Harry Hosier ( – May 1806Finkelman, Paul. ''Encyclopedia of African American History 1619–1895: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass'', Vol. 2
pp. 176–177
"Hosier, Harry 'Black Harry'". Oxford Univ. Press (Oxford), 2006.), better known during his life as "Black Harry", was an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

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 b ...

preacher during the

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The Second Great Awakening, which spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching, sparked a number of reform movements. R ...

in the early

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Dr.

Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States who signed the United States Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, ...

said that, "making allowances for his illiteracy, he was the greatest orator in America". His style was widely influential but he was never formally ordained by the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

or the Rev. Richard Allen's separate

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Black church, predominantly African American Methodist Religious denomination, denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, c ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Name

Better known as "Black Harry" during his lifetime, Harry Hosier was illiterate and his name is also recorded variously as Hoosier, Hoshur, and Hossier.Smith, Jessie C. ''Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events'' (3rd ed.)
pp. 1820–1821
"Methodists: 1781". Visible Ink Press (

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

), 2013.

Hosier Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

is an occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of

hosiery Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

, still commonly worn by men as well as women in the 18th century. It may have been adopted as a

slave name A slave name is the personal name given by others to an enslaved person, or a name inherited from enslaved ancestors. The modern use of the term applies mostly to African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans who are descended from enslaved Africans who ...

from one of Harry's masters or referred to his livelihood in Baltimore before meeting Bishop Asbury. The spelling "Hoosier" caused William Piersen, a history professor at

Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...

, to argue for a connection to the

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem "T ...

".Piersen, William D. "The Origin of the Word 'Hoosier': A New Interpretation". ''

Indiana Magazine of History The ''Indiana Magazine of History'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by the Indiana University Bloomington Department of History. Established primarily as a venue for historical documents of interest, particularly on Indiana' ...

'', Vol. 91, No. 2 (June 1995). Horton suggests that, if the uncommon surname Hoosier is correct, it would represent a parallel development: the application to Harry of the same epithet referring to "low-born" and "fundamentalist" hillbillies of the kind Harry ministered to in his circuit riding that was later applied to the early settlers on the Indiana shore of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

. Harry Hosier should not be confused with Black Harry of St. Eustatius, a methodist preacher who lived in the same 18th century. He had been transferred by the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

from America to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

island of

Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially " public body") of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, so ...

. Because of his preachings he was expelled to the continent again.

Life

Hosier's early life is not well-documented but most sources agree he was a

freedman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

. He was probably born to two

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n slaves near Fayetteville,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, but nothing else is known about his parents. He seems to have been sold north to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, (possibly to the

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

Harry Gough Captain Harry Gough (2 April 1681 – 13 July 1751), of Enfield, Middlesex, was a British merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1734 to 1751. Gough was the sixth son of Sir Henry Gough of Perry Hall and his wife Mary L ...

, a prominent Methodist there) and to have gained his freedom around the end of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

.Webb, Stephen H.
Introducing Black Harry Hoosier: The History Behind Indiana's Namesake
. ''Indiana Magazine of History'', Vol. XCVIII (March 2002). Trustees of Indiana University. Accessed 17 October 2013. He met

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Francis Asbury Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the colonies and the newly independent United States, he devoted his life to ...

, the "Father of the American Methodist Church", , a meeting Asbury considered "providentially arranged". This meeting may have occurred during Asbury's trip to

Todd Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

, North Carolina. Hosier worked as Asbury's carriage driver and servant. Finding that his illiterate guide could memorize long passages verbatim and warm up the crowds for his sermons, Asbury began to read the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

aloud during their travel from county to county and to train Hosier as a preacher in his own right.Horton, Tom. ''History's Lost Moments: The Stories Your Teacher Never Told You'', Vol. III
pp. 24 ff
"Did Black Harry, the Slave Turned Evangelist, Preach Here?" Trafford Publishing ( Bloomington), 2012. The first reference to Hosier in Asbury's journals observes, "If I had Harry to go with me and meet the colored people, it would be attended with a blessing".Lednum, John. ''The Rise of Methodism in America: Sketches of Methodist Itinerant Preachers, from 1736–1785, Numbering One Hundred and Sixty or Seventy; Also, a Short Account of the Many Hundreds of the First Race of Lay Members, Male and Female, from New York to South Carolina; Together with an Account of Many of the First Societies and Chapels''
pp. 281 ff.
Ludnum (Philadelphia), 1859. Reprinted Applewood Books (

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

), 2009. Speaking after Asbury,Morgan, Philip. ''Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in the Eighteenth-Century Chesapeake and Lowcountry''
p. 655
UNC Press (

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...

), 1998. Hosier delivered his first sermon "The Barren Fig Tree", concerning

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

13:6–9 to the black Methodist congregation at

Adams's Chapel Falls Church, Virginia, Falls Church, an independent city in Virginia, United States, takes its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century parish of the Church of England. Falls Church gained township status within Fairfax County, Virginia, Fairfax ...

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, in 1781. "The white people looked on with attention" even at the first performance; subsequently, they would often be moved to tears. Dr.

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

, one of the signers of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

, declared it to be the greatest sermon he'd ever heard. Although Asbury had originally intended to use Hosier to minister among blacks and they "came a great distance to hear him", his delivery was so effective and affecting that his primary audience seems to have been white. His sermon at Thomas Chapel in Chapeltown,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, in 1784 was the first to be delivered by a black to a white congregation. His sermons called on Methodists to reject

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and champion the common working man. At the same time, he told his black audiences "that they must be holy", which criticism displeased no small number of them. As with most early Methodist preachers, he was a circuit-rider and traveled from

Cainhoy Cainhoy Historic District is a national Historic district (United States), historic district located near Huger, South Carolina, Huger, Berkeley County, South Carolina. It encompasses nine contributing buildings, which range in date from the mid- ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, usually in attendance with Asbury. Having grown used to the relative freedom of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, he was at first unwilling to return south to Virginia and the Carolinas. Asbury was generally anxious to have him come, though, as Hosier's reputation preceded him and news of his coming would draw larger crowds than the bishop alone.

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

's representative Thomas Coke was hosted by Asbury in 1784 and 1786. Touring Delaware,

, and Virginia, Coke wrote in his journal that Hosier was "one of the best preachers in the world" and yet "one of the humblest creatures I ever saw".Melton, Gordon J. ''A Will to Choose: The Origins of African-American Methodism''
pp. 47 ff.
Rowman & Littlefield ( Lanham), 2007. Hosier was present at the

Christmas Conference The Christmas Conference was an historic founding conference of the newly independent Methodists within the United States held just after the American Revolution at Lovely Lane Chapel in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1784. Prior to the revolution, ...

from December 24, 1784, to January 2, 1785, at

Lovely Lane Chapel __NOTOC__ Lovely Lane United Methodist Church, formerly known as First Methodist Episcopal Church and earlier founded as Lovely Lane Chapel, is a historic United Methodist church located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The building on St. ...

, Maryland, where the

of America was formally founded. Along with Richard Allen, he was permitted to observe but not vote on any of the items before the conference. He made a sensation in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

accompanying Asbury there in September 1786. Touring

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and

with

Freeborn Garrettson Freeborn Garrettson (August 15, 1752 – September 26, 1827) was an American clergyman, and one of the first American-born Methodist preachers. He entered the Methodist ministry in 1775 and travelled extensively to evangelize in several states. ...

, Hosier stayed with

Prince Hall Prince Hall (1807) was an American abolitionist and leader in the free black community in Boston. He founded Prince Hall Freemasonry and lobbied for education rights for African American children. He was also active in the back-to-Africa moveme ...

, "master mason for the Africans", and preached in

before a crowd of a thousand. In 1791, an erroneous accusation against him led to the exclusion of Hosier within the church. The Rev.

Henry Boehm Henry Boehm (June 8, 1775 – December 28, 1875) was an American clergyman and pastor. The son of noted clergyman Martin Boehm, Henry preferred to be a traveling preacher, going to different churches and lecturing about various religious topic ...

credited his "fall" to Hosier's pride in his work: "poor Harry was so petted and made so much of that he became lifted up". The Carolinian elder Rev.

Jenkins Jenkins may refer to: People * Jenkins (name), history of the surname * List of people with surname Jenkins * The Jenkins, country music group Places United States *Jenkins, Illinois *Jenkins, Kentucky *Jenkins, Minnesota *Jenkins, Missouri *Je ...

was less circumspect: he described "some difficulties" with "an influential colored man, who desired further promotion within the church". Jenkins proclaimed he "generally found that these people cannot bear promotion: like too many white people, they become proud".Lyerly
p. 59
Hosier was not included in the group of black Methodist preachers who were ordained in 1799. At the end of his life, Hosier was found drunk and scavenging garbage looking for cloth to sell as rags. He subsequently preached that he wrestled with God and screamed

Psalm 51 Psalm 51, one of the penitential psalms, is the 51st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Have mercy upon me, O God". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vu ...

repeatedly before recovering and carrying on his ministry.

References

External links

*
Harry Hosier
from ''Flashbacks'' by Patrick M. Reynolds
The Asbury Triptych Series
book series on Francis Asbury. Numerous articles on Asbury's traveling preachers including an article on Harry Hosier. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hosier, Harry 1750s births 1806 deaths History of Methodism in the United States American Methodist clergy African-American Methodist clergy People from Fayetteville, North Carolina 19th-century Methodist ministers

Name

Life

See also

References

External links