author
W. M. (William Marion) Weekley
1851–1926
A United Brethren bishop and prolific religious writer, he turned years of preaching on horseback through West Virginia into vivid, experience-based books. His work blends memoir, ministry, and a close look at church life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1 Audiobook
Twenty Years on Horseback; or, Itinerating in West Virginia
by W. M. (William Marion) Weekley
About the author
Born in 1851, William Marion Weekley became a minister and later a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Sources on his books and hymn biographies consistently describe him as a church leader with ties to West Virginia and as a graduate of Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.
Weekley is best known today for Twenty Years on Horseback; or, Itinerating in West Virginia, a firsthand account drawn from his years as an itinerant preacher. Rather than writing a strict autobiography, he focused on the people, hardships, and memorable incidents of frontier-style ministry, giving modern readers a lively window into religious life in his era.
He also wrote and compiled other religious works, including From Life to Life; or, How Our Preachers Die and Our Heroes; or, United Brethren Home Missionaries. Taken together, his books reflect a practical, story-driven voice and a deep interest in faith, service, and the history of his church.