• Facebook
  • Home
  • Archive
  • History
  • Map
  • Teaching
  • Contact
History of the Jerks: Bodily Exercises and the Great Revival (1803–1967)
  • All
  • Authors
  • Chronology
  • Collections
  • Denominations
  • Exercises
  • Genres
  • States & Territories
Select Page
Excerpt from Jacob Young’s Autobiography of a Pioneer (August 1804)

Excerpt from Jacob Young’s Autobiography of a Pioneer (August 1804)

1802-1804, American Antiquarian Society, Autobiographies & Biographies, Methodists

“I made a pause, then exclaimed, at the top of my voice, ‘Do you leave off jerking, if you can.’ It was thought more than five hundred commenced jumping, shouting, and jerking. There was no more preaching that day….”

Published Letter by Rev. Mr. Mc’Leain (May 7, 1805)

Published Letter by Rev. Mr. Mc’Leain (May 7, 1805)

1802-1804, Presbyterians, University of Michigan

You have requested me to give you an account of those extraordinary exercises called the Jirks; with which request I now comply.

Newspaper Article from the Charleston Courier (October 14, 1805)

Newspaper Article from the Charleston Courier (October 14, 1805)

1802-1804, American Antiquarian Society, Anonymous/Unknown, Barking Exercise, Dancing Exercise, Magazines & Newspapers, Other/Unknown

“The jerking convert…is seized with violent fits of jerking, which generally brings him to the ground, where he lies as if labouring under a slight convulsive fit; and when the spasm seems to abate, the person immediately begins shouting and praising God for effecting his conversion….”

Next Entries »

Search the Archive

Browse by Category

Popular Tags

African Americans (10) Baptists (17) barking (23) Barton Warren Stone (8) Benjamin Seth Youngs (9) bodily exercises (33) camp meetings (29) convulsions (16) dancing (56) diseases (11) exhorting (10) falling (32) Issachar Bates (9) jerker tales (16) jerking (98) jumping (12) Kentucky (51) laughing (17) Lexington (Ky.) (8) Methodists (47) nerves/nervous affection (15) New Lights (22) New York (10) North Carolina (16) Ohio (22) Pennsylvania (20) Philadelphia (Pa.) (18) praying (13) preaching (39) Presbyterians (66) revivals (43) Richard McNemar (9) Rockbridge County (Va.) (8) running (17) sacrament (17) Shakers (19) shouting (22) singing (26) society meetings (10) sympathy (15) Tennessee (43) Turtlecreek Township (Ohio) (10) Virginia (26) Warren County (Ohio) (8) West Virginia (8)

For more information or to report technology issues, contact Douglas Winiarski, Religious Studies Department, University of Richmond, at dwiniars@richmond.edu.

Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress