Adam Bland Griffin, Named for Circuit Riding Preacher

Thinking about our Gt Grandfather Samuel's brother, Adam Bland Griffin, b. West Virginia in 1845. With such a unique name, he just HAD to be named after someone that Wm. and Elizabeth knew. I looked over family names and census records of the time the baby Adam would have been born. No clues. In 1850 census, there is an Adam Bland age 30, listed as Methodist Preacher, in Monroe County VA. The preacher and his young wife lived next to 3 McAvoy families... brothers-in-law of Elizabeth Rodgers Griffin (our Adam B's mother). Her sister, Tabitha Rodgers m. James McAvoy. Monroe Co. is a couple of counties south of Pocahontas.

This Adam Bland would have been born about 1820 and our Adam B. Griffin b. June 1845..... when Bland would have been about 25 yrs. old.

More Googling found that Adam Bland, Methodist Preacher, was a circuit rider. A Google Book autobiography of another Western VA circuit rider mentions Adam Bland and his brothers Zane and Henry, all Methodist preachers of the era. It is an interesting read about this time in history. If you go to the link, plug in Bland in the search, or go to about pg. 44 to read.
Story of My Life by William Taylor (Methodist Preacher 1800s)

Here is an excerpt I thought interesting:
"According to the rule of the [Meth.] Conference if a young man got married before his two years of probation were out, he was not admitted, and if after admission, before the expiration of his fourth year, he was liable to censure and usually punished by appointment to a very poor circuit, where he and his young wife would enjoy their honeymoon among the whippoorwills. Pocahontas Circuit was one of the dreaded appointments, hence the boys called it "Poke-it-onto-us". "

Looks like that's what happened to Preacher Adam Bland. Our Griffins must have recognized his worth and named their child after the young circuit riding minister. In a few years, others recognized Bland by sending him as the first Protestant preacher to the California Gold Rush community. At that point we can find much about Adam Bland's ministry on the internet. I wonder if the Griffin families kept track of the man they honored by naming their child for him.