ard, he and his wife spent over three
months in Boston, where he had the honor of laying the foundations of
Methodism in that city, "the first Methodist preacher who appeared in
New England after the visit of Charles Wesley," says Dr. Abel Stevens.
He preached in several of the churches, removing from one to another,
as the edifice became too small to accommodate the crowds who flocked
to hear the young minister from Canada, until the largest church was
filled to overflowing with three thousand people. A gracious revival
followed this visit, and as there was no Methodist organization, the
converts united with other denominations. After a period of thirty
years, he preached again in the city in 1822, and many hung around the
pulpit, glad to listen to the man who had led them to Christ in 1785.
Six years before Jesse Lee preached under the old elm on Boston
Common, William Black declared the old doctrines of Methodism, and
witnessed many conversions.

With the arrival of Freeborn Garretson the work of organization was
begun, as he was a leader, a man of zeal and piety, "of cordial spirit
and amiable simplicity of manners, but a hero at heart," says Abel
Stevens, the Methodist historian. He was a gentleman of wealth and
character, who as a preacher in the United States, had been stoned,
imprisoned, and his life imperilled by angry mobs with firearms, but
he was dauntless in his labors for Christ. Under his preaching there
were extensive revivals in the province, societies were formed and
churches built. There were now five missionaries at work, Freeborn
Garretson who acted as Superintendent, and made his home at Shelburne,
James Oliver Cromwell at Windsor, William Black at Halifax, William
Grandine, a young man who had formerly been a Methodist in the Jersey
Islands, and who had just begun to preach was at Cumberland, and John
Mann who came from the United States, was stationed at Barrington.

At the first District Meeting of Nova Scotia, which was held in
Halifax, commencing October 10th, 1786, and lasted four days, William
Black and Freeborn Garretson were appointed to the Halifax circuit,
which embraced Halifax, Annapolis, Granville, Digby, Horton and
Windsor, a field sufficient to tax the powers of a dozen strong men,
but these were heroes in the brave days of old. Before the next
District Meeting Garretson and Cromwell had returned to the United
States, and their places were filled by William Jessop and Hickson.
Wit