USA > Maryland > Frederick County > Graceham > The history of Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland > Part 2
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In compliance with this request, transmitted by Mr. Nyberg to the Moravian Brethren at Bethlehem, John Henry Herzer was sent, the same year, to fill the vacancy, and did so, acceptably and successfully, for about one year, when the Rev. George- Nieke was sent as his successor. Nieke had been ordained, at the General Synod of the various denominations in Pennsylvania, held at Oley, Pa., in March, 1744, not as a Moravian, but as a
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Lutheran minister, by Peter Boehler, who had been appointed Vice-Inspector or Superintendent of the Lutheran Church in America, and Syndic of the Pennsylvania Synod. "Peter Boeh- ler was not yet a Bishop of the Moravian Church, and conse- quently this ordination must be viewed as a bona-fide Lutheran ordination."* (Reichel's Early History of the Church of the United Brethren [Moravians] in America.)
*In a recently published History of Frederick County, in two large volumes, the contributor of an article referring to the beginning of the work of our Church in this county, states that at an early period in the history of Manocacy (The German village and union church known by that name) "there appeared in the village two Moravian missionaries, George Ninke (sic) and his wife. They were industrious and persuasive proselyters, and induced many of the Lutherans to join their church."
The contributor of the article, in which this statement occurs, was evi- dently ignorant of the fact that the Rev. George Nieke had been ordained as a Lutheran minister, pastor-elect of the Lutheran church at Tulpe- hocken, Pa., and was not, therefore, a Moravian missionary, proselyter or emissary of any sort or description.
After mentioning the death of the Rev. David Candler, the narrative con- tinues : "Lars Nyberg, a minister from Lancaster, preached the sermon, which so pleased the Manocacy deputies that they requested him to pro- cure them a successor who could preach like himself. This gave Nyberg the long-looked-for opportunity to carry all the Lutheran congregations from Lancaster to Frederick into the Moravian Society. When the perfidy of Nyberg became known, the congregation had already become distracted, and many, especially at Manocacy, became his adherents. It appears that Nyberg had secretly embraced the Moravian faith, and had entered into agreement with Spangenberg to carry the Lutherans of Lancaster and else- where into that fold. Candler's death widened his influence and gave the opportunity. The request of the brethren" (i. e., the Lutherans from Ma- nocacy who attended the funeral) "opened the door for action. Nyberg came frequently and many followed him. At Lancaster, York, Conewago and Manocacy, the doors were closed against him. He now sent Nieke, who also became an offense and was locked out." The writer seems to have been unaware of the fact that Mr. Nieke was "locked out" before Mr. Nyberg, as well as of the fact that for two years after he had been "locked out," he was so little of an "offense" that "he was in blessed ac- tivity there as a Lutheran pastor." (Reichel's Early History.)
The charge that Nyberg had secretly made an agreement with our be- loved and venerable Bishop Spangenberg is simply ridiculous, as all who know the character of the man and the constitution and government of our Church do not need to be told. Any one who is acquainted with the his- tory of the Moravian Church knows that it has always opposed and for- bidden, at home and in its foreign mission fields, proselytism in any shape
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With this change, however, some of those who worshipped in the union church were dissatisfied, and, after Mr. Nieke had preached one sermon in the church, they refused him the further use of it.
DULANY'S GIFT.
A few miles distant from the church was the farm of Bro. Jacob Weller, who had come from Germany, in the year 1737, and after first settling in Pennsylvania, had come to the Ma- nocacy Valley in 1742. Having offered the use of his house for the school and meetings of those who favored Mr. Nieke, they were held there for some time, probably until the winter of 1748- '49, during which the Rev. George Neisser, Mr. Nieke's succes- sor, preached and taught school in the house of "old Mr. Am- brose."
This arrangement was only temporary, for in the latter part of 1746 or early in 1747, Bro. Weller having gone to Annapolis with Jacob Matthes, who was not a Moravian, but was connected for some years with the undenominational "Congregation in Manocacy," they called on the Hon. Daniel Dulany, the elder,
or form. Furthermore, no amount of "persuasion," i. e., proselyting, would have been able to add one member to our Church in those early days, when applicants sometimes waited for years before the Lot favored their appli- cation. Among the Minutes of a Conference held at Graceham, July 25 and 26, 1772, we read: "With reference to such persons as may wish to con- nect themselves with our congregation, it was recommended that rather than accede at once to their request they be advised to remain faithful members of their own church, and our good friends." "Zinzendorf's motto had always been, 'Not to proselytize, but to evangelize.'"
After the "Congregation in Manocacy," a "free," undenominational con- gregation, had by its own request been organized as a Moravian congrega- tion in 1758,-twelve years after Bro. Nieke had been "locked out" of the union church on the Manocacy-our ministers here were on the best of terms with the Lutheran and Reformed ministers in the county. There was no charge of proselyting brought against them then, although in a de- voted and self-denying spirit they cheerfully ministered to all who desired their services.
Besides the church services at Graceham they had regular appointments at a number of other places, but they made no attempt to win members of other churches, and to organize congregations in connection with the Mo- ravian Church. Had they done so, there would not today be only two Moravian churches in Frederick County.
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with whom they were acquainted, and on whose land they had probably settled. Having mentioned to him their trouble with regard to the church, he decided to give them ten acres of his land for a church and school-house, free of all cost. This ten- acre tract was surveyed, July 3, 1747, by Thomas Cresap, Deputy Surveyor of Prince George's County, which then embraced the whole of western Maryland, Frederick County being organized the following year, and until 1776 embracing all that part of the Province lying west and north of Prince George's County.
In accordance with the custom of giving special names to tracts of land taken up by settlers, the ten-acre tract donated by the Hon. Daniel Dulany was named "Dulany's Gift." It was surveyed as a rectangle, having two sides of 80 perches or rods, i. e., 1320 feet each-exactly one-fourth of a mile-and two sides of 20 perches or rods each, and therefore contained 1600 square rods or ten acres. The beginning point was "a bounded white- oak on the south side of a spring leading to Captain's (Owing's) Creek, a draft of Minorcacee, * * to be held by Culverton or Mi- norcacee Mannor" (sic).
"Dulany's Gift" was probably altogether woodland, as Bro. Rundt, the minister in charge March-October, 1758, cleared a portion of it so that he could take walks there, and in 1762 it was necessary to clear a piece of woodland for the laying-out of the cemetery. A note in the Diary for September, 1763, states that half of the land had been cleared. This ten-acre tract ex- tended in a north-east and south-west direction, the present church and parsonage premises being at the south-west end of the tract, which embraced the cemetery and land beyond, but none of the land on which the lots of Graceham were laid out after it had been purchased in 1782.
Both Daniel Dulany, the elder, who donated the tract just de- scribed, and his son, Daniel Dulany, the younger, were the most eminent men of their day in their profession of the law, and held the highest offices in the Province of Maryland, and their ability and legal authority were recognized and respected, not only in Maryland, but in the other Colonies and in England, and they always endeavored to promote the prosperity and to establish the rights of the people of this Province .*
*We are indebted to Mr. Richard H. Spencer, Counsellor-at-Law, of Baltimore, for interesting Sketches of the Lives of Daniel Dulany, the
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"Dulany's Gift" was surrounded by another tract of 685 acres, embracing the land on which the houses and lots of Graceham are now located, and the land afterwards owned by George Siess, and was granted on May 20, 1754, to Major Joseph Ogle. Portions of this tract were later owned by John Biggs, Henry Pitesell (Peitzell), Joseph and Mary Butler, neé Ogle, and Geo. Siess, who thus became neighbors on all sides to "Dulany's Gift."
THE FIRST CHURCH-HOUSE (GEMEINHAUS).
In the year 1748 those who had been holding their religious services and school in private houses made preparations for the building of a house on "Dulany's Gift" that was to serve as a combined church, parsonage and school-house, and in the month of March, 1749, it was built. There is no description of it given in the records at Graceham, but we know that it occupied, at least in part, the site of the present parsonage, that it was a log-building, like others at that time in this section, and that it was 30-40 feet in length and 22-24 feet in width; as it must have been at least eight feet less in width than the addition built at . its eastern end in 1772 for a separate meeting-hall, the first separate church-building, the dimensions of which are on re- cord, and which was 32 feet in width, and had two doors, one in each projection beyond the walls of the Gemeinhaus. We al- so know that this first church-house (sometimes called the Ge- meinhaus and also the Schulhaus) was a building of two stories and a garret, from the circumstance that in 1774, during the pastorate of Bro. Joseph Neisser, while he was absent in Bethle- hem, and Mrs. Neisser was busy on the garret, and had locked the house-doors, a thief entered the second story by means of a ladder, and took Bro. Neisser's watch, which was hanging on the wall in the old meeting-hall, the new one having been built two years previously, as mentioned above .*
elder, and Daniel Dulany, the younger. Mr. Spencer is in a position to speak with authority, as Mrs. Spencer is a lineal descendant of both of these distinguished gentlemen. The sketches are appended to this narrative.
*The thief was pursued by some of the brethren, to one of whom, who happened to be passing the Gemeinhaus, Mrs. Neisser gave the alarm, was overtaken near the Manocacy, was arrested and the watch recovered; all of which is circumstantially narrated in the diary.
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We can therefore picture to ourselves this two-story log- building, standing alone in the woods, with no very near neigh- bors, furnished in the most simple and primitive manner, with only such articles as were absolutely necessary; the meeting- hall on the second floor having only a chair and table for the minister, benches for the congregation, a "gun-corner" perhaps, as there was later in Apple's union church, unless the rifles were left in the school-room below, tallow candles furnishing light for the evening services, no instrument to lead the singing until twenty years later, the Diary for 1769 informing us that "the in- strumental music with violins, commenced last year in a very im- perfect manner, has been made more effective by the Lord's blessing, so that the singing of the congregation is greatly im- proved."
Sixteen ministers, successively, officiated as resident pastors in this primitive woodland sanctuary ; six before the congrega- tion was organized, viz., the Reverends Sven Roseen, 1749-1751 ; Matthew Reuz, 1751-1752 ; Richard Utley, 1752-1754; Christian Richter, 1755; Valentine Haidt, 1757; Charles Godfrey Rundt, 1758; and ten after the organization, viz., the Reverends John M. Zahm, October 8, 1758-June 13, 1762; Francis Boehler, June 13, 1762-June 15, 1764; Daniel Sydrich (Assistant), July 31, 1763-June 23, 1766; Otto Krogstrup, June 15, 1764-Decem- ber 13, 1767; Nicholas Henry Eberhardt, December 13, 1767- April 18, 1770; Joseph Powell (ad interim), April 18, 1770-No- vember 4, 1770; Samuel Utley, November 4, 1770-March 10, 1771 ; Joseph Neisser, June 9, 1771-October 16, 1773. During Bro. Neisser's pastorate the first separate meeting-hall or church was built, in which he also officiated until May, 1775. The fol- lowing unordained brethren were Assistant Pastors, viz., Samuel Herr, December 5, 1762-June 25, 1763; Heppner, May 23, 1770-March 23, 1775.
The Rev. Nicholas Henry Eberhardt and the Rev. Samuel Ut- ley departed this life while in service here; the latter after a ser- vice of only four months, during two of which he was too ill to officiate. Their mortal remains rest in the Graceham cemetery, as also those of the Rev. John Frederick Schlegel, who also died during his term of service here, on May 30, 1805.
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A DEED FOR "DULANY'S GIFT."
In the year 1751, during the pastorate of the Rev. Matthew Reuz, Mr. Dulany surrendered his entire claim to the ten acres which he had donated for the church and school, and on June 4 a deed to that effect was drawn up and was recorded in the Land Office at Annapolis. It contained the clause, "for Jacob Matthes, in trust for Matthew Reuz and his successors." This Deed was, in 1758 (the year of the organization of the Congregation in Ma- nocacy), transferred by Jacob Matthes to Jacob Weller, and by him on November 16 of the same year-"for and in considera- tion of the sum of five shillings sterling money of Great Britain to him in hand paid"-to the Rt. Rev. Matthew Hehl, Timothy Horsfield, John Okely and George Klein, all of Bethlehem, Pa., to be held by them as Trustees for the Congregation in Ma- nocacy, "and to and for no other Use, Intent or Purpose what- soever." This Deed was witnessed and signed before John Dar- nall, "one of his Lordship's Justices of the Provincial Court," to whom an "Alienation Fine of Five Pounds Sterling on the within mentioned Ten Acres of Land" was paid by "Matthew Hehl and others," and on November 17 the Deed was "recorded in Liber F and folio 575 and 576 among the Records of Fred- erick County."*
*On April II, 1807, "John Okely, of the Borough of Lancaster, in the County of Lancaster, and State of Pennsylvania," being the son and heir of John Okely, the sole survivor of the Trustees who had received the Deed from Jacob Weller, "for divers good causes and considerations him thereunto moving, and for and in consideration of the sum of five shillings lawful money of the State of Pennsylvania to him in hand paid," trans- ferred by Deed of above date his claim as the son and heir of John Okely, Trustee, to the Rev. Jacob Van Vleck, of Nazareth, Northampton Co., Pa., the Rev. John Gebhard Cunow, of Bethlehem, Northampton Co., Pa., the Rev. John Herbst, of Lititz, Lancaster Co., Pa., the Rev. John Meder, of Nazareth, Northampton Co., Pa.,-all filling some of the most promi- nent and important official positions in the Church-and Lewis Protzman and Christian Herbach, members of the Congregation in Manocacy. This Deed was sealed and delivered in the presence of John Martin Beck and John Moore, before Frederic Kuhn, one of the Assistant Judges for the County of Lancaster. It contains the clause: "And the said Jacob Van Vleck, etc., etc., do covenant and agree to and with the members of the congregation of the United Brethren or Moravians, settled at Graceham, Frederick Co., Md., that they, the said Jacob Van Vleck, etc., etc., will hold, possess, etc., the said parcel or tract of land, for the use of the said congregation, etc., etc., and for no other use, intent or purpose whatsoever."
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In view of the fact that all the land held in Frederick County by Daniel Dulany, the younger, which he had inherited from his father, the donor of "Dulany's Gift" (who died December 5, 1753), was confiscated by an Act of the General Assembly of Maryland in 1780, and was sold, as were all the estates, real and personal, of those who had been opposed to the Revolution, it was a fortunate circumstance that the congregation held a Deed by which the possession of "Dulany's Gift" was assured to them.
REQUEST FOR A MORAVIAN MINISTER.
After a vacancy of some duration in the pastorate, occasioned by dissension that had arisen and the unsettled state of affairs in the country on the breaking out of the French and Indian war,* messengers with a written petition, requesting the appointment of a Moravian minister, were sent to the Moravian Synod held at York, Pa., in August, 1757. The Synod granted this request, and the Rev. Valentine Haidt, and after him the Rev. Charles Godfrey Rundt, filled the appointment for a short time (Decem- ber, 1757-October, 1758). At the Synod held at Lebanon, Pa., in June, 1758, the delegates from the Congregation in Manoc- acy were informed that in the fall of the same year, as soon as their Gemeinhaus was in a proper condition, not only as a resi- dence for the minister, but as befitted the house of God, the Rev.
*The Historical Account in the Graceham Church Register states that the year 1756 was one of great danger and distress for the residents of this section, owing to the hostile incursions of the Indians, and that those who had farms up in the mountains were obliged to flee for their lives. On her way to the Gemeinhaus, Christina, a little daughter of Bro. Caspar Schmidt, was seized and carried away before his eyes by Indians, who kept her in captivity until the Treaty of 1758 required them to give up their captives. She was then taken to Philadelphia, and after having a good home there, was falsely claimed by a resident of Lancaster as his daughter and taken by him to that city. Her father having gone to Lancaster as a delegate to the Synod of 1769, she met him on the street, and was thus providentially re- stored to her parents. She became an inmate of the Sisters' House at Bethlehem, Pa., and later of that at Lititz, where she died some years later, her health having been poor for some time, and her grave is in the Lititz cemetery.
At the same time the Gemeinhaus of the Congregation in Manocacy was seized by some unfriendly persons, who purposed making it a fort, but could not establish a claim nor retain possession of it. Their occupation of it probably made the condition mentioned above necessary.
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John M. Zahm would be sent to them and would be their regu- larly settled minister.
THE PERIOD OF REGULAR ORGANIZATION.
The Rt. Rev. Matthew Hehl, with Mrs. Hehl and the Rev. John M. Zahm and Mrs. Zahm, having arrived on Thursday, October 5, the Bishop, after inspecting the Gemeinhaus and, together with Bro. Rundt and Bro. Zahm visiting the members in their homes on Thursday afternoon and Friday, held Confer- ence with the brethren on Friday evening and Saturday morn- ing. Several services were held on Saturday, the 7th, and the Bishop presented Bro. Zahm, who had been ordained a deacon on September 3, at Bethlehem, to the congregation as their min- ister.
On the next day, Sunday, October 8, 1758, the solemn ser- vices appropriate to the organization were held, and Bishop Hehl declared this little flock to be a congregation in regular connection with the Church of the Moravian United Brethren.
Seven persons were received into the congregation on this day as non-communicant members, viz., Lorenz Krieger and his wife Maria Elisabeth, and the married women, Elisabeth Mag- dalena Viellard, Maria Sarah Moser, Maria Elisabeth Protz- man, Christina Schmidt (wife of Caspar Schmidt) and Elisabeth Weller. Afterwards, the first celebration of the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion took place, there being fourteen partici- pants, viz., the ministerial brethren Hehl, Zahm and Rundt, with Mrs. Hehl, Mrs. Zahm, and nine communicant members, viz., the married brethren, Jacob Weller, George Gumpf, George Harbaugh, Lorenz Protzman, Leonard Moser, Peter Viellard (Williar), and Caspar Schmidt; and the married women, Cath- arine Harbaugh and Rosina Gumpf. These had all been com- municant members of the Moravian Church during their resi- dence in Pennsylvania, and now, together with the non-commu- nicants, became the founders or charter-members of the newly- organized congregation. Appropriate services were also held for those present as guests, and for the young people and chil- dren. On the next day, Monday, October 9, a general love- feast was held from 7-8 A.M., and afterwards the first Congre- gation Council assembled, Bishop Hehl presiding, in which
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various matters of importance were considered, and George Harbaugh and Lorenz Protzman were elected Stewards* of the congregation, their duties being similar to those of Elders and Trustees. They were also elected Sextons or Sacristans.
On Wednesday, October II, Bro. Zahm opened the school for the children. This was a parochial school, in charge of the min- ister, and taught by him for many years until it became so large that a teacher was engaged. It was regularly held until after the opening of the public school at Graceham, in 1839.
1759 .- On February 13, the first infant baptism after the or- ganization took place, and therefore the first one recorded in the Church Register.
On March 7, the first funeral was held, that of a little daugh- ter of Bro. and Sr. Caspar Schmidt. As the congregation had no cemetery as yet, interment was made on her father's farm in the mountains.
March 5-9. Bishop Hehl made an official visit, and in a love- feast explained the meaning and object of the "Society" arrange- ment, by which those who were not full members of the con- gregation could, as Society members, have certain privileges and be under the pastoral care of the minister. Such a Society was organized with twenty-three members, on May 18, during an official visit by Bishop and Mrs. Spangenberg.
October 27-November 2. Bishop Hehl made another official visit, during which the first Harvest Thanksgiving Festival was celebrated.
1760 .- July 18-29. The Rev. and Mrs. Francis Boehler made an official visit to the children of the congregation, and Bro. Boehler also held services for the English residents on Carroll's Manor, a few miles south of Frederick Town.
1761 .- In May, Bishop and Mrs. Spangenberg again visited the congregation. Such official visits were frequently made for a number of years after the organization, and afforded much en- couragement and edification to the congregation.
*This office continued in existence until the year 1802, when, by a Reso- lution of the Provincial Conference, a Committee of several brethren was substituted for it in the city and country congregations.
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1762 .- As there were no public means of communication with the congregations in Pennsylvania, the brethren took turns in conveying letters, reports, etc., to York, Pa., and in bringing letters and news from the congregations in Pennsylvania and in other parts of the world. The trip to and from York generally required three or four days.
February 2. Bro. Zahm held the first marriage ceremony after the organization, viz., that of John Gumpf, a son of Bro. and Sr. George Gumpf, residing about three miles beyond Fred- erick Town, and Juliana Weller, a daughter of Bro. Jacob Wel- ler and his wife, Sr. Maria Barbara, who had departed this life in 1754.
To the marriage of members of the congregation in those days a very deep religious significance was attached, and religi- ous ceremonies were in vogue which no doubt helped the mem- bers to realize that holy matrimony was not to be entered into "lightly or unadvisedly, but reverently, discreetly and in the fear of God." In the first place, the bride- and groom-to-be were solemnly betrothed to each other in a meeting of the congrega- tion some weeks before the day set for the wedding. Then, per- haps a week later, in a special meeting of the unmarried breth- ren and sisters, they both took leave of those divisions of the congregation, to which they had until then belonged, the good wishes of which were expressed by the singing of benedictory verses, or "verses of blessing" (Segensverse) as they were termed. The marriage was performed a week later, in the meet- ing-hall, in the presence of the married members of the congre- gation, after an appropriate address by the pastor, and was fol- lowed by a lovefeast, in which there was further discourse on married life. Then followed the social gathering and wedding- feast in the house of the parents of the bride or groom. Such was the procedure in the case of the marriage mentioned above.
June 10. Bishop Hehl brought the Rev. Francis Boehler as Bro. Zahm's successor, as the former was to preach in the Eng- lish language for the people on Carroll's Manor, south of Fred- erick Town. Mr. Joseph Johnson, Charles Carroll's steward or agent on the Manor, who had made a request for the preaching,
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