User:WilyD/William Case/James Coleman

James Coleman was a Methodist preacher.

Coleman was born October 30, 1766 in Black River township, New Jersey. His parents were Presbyterians, and he was raised in that religion. In 1777, the family moved across the Allegheny Mountains to Monongahela. Here Coleman was exposed to little religion, beyong "some vague notions of the providence of God". During the 1780s, Methodist circuit riders began to frequent the area, and Coleman eagerly attended sermons. Sometime in the 1780s, Coleman was drafted into military service for ongoing conflicts with local Indians. He refused to comply, and obtained a preaching licence. He told his captain of this, who told him if he wanted to preach, he would have to do so in the army. An officer and two or three other men were sent to seize him, but after hearing him preach, declined to do so.

In 1791, Coleman was received on trial for the Methodist itinerary. That year he was assigned as a rider on the Redstone circuit. In 1792, he was assigned to the Litchfield circuit, in New York. In 1793, he was assigned to ride the Fairfield circuit in New York. In 1794, he was moved to the Upper Upper Canada circuit. In 1795, he was moved to the Oswegotchie circuit, covering the eastern part of Upper Canada. The record of his assignment in 1796 has been lost, but in 1797 he was assigned to the Niagara circuit, where Michael Coate was his assistant. In 1798 he rode the Niagara circuit alone. He returned to New York, where he served as a circuit rider until 1824, when poor health resulted in him being declared superannuated at the annual conference.

Coleman died February 5, 1842 in Ridgefield, Connecticut.