Barbara Heck

BARBARA(Heck) born 1734 in the town of Ballingrane (Republic of Ireland) the daughter of Bastian and Margaret Embury. Bastian Ruckle and Margaret Embury had a daughter called Barbara (Heck), born 1734. In 1760 she married Paul Heck and together they had seven kids. Four survived to adulthood.

Normaly, the person who is being profiled has either been an important participant in a significant occasion or has made an extraordinary statement or proposal that has been documented. Barbara Heck however left no notes or letters, and any evidence of such as the day of her wedding is not the most important. For the vast majority of her adulthood, there are no evidence from the primary sources which can be used to determine the motives or actions of her. In spite of this she became a legendary figure during the early days of Methodism. The biographer's task is to define the myth and explain it and, if it is possible, to identify the person who is enshrined within it.

Abel Stevens, Methodist historian of 1866. The progress of Methodism in the United States has now indisputably put the names of Barbara Heck first on the women's list that have been a part of the ecclesiastical story of the New World. Her accomplishments are based more on the significance of the cause that she has been associated with than her private life. Barbara Heck, who was unintentionally involved in the founding of Methodism both in the United States and Canada She is one of those women who is famous because of the tendency for a successful organization or movement to celebrate its roots to strengthen the sense of continuity and tradition.