{"id":2755,"date":"2015-01-21T08:12:31","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T13:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/jerkshistory\/?p=2755"},"modified":"2019-02-16T08:16:58","modified_gmt":"2019-02-16T13:16:58","slug":"delawarestatereporter1858-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/jerkshistory\/2015\/01\/21\/delawarestatereporter1858-01\/","title":{"rendered":"Newspaper Article from the Delaware State Reporter<\/i> (November 1, 1857)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Early in 1857, the Illinois Baptist<\/em> published a short account of a recent outbreak of the jerks during a series of Methodist revival meetings in Avoca Township. The article quickly made national news and was reprinted in newspapers throughout the eastern and midwestern states.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Jerks.\u2014The Illinois Baptist<\/i> of January 14 says that this strange infatuation is again revived in our immediate vicinity. It made its appearance in a protracted meeting among the Methodists at Indian Grove. The ministers who conducted the meetings moved them from Indian Grove to Avoca, and brought with them five or six jerkers, and thus the contagion commenced at the latter place. Our informant was present at several of their meetings in Avoca, and describes the scene as very exciting. From fifty to a hundred were jerking at the same time. Their hands, shoulders, feet and head would be violently thrown into the most grotesque and painful shapes. The women\u2019s bonnets would fly off, their hair become dishevelled, and in some cases snap like a whip. In some instances it attacked unbelievers, and unconverted men who tried to resist it by folding their arms and wrapping them tightly about their bodies, but in spite of themselves their shoulders, first one and then the other, would be jerked back, till they lost all control of themselves.<\/p>\n

During the great revival in Virginia and Kentucky, this singular nervous affection was very prevalent. Davidson\u2019s Presbyterian History contains a very curious account of these cases. The cracking of the women\u2019s hair \u201clike a whip,\u201d as their heads were jerked backward and forward, was quite common. We have never heard of it except in the time of widespread religious excitement.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Source<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe Jerks,\u201d [Dover] Delaware State Reporter<\/em>, February 19, 1858, 1.<\/p>\n

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“Our informant was present at several of their meetings in Avoca, and describes the scene as very exciting. From fifty to a hundred were jerking at the same time….”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":353,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"

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Early in 1857, the Illinois Baptist<\/em> published a short account of a recent outbreak of the jerks during a series of Methodist revival meetings in Avoca Township. The article quickly made national news and was reprinted in newspapers throughout the eastern and midwestern states.<\/p>

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=\"3.11\" \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"3.11\"]<\/p>

The Jerks.\u2014The Illinois Baptist<\/i> of January 14 says that this strange infatuation is again revived in our immediate vicinity. It made its appearance in a protracted meeting among the Methodists at Indian Grove. The ministers who conducted the meetings moved them from Indian Grove to Avoca, and brought with them five or six jerkers, and thus the contagion commenced at the latter place. Our informant was present at several of their meetings in Avoca, and describes the scene as very exciting. From fifty to a hundred were jerking at the same time. Their hands, shoulders, feet and head would be violently thrown into the most grotesque and painful shapes. The women\u2019s bonnets would fly off, their hair become dishevelled, and in some cases snap like a whip. In some instances it attacked unbelievers, and unconverted men who tried to resist it by folding their arms and wrapping them tightly about their bodies, but in spite of themselves their shoulders, first one and then the other, would be jerked back, till they lost all control of themselves.<\/p>

During the great revival in Virginia and Kentucky, this singular nervous affection was very prevalent. Davidson\u2019s Presbyterian History contains a very curious account of these cases. The cracking of the women\u2019s hair \u201clike a whip,\u201d as their heads were jerked backward and forward, was quite common. We have never heard of it except in the time of widespread religious excitement.<\/div><\/div>

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Source<\/h3>

\u201cThe Jerks,\u201d [Dover] Delaware State Reporter<\/em>, February 19, 1858, 1.<\/p>

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