Dr. Anna Grant was one of the two female evangelists appointed as delegates to the 1890 General Conference of the Free Methodist Church. Her story, like that of fellow delegate Clara Wetherald, has come together through various fragments—newspaper clippings, census records, Free Methodist ministry reports, annual conference minutes, and family stories. While I have not yet discovered where she completed her medical training, I have managed to trace her life after 1890 until her death in 1916. This post focuses on her ministry in Iowa and Oklahoma, with a follow-up post coming soon on her time as the appointed pastor of the San Diego Free Methodist Church.

Anna Grant’s Early Ministry and Family Support

Anna Grant’s husband, John, was both an entrepreneur and a farmer. His support for Anna’s ministry and medical career was notable. Together, they had twelve children, two of whom died in infancy, and John often took on childcare responsibilities while Anna traveled for her ministry and medical work. In the early 1890s, the family relocated from Northern Indiana to Ida Grove, Iowa, where John operated a farm while Anna continued to minister with the Free Methodist Church.

Ministry in Iowa: Camp Meetings and Revivals

In an August 21, 1894, article, Anna Grant recounted her 50-mile journey across the open prairie to attend camp meetings in the Sioux Falls District, implying that her family may have accompanied her on this trip. In 1895, she was mentioned again for her participation in revival meetings held in Danbury, Iowa, in March.

In November 1897, Anna reported from Aurelia, a town on the northwestern edge of Iowa, where she had led a week-long revival service. Although some community members initially resisted the timing of the service due to their busy schedules, a vote revealed overwhelming support for the continuation of the holiness meetings. Anna wrote that six individuals had received the “blessing or pardon of purity,” with men repenting of tobacco use and women renouncing vanity. She found “hungry souls everywhere” and hoped to organize a Free Methodist class in Aurelia before departing. In her report, she urged other Free Methodists to join her efforts, as she was the only Free Methodist working in the area.

Moving to Oklahoma: Evangelistic Work in Granite

By 1898, Anna Grant was assisting with a series of tabernacle meetings in Ida Grove, Iowa. In 1901, the family moved to Granite, Oklahoma, as part of a larger migration of Free Methodists to the newly opened Oklahoma Territory. John Grant filed a homestead claim in Comanche, Apache, and Kiowa ceded lands, and by 1903, the family had settled in Granite, where they operated a hotel.

In March 1903, W.G. Hammer visited the Grant family in Granite and reported on their evangelistic activities to The Free Methodist. Granite, a town of 1,500 residents, had several large mercantile businesses, four churches, and what was described as the largest public school building in the state. Hammer noted that the Grant family brought their evangelistic work wherever they moved and had already requested Free Methodist conferences to hold three separate meetings in Granite. Hammer’s report highlighted the success of these revival services, with many experiencing conversion or sanctification. Anna Grant was particularly active in encouraging the local community to attend the meetings, which continued even after the Free Methodist evangelists had left.

Anna Grant’s Continued Ministry: Evangelist Across Regions

Despite remaining active in ministry, Anna Grant was not consistently listed as a licensed evangelist in the Iowa or Oklahoma Annual Conference Reports during her time in those regions. She was officially listed as an evangelist in the Northern Indiana Conference in 1890 and 1891 but did not reappear in conference records until 1912, when she was appointed pastor of the San Diego Free Methodist Church for a year.

It’s possible that Anna chose not to maintain her evangelist license, though this seems unlikely given her continued active involvement in the church. Once an evangelist received their license, it only required periodic review, and Anna was deeply engaged in the denomination everywhere she went. The gaps in conference reports raise questions about how many other women were preaching and ministering within the denomination but have not been credited as evangelists in official records.

Dr. Anna Grant: A Legacy of Faith and Service

Dr. Anna Grant’s life and ministry offer a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs faced by female evangelists during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From her early years ministering in Iowa to her later work in Oklahoma, Anna’s unwavering commitment to both her family and her faith is evident. Her story, much like that of other pioneering women in the Free Methodist Church, highlights the crucial role women played in spreading the message of holiness and sanctification across the United States.

Stay tuned for a follow-up post that will dive into Dr. Anna Grant’s time as the appointed pastor of the San Diego Free Methodist Church, where she continued her impactful ministry work.