| Notes |
- An early Methodist preacher, William was the son of John Tipton & Mary "Polly" Denton Hunt.
He married Mary Ricketts, then Sallie Wilson and finally Mary Hedrick.
From: Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History(Vol. 31, Issue 1)
Publisher: Indiana Historical Society Press
In the territory between the small towns of Modoc and Lynn in Randolph County, Indiana, lies a tiny decaying village, Huntsville, once the center of a vibrant farming community in West River Township and the hub of a large group of Methodists. The origins of this community lie almost entirely with a pioneer settler who was also a Methodist circuit-riding preacher, William "Old Billy" Hunt.
Hunt was notable not only for his pioneer status, but also for his political activities, his "antiabolitionism," and his fractious disputes with the Methodist Episcopal Church's hierarchy. His legacy lived on for nearly two hundred years after his settlement in Randolph County. While much of the appeal of Hunt's story lies with its local elements, his is a part of the larger story of the Second Great Awakening, specifically what historian Nathan O. Hatch called the "Democratization of American Christianity." Hatch asserted that the period in which Hunt preached was one of "religious populism," something that Hunt certainly typed. Accounts of other dissident Methodists are well known, but Hunt's story has never been told in any detail.
Few, if any, names are more synonymous with the early years of Methodism in Randolph County, particularly West River Township, than Hunt. He was born on June 1, 1789, in what is now Sullivan County, Tennessee, and was the son of William Basil and Sarah Denton Hunt, both of whom were natives of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. The Hunts later moved to Fleming County, Kentucky, where they were early members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Several of William's near relatives were Methodist preachers. The first appears to have been William Basil's brother, Lewis, who was "admitted on trial" as a preacher in 1798 and appointed to the Salt River Circuit in Kentucky, later preaching on the New River Circuit in Virginia, the Miami Circuit in Ohio, and others. He died in 1802 having never married.
Undoubtedly influenced by the intensity that then characterized the Methodist Episcopal Church and his own family connections, William felt called to preach at the age of nineteen, and he served as a local Methodist preacher in Kentucky for four years. Hunt was admitted on trial as a preacher in the Ohio Conference at its September 1814 meeting and was assigned to the Whitewater Circuit, which then covered much of east-central Indiana and included 301 members at several preaching points. On September...(would need to get to library or be a member of the historical society to get the rest of this story)
Colleen (#46875999
[2]
- A few days ago two Huntsville dogs got into a fight, frightened a horse which Rev. Bazil Hunt was driving, causing it to run away. Mr. Hunt was thrown out and killed
Terre-Haute Weekly Express, Terra Haute, Indiana. 10 November 1869.
same text also appeared in:
Journal and Courier, Lafayette, Indiana. Friday, 5 November 1869.
and
The Kentucky Gazette, Lexington, Kentucky. Wednesday, 10 November 1869.
[4]
- Fleming County Gazette (Kentucky, USA)
11 July 1974
Basil Hunt, an early Methodist preacher, owned a large farm near Hillsboro and was an extensive wheat raiser, employing many hands in reaping its harvest. He was also involved in Hillsboro business. In 1836 it was his brick building which housed the dry goods and grocery store.
Sometime after 1838 the Hillsboro Library Company was organized. The entrance fee was $5 which gave the member the right to one book at a time. There were about 40 members. The library was kept in the back room of Pickrell's store (started by William Basil Hunt) and Rev. William Basil was the librarian.
During the 1830s William Basil bought more than a thousand acres of land in West River and Nettle Creek Townships of Randolph CO, IN.
He continued living in Fleming Co, KY until 1855 when he moved to Indiana. By that time most of his children had already moved to Randolph CO.
When he died in 1869 he left an estate of $30,000, a sizable amount for that time.
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1790 - 1869 (79 years)
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