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From: Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman <>
Subject: About Circuit Riders (2)
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 18:58:28 -0400


Hi again,
From "Ohio Yesterday and Today" by Robert T. Howe, pg 164-165:

Circuit Riders

Do you know what a circuit is? This word is closely related to circle,
because a circuit forms a closed loop. When new parts of Ohio were opened
to settlement, there were very few doctors, lawyers, teachers, or religious
leaders to serve the settlers. The judges of a county had to ride circuit,
that is, go from place to place to settle conflicts. Lawyers rode circuit
with the judges to help people solve legal problems.

Education was a problem for people in rural areas. In some cases, teachers
created boarding schools in towns. Children lived near the school for four
or five days a week and spent weekends at their homes. Later, when there
were enough people in an area, they worked together to build a school and
to hire a teacher for their children. But many children had to walk long
distances.

Many people in rural areas wanted religious leaders to help them worship
God, to marry them, and to pray at time of death. Since few rural areas
could afford full-time religious leaders, these men also rode circuit.

Maggie

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