the ground writhing in agony only to later rise and repent of his sins. In 1791, Losee returned to

to ride the Kingston (or Cataraqui) circuit.Carroll, Volume I, page 9 The circuit included the village of Kingston and settlement within about 100 km. Losee set up classes in Augusta, Niagara,

Adolphustown Adolphustown is a geographic area located in Greater Napanee, Ontario, Canada, on the Adolphus Reach of the Bay of Quinte in Lake Ontario. Adolphustown is now part of the town of Greater Napanee. The rural character of the Adolphustown region rema ...

, Earnestown and Fredericksburg. One hundred sixty five Methodists were count in his circuit that year.Carroll, Volume I, page 12 In 1792, the circuit was divided into two and Losee was returned by the New York Conference with a second Methodist circuit rider,

Darius Dunham Darius may refer to: Persian royalty ;Kings of the Achaemenid Empire * Darius I (the Great, 550 to 487 BC) * Darius II (423 to 404 BC) * Darius III (Codomannus, 380 to 330 BC) ;Crown princes * Darius (son of Xerxes I), crown prince of Persia, ...

. Dunham took over the Cataraqui circuit and Losee assumed the new Oswegotchie circuit. It would seem, however, that Losee had fallen deeply in love with a woman living on the Cataraqui circuit. Dunham fell in love with the same woman, Elizabeth Detlor of Fredericksburg. She chose Dunham and Losee almost lost his sanity as a result. He quietly resigned from the ministry, returned to New York, and spent the rest of his life working a trade.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Losee, William 1757 births 1832 deaths Canadian clergy Pre-Confederation Ontario people American Methodist clergy 18th-century Methodist ministers 18th-century American clergy