USA > North Carolina > Rowan County > A history of Rowan County, North Carolina > Part 22
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years afterward he gave up the Salisbury Church, and moved ten miles south of Salisbury, on the New Con- cord Road, convenient to his three churches, Organ, Savitz's, and Dutch Buffalo. Here he spent the re- mainder of his life. On the twenty-seventh of March, 1831, Dr. Storch died, aged nearly sixty-seven years. His dust reposes in the graveyard of the Organ Church, where a suitable stone marks the spot and commemorates his life and labors. He was a ripe scholar, familiar with the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages, and it is said that he could converse fluently in five or six different tongues. Abundant in labor, crowned with honors, and rich in the affections of his people, he departed full of faith and hope in the Re- deemer. His long service of more than forty years, including the critical period of his people's transition from the use of the German to the use of the English language, did much to preserve Lutheranism from de- cay and extinction in Rowan County. It is because of his labors, doubtless, that the Lutherans are, at the present day, equal in numbers to all other denomi- nations together in this county.
But to return. A few months after Mr. Storch's arrival, in 1788, Rev. Arnold Roschen, a native of Bremen, was sent to North Carolina by the Helmstadt Mission Society, and upon his arrival began his labors on Abbott's Creek, now in Davidson County.
We may mention in passing that, in 1791, the pres- ent massive stone church was erected for the Organ congregation, and an organ of excellent quality was built by Mr. Steigerwalt, one of the members of the
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church. As this organ was the first and only instru- ment of the kind in the county it gave the name to the church, which it retains to this day.
In 1794, the Lutheran pastors, Nussmann, Ahrend, Roschen, Bernhardt, and Storch, ordained to the work of the ministry Robert Johnson Miller, obliging him to obey the "Rules, ordinances, and customs of the Christian Society called the Protestant Episcopal Church in America." This was a singular proceeding, but the request was made by Mr. Miller, and a con- gregation in Lincoln County which desired his serv- ices, and it is said was counseled by the Presbyterians. Mr. Miller afterwards sought and obtained Episcopal ordination at the hands of Bishop Ravenscroft.
The number of Lutheran ministers in North Caro- lina was reduced by the death of Mr. Nussmann in 1794, the removal of Mr. Bernhardt to South Carolina in 1800, and the return of Roschen to Germany the same year. Dr. Storch was however reinforced by the Rev. Adam N. Marcand, who became pastor of St. John's Church, Cabarrus, in 1797. He however remained but two years. In 1801, the Rev. Philip Henkel, from Virginia, took charge of the Guilford pastorate. Thus far the church seems to have de- pended upon foreign supplies for the pulpit. But a change was taking place that looked toward a home supply. On the second day of May, 1803, the Rev. Messrs. Gottfried Ahrend, Robert J. Miller, C. A. G. Storch, and Paul Henkel, with a number of elders and deacons, met in Salisbury, and formed the North Caro- lina Synod of the Lutheran Church. From this time
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the work went on more systematically. From the annual report of the Rev. Paul Henkel, in 1806, we learn the state of the church in North Carolina at that date.
In Orange and Guilford Counties there were three Lutheran churches and one "joint" church-that is Lutheran and German Reformed-served by Philip Henkel. In Rowan, east of the Yadkin, there were three "joint," and one Lutheran churches, served by Rev. Paul Henkel, afterwards by Ludwig Markert. In the vicinity of Salisbury three strong Lutheran churches enjoyed the ministry of the Rev. C. A. G. Storch for nearly twenty years. This report represents that about twenty years previous to that time there had been a tolerably strong German congregation in Salisbury, but as the German people and their lan- guage were changed into the English, the German worship soon became extinct. The three strong churches mentioned in the report, were doubtless the Pine Church-now Union, the Organ Church, and Savitz's - now Lutheran Chapel - once called the Irish Settlement. The report goes on to state that near Buffalo Creek, Cabarrus, there is one of the strongest Lutheran churches, served by the Rev. Mr. Storch. About eighteen miles west of Salisbury-I suppose near the present Troutman's depot-there was another Lutheran church. Also in Lincoln County there were eight or nine German congregations, mostly "joint," served by the Rev. Mr. Ahrend. There were churches also in Wilkes, Stokes, and other counties.
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In 1805 the Synod ordained Philip Henkel to the full work of the ministry, and licensed John Michael Rueckert and Ludwig Markert. At a meeting of the Synod, October 22, 1810, held at Organ Church, there were present ten ministers and a number of lay dele- gates. This Synod ordained Gottlieb Schober as a Lutheran minister. Mr. Schober continued to be a member of the Moravian Church to the end of his days, while at the same time he was a Lutheran minister and pastor of several Lutheran churches. These excusable irregularities, such as the ordination of Miller and Schober, give evidence of a fraternal feeling between the different churches of that day, and became necessary because of the great scarcity of laborers in the whitening harvests on all sides.
At this same Synod of 1810, Jacob Scherer and Godfrey Dreher were licensed, and the limited license of Catechists Rueckert and Jacob Kreison were re- newed. Twenty-three churches were reported, of which three were in Rowan.
In 1811, the North Carolina Synod, endued with the true spirit of missions, sent out several exploring missionaries to learn the condition of the Lutheran congregations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Ohio. The Rev. Messrs. Miller, Franklow, and Scherer were the missionaries, and they traveled and preached the gospel in distant regions. In 1813, David Henkel, J. J. Schmucker, and Daniel Moser were licensed to preach the gospel. In the year 1814, it is estimated that there were twenty-one ministers in the Synod of North Carolina, including those laboring in
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South Carolina; and eighty-five in the whole United States.
The remainder of the history of the Lutheran Church, so far as these sketches propose to give it, will be found in a brief and interesting account of the Organ Church, prepared by its present pastor, the Rev. Samuel Rothrock, to which will be added a sketch of St. John's Church, Salisbury, since its reorganization, and a general statement as to the ministers, churches, and number of communicants as they now exist.
ORGAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
The first organization of a congregation at this place dates back more than a century. The original mem- bers were Germans, few in number, but devotedly at- tached to the church of their choice. The services, and records in the church-book, were all in the Ger- man language. From the German church-book, which is well preserved, we gather the principal items in re- lation to the history of this congregation. The fol- lowing is a translation from the records of the church- book, and in the translation the German orthography of names is preserved, and the present English orthography thrown in parentheses.
TRANSLATION
In the year A. D. 1774, the following members of our congregation commenced to build the so-called Organ Church, viz .:
Georg Ludwig Siffert (George Lewis Sifford), Wendel Miller, Peter Edelmann (Eddleman), Johan-
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nes Steigerwalt (John Stirewald), Philipp Gruss (Philip Cruse), Peter Steigerwalt (Stirewalt), Mich- ael Guthmann (Goodman), Christoph Bless (Christo- pher Pless), Leonhard Siffert (Sifford), Jacob Klein (Cline), Anton J. Kuhn (Anthony J. Koon), Georg Heinrich Berger (George Henry Barger), Christoph Guthmann (Christopher Goodman), Johannes Rintel- mann (John Rendleman), Johannes Eckel (John Eagle), Bastian Lenz (Bostian Lentz), Jacob Benz (Bentz), Georg Eckel (George Eagle), Franz Ober- kirsch (Francis Overcash), Johannes Jose (John Josey), Heinrich Wenzel (Henry).
A majority of the aforementioned members united in the year 1772, and resolved to solicit for themselves a preacher and school-teacher from the Hanoverian Consistory in Germany. For in their time, North Carolina, together with all the other now free Ameri- can States, were under the King of England, who was likewise Elector of Hanover. Christoph Rintelmann (Christopher Rendleman) and Christoph Layrle (Christopher Lyerly), were sent to London as deputies from the congregation, from which place they jour- neyed to Hanover, and through Goetten, the counselor of the Consistory, obtained a preacher and school- teacher, viz. : as preacher, Adolph Nussman ; and for school-teacher, Gottfried Ahrend. Both arrived safely in America in the year 1773. At this time there was but one common church for Reformed and Lutherans equally, the so-called Hickeri (Hickory) Church. One year the new pastor preached in this church, but some disharmony arose, and a majority of the Lutherans
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resolved to build for themselves an own church, and thus organized Organ Church. But before this church was built, Nussman left the congregation and devoted himself to Buffalo Creek. Whereupon, the congrega- tion, which before had one church and one school- teacher, but now no preacher, procured the aforemen- tioned Gottfried Ahrend to be ordained to the office of preacher in the year 1775. He served the congregation until 1785, when he devoted himself to Catawba River, residing in Lincoln County until the close of his life. For two years Nussman served the congregation again, but he left the church for the second time. From 1787 to 1788, the congregation had no preacher. Gott- fried Ahrend came once in a while. In 1788, at the desire and petition of Nussman, a preacher, viz. : Charles Augustus Gottlieb Storch, was sent from Ger- many, who, according to Nussman's assignment, was to go to Stinking Quarter, in Orange County. Various circumstances transpired that he did not wish to go to Stinking Quarter, but resolved to take charge of the congregation at Organ Church and the one in the town of Salisbury. He entered his services in the former on the twenty-sixth day of October, 1787, i. e., the twenty-third Sunday after Trinity ; and in the town the second Sunday of November, i. e., the twen- ty-fourth Sunday after Trinity in the same year. The congregation at Organ Church promised their preacher a yearly salary of forty pounds (£40), North Carolina currency. The number of those who subscribed to the
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salary, as well as to the new church regulations, amounted to seventy-eight persons.
The new church regulations referred to above, very concise and wholesome in their nature, were in- troduced and adopted on the first day of January, 1789, are upon record in the church-book, but are not here translated.
The following ministers have been the successive pastors of Organ Church :
Rev. Adolphus Nussman, from 1773 to 1774, one year ; Godfrey Ahrend, 1775 to 1785, ten years ; Adol- phus Nussman, 1785 to 1787, two years. The church was now vacant for one year, and was visited oc- casionally by Rev. Gottfried Ahrend.
Rev. Charles A. G. Storch, from 1788 to 1823, thirty-five years; Daniel Scherer, 1823 to 1829, six years; Jacob Kæmpfer, 1829 to 1832, three years; Henry Graber, 1832 to 1843, eleven years; Samuel Rothrock, 1844 to 1866, twenty-two years; W. H. Cone, from January 1, 1866, to May, 1866, four months ; William Artz, May 1, 1866,- -; Samuel Rothrock, from July 1, 1868, to January 1, 1869, six months ; Revs. S. Scherer and W. H. Cone, from Jan- uary 1, 1869, to January 1, 1870, one year; W. H. Cone, January 1, 1870, to May 1, 1873, three years and four months ; W. R. Ketchie, from June, 1873, to Jan- uary, 1874, seven months ; P. A. Strobel, from January 1, 1874, to October 1, 1875, one year and eight months ; Samuel Rothrock, from January 1, 1876, and still pas- tor, December, 1880.
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ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, SALISBURY
Though this is the oldest Lutheran church in North Carolina, there was for a considerable period such a decline as almost amounted to extinction. Still there were Lutherans here, and they owned a lot and build- ing that were used by occasional ministers of their own faith as well as by other denominations. In 1822, steps were taken to secure its reorganization. The Rev. Gottlieb Schober, president of the Synod that year, addressed a letter to the Lutherans of Salisbury urging them to gather up their forces, re-constitute their church, and claim their property. This letter had the desired effect, for the adherents of the church met, and a paper was drawn up by the Hon. Charles Fisher pledging the signers to reorganize the church. This paper was dated September 20, 1822, and was signed by the following persons, viz .: John Beard, Sr., Charles Fisher, Daniel Cress, Peter Crider, John Trex- ler, John Beard, Jr., Peter H. Swink, Moses Brown, John H. Swink, Bernhardt Kreiter, Lewis Utzman, H. Allemong, M. Bruner, John Albright, and Henry Swinkwag. Efforts were at once made to secure a minister, but without success. About this time a fence was placed around the graveyard, which had lain for some time in a neglected condition. In 1825, the work of reorganization was begun again, and Messrs. John Beard, Sr., George Vogler, and Moses Brown were elected elders, and Messrs. Nathan Brown, George Fraley, and Henry C. Kern, deacons. During the following year, 1826, the church was successful
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in its efforts to secure the Rev. John Reck, of Mary- land, as pastor. He found but fourteen members at his arrival; but the next year there were thirty mem- bers in full communion. Mr. Reck remained with the church five years, and his labors among them were greatly blessed. In 1831, the pastor resigned and re- turned to Maryland. "After this time the congrega- tion had such a continued and rapid succession of min- isters, besides having been at times unsupplied with the stated means of grace, as not to be enabled to com- mand the influence which the regular ministrations of a permanent pastor might have given it."
The following roll of its pastors is made up, partly from the pages of Dr. Bernheim's History, and partly from the recollection and memoranda of Mr. B. F. Fraley, and is believed to be accurate.
I. Rev. John Reck, 1826 to 1831.
2. Rev. Mr. Tabler.
3. Rev. William D. Strobel, D. D.
4. Rev. Mr. Rosenmuller.
5. Rev. Edwin A. Bolles, of South Carolina, in 1835.
6. Rev. Samuel Rothrock, first time, 1836.
7. Rev. Daniel Jenkins.
8. Rev. John D. Sheck, of South Carolina, 1840.
9. Rev. J. B. Anthony, 1844 to 1846.
IO. Rev. J. H. Coffman, 1848.
II. Rev. Daniel I. Dreher.
12. Rev. Samuel Rothrock (second time).
13. Rev. Levi C. Groseclose, 1860 to 1865.
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14. Rev. N. Aldrich, of South Carolina, 1865 to 1867.
15. Rev. Simeon Scherer, 1867 to 1872.
16. Rev. William H. Cone, of Virginia, 1870 to 1872. 17. Rev. J. G. Neiffer, of Pennsylvania, 1872 to 1876.
18. Rev. T. W. Dosh, D. D., of South Carolina, 1876 to 1877.
19. Rev. W. J. Smith, of Maryland, 1878- -.
If to these nineteen we add the names of Nussman, Ahrend, and Storch, we have a succession of twenty- two ministers that have served this church during the one hundred and nine years of its existence, an average of one minister for every five years. The church now numbers one hundred and fifty-two members, and it has been greatly strengthened in members and in re- sources within the last dozen years.
The present condition of the Lutheran Church in Rowan County-its churches, ministers, and member- ship-as gathered from the Minutes, is as follows :
The Rev. Samuel Rothrock's charge, Organ Church and Ebenezer, has three hundred members.
Rev. W. J. Smith's charge, St. John's, Salisbury, has one hundred and fifty-two members.
Rev. W. A. Lutz's charge (in Rowan), St. Enoch's Church, has three hundred and three members.
Rev. B. S. Brown's charge, Lutheran Chapel, Cen- ter Grove, and St. Paul's, has four hundred and eighty- six members.
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Rev. R. L. Brown's charge, Union and Christiana, has two hundred and forty members.
Rev. H. M. Brown's charge, Bethel and Christ's Church, has one hundred and fifteen members.
Rev. V. R. Stickley's charge, St. Luke's, Salem, and Grace Church, has one hundred and eighty-one mem- bers.
Rev. J. A. Linn's charge, St. Peter's, St. Matthew's, and Luther's Church, has three hundred and fifty members.
Rev. Whitson Kimball's charge (in Rowan), St. Stephen's and Gold Hill, has one hundred and fifty members. The whole making nine ministers, nineteen churches, and 2,277 communicants.
To this may be added, the Rev. J. C. Moser, a member of the Tennessee Lutheran Synod, and his three churches - Mount Moriah, St. Marks, and Phanuel - embracing one hundred and seventy-five members.
The whole summing up ten ministers, twenty-two churches, and 2,452 members. According to these statistics the Lutherans have more ministers in Rowan than the Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Missionary Baptists combined, and probably nearly as many churches and communicants as all the other white churches in the county. In fact, a large part of the strength of Lutheranism in North Carolina is concentrated in Rowan County.
THE INTRODUCTION AND GROWTH OF METHODISM IN ROWAN COUNTY
BY REV. H. T. HUDSON, D. D.
THE APPROACH OF METHODISM INTO THE ROWAN SECTION
In 1780, The Yadkin Curcuit was formed, having only twenty-one members. Andrew Yeargan was the first circuit preacher sent to this new field. The church records no clue as to the boundaries of this cir- cuit, but tradition says it embraced Stokes, Davidson, Rowan (then including Davie County), and the Surry regions. About this time the pioneers of Methodism began to preach at various points in Rowan. There being no church edifices, they were obliged to preach in private houses, barns, schoolhouses, and under bush arbors.
In 1783, Yadkin Circuit is reported as having three hundred and forty-eight members, a growth of three hundred and sixty-two in three years. In 1784, the Salisbury circuit is entered upon the minutes of the Conference, being organized into a separate pastoral charge, Jesse Lee being its pastor. Mr. Lee says he found a "society of truly affectionate Christians" in the town of Salisbury. When this society was organ-
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ized he does not state, but likely it was formed be- tween the years of 1780 and 1783.
Mr. Lee says, in his Journal : "In entering upon this field of labor, he was greatly encouraged at meeting large congregations of anxious hearers at all of his appointments. Gracious influences attended his preach- ing, to the comfort of believers and the awakening of sinners ; his own soul was greatly blessed while striv- ing to bless others." While preaching "at Hern's" his own soul was filled so full of love that he burst "into a flood of tears, and there were few dry eyes in the house." "At C. Ledbetter's the hearers were much wrought upon." "At Cole's the congregation was so large we had to go under the shade of trees, and the friends wept greatly." "At Jersey Meeting-house, Colonel G.'s wife came to me, and began to cry and say, I am the worst creature in the world; my heart is so hard I don't know what to do-and begged me to pray for her."
"At Costner's an old man rose up and spoke in a melting manner with tears streaming from his eyes: I am almost ready to depart this life, and am not ready to die, and you may judge how I feel."
The force and pathetic power of Mr. Lee's sermons may be seen from these brief extracts from his Journal. Only one church edifice is mentioned-The Jersey Meeting-house, located somewhere on the eastern side of the Yadkin River. The church in which the old pioneers preached most was the temple of nature. Its roof was the blue firmament, its floor the green earth, swept by the winds-its lamp the radiant sun-
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its seats the rocks, stumps, and logs. The voice of the preacher mingled with the free songs of the birds, the splash of the rippling streams, the neighing of horses tied in the bushes, and the cries of penitent souls.
JESSE LEE
was one of the eminent Methodist pioneers, "a man of vigorous though unpolished mind, of rare popular eloquence and tireless energy, an itinerant evangelist from the British Province to Florida." He labored as presiding elder thirty-five years, was chaplain to Congress, the first Methodist American Historian of his church, begged money in the South to build the first Methodist church in the New England States, where he became the chief founder of Methodism. He was the peer of Asbury and Dr. Coke in talent and fruitfulness. He died gloriously shouting, "Glory, Glory, Glory," in 1816; and was buried in the city of Baltimore.
The prominence of Methodism in Salisbury and the region round about seems to be indicated from the fact that Bishop Asbury preached in that town, 1785, and held two annual Conferences there-one in 1786, and the other in 1787-the first Conferences held in the western part of the State.
Hope Hull followed Mr. Lee on the Salisbury cir- cuit, in 1785. He was a man of singular power in the pulpit, and shares the honor of laying the foundation of Methodism in this region. On one occasion, he was invited by way of fun-making to a ball. He went -was invited to dance. He took the floor, remarking :
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"I never engage in any kind of business without first asking the blessings of God, so let us pray." Down he went upon his knees, and such a prayer rolled out from his eloquent lips as shook the whole party with terror. The gay dancers were thunderstruck. Some fled from the house, others began to pray for mercy. Hull arose from his knees, gave out an appointment to preach there four weeks hence, and quietly retired. When the appointed time came around, Hull was there, and preached a most effective sermon to a large con- gregation. From that prayer in the ballroom a wide extended revival began and spread in all directions.
INTRODUCTION OF METHODISM INTO DAVIE COUNTY, WHICH WAS THEN A PART OF ROWAN
"Beale's Meeting-house was probably the first Methodist church built in this section. It is said to have been built during the Revolutionary War, in 1780. It was located on the 'Old Georgia Road,' near Ander- son's Bridge over Hunter Creek. 'Timber Ridge,' a schoolhouse located between Smith Grove and Olive Branch, was one of the early preaching places for the Methodists in Davie County. 'Whitaker's Church' also claims to be the first. So the old church four miles east of Mocksville, known as the 'Dutch Meet- ing-house', is put down as among the first in all that country." "Bethel Church," first located about a mile east of Mocksville, afterwards moved to Mocksville, is one of the old churches built in the county.
It is very likely that Andrew Yeargan, sent on the Yadkin circuit, 1780, was the first regular pastor of all
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that section known as the "Forks of the Yadkin," and laid the foundation of the churches already mentioned. At this period the country was sparsely settled, the people rude and almost wild as the native deer. At Beale's Church, tradition says the preacher, growing warm during his sermon, walked down into the con- gregation and laid his hand upon the head of an old man, saying, "My friend, don't you want to go to heaven?" To which the frightened man replied : "Man, for God's sake, go off and let me alone; I don't live about here, I came from away up in the moun- tains." At the same church, in 1795, a quarterly meet- ing was held, and to the question: "How much of the preacher's salary has been paid?" Charles Led- better, the pastor, presented one pair of socks as the full amount up to that time.
John Cooper, Enoch Matson, George Kimble, Henry Ogburn, William Connor, Lemuel Green, Barnabas McHenry, followed Yeargan, and did a good work in establishing Methodism in this section. After these came such men as Reuben Ellis and John Tunnel, men of gifts and piety. About this time, James Parks ap- pears as a preacher and teacher. He had charge of the first Methodist school founded in this section, and known as "Cokesbury School." It was located on the Yadkin River near Phelps' Ferry. This school after a short period was discontinued, and the house used for a church. Parks moved to Jonesville and established a school there. He had four sons who became ministers, one of whom, Martin P. Parks, be- came one of the most brilliant pulpit orators of his day.
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In 1800, Yadkin circuit numbered four hundred and seventy-nine members, and Salisbury circuit four hun- dred and ninety-four-nine hundred and seventy-three in the two. The year of 1799 is famous for the in- troduction and prevalence of camp-meetings. They began in the West under the united labors of the Mc- Gee brothers-one a Methodist, the other a Presby- terian minister. At this date, these mammoth meet- ings were union meetings of the Methodists and Presbyterians. Drs. James Hall and L. L. Wilson often labored in them. The first camp-meetings held in Davie were in 1805, at Olive Branch Church, and at Walnut Grove on Dutchman's Creek. At these meetings great revivals broke out and swept over the country as fire in dry stubble. The result was the membership of the church grew rapidly, and new church edifices sprang up all over the Yadkin Valley. Schoolhouses and a higher grade of civilization fol- lowed in the wake of the enlightening gospel.
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