Elijah Woolsey was a circuit rider in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Woolsey was born July 26th, 1771 in Marlborough, New York.[1]
Woolsey was accepted on trial for the Methodist itinerary in 1793.[2] He rode the Cambridge circuit, in New York, that year. In 1794, he was transfered to the Lower Circuit in Upper Canada, covering the Bay of Quinte, Kingston and much of the surrounding area. The next year, he was assigned to the Bay of Quinte circuit, with Sylvanus Keeler as his assistant. In 1796, he returned to the United States, riding the Redding circuit in Connecticut before locating. He resumes circuit riding in 1800, however, spending a year on the Newburg circuit in New York, then two on the Flanders circuit of New Jersey.[3]
In 1803, Woolsey was appointed presiding Elder of the Albany district. He remained in that position until 1807, when he was moved to Brooklyn. After a year in Brooklyn, he resumed circuit riding, riding the Croton circuit in 1808. In 1809, he rode the Pitsfield Circuit in Massachusetts. After this, he spent 1810 and 1811 on the Duchess Circuit in New York, and 1812 on the Rhinebeck Circuit, also in New York. He returned to New England in 1813, riding the Middletown circuit, followed by the Stratford Circuit in 1814 and the Redding Circuit in 1815. He spent the next eight years riding circuits in New York; the Duchess Circuit, the Courtlandt Circuit, the Newburg Circuit, the Croton Circuit and the New Rochelle Circuit. He returned to New England in 1824, riding the Redding Circuit once again, and again in 1825. From 1826 through 1828 he was in charge of the New Rochelle Circuit in New York.[3]
At the 1829 conference he was declared a Supernumerary. Despite this, he rode circuits intermittenly, the Courtlandt Circuit for five years, then the Rochelle Circuit for four more. At the 1838 conference he was made a Superannuated vetern, and he retired permanently from circuit riding. He moved to Rye, New York, where he continued to work as a local preacher[4] He died in 1849.[3]