James Dempster (1740–1804) was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

clergyman who ministered to members of the Methodist Societies in the American colonies before and during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

. He was born in Edon,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

on 21 September 1740, the third son of William and Violet Dempster of Newton, West Lothian. His grandfather, James Ker, had been a member of the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom, supreme Legislature, legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of We ...

, serving the

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constituency. He studied at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI i ...

. Between 1768 and 1774, John Wesley sent

Francis Asbury Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the colonies and the newly independent United States, he devoted his life to ...

and seven other Methodist

lay preacher Lay preacher is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric and who does not hold a formal university degree in theology. Lay preaching varies in importance between religions and their sects. Although lay preachers ...

s to the colonies, Dempster being one of them. It is thought his arrival would have been in 1774. On the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Dempster and Asbury chose to remain in America while the others returned to England. Asbury remained active as a minister, but due to the hostility shown towards British ministers, Dempster elected to withdraw from prominent ministry and settled on a farm in the

Mohawk Valley The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Censu ...

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long ...

, where he remained for the rest of his life. He established a log meeting house church at Warrensbush (now Florida Township), southwest of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Mon ...

, believed to have been erected in 1778, and acted as an itinerant preacher and minister in the Tryon,

Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Yo ...

, Albany, Saratoga, Washington and Rensselaer sections of Upstate New York. He maintained a record of the marriages and baptisms which he performed, which has since been published. Dempster married and had three sons, James, John, Joel, and a daughter Pamelia. John Dempster became a Methodist missionary in

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and later helped to found

Boston University School of Theology Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is the oldest theological seminary of American Methodism and the founding school of Boston University, the largest private research university in New England. It is one of thirteen theological school ...

and Garrett Biblical Institute (now Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary) in Evanston,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

.Overview of the Dempster Graduate Fellowship http://www.gbhem.org/loans-and-scholarships/scholarships/list-scholarships/dempster-fellowship accessed 16 October 2015 James Dempster died in Florida, New York on 10 May 1804.

References

External links

The Dempster Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dempster, James 18th-century Methodist ministers 18th-century Scottish people 1740 births 1804 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh