Barbara Heck

Ruckle, Barbara (Heck) b. Bastian Ruckle (Sebastian) along with Margaret Embury, daughter of Bastian Ruckle (Republic of Ireland) who married Paul Heck (1760) in Ireland. They were blessed with seven children. Of these, four lived to adulthood.

Normally the subject of biographical works has been involved in significant events or has enunciated distinctive ideas or proposals which have been documented in written format. Barbara Heck, on the contrary, did not leave writings or statements. The evidence of such matters as the date of her wedding is not the only evidence. The lack of a primary source could be used to trace Barbara Heck's motives, or her actions during most of her lifetime. She has nevertheless become an iconic figure in the early years of North American Methodism theology. It's the responsibility of the biographer to explain and delineate the mythology of this instance, as well as to present the real person in the story.

Abel Stevens was a Methodist scholar who wrote his thesis in 1866. Barbara Heck's humble title has become the first name in the ecclesiastical history of the New World because of the expansion of Methodism. Her accomplishments are based more on the importance of the cause that she is involved in than on her personal life. Barbara Heck, who was unintentionally involved in the formation of Methodism both in the United States and Canada, is a woman who's popularity stems from the trend that an established institution or movement would be able to celebrate their origins in order to strengthen their sense of tradition and continuity.