History
On the first Sunday in February, 1826, a young Methodist circuit rider, the Reverend Thomas P. Davidson, held a service of worship for a small society of Methodists. This service was the first for the group of citizens who formed the First Methodist Society. It was also the first church of any religion in the city of Memphis. Organizing members of the society were Mrs. Paulina Perkins, a young widow; Elijah Coffee, a shoemaker and itinerant preacher; and a Mr. Dickens, a Portuguese. At first, meetings were held in a log cabin near the mouth of Wolf River. The ministers were circuit riders whose