Peter M. Howell (1805-?) – A Newspaper Review
By Don Taylor
Peter M. Howell is one of my brick walls. Although there is an excellent book about his travels,[i] it never mentions his parents’ names. Also, I have not found anything about his death. So, I thought I’d look at newspapers closely and see if I could find more information. He was born on 15 July 1805 and became a traveling preacher. In past research, I learned that he preached in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He was often mentioned as the “Wild Man” because of his long hair and beard. Anyway, if I can find his obituary or death record, it might mention his parents.
I searched using different texts across many services, including Newspapers.Com, Newspaper Archives, Genealogy Bank, Chronicling America, and several state newspaper databases. I searched for Peter M Howell, Rev Peter Howell, Peter Howell preacher, Howell Wild Man, and Howell wandering missionary. I also used Howle in many of the searches instead of Howell.
Danville, VA – Feb 1869
The Raleigh Sentinel (Raleigh, North Carolina), Tue, Feb 9, 1869 · Page 3:
“The Rev. Peter Howell, a street preacher, who traveled through this State some twenty years ago, preaching in the streets and market houses, or wherever he could raise a congregation, is now holding forth[ii] at Danville, Va.[iii] His peculiarity of dress and enormous length of his hair and beard, together with the spirit with which he enunciated the truths of the gospel, made him both the object of curiosity and interest. He is still traveling around from place to place, though now very old.”
The same article ran 19 days later in The Time Picayune (New Orleans, LA).
The article indicates Peter was preaching in Danville, VA, in February 1869 and suggests that Rev. Howell may have preached in Louisiana, a new possible location.
Wilmington, NC – March 1869
The Daily Journal, (Wilmington, North Carolina), Sat, Mar 6, 1869.
“FULTON HOUSE—J. W. DOYAL, PROPRIETOR.
Peter Howell… (checked into the hotel)
The Wilmington Post, (Wilmington, North Carolina), Sun, Mar 7, 1869:
“We have been requested to notify the enlightened public of Wilmington that Peter Howell, the wild man, will preach at the market House, in this city, this morning at 9 o’clock, and this evening, at 5 o’clock. He will doubtless have an appreciative audience.
The Daily Journal (Wilmington, North Carolina) · Wed, Mar 10, 1869 ·
OUTRAGEOUS.-Very often evidences are afforded of encroachments upon the liberty of the citizen by means of the arbitrary arrests of the police. Yesterday a most outrageous evidence was given of this fact. We learn that a gentleman was standing in the streets listening to the preaching of old Peter Howell, the Wandering Missionary, and had in his mouth a cigar which he was smoking and which seemed to much displease the preacher, who told him to remove it. The gentleman good humoredly complied, and turned to depart with an expression something to the effect that he must go, after that. No sooner had he given vent to this remark than he was seized by a policeman, who insisted on carrying him to the guard-house. On reaching the City Hall he was at once released on the facts becoming known.- Surely we are fast advancing in the scale of despotism, if one cannot smoke on the streets and speak his mind without injuring any one. And we are fast being deprived of our rights when a policeman seizes a gentleman for no offense whatever, without form or warrant, and marches him under arrest through the public streets.- Such an officer should be discharged.
The Wilmington Post (Wilmington, North Carolina) · Thu, Mar 11, 1869
Peter Howell, the “Wild Man,” preached to a promiscuous congregation, at the Market House, Sunday and Monday mornings and afternoons. We do not know how many converts he made.
Marion, SC – March 1869
The Marion Star (Marion, South Carolina) described Peter as a “Drunken old sot” on page two, 24 March 1869.
PETER HOWELL, “the wild man,” as he calls himself, and who preached “things divine” to the citizens of Wilmington some time since, and delighted his audience, before and after his sermons, by eagerly devouring large quantities of raw crabs in the market, to the great annoyance of “Ye Local” of the Morning Star, arrived here last Saturday, and, after touching at the first Bar-room in his path, and “taking on” a heavy draught of riffle “sperits,” and then extracting his favorite companion, “Black Betsy,” from from his dirty carpet-bag, and filling her with the same ingredient, proceeded to the front of the Court House and blew off his steam, to a large and intelligent audience, who knew not, at the time, they were giving their attention to a drunken, crazy old sot. Such an offender of ecclesiastical law, should not be allowed to insult High Heaven in any community. by the citizens giving him any countenance whatever.
Atlanta, GA – April 1869
Peter continued south and on 29 April, the Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) reported on page three:
The Wandering Missionary.—We learn from a reliable source that the “Wandering Missionary,” Peter Howell, while at Conyers the other day, got a little tipsy, and upon being upgraided for his conduct replied “didn’t Noah get drunk.”
Conclusion
After his two reported drunkenness, Peter no longer appears to be in any of the newspapers. I haven’t found an obituary or any further preaching events. He just disappears. I can’t believe he would have quit preaching, even if he was drunk, and I can’t believe he would have continued traveling without making news. So, I believe he died in 1869.
Endnotes
[i] Howell, Peter, The Life and Travels of Peter Howell
[ii] “Holding Forth” is an idiom that means “to speak at length or in public.” – gemini.google.com.
[iii] Danville, VA, is about 80 miles northwest of Raleigh, NC.
