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The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Gog the Mild via FACBot (talk) 27 January 2024 [1].

John Littlejohn (preacher)

[edit]
Nominator(s): Generalissima (talk) 06:36, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

John Littlejohn was an American Methodist preacher, sheriff, judge, saddler, and quite a number of other things, who notably served as a circuit rider during the American Revolution, and as a brief protector of the National Archives during the War of 1812. He left quite the paper trail about his life, so he has luckily been the subject of some very thorough academic biographies and historical coverage. I hope you all enjoy reading my article! I had quite some fun writing it. - Generalissima (talk) 06:36, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Image review

[edit]
  • Is there no image of the subject?
  • Suggest adding alt text

Also suggest work on consistency in citation formatting before a full source review is done. Nikkimaria (talk) 15:05, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Sadly, no images exist of John Littlejohn (at least, that I could find). Totally forgot alt-text, my bad; fixed. I'm unsure what you mean in terms of citation formatting. Generalissima (talk) 18:36, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
The formatting needs to be consistent across different citations of the same type. For example, sometimes you include location for books and other times not, sometimes you have access dates for online news and other times not, etc. Nikkimaria (talk) 21:41, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
All the books have locations, except those for whom the name of the publisher is the location they were published (Princeton and Oxford). Just changed it to make it consistent in terms of access dates, however. Generalissima (talk) 21:58, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Nikkimaria: Were you planning on doing an image review? Generalissima (talk) 02:42, 9 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I did - there are no remaining issues to address. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:44, 9 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, rad. Is the citation situation sufficiently resolved? Generalissima (talk) 02:49, 9 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I didn't do a full source review and will leave doing one to another reviewer. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:49, 9 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Oh no, a source review has already been done by another reviewer - I was just checking if the citation style is okay after clarification. Generalissima (talk) 03:54, 9 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Ajpolino comments

[edit]

Thanks for the interesting read. A nice article on a figure I wasn't familiar with. Some notes below. Will add more as I have time.

Criterion 1a ("well-written"): A quick coat of polish on the prose would help. Prose comments below, all gentle suggestions to improve clarity:

  • Lead - "he traveled across hundreds of miles of the early United States"
    • Fixed. -G
  • Lead - "Settling after several years in Leesburg, Virginia, he served..." I initially misread the "several years" as having been spent in Leesburg, VA. Can it be rephrased to be more clear?
    • Fixed. -G
  • Lead - "he served as [jobs] for several decades, as well as [other jobs]" a slightly choppy read. I presume he didn't do [other jobs] for as long? Anything that can be done here?
    • Fixed. -G
  • Lead - "During the 1814 British raid on Washington, the Treasury entrusted custody... to Sheriff Littlejohn" There's something about this summary that made me think Littlejohn's role in this affair was greater than what the main article text led me to believe. If I understand correctly, perhaps I'd rephrase slightly to "As sheriff of Leesburg, Littlejohn oversaw a safehouse that contained the National Archives, including [founding documents], for the two weeks following the 1814 British capture of Washington." Your call, of course.
    • Fixed. -G
  • Lead - "they were collected and returned to Washington"
    • Rephrased sentence to no longer need this. - G
  • EL - "in Penrith, an English town within the county of Cumberland." → "in Penrith, an English town in Cumberland", "in the town of Penrith, Cumberland", or even "in Penrith, Cumberland"
    • Fixed. -G
  • EL - "Following the collapse of his father's business and relocation to London," who was relocated to London? His father's business, his father, or just young John?
    • Both him and his father, clarified this.
  • EL - "Within a year, he ran away from London, walking..."
    • Fixed. -G
  • EL - "During the passage...falling overboard." Reads as irrelevant to his life. Cut?
  • EL - "after a lengthy twenty-one week passage" unless that's particularly unusually lengthy, in which you could instead add more about why (if it's known).
  • EL - "Writing retrospectively...instilled by his mother" - should this be moved later in the section? It's before a sentence that begins, "In 1769" a time at which he'd be 12 or 13. Is that the time he was frequently gambling? Or was the gambling time later?
    • Yeah, it seems a little zany but the sources (ultimately via his diaries) describe him beginning to play cards and gamble at 12. - G
  • EL - "Northumberland County on the Northern Neck of Virginia with a local saddler" unless that bit of geography is important for reasons not clear to me?
    • Probably not important, you're right. - G
  • EL - "Littlejohn began selling "the private [pornographic] adventures of Sailors"[4]" - love the title, though the nature of what he's selling is a bit unclear. Is this work a pamphlet? Book? Puppet show?
    • The source sadly doesn't specify, but I believe these are going to be cheaply printed paperback books. - G
  • EL - "Littlejohn took interest... I will go & see him.'" The quote isn't doing much for me.
    • I thought it was funny but most likely not needed. - G
  • EL - "Littlejohn read The Pilgrim's Progress" - is this important?
    • It's a very important book in terms of early American revivalism, but not ultimately necessary. - G
  • EL - "despite ridicule from a Catholic coworker." is this important?
    • Probably not. - G
  • RA - "Sigman's preaching especially affected Littlejohn, writing..." a bit unclear who is doing the writing here. Perhaps "writing" → "who wrote" would help?
    • Good idea. Fixed. - G
  • RA - "although still struggled with doubts" missing a word (though perhaps this could be cut instead).
    • Fixed this up a bit. - G
  • RA - "Christian, Littlejohn confided in Sigman. He wrote that" - odd wording. Is it true to say "Christian. Little wrote Sigman that..."?
    • Rephrased this. - G
  • RA - "Methodist practices and wished to join them" - unclear who "them" refers to. The Methodist church? Sigman's followers?
    • Also rephrased this. -G
  • RA - "William Duke at Alexandria, Virginia, to found the town's first..." → "William Duke to found Alexandria's first..."
    • Ooh, good fix. - G
  • RA - "class leader" I don't know the significance of this position. Is there any way to clarify?
    • I think it's a fairly low level preaching position. I removed it, as I think what's most important is that he was appointed to a specific circuit. - G
  • RA - "he began to travel across much of Virginia" → "he traveled much of Virginia"
  • RA - "He preached to Quakers at Winchester, before traveling through Fredericksburg. Here, he was denied shelter, and rode 30 miles (48 km) before he was able to find rest at a sympathetic inn in Hanover County, before continuing onward to Petersburg" - Is this important?
    • I wanted to include the places he traveled through, but seems good to cut it. - G
  • RA - "...his mother's displeasure in his conversion to Methodism" - is there any way to add a bit of context for this? Is his mother not Methodist? Were Methodists viewed with particular skepticism? You note in the lead "While not particularly religious as a youth..." but his family's religious leanings aren't discussed in another section (or did I miss it)?
    • - His parents were almost certainly members of the Church of England, as this predated disestablishment. All that is explicitly stated in the sources is that his mother was strongly religious. - G
      • Scratch this, I just realized he describes his parents as "Part of the Church of Engl'd" in the first page of Andrews. Fixed. - G
  • RA - "1777 by the Maryland legislature required an" at least the way I read this sentence, it was asking for a comma after "legislature".
    • Fixed! - G
  • RA - "as well as issuing a tax on their property" I assume the law issued a tax on refusers' property? It reads as if those who refuse are barred from issuing a tax. I don't have a clever way to fix it, just flagging that it reads a bit weird.
    • Reworded this. -G
  • RA - "1782, a year after many other restrictions were lifted" just making sure I understood this. Were "many other restrictions" lifted in 1781 or 1783? I understood the former meaning, but if the latter was intended you could change to "a year later..."
    • I meant that restrictions were lifted in 1781. Should this be clarified more? - G
  • Lee - "Littlejohn refused, but continued positive relations with the Anglican church, the two officially separated..." Is the intended meaning that "the two" refers to the Anglican church and the Methodist church (which makes the most sense to me)? Or is it intended to refer to Littlejohn and the Anglican church (which the text implies, and I guess makes sense if there was some "official" separation between man and church).
    • The Methodist and Anglican church. I reworded this. -G
  • Lee - "property which had been revived" reads as if the property had been revived, though I assume its the federal revenue tax that was revived? Can this be gently rephrased to clarify?
    • Fixed! -G
  • Kentucky - "In June 1821... reduced" in Lawrenceburg." It's not obvious that this is important...
    • Yeah, I can shorten this to one sentence. - G
  • Kentucky - "In June 1830, he..." I assume the "he" is Littlejohn? Two other men are mentioned more recently, making the sentence a bit confusing.
    • Fixed this. - G
  • Kentucky - "Here he was granted readmission to the Baltimore Conference, with Littlejohn seeking to rejoin the conference where he had begun preaching" - Are the two halves of this redundant? Or is the second part referring to a different conference (early in the article you mention a circuit in Fairfax...)?
    • Tightened this sentence a bit. - G

That's all my prose comments. More to come. With the holidays I have time in bits and pieces. Will get through everything as soon as possible. Ajpolino (talk) 16:35, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Ajpolino: I made fixes based off your comments; were you able to look that over? Thank you so much for sucha thorough review! Generalissima (talk) 08:35, 6 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Pardon the radio silence. I've given the article another readover, and the prose looks good to me. As to the "comprehensive", "well-researched", and "neutral" criteria, I read the top two pages worth of Google results and skimmed the JSTOR article I had access to and didn't find anything new and surprising. So I'm happy to support FA status for the article. Thanks again for the interesting read! Ajpolino (talk) 00:22, 8 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Comments by Wehwalt

[edit]
  • "he was transferred to a trade school and became the apprentice of a London tin manufacturer" At the same time? This seems awfully early for a school that teaches trades, and I would not expect an apprentice to have enough free time to attend school as well (or his master's leave).
    • The source says the school taught reading and writing, so I guess it might not have been much of a trade school after all. In any case, yes, he attended school and then was apprenticed. Thank you for catching this. -G
  • Do the sources discuss how it was he crossed the Atlantic? This was not a cheap undertaking, people basically mortgaged themselves and became indentured servants to have the opportunity.
    • No information beyond that it was a ship carrying indentured servants, and that he had been sponsored in some way by the shopkeeper. - G
  • "Within a year, he ran away from London, walking 284 miles (457 km) back to his mother's home in Penrith. At around twelve, he became the apprentice of a shopkeeper in Port Tobacco, Maryland. He crossed the Atlantic without his family in 1766 or 1767, ..." the second sentence seems out of place chronologically.
    • From what I can glean from this source, the shopkeeper was based in Maryland but was in London at the time, and arranged for Littlejohn to come over as an apprentice. - G
  • "Fisher died in 1772, and Littlejohn briefly stayed in Baltimore " Baltimore is not in Prince George's County, where you told us his mother "settled".
    • Ah, I clarified his mother moved to Baltimore after his father's death. - G
  • Can we account for Littlejohn's constant moving between apprenticeships? I realize labor was probably scarce and he could get away with things he probably could not have in England.
    • I'm not quite sure what you would like me to fix here? - G
  • "William Duke at Alexandria, Virginia," No need to repeat the state name.
    • - Fixed.
  • "as a class leader in the Fairfax County circuit in 1775 or early 1776." Well, yes, but the reader may be a bit misled as to the limits of Fairfax County if they follow the links, since Fairfax County at the time included both Alexandria and Falls Church.
    • Oh, good point. Let me correct that. - G
  • "Although Methodists were not pacifists, emphasis on "passive nonresistance" led to many refusing military service." Does this refer to service in the local militia rather than joining the revolutionary army?
    • It refers to military on either side; reworded to clarify this. - G
  • "during the incipient phase of the revolution" Huh?
    • Ditched that part of the sentence, you're right it doesn't make sense here. - G
  • "Methodists were officially exempted from bans on preaching in 1782, a year after many other restrictions were lifted.[23]" In which state was this? And the earlier restrictions were on Methodist preachers or someone else?
    • Reworked this sentence and added a more direct source. - G
More soon.--Wehwalt (talk) 17:02, 28 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I'll be back to this as soon as I can.--Wehwalt (talk) 20:49, 4 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Wehwalt: Any updates? Generalissima (talk) 00:33, 13 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, am traveling.
  • "to confess his love to Monica Talbott" Is this phrased in an encyclopedic manner?
    • I put in less flowery language here. - G
  • "Anglican nobleman Bryan Fairfax". I'm not quite certain if "Anglican nobleman" is unambiguous but in any event, Fairfax had not yet become a peer.
  • "promising material benefits from glebe and ordination within the Church of England in return for assuming responsibility for two local parishes." This feels in the wrong order since Littlejohn could not have benefited from glebe lands unless he had become an Anglican clergyman.
    • Good catch, fixed both of these. -G
  • "the twenty-second district of Virginia" The congressional district? Virginia's 22nd congressional district? Do we know who appointed him?
  • "a Virginia gristmill adjacent to Chain Bridge." Well, let's hold on a minute here. The Chain Bridge runs from DC to Arlington County today, so in 1814, before the retrocession of the Virginia portion of the District of Columbia, it would not have been in Virginia if it was "adjacent" to the Chain Bridge, but within the District of Columbia.
    • Ooh, very good point. Clarified it was an Alexandria County gristmill. - G
  • "On August 25, the day following the British capture of Washington, Littlejohn was given the keys to the home and tasked with supervising them. Littlejohn supervised the documents for two weeks before they were collected and returned to Washington.[36]" Supervising the keys or the documents (at end of first sentence). It might be worth mentioning that the British departure preceded the return of the documents to DC.
    • Good point. - G
  • What is a stationed preacher?
    • Preacher who isn't an itinerant. I added some clarification. - G
  • You refer to Washington City, which I have no objection to because that's how it was often referred to, especially the governmental area of today. But in the next paragraph, you're talking about "Washington, D.C." so it all reads a bit oddly.
    • Good idea, edited for clarity. - G
  • "Each slave was proscribed" Prescribed?
    • Oof, yeah. -G
  • Any more info on gravestone/markers, perhaps the text or photos?
    • I can't find a copyright-free image of either, or a non-user generated source which says what they say :( -G
That's it. Sorry to be so slow.
@Wehwalt: No worries! I took a long time on yours so I feel it's fair lol. Made changes as requested. :3 Generalissima (talk) 19:00, 13 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Wehwalt: Do all the requested changes look okay? Generalissima (talk) 15:55, 20 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry for the delay. Yes, all is good. Support. Wehwalt (talk) 16:06, 20 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, I'm traveling right now and things are a bit disorganized. Wehwalt (talk) 16:07, 20 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Oh no worries! Thank you for all your great feedback. Generalissima (talk) 16:50, 20 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Source review by Vami

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References are from reputable publishers and meet the requirements of WP:THESIS. Spot check to follow. –♠Vamí_IV†♠ 22:13, 1 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Spot-check:

  • 4: Wrong pages; the obituary for Littlejohn actually appears over pages 486–87 in the linked book.
    • Fixed this and SFN'ed the source! Thank you for catching.
  • 11: No problem here.
  • 12: I cannot access Andrews 2000, but confirmed that is citation is above-board via Google Books.
  • 19: No problem here. Text mentions Littlejohn coming over with a Broomfield to whom he was apprenticed. Was this borne out by other sources? If so, include it.
    • Good call, I included it to help resolve confusion about how he was able to come over. - G
  • 26: No problem here.
  • 30: No problem here.
  • Investigating for the possibility of WP:SYNTH, I found that citation [29] does not support the text "While regarding it as temptation," but does support the sentence before that. I believe you meant to cite another source here.
  • This citation correct, it's just buried in the footnote on this page, referencing Weiss' Preecher and Patriot (which I sadly have no access to). -G
  • 37: No problem here.
  • 46: No problem here.

All in all, the citations accurately summarize the references they are drawn from. However, in light of the discrepancies I have discovered, I encourage the nominator to immediately and comprehensively re-review the article and the citations and references within to fix these and other, possible issues. –♠Vamí_IV†♠ 23:09, 1 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Comments by voorts

[edit]
  • In general, could you please clarify in text when the following events/periods of time occurred (I've bolded the things that need time frames):
    • His father died soon after immigrating.
      • Sadly it's not specified in the sources when this occurred beyond "shortly after".
    • Littlejohn began to regularly attend revival preaching, after hearing a sermon by Robert Williams, an Irish Methodist preacher. The mayor of Norfolk issued a ban on revivalist preaching, claiming that it would incite a slave rebellion.
      • Added a date for when Williams preached, however the others are not specified in the sources. - G
    • Fisher died in 1772, and Littlejohn briefly stayed in Baltimore, where his mother had relocated following his father's death. He then began an apprenticeship under Joseph Selby in Annapolis, Maryland. In Annapolis, he began regular church attendance ...
      • This is not specified in the sources. -G
    • Soon after, he partnered with two other young Methodists ...
      • Not specified in source beyond "soon after his conversion, on the eve of independence." This is presumably 1775, but it could be December 1774. -G
    • He was dismayed to find his mother's displeasure in his conversion to Methodism. Depressed, he began to fear that his preaching had disgraced the gospel and considered drowning himself.
      • This is not specified in the sources. Presumably 1775-1776. -G
    • He was soon appointed as an itinerant in training, and accompanied Watters on the Berkeley circuit, now part of West Virginia.
      • Added date for this. -G
    • He met with his mother in Baltimore, who threatened to disown him if he did not stop itinerant preaching and return with her to England. Littlejohn refused, and traveled to confess his love to Monica Talbott, the daughter of a Fairfax class leader he had first met several years prior.
      • This is not specified in the sources. - G
    • Monica initially refused his advances, asking that his affections be abandoned. Staying at the Talbott residence the following day due to a storm, Littlejohn was able to eventually convince Monica to marry him.
      • This took place in August 1778. Added this. - G
  • "At around twelve, he became the apprentice of Thomas Broomfield, a shopkeeper based in Port Tobacco, Maryland. He crossed the Atlantic with Broomfield in 1766 or 1767 ..." - It's not clear if Broomfield was already a shopkeeper before he took Littlejohn to the colonies, or after. If after, what was Broomfield doing in England?
    • Sadly, the sources don't say what he was doing overseas, but he is referred to as "shopkeeper in Maryland" while in England. - G
  • "Littlejohn was among eleven Methodist preachers listed in a 1779 General Court docket, but all were able to evade attendance due to the public unpopularity of the General Court." - It's not clear to me how one can "evade attendance" due to "general unpopularity". Couldn't they have compelled his appearance in court?
    • Local magistrates and the general public were unwilling to turn preachers over to the court. I'll clarify this. - G
  • "Despite legal difficulties, Methodist preachers saw large growth in church membership during the war. In 1777, over 6,000 Americans were members of Methodist societies, with around half in Virginia and roughly a third in Delaware and Maryland. By the end of the war in 1782, membership had doubled to nearly 12,000. Repression of revivals and circuit riders was lightened as the war continued, with lower courts seldom indicting the preachers. Maryland Methodists were officially exempted from oath requirements and bans on preaching by an act of the Maryland General Assembly in November, 1782." - I think this should be footnoted, rather than in the body, since it isn't directly related to Littlejohn and provides background.
  • I'll footnote the figures on growth; the rest is however important background for Littlejohn's legal difficulties, which would not make sense to a reader otherwise. - G
  • "While regarding it as temptation ..." - It's not clear to me what "temptation" means here.
    • Temptation to sin. Added a clarification for this. - G
  • "From there on, Littlejohn traveled to Christian County, where he discovered land acquired from a fellow Methodist was unsuitable and falsely advertised." - I assume this means unsuitable for farming, but that should be clarified.
    • Good point, thank you! - G
  • "Despite previous opposition to the practice, Littlejohn purchased several slaves in his old age." - Do we know why his views changed?
    • Sadly no; he most likely just stopped being able to maintain his farming in old age, but otherwise no info. - G

Nice work. voorts (talk/contributions) 02:03, 2 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Comments by Anarchtye

[edit]

Reserving a place. Anarchyte (talk) 11:15, 9 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Apologies for the delay. Anarchyte (talk 07:38, 15 January 2024‎ (UTC)[reply]
Lead
  • Is the fact he walked relevant for the lead? It's very interesting, but would it be better to keep it in the body?
    • Yeah, fair point. Removed from lede. - G
  • Based on our article Itinerant preacher, itinerancy may lead some to the wrong conclusion. Perhaps a different synonym would be better.
    • The sources all describe him as an itinerant preacher, so I feel this is important phrasing to keep. -G
  • Any date for when he began his preaching? The lead ends saying "sixty years", but there's no commencement year.
Early life
  • "Following the collapse of his father's business, Littlejohn and his father relocated to London. He attended school in London, then became the apprentice of a local tin manufacturer" — can remove a full stop here: "Following the collapse of his father's business, Littlejohn and his father relocated to London, where he attended school and then became the apprentice of a local tin manufacturer".
    • - Fix made. - G
  • "Within a year, he ran away, walking 284 miles (457 km) back to his mother's home in Penrith." — minor tidbit, but I would rephrase this to remove the "he ran... walked" contradiction. I'm sure everyone understands what it's saying, but perhaps "he ran away, traveling 284 miles (457 km) by foot" would be better.
    • Fix made. - G
  • "in Annapolis, Maryland. In Annapolis, he began regular church attendance" — shorten: "in Annapolis, Maryland. Here, he began regular church attendance".
    • Fix made. - G
Religious awakening
  • "as he arose" — clarify. Unclear what this means.
    • Clarified. - G
  • "Littlejohn initially took a cautious outlook on this dream" — could be more concise: "Littlejohn initially interpreted this dream cautiously". Not fussed if this is not changed.
    • I feel it's more clear in the original phrasing. - G
  • "itinerant in training" — should this not be "itinerant-in-training"?
    • Ah yeah. - G
  • "Setting out on his own later in 1776," — concision: "Setting out alone later that year,"
    • Fix made. - G
  • "including waking up as early as possible, avoiding the discussion of worldly matters, and daily Bible reading" — this list starts with gerund, subject, additional details for the first two but then deviates into adjective, subjective, gerund. On first read, the "and daily Bible reading" item appeared out of place. Potentially, a better phrasing for the Bible item is: "and reading the Bible daily".
    • Fair enough! Fixed. - G
  • "sets of resolutions" — "resolutions" is already pluralised, so "sets of" can be cut, in my eyes.
    • I was trying to show that the preachers regularly made a list of resolutions to follow, rather than those specific ones. - G
American Revolution and persecution
  • "American magistrates fined and imprisoned many for preaching and refusal of service, believing John Wesley and the Methodists in general to hold Loyalist sympathies." — something here doesn't sit right here after a few reads. Consider "American magistrates fined and imprisoned many for preaching and refusal of service, believing John Wesley, and Methodists generally, held Loyalist sympathies." Could also consider "and Methodists in general" within the commas. I don't think "to hold" is best here.
    • Good fix, made! - G
  • Clarify "Tories" for those unfamiliar. A wikilink or a note would suffice (though the latter would be preferred).
    • Wikilinked since it's primarily period vernacular for Loyalists rather than the actual political philosophy. -G
  • "due to his preaching and refusal of military service, despite Patriot sympathies" — are these sympathies for Patriots or sympathies from Patriots? Ambiguous.

Support. Anarchyte (talk) 08:30, 23 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Comments by Sawyer-mcdonell

[edit]

First of all, I'm so glad to see that you've taken this article this far! Per all the above reviews, it's an excellent article. I'm going to do a small review today on the religious history aspects, since that's what I know about. sawyer * he/they * talk 15:30, 10 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  1. When referring to an English Anglican, like Littlejohn's mother, it makes more sense to wikilink the Church of England, rather than the broader Anglican category. However, I think wikilinking Anglicanism when referring to a colonial American Anglican makes sense, as there isn't a specific article about Anglicanism in colonial America (although there should be), and at this time Anglicanism was going through a major shift, particularly in colonial America.
  2. "In Annapolis, he began regular church attendance" - Is there any information about what church he attended in Annapolis?
  3. "Depressed, he began to fear that his preaching had disgraced the gospel and considered drowning himself." - "gospel" could probably be wikilinked to The gospel#In the Bible and Christianity.
  4. "Beyond Littlejohn, few Methodist preachers actively supported the revolutionary movement." Why was this the case? Opposition to military service, Loyalist sympathies, or something else?
  5. "Monica Littlejohn died on January 16, 1828, and was buried at Russellville. His son Lewis died that August" - "His son" should probably be switched to "their son" since the preceding sentence discusses Mrs. Littlejohn.
This is pretty much all I've got after reading through it multiple times; I think the above reviews have covered it very well. sawyer * he/they * talk 16:20, 10 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Sadly no info on what church he attended in Annapolis. I have made the other requested changes though, good ideas :3 Generalissima (talk) 16:55, 10 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I figured as much about Annapolis. Happy to support FA status. Awesome work! :) sawyer * he/they * talk 17:05, 10 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
SC

Putting down a marker for now - SchroCat (talk) 19:01, 24 January 2024 (UTC) Only a few things, all on formatting and two on overlinking:[reply]

  • It's a minor thing, but several of the page ranges are hyphens, rather than en dashes
  • Ah yeah. Let me fix that.
  • There's some WP:OVERLINKING of common terms, including London (twice), Washington, D.C. and magistrate (twice); it may be best to check for others
  • There are a lot of duplicate links too; I know recent developments allow more than one now, but many of these are too close to each other to be allowable, including Loudoun County twice in the lead and Port Tobacco twice in the first paragraph of Early life - there are others you should look at too.
  • Good catch that I shouldn't link London. Magistrate is an unfamiliar term in a US context so I kept one link for that; and "Washington City" is a very archaic but period-correct term for D.C., so I kept a link for that. Loudoun is only linked once in the lede; the other is Logan county. Good catch on Port Tobacco et al.!
    Loudon is linked twice in the lead: once at "served as sheriff of Loudoun County, Virginia" and once at "As Loudoun County sheriff".
    I think Washington, D.C. is in the same category as London: it's a capital city and will not be confused with anywhere else, so it falls under WP:OVERLINKING. - SchroCat (talk) 17:36, 25 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

That's my lot – and an interesting red it was too! Cheers - SchroCat (talk) 16:53, 25 January 2024 @SchroCat: Alright, fixed those up. Thank you for the little MoS improvements, it's a big help. Generalissima (talk) 17:31, 25 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]


The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
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