(MARTIN, Tenn.) — The Jackson Purchase Historical Society will present a program on the memoir of a 19th-century Methodist circuit rider at its November meeting, offering attendees a glimpse into the rapidly changing landscape of the post-Civil War South.
Dr. Marvin Downing, professor emeritus of history at the University of Tennessee at Martin, will discuss “A Thousand Weddings: The Memoir of Hope Hart of West Tennessee” at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Martin Public Library events center, 410 South Lindell Street.
The presentation will focus on the life of Hope Hart, a Weakley County native who witnessed the final era of Methodist circuit riders while growing up as the daughter of Sterling Hart, a traveling minister who performed wedding ceremonies across Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
Downing, who edited the memoir with an introduction, will summarize Hart’s life, outline the book’s content, and read selections from Hart’s early years in the Jackson Purchase region. The University of Tennessee Press published the book earlier this year.
Hart’s reminiscences provide firsthand accounts of West Tennessee and surrounding areas during the early 20th century, including detailed descriptions of clothing, food, transportation, and prevailing attitudes toward religion, race, education, and marriage during a period of significant social change.
The Jackson Purchase Historical Society was founded in 1958 by historians from Murray State University and UT-Martin to promote the study and preservation of regional history within the territory encompassed by the Treaty of Tuscaloosa. The organization holds several meetings annually and publishes a journal on regional history.
Membership information and details about future programs are available at jacksonpurchasehistoricalsociety.org. For more information, contact Bill Mulligan at billmulligan@murray-ky.net or 270-519-0038.
