USA > Delaware > New Castle County > Wilmington > The records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, Wilmington, Del., from 1697 to 1773 > Part 22
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
1
320
RECORDS OF
Hook and Concord who were then like a sheep without a shep- herd ; and I had not time then, neither strength nor ability to give to Christeen church two sermons on a Sunday, as they usually have in time of catechising the people, but I gave one sermon to them and the other to the English in the afternoon. I am fully per- suaded that if my Bishop had at that time been here, and seen the desolate state of the said congregations, he had surely pitied them, and could not dislike, much less blame me for my readi- ness to do good amongst my distressed neighbors. To say that I omit to visit the sick and administer the sacraments to such, is indeed a falsehood. Our church record will show the con- trary. I know in my conscience that I never refused that part of my office when I was sent for; it may be I have refused the persons whom I found unfit to receive it. I perceive that my great caution in administering the sacrament is thought and reported falsely by my enemies to be neglect. The other accusa- tions laid against me that I have sold two pieces of land belong- ing to the church and converted the money to my private use, are utterly false and malicious, and no man can prove such a sacrilege to have been committed by me, and was I guilty of such a crime I am sure my enemies would not spare me, but openly appear and prove it against me that I might suffer for such a wickedness. I perceive there is a new complaint amongst them against me, whereof my Bishop did not know when he wrote that sharp letter to me that I have neglected Christeen Church for six weeks. It is true I forbore last year to preach at Christeen for six weeks. In that very time it was when the false accusa- tions came into the hands of Mr. Biork against me. But that was not neglect, but a just censure passed upon unruly spirits among us. Our coming together about that time was attended with so much contention along of Justice Springer and his adherents, that the sober and discreet part of my congregation advised me to do my duty elsewhere, where I could officiate in peace and quietness, till the hot and furious amongst us should recover themselves and come to a cooler temper. There was such railing and scolding then at the church door, such a general obstinacy against paying me the promised support, that I resolved at last, by way of correction and rebuke, to desist preach- ing at Christeen, till my labors there were regarded and a better
321
HOLY TRINITY (OLD SWEDES) CHURCH.
use made of them; and if I in this acted unbecomingly, it was my mistake, not neglect.
I am your Honour's Most humble servant,
SAMUEL HESSELLIUS.
Then there was an investigation whether or not Pastor Hessellius was guilty of these crimes, and if his adver- sary Mr. Springer and they who were on his side could show that Mr. Hessellius was guilty of such offences and that Mr. Hessellius won the case, and that all the com- plaints of him were untrue and groundless will appears from the following copies.
Locs Sigilli Provincies Pensylvainensis
By the Honourable Patrick Gordon, Esq., Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania and the Counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex upon Delaware.
These certify whom it may concern, that the following is a true copy of the commission by me issued at the request of Mr. Samuel Hessellius, minister of the Swedish Church at Christina and of the report thereon made to me. In testimony whereof I have caused the great seal of the said Province hereunto to be affixed. Given under my hand at Philadelphia, the 24th day of October, in the third year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord, George the Second. by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, etc., Defender of the Faith, etc., annoqi domini, 1729. P. GORDON.
L. S.
Patrick Gordon, Esq., Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania and Counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex upon Delaware.
To Robert Gordon, David French and William Read, of the county of New Castle, Esquires, greeting:
Whereas, Mr. Samuel Hessellius, minister of the Swedish church at Christina, hath by a petition to me set forth that sev- eral grievous aspersions have been cast upon him and insinu- ations made, as if he had neglected the duty of his function and has unwarrantably sold lands belonging to that church, and con-
2I
322
RECORDS OF
verted the money to his own private use, which, having reached the ears of the Right Reverend the Bishop of Scara in Sweden, hath drawn on him, the said Hessellius, the resentment of that bishop, whereby he not only suffers in his reputation amongst his countrymen, but likewise is threatened with the loss of such preferment in Sweden as otherwise he might have expected, and although he cannot postively say who his accusers are, yet from several ill offices done him with those of his congregation at Christina, he is induced to believe that he has been thus misrep- resented by Charles Springer, of the county of New Castle, aforesaid, and a few others through his instigation. But being conscious of his innocence in all these matters laid to his charge in the said Bishop of Scara's letter, (a copy whereof translated from the Swedish into the English language is hereunto annexed) has therefore prayed that the difference if there any be, between his congregation and him, may be examined by proper persons to the end it may be known what foundation there is for these complaints:
Know ye therefore that I have appointed and authorized, and by these presents appoint and authorize you the said Robert Gordon, David French and William Read, or any two of you to make inquiry into the general articles with which the said Mr. Hessellius stands charged, and for that end to call before you such of his congregation as you shall judge best qualified to get those matters in a true light, and their examinations to take in presence of the said Mr. Hessellius and his accusers, and likewise to hear and judge of the defence which Mr. Hessellius shall there make against such things as shall be objected to him, and to make report of the whole to me with your opinion thereon.
Given under my hand and seal at arms at Philadelphia, the sixteenth day of August, in the third year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second over Great Britian, France and Ireland, etc., Annoq Domini 1729.
P. GORDON.
To the Honorable Patrick Gordon, Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, and of New Castle, Kent and Sussex :
May it please your Honor:
In obedience to your Honor's commission directed unto us, to-
323
HOLY TRINITY (OLD SWEDES) CHURCH.
inquire into certain differences between Rev. Mr. Samuel Hes- selius, minister at the Swedish church at Christina, and his congregation, we appointed Monday, the first day of this instant, September, for that purpose, that if any persons of Mr. Hessel- ius' congregation had any thing to lay to his charge, they might be present, and that Mr. Hesselius might be prepared to defend himself against the accusations brought against him. And as your Honor has been pleased in your said commission farther to command us to make our report to you as well of the truth of the articles laid to Mr. Hesselius' charge as of the nature and manner of his defence, we humbly lay before your Honor the sevral charges against Mr. Hesselius and his defense to each of them separately:
The first article was that the said Samuel Hessellius had neg- lected to preach to his congregation for many Sundays. To this Mr. Hessellius answered that he had indeed been absent some- times, but on such days as he was absent from Christina he preached to the English churches of Northeast, Chester, Marcus Hook and Concord, which at that time had no settled ministers; nor was he always absent the whole Sunday, but for the most part preached to his congregation in the morning before he went abroad, and this was agreed to be true by as many of his congre- gation as were present.
Article 2nd-That the said Samuel Hessellius did not catechise, as former ministers had done. To this Mr. Hessellius answered that his not catechising was owing partly to his indisposition, and to his preaching to the English churches before mentioned, and that it was impossible for him to catechise his hearers on the same day he was preaching abroad, and his congregation acknowledged that when he did not catechise he was supplying some of the said churches.
Article 3rd. - That Mr. Samuel Hessellius did not administer the sacrament to the sick. To this he answered that he never refused to administer it when he judged the persons fit to receive it; that when two sick persons sent for him, he visited them, and that they desired to receive the sacrement, which he would have administered, but that he thought them not qualified to receive it, by reason of the violence of their indisposition which had
324
RECORDS OF
affected their understanding, and no other instances of his refusal were given to us.
Article 4th .- That Mr. Hessellius had sold a tract of land be- longing to the church at Christina, and converted the money to his own use. To this he answered that the fact was utterly false, and for his vindication desired that Edward Robinson might be sworn, who upon oath declared that the said land was never di- rectly bequeathed to the church, but that one Aaron Johnson a member of that congregation, by his will bequeathed the same to his wife, but desired that after her decease, as the words of the testator are, the church might have what benefit she could of his estate. The same Edward farther declared that the widow by deed of sale conveyed the same land to him in consideration of his maintaining and supporting her in her old age, and that after the widow's decease the said Edward paid to the vestry of Christina Church the sum of 15 pounds for the release of the said land, and that the whole vestry unanimously concurred in the release; and by the confession of the persons who were Churchwardens at that time, it appeared evidently to us that Mr. Hessellius borrowed of them part of the 15 pounds, and that he had since repaid the same.
Article 5th .- That Mr. Hessellius had sold a part of the tract of land adjoining the glebe. As this charge was without foundation, Mr. Hessellius referred to the vestry for answer thereunto, who all declared that the said land was sold by the consent of the whole congregation, and that Mr. Hesselius is wrongfully accused in this particular,
As your Honor has required us, we presume to offer our opinion of the things laid to Mr. Hessellius charge, and of his defence to them.
As to the first article we must own that we do not take it to be a neglect in Mr. Hessellius to have preached in the English churches, since by his own commission from his Bishop in Sweden, he is permitted so to do. And when we consider that the said Mr. Hessellius seldom failed to preach to his own congre- gation in the forenoon we think it would be uncharitable to say that he had neglected his care because he was assistant to those
325
HOLY TRINITY (OLD SWEDES) CHURCH
who had no teacher at the time; but if this be a neglect he is certainly guilty of it.
Of the 2nd article our opinion is the same as in the first since his not catechizing was occasioned by his preaching to the Eng- lish churches and some time by his indisposition. In relation to the 3rd article, we cannot say whether Mr. Hesselius be faulty or not, unless we were proper judges of the qualification of the persons who desired to receive the sacrament, but if the minister in such cases be allowed to be the best judges as we conceive him to be, whether a person be a proper communicant or not, then we think Mr, Hessellius ought not to be blamed, in- asmuch as thro' his caution only he thought it improper to ad- minister it, to such as were not at the time in their senses, and that this was the cause of his refusing the sacrament to them we think is plain, because by the confession of all, Mr. Hessellius went on purpose to visit them.
As to the 4th and 5th articles, we think the charges in them are without foundation. We have not been able to find out who has thus accused Mr. Hessellius to his Bishop, and we must, in justice to Mr. Springer, inform your Honor that it has not ap- peared to us that he has represented him in this manner, and we are convinced that he has not been his accuser, by reason of the many real good offices he has done his minister. He indeed complained before us, as did a great part of the congregation, that Mr. Hessellius was too frequently absent, and this they called a neglect in him, conceiving that by his mission and agreement with them, he was to serve that church only, and that he ought not to leave them, more especially on Sundays, or not so often as he has done ; and this we take to be the foundation of their church differences. We hope your Honor will be pleased to receive our endeavours to execute your Honour's commands.
ROBERT GORDON. DAVID FRENCH. WILLIAM READ.
New Castle, 6th of September, 1729.
Copy of the Herr Commissary Archibald Cumming's letter from Philadelphia to the Highworthy Herr Bishop Jesper Swedberg, which reads as follows:
My Lord:
Tho' I am an utter stranger to your Lordship, yet I hope your
326
RECORDS OF
goodness will, upon considering the nature of the affair, pardon my presuming to offer this trouble. I am incumbent of the English Church in Philadelphia, and appointed by the Bishop of London, his commissary, to exercise spiritual jurisdiction over the English clergy in this government. It is my inclination to maintain strict friendship, and as far as matters will bear, brotherly unity with your missionaries from Sweden, and am firmly resolved to do them all good offices that lie in my power. The regard I have for them in general, and particularly for Mr. Samuel Hessellius at Christina, creates in me no small uneasiness, since I have understood that so worthy a gentleman as he is, has fallen under your Lordship's displeasure. As to what is laid to his charge, upon inquiry, I find it is true that he preaches once every month to certain congregations of English, and upon some few occasions officiates at some other vacant churches, but nevertheless his own parishioners generally agree that he doubles his diligence among them and spares no pain to dis- charge the duties of his functions faithfully among them. In this case I am pursuaded did your Lordship see the desolate state of some of our congregations, like sheep without a shepherd, you would be ready to pity them, and to applaud instead of blame Mr. Hessellius for his readiness to do good among them. Besides this is no more than what his predecessors did formerly, what Mr. Lidman does at present and what our society at home annually rewards them for. The other accusations laid against him are utterly false, and known by everybody to proceed from the peevishness and caprice of one old man who has made a fac tion among that people to distress their minister, merely because he cannot force honest Hessellius to do everything to humor him, and to pay him that service and submission which would be very umbecoming one of his character or any one of a liberal education. Unhappy and hard indeed would be the case of any of the most circumspect clergyman in this remote part of the world, if it lay in the power of a few meddling and ill-designing men to ruin his credit and hinder his preferment by malicious misrepre- sentations. Give me leave to observe, my Lord, that as you of all Protestants are extremely blessed and easy in respect of be- ing free from dissenters from your National Church, perhaps you may not be so very sensible of the hardships, yours as well as our clergy labour under in a province which of all the English
-
327
HOLY TRINITY (OLD SWEDES) CHURCH.
Governments is most over-run with sects of different denomina- tions, wild, enthusiastical beyond expression ; and it is no new thing for these accusers of the brethren, when they see regularly ordained clergymen, orthodox in the faith and diligent in the preopagating the same, both by precept and example, it is no new thing I say for them to employ fit tools from among our- selves to asperse and calumainate our conduct. As to Mr. Hessellius, I assure your Lordship in the strongest terms, that he is well esteemed and spoken of by persons of every rank for his sound doctrine and exemplary conversation. I earnestly beg your Lordship's favor towards him; though his innocence should support him, yet he is very much afflicted and cast down by reason of the bad impression you have received concerning him. Pray God for give his enemies and preserve your Lordship. I am with profouned respect,
My Lord
Your most humble and most obedient servant
ARCH. CUMMING,
Philadelphia,
June 24th 1729.
Copy of the letter of the English clergy to the Highworthy Bishop Swedberg, which reads as follows :
To the Right Rev'd the Lord Bishop of Scara ; The humble address of the commissary and clergy
of the Province of Pennsylvania ; May it please Your Lordship :
The design of propagating the Gospel in these foreign parts of America, and particularly in Pennsylvania, (where false doctrine abounds and the number of sound teachers is so small,) engaged the Honorable Society of London, whereof Your Lordship is an eminent member, to employ the Swedish missionaries here so far in their service, that if they preached twenty sermons per annum in the vacant churches, each of them should have a yearly gratu- ity of 10 pounds sterling paid them. It pleased the Reverend Mr. Samuel Hessellius among others to accept of the said socie- ty's offer, believing that to supply our vacant churches now and then, could never be construed a neglect of his more particular charge. His charity herein, and indeed compassion to himself and poor family, instead of gaining that applause which it
328
RECORDS OF
truly deserved, was made a handle by two or three of his par- ishioners who grudged him bread, and our vacant churches the means of grace to draw upon him your Lordships heavy dis- pleasure. But it may suffice to justify his conduct in this affair that it was encouraged from London and had our constant ap- probation. He seldom preached in English before he had dis- charged the duty he owed to his own cure; and we cannot but pity him, when we find that his unwearied diligence and his communicating the bread of life to his poor neighbours, when his own people had enough and to spare, is so deeply resented. Your Lordship, surely, never intended that one spot of the vine- yard here should be constantly watered, when the several parts around it withered and died. That we be not tedious to your Lordship in a point that has been publicly heard, and deter- mined to our Brother's honour, we beg leave to assure your Lordship that Mr. Hessellius is so meanly provided for at Christina that he could not subsist were it not for his labour among our vacant churches. We beg your Lordship will be rec- onciled to him for he is truly a worthy, discreet and diligent preacher, and as such we recommend him to your special favor and protection.
We are your Lordship,
Your most humble and most obedient servants,
ARCH'D CUMMINGS, Commissary. GEORGE Ross, Missionary at New Castle. ROBERT WEYMAN, Missionary at Oxford. WILLIAM BECKET, Missionary at Lewes. WAL. HACKET, Missionary at Appoquinimink. Philadelphia, RICHARD BACKHOUSE,
15th October, 1729.
Missionary at Chester.
Copy of Christina Church's letter to the High Worthy Herr Bishop Swedberg, which reads as follows:
To the most Reverend Father in God, Jesperus, Lord Bishop of Scara; the humble representation of the subscribers, mem- bers of the Swedish Church, at Christina in America: May it it please your Grace:
Mr. Samuel Hessellius, our present minister, having communi- cated to us a letter which he had received from your Grace of the date of August 23d, 1728, in which you are pleased to observe by letters from these parts directed to Mr. Biork, sometime our minister, you perceive that Mr. Hessellius has not behaved him-
1
329
HOLY TRINITY (OLD SWEDES) CHURCH.
self in his office of a pastor as he ought to have done, that he has been represented as a person who has neglected the care of his flock, that he has not only neglected to preach to them for several Sundays, but also that he has omitted to visit the sick, and to administer the sacrament to such, and likewise he has sold two parcels of land belonging to the church at Christina, and converted the money to his own use. Now in justice to Mr. Hessellius, we presume to acquaint and assure your Grace that these accusations are groundless and malicious, and that the person who gave this information to Biork was acted by malice and prejudice against our minister Mr. Hessellius, and never had any reasons for such allegations.
We observe with pleasure the good and generous intentions your Grace had of promoting Mr. Hessellius upon his return to Sweden, and we are heartily sorry that such groundless reports, and falsehoods as have been transmitted to Mr. Biork fromthere should incline you not to countenance him any longer, or to be- lieve that he is guilty of the things laid to his charge. We con- clude with our hearty acknowledgments to your Grace for hav- ing sent us so good a minister, and hope this will remove any ill opinion you may have conceived against him.
We are, my Lord, your Grace's
Very humble servants,
CHRISTIERN BRUNBERG, His
HANS H P PIETTERSSON, Mark.
ISRAEL I. PETERSSON,
JONAS STEDHAM,
GEORGE REED, His
ANDREW A STALCOP, SR., Mark. JOHN SEEDS,
ANDERS X. HINDRICSSON, SR., His ANDERS A. HINDRICSSON, JR. Mark. ERASMUS E. STEDHAM,
PETER PETERSSON, His
HINDRIC X KALSBERG, Mark.
WILLIAM TUSSEY, His PETER P PETERSSON. Mark.
His PHILIP PV VANDEVER,
Mark.
JACOB VANDEVER, His
ANDREW A LINAM, Mark. His HINDRIC X HINDRICSSON, Mark.
His JOHN I RIGHT, Mark. CHRISTIERN STILLMAN,
NOTE. This was written in English.
330
RECORDS OF
Copy of the letter of the English Church of Chester to the High Worthy Bishop, reads as follows:
May it please your Lordship:
We, members of the church of England and inhabitants of Ches- ter in Pennsylvania, whose names are hereunto subscribed, pre- sume to beg your Lordship's candid interpretation of these lines. We find upon perusal of a letter of yours to the Reverend Mr. Samuel Hessellius, minister of Christina, your great resentment against his conduct and behavior among the people of Christina, summing up several articles, wherein he has misbehaved himself. to some of which we think it a duty strictly incumbent upon us to reply, to vindicate the injured innocence of the aforesaid Mr. Hessellius from the odious calumnies his barbarous enemies have cast upon him, and to undeceive your Lordship in those ground- less opinions you have entertained of him. This is, therefore, to give you to understand that we are the people whom Mr. Hes- sellius, when we were in a mnost forlorn and deplorable condition, piously relieved from the injuries of spiritual darkness by pub- lic Divine service, for which he had incurred your displeasure as to be within a little (though unheard himself) to be forever de- prived from your protection, banished your favor, and suspended from his sacerdotal office. A sentence, we cannot but hope, upon your due consideration of these lines, you will intirely re- verse. For years together, we labored under such hard and uu- happy circumstances, that we had no minister either to baptize our infants, catechise our youth, administer the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, visit the sick or bury our dead ; neither had we any public Divine service ; but when this pious gentleman during the space of about two years and six months at our importunity, came among us, and that was but every third Sunday at the most ; nay, so tender and indulgent was he over his people at Christina, that he preached to them at the usual hour for Divine service, and afterwards so indefatigably diligent was he, that he came to us on the same day. We are very much afflicted to find the pious gentleman so meanly rewarded, for those so great and meritorious services of giving light to those that were in darkness, and of preaching the Gospel to the poor, even when he neglected not those who
33I
HOLY TRINITY (OLD SWEDES) CHURCH.
were more immediately by his orders from Sweden, committed to his care. Were innocence preservative against evil tongues, or could sanctity or a good conscience secure a man from unjust calumny, we believe Mr. Hessellius' character would have appeared in your discerning judgment unspotted and glorious; and as eminently would he have enjoyed your favor as any of his brethren that ever you were pleased to send into America. And we are well assured and believe that all men whatsoever acquainted with the gentleman, whose judgement is not blinded with prejudice, but governed by the dictates of an inoffensive conscience will agree, that all those accusations laid against him are false, scandalous and malicious. May therefore, not only this, but all such like attempts for the future be discounte- nanced, and may there never be wanting plenty of such faithful stewards over Christ's household, is the earnest prayer of
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.