Daily AncestorCircuit rider
A circuit rider was a traveling Methodist preacher who rode on horseback around a circuit of scattered congregations and preaching places.
The Methodist Episcopal Church appointed its traveling clergy to circuits wherever settlers went, which suited the frontier. Riders moved often, and early leaders such as Francis Asbury chose and stationed them.
Because the preacher was rarely in one place, early Methodist baptisms and marriages may be missing from local church books. Look in surviving circuit records and in county marriage records.
As seen in a recordCounty marriage record or Methodist circuit record, 1790s to 1850s
Married by Rev. Jas. Kent, preacher on the Scioto Circuit
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Circuit rider." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/church/circuit-rider. Last checked 2026-10-03.