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“C” is for Capers, William (1790-1855).

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“C” is for Capers, William (1790-1855). Clergyman. Capers was born n St. Thomas Parish and studied at the South Carolina College. In 1808 he was converted at a Methodist camp meeting, joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was admitted on trial to the South Carolina Conference. Capers became one of the most influential Southern Methodist preachers of his generation. In 1829 he led in the creation of missions to enslaved persons on lowcountry plantations. As secretary of the Southern Missionary Department of the Methodist Church (1840-1844), he extended the missions to enslaved persons in every southern state. In 1844, the Methodist Episcopal Church divided into Northern and Southern branches, Capers was a leading proponent of the Southern Cause. In May 1846 William Capers was elected one of the first bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.