Uncovers the often overlooked participation of African Americans and Native Americans in early Protestant churches Phillis Wheatley was stolen from her family in Senegambia, and, in 1761, slave traders transported her to Boston, Massachusetts, to be sold. She was purchased by the Wheatley family who treated Phillis far better than most eighteenth-century slaves could hope, and she received a thorough education while still, of course, longing for her freedom. After four years, Wheatley began writing religious poetry. She was baptized and became a member of a predominantly white Congregational church in Boston. More than ten years after her enslavement began, some of her poetry was published in London, England, as a book titled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. This book is evidence that her experience of enslavement was exceptional. Wheatley remains the most famous black Christian of the colonial era. Though her experiences and accomplishments were unique, her religious affiliation with a predominantly white church was quite ordinary. Dividing the Faith argues that, contrary to the traditional scholarly consensus, a significant portion of northern Protestants worshipped in interracial contexts during the eighteenth century. Yet in another fifty years, such an affiliation would become increasingly rare as churches were by-and-large segregated. Richard Boles draws from the records of over four hundred congregations to scrutinize the factors that made different Christian traditions either accessible or inaccessible to African American and American Indian peoples. By including Indians, Afro-Indians, and black people in the study of race and religion in the North, this research breaks new ground and uses patterns of church participation to illuminate broader social histories. Overall, it explains the dynamic history of racial integration and segregation in northern colonies and states.

The Martin Family History, Volume 1, a biography of Hugh Martin, born 1698, Ireland; died 1761, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey. Includes his parents Alexander & Martha [Coughran] Martin; his brothers William Martin of Colleton Co., SC; James Martin of Hunterdon Co., NJ; Thomas Martin of Bucks Co., PA; Robert Martin of Northampton Co., PA; and Rev. Henry Martin of Newtown Presbyterian Church, Bucks Co., PA. His sisters include Agnes (Mrs. Thomas) Dawson of Bucks Co., PA; and Esther (Mrs. Francis) Mason of Northampton Co., PA. Includes son, Rev. Thomas Martin (1743-1770) of Orange Co., VA and relationship with the James Madison family of Montpelier. Subsequent volumes will feature Hugh & Jane [Hunter] Martin's children: Vol. 2 - Col. James Martin of Stokes Co., NC and Martha (Mrs. Samuel) Rogers of Rockingham Co., NC. Vol. 3 - Jane (Mrs. Thomas) Henderson. Vol. 4 - Robert Martin, Sr. of Rockingham Co., NC and Samuel Martin, Esq. of Mecklenburg Co., NC. Vol. 5 - Gov. Alexander Martin of Rockingham Co., NC.

This is a comprehensive history of one of the greatest mysteries in American history--did Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, declare independence from Great Britain more than a year before anyone else? According to local legend, on May 20, 1775, in a log court house in the remote backcountry two dozen local militia leaders met to discuss the deteriorating state of affairs in the American colonies. As they met, a horseman arrived bringing news of the battles of Lexington and Concord. Enraged, they unanimously declared Mecklenburg County "free and independent" from Great Britain. It was known as the "Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence" ("MecDec" for short). A local tavern owner named James Jack delivered the MecDec to the Continental Congress, who found it "premature." All of this occurred more than a year before the national Declaration of Independence. But is the story true? The evidence is mixed. John Adams believed the MecDec represented "the genuine sense of America" while Thomas Jefferson believed the story was "spurious." This book sets out all of the evidence, pro and con.