Bishop Wesley John Gaines (October 4, 1840 – January 12, 1912) was a church and community leader in Georgia. He was vice president of Payne Theological Seminary and co-founder of

Morris Brown College Morris Brown College (MBC) is a Private university, private African Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlan ...

. He was African-American.

Early life

Gaines was born in

Wilkes County, Georgia Wilkes County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,565. The county seat is the city of Washington. Referred to as "Washington-Wilkes", the county seat and ...

, one of fourteen children of his enslaved parents, Louisa and William Gaines. He was named for

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

, the founder of Methodism, the religion of his father. His mother was a Baptist. He grew up on a plantation as a slave. He learned the alphabet when he was eleven and then learned to write using a copy book. Sick as a child, he taught himself to read while in bed. He took to religion at a young age, reading the bible and experiencing conversion when he was nine years of age. By the time he was fifteen or sixteen years of age, he became interested in becoming a preacher. In 1855, he was moved to

Stewart County, Georgia Stewart County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,314. The county seat is Lumpkin. The county was created on December 23, 1830. History The area was inhab ...

and the following year to Muskogee County, Georgia. At more than 300 pounds and 6'2" tall, he said he was sold at one point for $1,000. His brother

William Gaines William Maxwell "Bill" Gaines (; March 1, 1922 – June 3, 1992) was an American publisher and co-editor of EC Comics. Following a shift in EC's direction in 1950, Gaines presided over what became an artistically influential and historically i ...

also became a minister and community leader.

Career

In 1865, he was licensed to preach, first for the Methodist Episcopal Church. Beginning in 1867, Gaines studied theology and served at

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, connexional polity. It ...

(AME Church) pastorates in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Macon and

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

for 20 years beginning. Under his leadership, the Bethel AME Church in Atlanta became the largest African American church in the south. He received his

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

degree in 1883 from

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University (WU) is a private university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is one of three historically black universities established before the American Civil War. Founded in 1856 by the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), it is named after ...

. Gaines became a bishop of the AME Church, and was a co-founder, treasurer and superintendent of

in Atlanta. He was vice president of Payne Theological Seminary in 1891. Gaines was involved in the foundation of Jackson Chapel. His great-niece Rev. Patricia Downs Wilder served as the pastor of the chapel by September 2017. He published ''African Methodism in the South'' in 1890 and ''The Negro and the White Man'' in 1897.

Personal life

On the 20th or 30 August 1863, he married fellow slave, Julia A. Camper. In 1872, they had a daughter, Mary Louisa. Gaines died on January 12, 1912.

Legacy

In 1893, the Providence AME Church at

Elkridge Landing Elkridge Landing was a Patapsco River seaport in Maryland, and is now part of Elkridge, Maryland. The historic Elkridge Furnace Complex, Elkridge Furnace Inn site is in Patapsco Valley State Park. Geography Elkridge is located in present-day Howa ...

was rebuilt and named Gaines Chapel AME Church in recognition of the bishop's contribution to the movement. Nine other churches were named for him.

References

External links

Bishop Gaines portrait
Library of Congress {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaines, Wesley J 1840 births 1912 deaths Bishops in Georgia (U.S. state) People from Wilkes County, Georgia 19th-century American slaves African Methodist Episcopal Church clergy Clergy from Atlanta Writers from Atlanta Morris Brown College People enslaved in Georgia (U.S. state)