Letter from Martin Ruter to Littleton Fowler

Letter from Martin Ruter to Littleton Fowler, July 5, 1837.

In 1837 the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church established the Texas Mission and assigned Robert Alexander (1811–1882), Littleton Fowler (1803–1846), and Martin Ruter (1785–1838) to the new republic. Ruter, who headed up the mission, was an accomplished minister, book agent, and educator.

In this letter written while Ruter was traveling to Texas, he lays out what he expects from his charges. They include: “finding the scattered members of our church,” organizing classes “wherever a sufficient number of sincere seekers or faithful believers can be found,” locating suitable places to establish churches, and creating educational institutions. Ruter did not live to see his plans develop. Six months after he arrived in Texas he died at the age of fifty-two, leaving behind a widow and nine children.

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Transcription by Wanda W. Smith.

Letter from Martin Ruter to Littleton Fowler