User:WilyD/William Case/Henry Ryan

Henry Ryan was a Methodist preacher.

Ryan was usually though to be of Irish descent, but his place of birth is unknown. His contemporaries referred to him as an Irishman on occasion, and he was probably born in Ireland. His speech was unaccented by American standards, however, and he likely immigrated to the United States while very young. He lived in the Province of New York, either Albany or New York City in his youth.

Before his conversion to Methodism, Ryan was a stage boxer. After his conversion to Methodism, Ryan worked as a local preacher in Duchess County, New York for more then three years before taking up circuit riding. He was received on trial in 1800, and his first assigned circuit was Verginnis Circuit of Vermont, which he rode for two years. He then spent on year on the Fletcher Circuit, also in Vermont, and two on the Plattsburgh Circuit in New York. In 1805, he rode the Bay of Quinte circuit with William Case, under the supervision of Elder Samuel Coate. He remained on the Bay of Quinte Circuit in 1806. In 1807, he rode the Long Point Circuit, and the Niagara Circuit in 1808 and 1809.

In 1810, Ryan was promoted to Presiding Elder of the Upper Canada District. Ryan was known for his hard-work and zeal, as well as his ability to lead others. Complaints were sometimes levelled against him that he was too authoritarian. He lived on a farm with his family in the Niagara region, though with his need to attend quarterly meetings in each of the district's ten circuits, he spent little time there. His first year as presiding elder of the Upper Canada District saw an increase in church membership of 13 people. He remained Presiding Elder of the Upper Canada District in 1811 and 1812. During the War of 1812, Ryan took effective command of the Methodists in Canada, hosting annual meetings each year, giving assignments and so forth. In 1815, Ryan served as the Presiding Elder of the Lower Canada District. In 1816, he was moved to the Upper Canada District, also in the role of Presiding Elder. This appointed suited him better, as his family was living on a farm in Gainsboro.

In 1817, under Ryan's leadership, the Methodist church opened its first church in Upper Canada, in York. In 1820, Ryan's term as the presiding elder of Upper Canada finished, and he was assigned to the post of presiding elder of Lower Canada. That year, an agreement was reached between the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Church of Great Britain, in which the former would preach in Upper Canada and the latter in Lower Canada, as a result, the Lower Canada district was renamed the Bay of Quinte district. In 1821, he served on the 'Committee on Indian Affairs, the beginning of serious interest by the Methodists in preaching to the Indian population of Upper Canada.