The Falkners and the Methodist Church in Oxford, Mississippi

Abstract

This article examines church affiliations and membership of William Faulkner and the extended Falkner family. Faulkner joined the Oxford Methodist Church of Oxford, Mississippi, at age twelve. He attended Sunday school there and his name appeared on Methodist church membership rolls, on different dates, as both "Falkner" and "Faulkner." Although Faulkner and his wife were married in a Presbyterian church, and his wife was Episcopalian, Faulkner was not a regular churchgoer as an adult. His name remained on the Methodist Church membership rolls as late as the 1930s. Most of the living members of Faulkner's family are Episcopalian. Data for this article were collected from the archives of Oxford–University United Methodist Church of Oxford, Mississippi, interviews, and published reports.