William Ryland was a Methodist clergyman who served several terms as Chaplain of the Senate.

Early years

William Ryland was born in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 in 1770. He came to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 at the age of 18 and settled in Harford County, Maryland

Harford County, Maryland

Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...

. For a time, he engaged in business in Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

; on May 28, 1799 a fire in that city damaged his warehouse. In 1802, he became a minister in the Methodist Church, a vocation he continued in for the remainder of his life.

When Mr. Ryland entered the ministry in 1802, a friend bantered him about the matter and told him he would soon give up the ministry. This friend was in the tobacco business. He said to him, "Now, Ryland, I am so confident that you will not continue in this thing, that I promise to send a hundred of my finest cigars every year you remain a minister." For 44 years this promise was faithfully kept. General Jackson enjoyed many of these cigars, although he much preferred a corncob pipe.

Ministry

His first appointment was to the Baltimore circuit, a post in which he served for nine years. While there he also befriended and at times assisted Philip William Otterbein

Philip William Otterbein

Philip William Otterbein was a U.S. clergyman. He was the founder of the United Brethren in Christ, a group that is a forerunner of today's United Methodist Church.-Biography:...

 in his ministry, sharing in the ordination of Christian Newcomer

Christian Newcomer

Christian Newcomer was an American farmer and preacher, who was elected on 5 May 1813 as the third Bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.-Ordination:...

 and delivering the English translation of Otterbein's funeral sermon. Thereafter, he was sent to Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...

. During this time he was first elected Chaplain of the Senate. He became pastor of the Foundry Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, as well as Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal Church, in Washington, at which time he became acquainted with Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...

, who was then a United States Senator. Eight days after his inauguration as President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, Jackson sent Ryland a commission as Chaplain of the Navy (sometimes called Chaplain to the Marines) in which he served the last eighteen years of his life. This congregation was known as the Wesley Chapel Station, at the Washington Naval Yards.

Ryland Epworth Church is the product of three congregations. The first, Ryland Church, started in 1843 in Southwest Washington. It was called Ryland Chapel initially, in honor of Rev. William Ryland, former Chaplain of the United States Senate, who had given the land for its construction. Ryland also gave the considerable sum of $1800 to erect a Methodist church that was also named in his honor Ryland Chapel in Galveston, Texas

Galveston, Texas

Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

; it was dedicated on January 23, 1843.

Personal life

Ryland married Joanna Mather on December 5, 1796 in Harford, Maryland. Joanna (or Juanna) is buried with him in Congressional Cemetery. Buried with them is his wife's niece, Joanna Mather Ruff. (Note, some amateur genealogists indicate a different spouse for Ryland, however, it is clear that the wife who is buried alongside him in Washington is Joanna Ryland).