“Everything Was Very Bloody and Heart Warming”: Moravians in Appalachia, 1734-1782

During the eighteenth century, few missionary groups had as much influence in Appalachia among Native American peoples as the Moravians. Their work has often been overlooked or minimized for a number of reasons. They were few in number and despite their best efforts to work with other missionary groups during the Great Awakening, they were often ostracized by other Christians. Although they were definitely Protestants, their blood and wounds theology led other Protestant groups to accuse them of being Catholics, which was a particularly damning charge on the frontier since it suggested that they were agents of New France or Spain. What truly differentiated them from their Protestant contemporaries in the mission field was their success in Christianizing native peoples. This was due to the ability of the natives to identify with the Moravians, as the abuse that the Moravians were constantly suffering at the hands of other Euroamericans made them kindred spirits. The Moravians also differentiated themselves by not seeking title to native lands and by living among the natives and generally treating them as equals. The closeness that developed between the Moravians and the respective Native Americans that they ministered to had profound consequences for all, as well as the development of the Old Northwest, particularly the Ohio Country