In the autumn of 1778, as Revolutionary War battles raged across the American colonies, an unlikely sanctuary emerged in the countryside of Delaware. The plantation home of Solomon Turpin II had become a gathering place for something that would prove as transformative as the political revolution itself: the birth of American Methodism.
A Family Transformed by Faith
Solomon Turpin II represented the profound spiritual transformation that Methodist preaching could bring to established colonial families. Born around 1700 into Delaware's dominant Anglican tradition, Turpin was a planter of substance and standing in his community. Yet when Methodist circuit riders began visiting Kent and Sussex Counties in the late 1770s, their message of personal holiness and passionate spirituality resonated deeply with the aging patriarch.
Francis Asbury, the Methodist preacher who had refused to abandon America during the Revolution, found in the Turpin household not merely hospitality but genuine spiritual fellowship. Asbury's journal chronicles his regular visits to both Solomon and Joseph Turpin's homes, where Methodist societies flourished despite the dangers of wartime travel.
By July 1779, Asbury recorded preaching at Joseph Turpin's home to approximately two hundred people, noting that "The Lord has done great things since I was here about nine months ago—numbers are inquiring after God." Where once there had been "swearers, drunkards, fighters, horse-racers, and such like," now there were "forty in society, some seeking, others have found the Lord."
A Daughter's Remarkable Spiritual Journey
Perhaps the most extraordinary figure in the Turpin family's Methodist story was Rebecca, Solomon's daughter. When Asbury visited the Turpin home in January 1780, shortly after Solomon's death, he found "three serious girls, left by their father in possession of a good plantation." Among these, he singled out Rebecca as exceptional: "Rebecca is a pattern of piety and a stay to all the rest."
Rebecca's transformation was particularly striking to contemporary observers. Fellow Methodist preacher Freeborn Garrettson noted that "A few months since she was in the height of the fashion, but now sees the evil and folly of these things." Her spiritual journey exemplified the Methodist emphasis on personal holiness and rejection of worldly vanities, demonstrating how the movement could reshape individual lives even in an era that offered few opportunities for female religious expression.
The Network of Methodist Hospitality
The Turpin family's commitment to Methodism extended far beyond personal transformation. Their homes became regular preaching appointments in the Methodist circuit system that connected scattered farming communities across the Delaware Peninsula. Having multiple Turpin households—both Solomon's and his brother Joseph's—available to Methodist preachers provided crucial legitimacy and protection during an era when many viewed itinerant ministers with suspicion, particularly British-born preachers like Asbury during wartime.
This network of Methodist hospitality proved essential to the movement's survival and growth. Freeborn Garrettson's journal reveals the extent of activity at Solomon Turpin's plantation, where he established a thriving Methodist society. In June 1779, Garrettson recorded preaching "at old Mr. T_____'s to a large attentive company," noting that "hundreds in the congregation were more or less wrought upon, and many appeared to be broken-hearted."
Asbury's Personal Connection
The depth of Francis Asbury's relationship with the Turpin family is perhaps best illustrated by his personal conduct of Solomon Turpin's funeral in January 1780. By this time, Asbury had emerged as the de facto leader of American Methodism, the man who would soon become the movement's first bishop. That such a prominent figure would preach the funeral sermon of a local planter speaks volumes about both Solomon's importance to the Methodist cause and Asbury's deep pastoral commitment to the families who had supported his ministry through the Revolution's darkest days.
Drawing nearly three hundred people, Solomon's funeral demonstrated both the community's respect for the deceased planter and their acceptance of Methodist ministry. Asbury's choice of text—Genesis 50:24, Joseph's deathbed promise that "God will surely visit you"—proved particularly appropriate. Like the biblical Joseph, Solomon Turpin had lived faithfully in a foreign land, trusting that God would fulfill His promises to future generations.
The funeral became itself a Methodist evangelistic opportunity. Though the service lasted three hours, Asbury noted that "the people stayed with great patience and seriousness." His observation that "the work revives, and truth will spread" proved prophetic—Solomon's death strengthened rather than diminished Methodist influence in the area.
A Foundation for American Methodism
The Turpin family's Methodist commitment contributed significantly to the movement's success in building sustainable institutional foundations in America. Their homes served as regular preaching points, their hospitality supported traveling ministers, and their social standing provided credibility for Methodist work in their community. When the Methodist Episcopal Church was formally organized in 1784, it built upon networks of local support that families like the Turpins had established during the preceding tumultuous decade.
Rebecca Turpin's subsequent marriage to Thomas Layton, another Methodist sympathizer whose home had served as a preaching venue, symbolized the growing network of Methodist families in the region. Their union represented not merely a personal alliance but a strengthening of the Methodist community's social foundation that would support the movement's expansion throughout the new nation.
Ordinary Families, Extraordinary Impact
The Methodist movement that emerged from the Revolutionary War years bore the unmistakable marks of families like the Turpins—committed to personal holiness, welcoming to all social classes, and deeply rooted in local communities. As American Methodism expanded westward in the following decades, it carried patterns of hospitality, spiritual leadership, and community building that pioneers like Solomon, Joseph, and Rebecca Turpin had helped establish in the quiet farming communities of Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.
In the broader narrative of American religious history, the Turpin family represents thousands of ordinary colonists whose embrace of Methodist spirituality helped shape a distinctively American form of Christianity. Their story reminds us that great religious movements are built not solely by high-profile preachers and ecclesiastical leaders, but by faithful families willing to open their homes and hearts to transformative spiritual purposes.
The complete story of Francis Asbury's remarkable decision to remain in America during the Revolutionary War, including his detailed accounts of stays with the Turpin family, can be found in The Shepherd Remains: Francis Asbury's Revolutionary War Journal (1775-1784), edited with extensive commentary by J. Randolph Turpin, Jr., D.Min. This volume presents Asbury's own words during one of America's most tumultuous decades, offering readers an intimate look at faith under fire and the birth of American Methodism. Available now in paperback format.
