O'Kelly, James
Item
- Connection to Legacies of American Slavery Database
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O'Kelly, James
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Slavery opponent and founder of the Christian Church
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James O’Kelly was born in Mecklenburg County, VA, sometime between 1735-1738. He was of Irish descent, though little is known about his parents and/or siblings. He married Elizabeth Meeks (1744-1833) of Chatham County, NC in 1759. The couple had two sons, John and William O’Kelly. James O’Kelly was in NC during the Revolutionary War and enlisted in the Colonial Army and served in campaigns after he was captured and then released and/or escaped from the Tories. He became a licensed lay minister in 1775. He was ordained as a Methodist Deacon and Elder in 1784 and served as a Presiding Elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church from 1775-1792. O’Kelly withdrew and broke away from the Bishop Francis Asbury and the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1792 in opposition to the bishops’ assumption of absolute power to appoint clergy to changes. While still active in the Methodist church, O’Kelly carried out an active ministry among enslaved Virginians. In 1789 he penned an essay in which he attacked the institution of slavery. After O’Kelly broke away from the Methodist church, he and his followers formed the Christian Church. They initially called themselves the “Republican Methodists” but adopted the name “Christians” in 1794. During this time, the Christian Church was born, and the O’Kelly Chapel was erected in Chatham County, NC. James O’Kelly died on October 16, 1826 at his residence in Chatham County, NC. He is buried at the O’Kelly family cemetery, where the O’Kelly Chapel is in Chatham County.
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1735
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October 16, 1826
Position: 10847 (8 views)
