The Journals & Notebook of
 Nathan Bangs 1805-1806, 1817

 

Contents    Introduction    Maps    Images    Chronology    Bibliography    Archival Resources

Chronology 1778 - 1820

 Date

 Event

 Canadian
 Methodist
 Members*

1778 May, Nathan Bangs born in Stratford, Connecticut -
Taxation of Colonies Act prohibits the payment of taxes to Britain by British colonists
1783 Treaty of Paris signed ending the American Revolutionary War -
1784 Methodist Episcopal Church organized in Baltimore with authority to ordain -
May-July, Loyalist refugees begin to arrive in Cataraqui
1787 Charles Inglis of Nova Scotia becomes first Anglican Bishop in British North America  
1789 Methodist Book Concern established in Philadelphia  
1790 William Losee appointed as first Methodist Episcopal Church preacher to Quebec by the New York Conference  
1791 Constitutional Act divides Province of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada -
Constitutional Act sets aside one-seventh of public lands in Upper and Lower Canada for the maintenance of a "Protestant clergy" (known as the clergy reserves)
John Graves Simcoe becomes first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada
Cataraqui (Kingston) circuit established by William Losee of the New York Conference
John Wesley dies
1792 Oswegatchie circuit established by William Losee north-east of Kingston along the St. Lawrence 165
First Methodist chapel erected in Upper Canada known as the "Old Hay Bay Church"
1793 Marriage Act restricts power to solemnize marriages to Anglican clergy in Upper Canada 345
Toronto renamed York by John Graves Simcoe
North American Anglican see divided and Jacob Mountain appointed Bishop of Quebec (embracing Upper and Lower Canada)
1794 Marriage Act modified to allow justices of the peace to solemnize marriages when Anglican clergy are scarce or too distant 332
Upper Canada becomes as separate district under the New York Conference with Darius Dunham as presiding elder
1795 US Senate ratifies Jay Treaty 418
Niagara circuit established by Darius Dunham
Bay of Quinte circuit established by Elijah Woolsey and Sylvanus Keeler (formerly part of Cataraqui circuit)
Methodism officially splits from Church of England in Britain
1796 Capital of Upper Canada moved from Newark to York 474
1798 Lutheran, Calvinist, and Church of Scotland clergy authorized to solemnize marriages  
1799 Bangs moves to the Niagara region of Upper Canada to find work as a teacher or surveyor 866
1800 Bangs converts to Methodism (under Joseph Sawyer of the Niagara circuit) 936
1801 Bangs rides the Niagara circuit (and establishes a separate Long Point circuit in December) 1159
1802 Bangs received on trial and rides the Bay of Quinte circuit and throughout the Home District (York/Toronto) region 1502
Montreal circuit established by Joseph Sawyer
1804 Bangs ordained a deacon (while establishing the Thames circuit) 1750
Bangs ordained an elder by Francis Asbury (while riding the Niagara circuit)
British and Foreign Bible Society established
Methodist Book Concern relocated to New York
1805 May 1805 - April 1806 Bangs rides the Oswegatchie circuit east of Kingston in Upper Canada 1787
Yonge Street circuit (including York or Toronto) established by Daniel Pickett
1806 27 April, Bangs marries Canadian Mary Bolton of Edwardsburg 2085
16 May, Bangs attends annual Conference in New York & appointed to Lower Canada
1807 June, British ship HMS Leopard attack of the US frigate Chesapeake to search for deserters becomes known as the Chesapeake Affair 2250
Public School Act establishes one publicly funded elementary school in each district of Upper Canada
1808 Bangs returns to United States to ride the Delaware circuit 2360
1809 Bangs rides the Albany circuit (New York) 2540
1810 Canada district becomes part of the newly created Genesee Conference 3177
Jesse Lee publishes A Short History of the Methodists in the United States of America
1812 United States invades the Canadas No report
War prevents Bangs from taking up his circuit in Lower Canada
First delegated Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America
1813 Bangs presiding elder of Rhinebeck district (1813-1816) No report
1815 Treaty of Ghent signed ending war with the United States 1785
1816 Bangs first proposes a "Course of Study" for Methodist Episcopal ministerial candidates 2670
American Bible Society established
Niagara auxiliary of British and Foreign Bible Society established by Robert Addison
Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of Upper Canada founded at York
1817 Bangs assigned as a circuit rider in New York City  
Wesleyan Methodists arrive in Upper Canada from the Maritimes 3107
Upper Canada district petitions for independence from Genesee Conference
1818 Methodist Magazine begins publication in New York 4713
York (Toronto) circuit established by David Culp
Methodist chapel on King Street in York
1819 Bangs appointed presiding elder of the New York district 5232
Bangs establishes the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Christian Recorder begins publication in York under John Strachan (ceasing in 1820)
1820 Bangs elected Senior Book Agent of the Methodist Book Concern in New York 5470
Black Methodists in New York form the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
British Wesleyans and American Episcopal Methodists divide the Canadas between them agreeing that the former will confine themselves to Lower Canada and the latter to Upper Canada

 

Political event     
Anglican event     
Methodist event     
Period covered by notebook and journals    

    *Statistics from Cornish's Cyclopedia of Methodism in Canada. Scholars estimate the ratio of Methodist
members to Methodist adherents at between one to eight and one to fifteen.  This suggests that some
25% of Upper Canadians were involved with Methodism in some capacity by 1810 (Rawlyk 121-2).

Edited by Scott McLaren
Book History Practicum
University of Toronto