Barbara Heck

RUCKLE BARBARA (Heck) b. 1734 Ballingrane (Republic of Ireland), daughter of Bastian (Sebastian) Ruckle and Margaret Embury m. 1760 Paul Heck in Ireland and they had seven kids of whom four survived infancy d. 17 August. 1804 Augusta Township Upper Canada.

Normaly, the person being investigated is either a key part of a major incident or presented a distinctive statement or proposal that has been documented. Barbara Heck, on the contrary, did not leave notes or written documents. The evidence of such details as the date she got married marriage is only secondary. In the majority of her life as an adult it is not possible to find original sources to permit us to trace her intentions and actions. However, she is a hero in the early time of Methodism in North America. Biographers must establish the myth, explain the meaning and then describe the person who is enshrined within.

Abel Stevens a Methodist Historian published a piece on this incident in 1866. The development of Methodism throughout the United States has now indisputably made the modest name of Barbara Heck first on the list of women that have been a part of the ecclesiastical story of the New World. Her reputation is more based on the importance of the cause she was connected to than the personal lives. Barbara Heck's participation in the beginning of Methodism was a fortunate coincidence. Her popularity is due to the fact that a very effective organization or movement can celebrate their roots in order to maintain ties with the past and to feel rooted in it.