Smith, Peyton Pierce

Smith, Peyton Pierce, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was born in Franklin County, Ga., Jan. 12, 1812, and joined the Church in September, 1826. He was licensed to preach by the Gwinnett Circuit Quarterly Conference, Nov. 12, 1831, and at the next session of the Georgia Annual Conference was received on trial. According to his journal, he was a travelling preacher for thirty years and four months, during which time he preached 4414 sermons, baptized 1529 persons, made 5979 visits, wrote 4941 letters, and traveled, chiefly by private conveyance, 123,623 miles. In 1863 he was returned to Madison district as presiding elder, where he labored until the day before his death, May, 1863. Mr. Smith was one of the oldest and most efficient members of the Georgia Conference, and as a minister was eminently successful. See Minutes of Annual Conferences of the M.E. Church, South, 1863, p. 466; Simpson, Cyclop. of Methodism, s.v.