James Andrew Riddick, born September 13, 1810, near Sunsbury, N.C., died 1899, Petersburg, Va. As a youth, moved to Suffolk, Va., to become a clerk in his brother-in-law's mercantile establishment. Became a Methodist minister in the 1830s and served in this capacity in North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.

Anecdotal information provided by family members includes the additional details that In 1831 Riddick left Suffolk for Brunswick County, VA, where he met John Wesley Childs. Childs was very influential in his the career of Riddick and in 1832 Riddick accompanied Childs to conference and was assigned to work under Rv. John Early, the presiding Elder. The young preacher was sent as a junior preacher to Prince Edward Circuit in 1833 and then in 1842 was appointed to the Amelia Circuit where he met his future wife, Judith Ann Gregory.

The James Andrew Riddick collection includes mostly sermons and other writings by Methodist Reverend James Andrew Riddick. The majority of the sermons are undated and titled with only a book, chapter, and verse. However, some sermons are dated (1834-1844) and include title information with the location the sermon was given. These locations include Charlotte, Edenton, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina and Charlottesville, Richmond, and Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia. Other miscellaneous writings and notebooks date 1835-1886. There are also newspapers dated 1863-1903 with articles or letters to the editor written by or about Riddick, or collected by Riddick. Additionally, there is correspondence received by Riddick dated 1854-1899. The bulk of the correspondence is from John Early with whom Riddick worked with early in his career. There are photographs of Riddick as well as photographs of his daughters Judith, Lucie, and Bettie. Also included in this collection are papers with biographical information about Riddick and his letters of reference dated 1835-1899, a few miscellaneous financial papers dated 1830-1899, and a few miscellaneous printed materials collected by Riddick. This collection was graciously donated to Duke University Divinity School in 2013 by his great granddaughter, Ms. Anne Reynolds Smith. The originals are housed in the Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library and more details about the originals may be found on the Rubenstein website. http://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/findingaids/riddickjames

Transcripts were prepared by volunteers and student library staff to supplement the software’s ability to execute keyword searches of these documents. Accuracy of the transcripts is not guaranteed. Scholars and researchers should verify all content of the transcripts and are encouraged to reference and study the manuscript digital file rather than that of the transcript.

Citation Guidelines

Preferred citation for the digital version:

[Identification of item], James Andrew Riddick papers, Digital Version. Duke Divinity School Library, Duke University. [Item URL].

Preferred citation for the original documents in the archives on campus, if consulted:

[Identification of item], James Andrew Riddick papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.