Robert Strawbridge (c. 1732 - 1781) was a Methodist preacher born in Drumsna, County Leitrim, Ireland. He is credited with establishing the Methodist movement in North America.
Robert Strawbridge was born in Drumsna, a city in County Leitrim, Ireland. His exact year of birth is unknown, though historians estimate he was likely born around 1732.
Strawbridge became an itinerant preacher in Ireland, traveling to preach in northwest Ireland. He occasionally worked to erect houses while continuing to preach. Strawbridge married Elizabeth Piper prior to 1760.
Strawbridge emigrated to Frederick County, Maryland between 1760 and 1763. He began organizing class meetings in his home, and later in a nearby erected building. One notable member of Strawbridge's classes was Annie Sweitzer, an enslaved African American woman. Strawbridge itinerated and organized Methodist classes (including training other rpeachers) in multiple states, including Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Strawbridge died in 1781, and his early log meetinghouse has been reconstructed by the Methodist church as the Strawbridge Shrine.