Thomas Smith Abernathy was born March 26, 1803 in Brunswick County, Virginia. A minister, Abernathy was living in Alabama by 1829 and was one of five clergymen who organized the First Methodist Conference in Alabama. He spent much of his career as a circuit-riding minister. Abernathy died in Dayton, Alabama in 1882.

Sources:

Lazenby, Marion Elias, History of Methodism in Alabama and West Florida.Nashville: North Alabama Conference and Alabama-West Florida Conference of the Methodist Church, 1960.

Owen, Thomas McAdory, History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography (Volume III). Spartanburg, South Carolina: Reprint Company, 1978.

This collection contains one bound volume of Thomas Smith Abernathy's hand-written notes and outlines for sermons. Themes addressed by Abernathy include atheism, compassion, and obedience to law. In one passage he asserts that "civil authority is lawful only when it is derived from God and exercised for the good of the governed." The volume includes a brief index.

File level guide available in the Archives.

Abernathy, Thomas Smith, 1803-1882.
Clergy -- Alabama.
Methodist Church -- Alabama.

Collection Number: 1194

Size: 1/2 linear foot (1 box)

Restrictions: Standard preservation and copyright restrictions. Do not photocopy.

JB/11-17-00