Religious Figure. He was an American evangelist and author. As an itinerant protestant evangelist, he traveled, starting in the first decade of the 19th century, through Alabama, Mississippi, and after crossing the Mississippi River, to Louisiana. With little or no formal education, he became a traveling minister on probation with the Methodist Church at age 21, yet was never ordained. During the 38 years of his career, he traveled to England and Ireland twice, to Canada and the West Indies and around the United States 15 to 20 times. While in England, he introduced camp meetings which instigated the Primitive Methodist movement. Since he was not an ordained minister with a church building, he preached in town halls, barns, open fields and in the Congressional Hall of Representatives. He was known for appearing at public events announcing that he would preach in the same spot one year from that day. He always appeared and was met by an immense crowd. He preached during the period of the Second Great Awakening, and at a time when congregations were known to become emotional, shouting out loud and jumping up and down. His oratory was known to bring women to tears and men to hysteria as he preached fire and brimstone. An eccentric individual known as "Crazy Dow," he looked the part with shoulder length hair, often in poor personal hygiene, and a beard down to his stomach. Tall and bony he was a charismatic speaker with a harsh raspy voice. He traveled through the wildness on horseback, sleeping in the rough. Such a lifestyle took a toll on his health, as he had asthma and malaria. As he aged, he used a staff to help with walking, resembling John the Baptist. He knew instinctively how to appeal to an audience. With a zealous spirit, he despised slavery, hated alcohol, was anti-Masons, against the Whig political party, and detested Catholics, especially the Jesuits. After speaking, he would often jump dramatically into the saddle of his horse and ride away at a gallop. He was known for leaving through windows instead of doors. There are literally hundreds of stories about the itinerant preacher who himself became a folklore legend. As an author, he wrote a four-volume autobiography containing his experiences and travels from childhood until his 50th birthday, and including a chapter about his first wife Peggy. After his first wife died in 1820, he married Lucy Dolbeare. His autobiography became a bestseller of the era and providing him with a healthy income. In the 21st century, an original copy of the set would be valued at $600 by a collector. As he aged, he traveled less and wrote more. Other publications of his include "The Dealings of God, Man, and the Devil," in 1833, "The Eccentric Preacher" in 1841, "Perambulations of Cosmopolite" in 1842, and "Lorenzo's Thoughts on Various Religious Opinions" in 1806. According to the United Methodist Church of Louisiana, he was originally buried in Holmead's Cemetery, but his remains were removed in 1881 and re-buried in Oakhill Cemetery, near Georgetown. Since all the graves with markers at Holmead's Cemetery have been relocated years ago, there is nothing with his name on this site.