USA > North Carolina > Rowan County > Salisbury > History and 200th anniversary of Union Evangelical Lutheran Church of Salisbury, North Carolina, 1774-1974 > Part 2
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It might be interesting to quote from Rev. Rumple's HISTORY OF RO- WAN COUNTY at this point. In speaking of Pastor Storch, he writes: "Upon his arrival he took charge of the Salisbury, Pine and Organ Church- es. The Pine Church - now called Union - he soon resigned, and the next year began to preach in the 'Irish Settlement,' once a month, for which he was promised thirteen or fourteen pounds, about thirty-five dollars. His salary for the two churches of Salisbury and Organ was eighty pounds, paper money, equal to two hundred dollars. The fees for funerals and marriage ceremonies averaged one dollar each, and may have amounted to fifty dollars annually, the whole amounting to nearly $300. With the simple habits of those early days, and the cheapness of the necessaries of life, his salary of $300 was more liberal than the average minister's salary of these days. Besides having charge of these three churches, Mr. Storch had charge of a small German school in Salisbury, and gave instruction in Hebrew to some pupils in the Salisbury Academy. Whether he realized any income from the schools is not known. Not long after this he mar- ried Miss Christine Beard, daughter of John Lewis Beard, and lived in the house on the corner of Main and Franklin streets. After this he removed to what is now known as the Chilsom Place, one and a half miles east of Salisbury. A few years afterward he gave up the Salisbury Church, and moved ten miles South of Salisbury on the New Concord Road, conven- ient to his three churches, Organ, Savitz's, and Dutch Buffalo."
What were those years like - as one century was dying and another was being born. It was a time when stocks were at the Court House in Salisbury, and very likely the Court House was the one which was erected in 1753 on the square: "frame-work, weather-boarded, thirty feet long
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and twenty feet wide, a story and a half high, with two floors, the lower one raised two feet above the ground." (Rumple's History) And the stocks were used! Pastor Roschen, a contemporary of Pastor Storch, ar- riving in North Carolina from Germany in 1789, and returning to Germa- ny in 1800, speaks of visiting Pastor Storch, and as they went through Salisbury, they did not see nor had they heard of Germans being in the stocks. Dr. Bernheim gives us this information in quoting from Pastor Roschen's Journal, although we might be prone to think that Pastor Roschen would have been prejudiced in favor of the Germans! And we get some idea of church life at the turn of the century as Dr. Bernheim quotes Pastor Roschen: "We all preach in black clothes and a collar, but mostly without a gown, and oftentimes in our overcoat, during bad wea- ther in winter. I endeavor to make the Divine Service as impressive as possible, and suitable to the occasion, but as simple as I can. I discourse not shorter than three-quarters of an hour. Baptisms follow the sermon, in presence of the whole congregation. When Communion is administered, the preparatory service is on Friday or Saturday preceeding."
Some important things happened following Pastor Storch's arrival in Rowan County. As far as our own congregational history is concerned, the date is November 27, 1793 - the time when the grant of 118 acres was taken. This was 15 years after the entry for 200 acres, 22 years after we know that a church was on the property, and 5 years after Pastor Stor- ch's arrival. Things did seem to move at a relatively easy pace!
The second and perhaps most significant is shown in a quotation from the HISTORY OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN NORTH CAROLINA: "In his diary for 1803, Paul Henkel writes, March 20th I went to Pastor Storch and made this proposition to him: That we arrange a kind of Con- ference for the union of our (Lutheran) ministers in the state, in order that we might further the education of our young men that have the min- istry in view. I next went to Pastor Miller in Lincoln County and he agreed to the plan, and then together we went to Pastor Arends, who, though old and almost totally blind, agreed to attend. Thereupon on the third Sunday after. Easter, services were held in the so-called Pine Church, four miles from Salisbury, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, to which a vast host of people came. On Monday the preachers met with a number of dele- gates in a house in town. Thus the foundation of the institution was laid to which up to the present time the parts of a building have been added."
And so it was, that the Pine Church - some 32 years after we know that a structure was here, and 29 years after Pastor Arends must have or- ganized the congregation, and 10 years following the land grant - was host to those first services out of which a Synod was to come into being on the
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Monday following! The pastors present were J. G. Arends, Carl A. Storch, R. J. Miller, and Paul Henkel. With them on that Monday were fourteen lay delegates from the congregations of Pastors Arends, Storch, and Hen- kel and from vacant congregations. Drs. Bernheim and Cox state that "there are good reasons for believing that Organ, St. John's of Salisbury, Union, Lutheran Chapel, St. John's of Lincoln County, Reformation, St. Luke's and Pilgrim of Davidson County, Richland, St. Paul's of Alamance County, Lau's, Frieden's, Beck's, and Nazareth congregations were repre- sented."
Pastor Arends was elected the first president of the synod, and Pastor Miller was elected the first secretary. There was no treasurer until 1812. Pastor Storch was elected president in 1806 and served through 1812. He served again as president in 1813-14, and 1816-20, and in 1823.
On October 17, 1803, the adjourned meeting of Synod was held in Lincolnton and a proposed constitution was adopted. The following year Synod met on October 21st at Leonard's Church (Pilgrim), Lexington. Very little business was transacted because "nearly all ministers were un- fitted for duty because of sickness. It was resolved that a special con- ference be held at Pine Church, Rowan County, the following April for the purpose of ordaining Rev. Philip Henkel. . .. " (Minutes of Synod, 1804). So the third meeting of Synod was held at the Pine Church, and arrangements were made for the ordination of Philip Henkel. In his diary, Pastor Storch reports that he was ordained at "My second Church" Pilgrim, April 28, 1805.
Little more is known following the 1806 report which appears above concerning the three strong churches in Rowan County which were served by Pastor Storch, and that in the 1810 Minutes of Synod the Pine Church now takes the name of Union and is one of the seven congregations served by Pastor Storch. One thing that is evident in the life of the congregations at that time was the awareness of a need, which certainly must have been felt in all of them. The minutes of the 1812 Synodical Convention state: "As many of our children have no opportunity to receive instructions by a regular school, it was resolved that Sunday Schools should in all our con- gregations be publicly recommended from the pulpit."
The following year, 1813, the Pine Church is mentioned in the Minutes of Synod: "A petition from the congregation at the Pine Church, signed by the elders and some others praying for the ordination of J. W. Meyer, whom they have chosen as their minister, was read, and a committee, con- sisting of the Brothers Storch, Miller, Shober, Market, and Sherer, was ap- pointed for them, or a majority of them, to consider the same and make a report." The request could not be granted, but it was stated that he, that
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is J. W. Meyer, "shall receive full authority as a catechist, and be ordained at the next convention of synod if satisfactory evidence of his worth and qualifications be granted." Mr. Meyer was never ordained, and in 1817 his name was taken from the ministerial roll. He served New Bethel, Stanley County from 1814-1817. In his life sketch, we read that he spent the rest of his useful life teaching in the Davidson County Schools.
Besides this bit from 1813, the years between 1810 and 1826 are blank with the exception of two small items. One of these is a line in the HISTORY OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN NORTH CAROLINA un- der Union, where a Daniel Jenkins is credited with serving the congrega- tion in 1823. It may have been, but it is doubtful since Mr. Jenkins was born in Maryland and received his A.B. from Gettsyburg College in 1831.
We get an idea of these years from the Minutes of Synod, 1820, as - "Pine Church petitions for a minister." (Notice that it is still called the Pine Church, at least part of the time.) In response to this Pastor Storch and Candidate Dan Walcher were appointed to visit the congregation every four weeks. So we get a picture of the way that the Synod sought to pro- vide ministerial services for vacant congregations, enlisting neighboring pastors to lend their support. During the years 1810-1826, Organ had been served by Pastor Storch until 1823, and then by Pastor Daniel Scherer from 1823-1829. It is quite possible that these two men, along with others from the Lexington area as was Mr. Walcher, would be called upon to supply. From 1788 until 1826, St. John's of Salisbury lists no pastor until the Rev. John Reck who served both St. John's and Union. The dates of his pastorate are given as 1826-1831.
During Pastor Reck's pastorate, a few pictures of our congregation emerge. At the 1827 meeting of Synod, Jesse W. Walton, Esquire was a delegate from Union. Pastor Reck was serving the church at Salisbury, Union and St. Michael's. Union is reported as having given $4.00 to the Synodical Treasury! In the report of the actual state of religion of the various congregations, this appears in the Minutes of Synod: "In the bounds of Union, an evident moral and religious reformation has been effected; a Sunday School has been established this spring, and has in- creased to 120 pupils and 20 teachers, and is only in its infancy. It has already provided the most salutary effects on the children and their pa- rents." Was this the beginning of a Sunday School, or had there been one before? We do not know, but it was "established" at this time.
In 1828, the Synod held its convention at Union. Pastor Reck was elected secretary, and served as such until the fall of 1829. We can there fore date the old pulpit Bible which is in the archives of our church and in which is written, "This Holy Bible is the property of the Lutheran church
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and secretary of the Lutheran synod of N.C. and adjoining states."
What would it have been like to have attended that Convention of Synod? A "Communicate" article to the Western Carolinian appears in the May 20th, 1828 issue of this early paper:
"The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of North Carolina and Adjacent States, convened at Union Church (Rowan County) on Sunday, the 4th. An unusual congregation was present on this occasion and a part of the services of the day were conducted in the open air, inasmuch as the church (though large and surrounded by galleries on three sides) could not con- tain more than one-third of the numerous assembly. The solemn ordinance of the Holy Supper, however was administered in the holy temple, where a large portion of the children of God united in the sacred duty of celebra- ting the Saviour's love." And the article continues, speaking of sermons being preached daily in the course of the sessions, and prayer meetings be- ing held in the evening at different houses in the neighborhood.
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THE ROTHROCK DECADE
This section is misnamed on two counts. First, there are three pastors listed in these years 1833 - '44, and five pastorates if we accept the listing in the HISTORY OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN N.C. Second, the LIFE SKETCHES OF LUTHERAN MINISTERS lists Pastor Rothrock as serving Union for only 6 years. We simply do not know. In the Congre- gation's Historical Sketch, he is given credit for having served the congrega- tion on three occasions: (1) 1833 - '35; (2) 1837 - '42; and (3) 1844. Perhaps the third time was supply. At any rate, his influence is the pre- dominant one, not only of this decade but reaching from this decade to others, as we shall see. Between his first and second pastorates, Mr. Daniel Jenkins, a licentiate, served in 1836. Between Pastor Rothrock's second and third pastorates at Union, the Rev. William Artz served in 1843.
Pastor Rothrock's influence was felt throughout the synod, and es- pecially in our area during the 19th century. His life almost spans the century (1809 - 1894), and his ser- vice as a minister covers better than half a century (1833 - 1894). He served as treasurer of the N.C. Sy- nod 5 terms, as secretary 5 terms, and as president 10 terms. He also served twice as president of the Southern General Synod. With the exception of 16 months in 1835, '36 in which he served in Pennsylva- Pastor Samuel Rothrock nia, his entire ministry was in North Carolina. He is buried in Union Graveyard. A son, Milas Luther died at 2 years of age during Pastor Roth- rock's first pastorate and is buried here. In 1851, a daughter C. Lucetta J., 4 years and 8 months died and was buried next to her brother. When Mrs. Rothrock died in 1890, she was buried in the graveyard, and then Pastor Rothrock in 1894.
Pastor Rothrock was licensed in 1833, and in 1834 the Minutes of Sy- nod report: "A petition from Union for the continuation of the Rev. Samuel Rothrock among them and that he be ordained." At that time, Pastor Rothrock was serving St. John's, the New Meeting House (St. Paul's), and Union. He was ordained in 1834, and in the 1835 Minutes of Synod, Pastor Rothrock reported serving three congregations in which he
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had baptized 36 children and 3 adults, confirmed 42, had 240 communi- cants, had 20 funerals, and no Sunday Schools. The Sunday School which had been started in 1827 and proudly boasted 120 pupils and 20 teachers at Union was a thing of the past! But something must have been kicking around, although it was not to mature for a number of decades!
In his diary, under the date of Saturday, January 24, 1835, Pastor Roth- rock writes that he "attended a meeting at Union Church to consult on building a parsonage on the land belonging to the church." There is no further report, and certainly nothing happened at that time. It is signifi- cant to realize that there was at least some talk at this early date of a par- sonage. We wonder if this itself was not something of the Rothrock in- fluence. Certainly the seed was there, waiting to germinate.
Following the departure of Pastor Rothrock to Pennsylvania, the Rev. Daniel Jenkins served Union Congregation. In the Minutes of Synod we read of Union petitioning Synod for the labors of the Rev. Daniel Jenkins among them and that his license be renewed for one year. Mr. Jenkins was never ordained. In 1836 he is listed as serving Bethel, Beck's, Coldwater, Sandy Creek, and Pilgrim's, as well as Union. Mr. Jenkins must have been an unusual man. He came from Maryland in 1833 and returned there in 1836. He is credited with something new, but perhaps Dr. Bernheim's History tells the story best:
"The revival system or 'new measures,' as it was then called, was not in- troduced into the N.C. Synod to its full extent until the year 1835, when the Rev. Daniel Jenkins, from Maryland, introduced it in his congrega- tions." This new system made for a lot of opposition, both among the clergy and the laity. It may have been at this time that there was some kind of arbor here at Union, the knowledge of which has been handed down to many of our members even at the present time. In speaking of these new measures, Dr. Bernheim writes, "Frequently the 'new measures' accomplished more harm than good! And to use a paradoxical expression often quoted, several churches were 'revived to death."' Certainly this was quite a change from the staunch Lutheranism of Pastors Arends, Storch, and Rothrock.
And perhaps it is this which we also see voiced at the 1836 Meeting of Synod. As the Ministerium met during that convention, we have this re- port which voices something of the temper of things in Union Congrega- tion: "Resolved, that we regret that a portion of Union Congregation has withdrawn from the Pastoral district of Salisbury and that dissatis- faction prevails in the same; and under existing circumstances we do not deem it expedient to grant the request of the Petitioners." We wonder if that which was happening was a result of the "new measures," but we do
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not know. It is significant to notice that during this period there was dis- satisfaction within the congregation, and a withdrawing of a portion of the congregation from the pastoral district of Salisbury. Is this the reason why we have no records of any kind back beyond this period? Can this be that which led to the organization of Providence Methodist Church in 1839? Again, we do not have the answers!
In 1836, Pastor Rothrock returned to Rowan County, serving St. John's, St. Paul's, and Union Congregations. In 1838 he lists baptizing 43 children and 4 adults, 280 communicants, O received by letter, 56 con- firmed, 0 Bible Classes and 2 Sunday Schools. We wonder whether Union had a Sunday School at this time. In 1841 Pastor Rothrock served Union, St Paul's, St. Matthew's, St. Stephen's, and Luther's Church, but in 1842 it was just the first four of these congregations which he served.
Pastor Rothrock's diary during these years speaks of his activities - farming, visiting, catechizing, preaching, gunning (hunting), and fishing among other things. On Wednesday, April 10, 1839 he writes that he "called at Union Church to see the church land surveyed." Perhaps the reason for it appears later on in the year, but all in good order. On Au- gust 3, 1839 (Saturday), he speaks of beginning catechization at Union Church. It would appear that this catechization must have been every other week for eight sessions, for in his diary of 1843 he lists the following dates of catechization at Union: July 1st, 15th; August 5th, 19th; Septem- ber 2nd, 14th, 30th; October 13th, and then on Saturday, October 14th, there were 3 adults baptized and 18 confirmed. Since it was the custom to have a preparatory service on Friday or Saturday before Communion, we can well imagine that a Communion Service was held the day following Confirmation.
It was during Pastor Rothrock's first pastorate at Union that we noticed the germ of concern about building a parsonage - January 24, 1835. It was during his second pastorate that something else emerges which was not to bear fruit until much later. His diary reads: "Sunday, November 17, 1839 - Preached at Union Church from John 14:15, then held an election for Church Council and took the vote of the congregation in relation to the building of a schoolhouse." There is no report of the vote, but the seed was there. There was some thought. We can only speculate as to what really happened, but during those two pastorates at Union (1833-35, 1836 - 42) something good was happening. And it is quite significant that there should come up something about a school house in 1839, even though the congregation was not to do anything until 1892- for according to the biographical sketch of Pastor Rothrock in Life Sketches of Lu- theran Ministers - "Voting in 1839 for the first time, he voted 'for Charles Fisher for Congress and for free schools.' "
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Following Pastor Rothrock's second pastorate at Union, the Rev. Wil- liam Artz is credited with serving the congregation. Here we are con- fronted with one of the many conflicting claims that show how difficult it is to date a pastor's service during this period. The Minutes of Synod list Pastor Artz as serving Zion and Union, although Organ (Zion) does not list him as pastor until 1866! At this time congregations to the east - Coble's, Frieden's, Low's, Richland, and St. Paul's, Alamance - claim Pastor Artz. From east of Greensboro to Union in 1843 would have been some undertaking, especially with six congregations! Since Pastor Artz was president of Synod in 1843, it might well be that he tried to occasion- ally supply some of the vacant parishes, and Union was one of them. (We are fortunate in having in our congregational archives several hand written and hand bound funeral sermons by Pastor Artz and one of his Bibles which Mr. Allen Merrell obtained for us.)
Pastor Rothrock is credited with his third pastorate at Union in 1844. This may also have been a period of supply. He is listed as supplying St. John's, Salisbury in 1844-45. In 1844 he began his first of three pastor- ates at Organ. This first pastorate at Organ continued until. 1866!
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THIRTY MIDDLING YEARS
These years to which we look now might also be called the "Thirty Muddled Years." They seem so very ordinary, so very confusing, and they must have been so very difficult and depressing. From the end of Pastor Rothrock's second pastorate in 1842 until the beginning of Pastor R. L. Brown's pastorate in 1874 are the years to which we look. In this thirty- two years period, Union Church lists twelve pastorates and two vacant periods in the sketch of the congregation in the HISTORY OF THE LU- THERAN CHURCH IN N. C. There is no doubt another pastorate so brief that it is not listed here although it is referred to in the 1850 Minutes of Synod! Yes, it is quite a muddled period of time. In these thirty-two years there are thirteen pastorates, and with one of eight years, how short are the other twelve!
The Rev. J. B. Anthony served Union in 1845, '46; during these years St. John's, Salisbury lists him as a supply pastor. Pastor Anthony was or- dained by the Methodist Church in 1832 and received by the N. C. Synod in 1844. While he was at Union, Synod met here in 1846.
Pastor William G. Harter
The Rev. W. G. Harter served Union from 1847 to 1850. In this period of time he is al- so credited with serving St. Enoch's ('41-'49), New Bethel in Stanley County ('41-'56), and St. James, Concord ('43-'54). We could well call these muddled years with some of the congregations which were together! During this time we get a picture of the other pas- tor who must have been at Union briefly. Pastor Harter is listed as pastor of St. James, Bethel, and Union, but in the Minutes of the Ministerium in 1850, we have this: "Brother Hopkins was then called to show reasons for resigning Union Church."
Mr. B. N. Hopkins was licensed in 1849 and never ordained. He is listed as the organizer of Beth Eden, Newton in 1850 after taking charge of that mission from Pastor Benjamin Arey. He also organized Salem, Salisbury on August 18, 1850. Perhaps he was spreading himself too thin! He was removed from the clerical roll in 1853. The evidence is good that he did indeed serve Union.
In our oldest record book, dated on the front page at January 3, 1850, we have a "Record of Baptisms.", "The first three children named are bap-
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tized by three different pastors, and two of them before this record book was purchased. All of these children had the same parents! We just won- der if the father of these children, Mr. Henry Barringer, did not start the book. From this page we get the information that Rufus Alexander, who was the child of Hely and Marien Barringer and born on December 13, 1844, was baptized by J. B. Anthony on April 19, 1845. George Monroe, of the same parentage, was born on December 21, 1848 and baptized by B. N. Hopkins on April 1, 1849. Jacob Worth, again of the same parent- age, was born on December 22, 1850 and baptized on March 1, 1851 by L. C. Groseclose. So if Mr. Henry Barringer did not make these entries, we can only conclude that the information of those previous baptisms in his family was probably received from his old Family Bible! These were com- plicated times!
The Rev. L. C. Groseclose is supposed to have had two pastorates at Union - in 1851, and then again from 1857 to 1865. In Pas- tor Groseclose's biographical sketch, how- ever, it is said that he supplied St. John's and Union in 1851.
The Rev. Simeon Sherer is the next pas- tor to serve at Union. Here again, the records do not agree. His first pastorate was either 1851-'53, or 1852-'54. At any rate from the Minutes of Synod in 1852, we get the follow- ing report which certainly must have been Pastor L. C. Groseclose for the preceding year. There were 8 infants baptized, 125 communicants, 3 confirma- tions, 1 restoration, 2 expulsions, 3 deaths, and 1 prayer meeting. And this is probably the earliest picture of the size of Union, for Pastor Scherer was serving Union alone!
The first church, the Pine Church, was still being used and would be for twenty-five more years. There is a note in the Old Record Book as fol- lows: "Paid George M. Smith for work done on Union Church, October 21st 1854 - the sum of $128.00. John Ketchy" And there is the note which served as a receipt: "Received the above amount in full. October 21st 1854. George M. Smith"
Work was being done to keep the building presentable. As the Rev. B. C. Hall served Union in 1855, there is another receipt in the old record book for work done on the Pine Church: "Received of William A. Walton treasurer of Union Church for painting said church Seventy Eight dollars and fifty cents, March 28th 1855." The signature is not plain but appears to be "Elailim."
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