John Wesley Kenney
Kenney, Austin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1799-1865) One of great pioneer Methodist ministers of Texas. Pennsylvania-born, he began preaching at age 19. In 1833 he came to Texas and soon settled in this county. Unkempt in appearance, Kenney redeemed his eccentricity with an eloquent style of preaching. In Texas -- then part of Mexico and Catholic by law -- he helped found Methodist societies and, in 1834, served a vast circuit covering all of present state west of Trinity River. In 1836 he took part in Texas War for Independence. His lifetime saw Methodism become one of the major denominations in state. (1972)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John Wesley Kenney was one of the great pioneer Methodist preachers of early Texas. Pennsylvania-born and preaching from age nineteen, he arrived in 1833 when Texas was still Mexican territory where Catholicism was the law, and he helped organize Methodist societies anyway. In 1834 he rode a circuit spanning everything west of the Trinity River, and in 1836 he joined the fight for Texas independence.
Why it matters
Kenney helped plant Protestant Christianity in a land where it was officially forbidden, shaping the religious future of an American Texas.
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Related people
- · John Wesley Kenney
Related events
- · Texas War for Independence
Themes & tags
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