author

W. M. (William M.) Leftwich

A 19th-century Methodist minister and writer, he is best remembered for a vivid account of religious persecution in Civil War Missouri. His work brings together firsthand experience, church history, and the sharp moral urgency of the era.

1 Audiobook

Martyrdom in Missouri, Volume 1 (of 2) : A history of religious proscription, the seizure of churches, and the persecution of ministers of the Gospel, in the state of Missouri during the late Civil War, and under the "Test Oath" of the new Constitution.

Martyrdom in Missouri, Volume 1 (of 2) : A history of religious proscription, the seizure of churches, and the persecution of ministers of the Gospel, in the state of Missouri during the late Civil War, and under the "Test Oath" of the new Constitution.

by W. M. (William M.) Leftwich

About the author

Born in Staunton, Virginia, in 1828, William Madison Leftwich became a Methodist minister whose life and work were closely tied to the American South and border states. Archival records at the University of Kentucky identify him as the author of a diary from 1866 that documents his religious work in St. Joseph, Missouri, including preaching, travel, church conferences, and everyday family life.

Leftwich is best known for Martyrdom in Missouri (1870), a two-volume history of the persecution of ministers and churches in Missouri during and just after the Civil War. The book reflects both his ministerial background and his deep involvement in the conflicts he described, giving it the tone of both historical record and personal witness.

He married Mary Malinda Smith in 1851 and died in Los Angeles County, California, in 1901. Although detailed biographical sources are limited, the surviving records show a writer-preacher who turned lived experience into forceful historical testimony.