USA > New Jersey > The early Germans of New Jersey : their history, churches, and genealogies. > Part 12
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REV. WILLIAM OTIS RUSTON,
who accepted it, subject to the consent of Presbytery, which, at its fall meeting, granted the request of this congregation, and your pastor was installed on the 5th of October.
During the past winter God has graciously visited your community, and many souls have been gathered into his garner.
You have also deemed it wise to adopt the plan of term eldership, and have elected to the office of ruling elder the following persons : George E. Salter, Frederick Hoffman, Elias Hockenbery and Peter Hoffman, in addition to George H. Lindaberry and Philip P. Hoffman re-elected. These were ordained and installed on Sunday, May 6th.
There have been three churches erected on this spot-ist, the old shingle church ; 2d, the first stone church, 1816 ; 3d, the second stone church, 1851.
And now, brethren, from this history gather courage. The church has seen many a day of trial and dismay, but " hitherto hath the Lord helped us." It is the Church of Christ, and we feel assured the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Out of the depths God has again and again brought yo , and to-day you are stronger than ever before. This is the old church con-
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
secrated by the memories of your fathers. Give it your vener- ation, your love, your devotion. From the past gather strength for the future, and go forward rejoicing always in the Lord.
Dr. Ruston, whose admirable historical discourse we have had to condense, is now the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Dubuque, Iowa. He is also vice-president of an institution for the education of German ministers to labor among their fellow-countrymen in the West.
Dr. Ruston remained until February, 1877, when he was followed by the
REV. TITUS ELWOOD DAVIS,
whose pastorate continued for three years.
Mr. Davis was born at Flatbush, Ulster, Co., N. Y., April 15th, 1851 ; graduated from Rutgers College, 1874; from the Theological Seminary at New Brunswick, 1877. He was licensed to preach May 22d, 1877, and was ordained and in- stalled as pastor of Fairmount Church August 12th. 1877. He resigned on account of ill health in 1880. Since 1890 he has been pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Bound Brook. In a letter to the writer he speaks with great pleasure of his minis- try at Fairmount and still cherishes the friendships formed while he was pastor there. He was succeeded by the
REV. EDWIN W. LONG,
who began his ministry September 18th, 1880, and resigned April 28th, 1884. Mr. Long was well known and greatly respected by the neighboring congregation of German Valley as well as by his own people. He is now laboring most ac- ceptably as pastor of the Green Hill Church, at Wilmington, Delaware. The church was vacant for three years when the
REV. JOHN RUTHERFORD
was installed as pastor May -, 1887, and resigned February' 1891. Mr. Rutherford was a man of a good mind, a genial dis . position and an earnest spirit. He was followed by the candi- date
TILLMAN S. RUSH
June 13th, 1891. He resigned 12th November, 1893.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE REFORMED CHURCH OF LEBANON.
EBANON, as it is now called, is a village of modern origin, but as the site of a church its history belongs to the first settlement of New Jersey by the Ger- mans. Before the old church was built in the old graveyard, there was a build- ing erected in Potterstown near by, which was dedicated on Saturday, September 11th, 1731, by Rev. W. C. Berkenmeier, pastor of the Dutch Lutheran Church of New York. But we can carry the history of this place still farther back. For there is a strong probability that the first German Lutheran service, of which we have any record, was held on the site of this church on the first of August, 1714. For we find that at that date a son of John Peter Appelman was baptised "at the house of Ari de Guinea on the Raritans, at our Christian Lutheran gathering." This was the record en- tered by Rev. Justus Falckner in the church book of the First Lutheran Church of New York City. Now we learn that the plantation, or which the church at Potterstown was situated, was sold to Matthias Sharfenstein on the 29th of July, 1741, by Aree Vangenee [the same as Ari de Guinea]; and by Matthias Scharfenstein's heirs was sold to Cornelius Wyckoff on the 11th of May, 1761. The words of special interest in the deed are, " containing about 132 acres, be it the same more or less, ex- cepting always forth of the same, a small lot formerly conveyed to William M. Kinney [Mckinney?], and one other where the
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
Lutheran meeting house is built, both of them containing about one acre and half a quarter of an acre."
This farm was located by the late Judge Thompson, of Readington, who had surveyed formerly all through that vicinity, in Potterstown, placing the church on the site of the former tavern building. The only ground for doubt is the statement that Ari Vangenee bought the farm in question on the 3d or 4th of April, 1730, from Benjamin Rounseval. This may mean simply that he got his deed at that date. At all events, however it may be with the church service held in 1714, there is no doubt at all about the service there in 1731. There was a church at the same time near Pluckamin devoted to German Lutheran and probably also, if preachers could be found, to German Reformed service. Of course the church at Lebanon was the successor of this church at Potterstown. It is most probable that this church building, east of Lebanon, was used by Rev. John Conrad Wirtz during his pastorate from 1750-1761.
As the two churches at German Valley and Fairmount were built 1761, to take the place of the one building which was between these places on the "Aunt Katie Sutton farm," so it seems probable, that, as a result of Mr. Wirtz's labors, a church was erected near its present site at Lebanon at the same time.
The visits of Rev. Michael Schlatter, from 1747 to 1750, to this place, then called Rockaway, have been already narrated.
The congregation was taken under the care of the Presby- tery of New Brunswick. In doing which measures were taken by the Presbytery to avoid giving offense to the Dutch Reformed body. Werts was taken up as a probationer on Sept. 3d, 1751, and having received a call from the congrega- tion of Rockaway in Lebanon township, on the 9th of May, 1752, he was ordained as their pastor on the 5th of June, 1752. It is not at all unlikely that Werts had been laboring among the German Reformed churches of New Jersey for several years before 1751.
The history of Lebanon church belongs to that of German Valley, Stillwater, Alexandria and Amwell, as these churches
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THE REFORMED CHURCH OF LEBANON
were all served by the same ministers most of the time. We may add to these "Sussex Court House."
CASPAR MICHAEL STAPEL,
who lived in Amwell township and served the German Reformed church near what is now Ringoes, probably also preached in Lebanon. He was succeeded by FREDERICK DAL- LICKER and he by CASPAR WACK. The history of these minis- ters is given in connection with the history of German Valley.
In June, 1788, the High Dutch Reformed congregation in Lebanon township was incorporated. The officers mentioned in the act of incorporation (on record at Trenton), were Peter Aller, Jacob Gearhart, Peter Young, Peter Henry, George Gearhart, Hans Peter Apgar.
The modern history of the church or the period when the preaching was altogether in English, began with the pastorate of
REV. JACOB I. SHULTZ,
who according to his own record in the church book, accepted a call from the United Congregations of Rockaway and Rock- away in Lebanon, September 29th, 1816, and was ordained and installed their pastor on November 26th, 1816.
The last record of baptisms by Rev. Caspar Wack is made in the handwriting of Mr. Shultz. They occurred on May 27, 1816. During his sixteen [or eighteen ?] years pastorate he baptised 334 children and adults. This is a remarkable show- ing and would seem to indicate either a very large field of labor or a larger birth-rate than is the case to-day. Mr. Shultz was succeeded by the
REV. CHARLES P. WACK,
whose record of baptisms begins July, 1835. From this date until July 12th, 1840, only 73 baptisms are recorded. The last baptism performed by Mr. Shultz was on April 25th, 1835.
In Mr. Wack's place came the
REV. ROBERT VAN AMBURGH,
who was twice called to be pastor of the Lebanon church, in 1740 and again in 1753, after he had been away for five years. Mr. Van Amburgh was born January 9th, 1809, near Pough- keepsie, N. Y. He was engaged in work on a farm until he was twenty years of age, when he was converted and decided
.
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
to study for the ministry. He graduated from Rutgers Col- lege in 1837 and from the Theological Seminary in the same city in 1840. His first charge was at Lebanon, where he was the means of increasing the size of the congregation and where he was abundant in labors over a field of labor eight or ten miles square. He resigned from this charge in August, 1847, but was called a second time by this congregation to be their pastor in August, 1853, when almost immediately the old brick church gave place to a new, convenient and elegant frame structure. During the interval between his two terms of ser- vice as pastor in Lebanon, Mr. Van Amburgh had been pas- tor of a church at Fordham, N. Y., and from there he removed to be the pastor at Hughsonville, N. Y. He also took charge in 1869 of the church at High Bridge, N. J., which he had been instrumental in organizing. He next took charge of the church at Lower German Valley, and afterwards of the church of Annandale, also organized under his auspices. Here he re- mained pastor until 1878, when he retired from the active ministry. He lived until his death in the village of Lebanon.
During the interval that separated Mr. Van Amburgh's two pastorates, the church was served by the
REV. JOHN STEELE
for a period of five years from 1848 to 1853.
The next pastor was the
REV. WILLIAM B. VAN BENSCHOTEN,
who came in the year 1870 and remained until 1873.
REV. JOSEPH R. CAMPBELL
succeeded Mr. Van Benschoten in the year 1873 and remained for two years.
REV. S. W. ROE, D. D.,
became the pastor of this church in the year 1875, and resigned in the year 1881.
REV. WILLIAM E. DAVIS,
is the present pastor, and his ministry in this field promises to continue for a longer period than that of any of his predeces- sors. In September, 1893, he celebrated the twelfth year of his pastorate there, and also the anniversary of the origin of the church.
REV. CHARLES WOOD.
REV, EDWIN W. LONG.
CHAPTER XV.
SETTLERS OF UPPER GERMAN VALLEY.
HE name LONG VALLEY is by which Ger- man Valley was first known, and by this name the earliest surveys were located. It is marked on the map by the course of the South Branch of the Raritan from its descent into the valley below Flanders to its union with Spruce Run Creek at Clinton. The village of High Bridge forms a convenient ter- minus at the southern end. In length it extends in a south- westerly direction for about eighteen or twenty miles. It is situated between Schooley's Mountain on the west and Fox Hill on the east.
FLANDERS,
the northernmost town in the valley, is a small hamlet pic- turesquely situated, which was formerly a scene of considerable industry in the old time forms of manufacturing.
'Burr Montanye in 1808 made high hats from Muskrat skins and also from wool. A bill of the above date was presented to Jonathan Nicholas for 56 dollars for a number of hats.
JOHN AYERS was one of the first settlers. His house proba- bly occupied the site of the present residence of David Ayers Nicholas his grandson. John was the grandson of Moses Ayers of Basking Ridge. John Ayers moved from the latter place to Mendham, and from there to Flanders, where he bought 19
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
acres in 1763. This land includes a large part of the present village.
The first school house was a log building and stood on the site of Mr. D. A. Nicholas store. The present school building is the second on the same lot, which was bought in 1805.
JONATHAN NICHOLAS was another of the early settlers. He came from Wales with a brother, who died during the Revolu- tionary war. His son Rhece, the father of David A., married Elisabeth, the daughter of John Ayers.
William Bell, Matthias Luse, Daniel Barber, William Monroe and Paul Drake, a blacksmith, were also landowners here at a very early date.
The land on which the village is situated was part of the Breeches tract, 563 acres of which were sold to Jabesh Heaton by William Allen in 1770.
There are in the village three general stores, kept by Floyd Woodhull, Rev. Daniel E. Frambes and the one lately carried on by David A. Nicholas. A grist mill and blacksmith and creamery add to the business of the place.
One of the earliest Methodist Churches in this State was established here in 1788. The Presbyterian Church is a daughter of the Chester congregation. The post office was established in 1822, and from 1827 to about 1867 it was in charge of Rhece Nicholas and his son David.
BARTLEYVILLE
is two miles south of Flanders. It contains the foundry and machine shop of Wm. Bartley & Sons. Established in 1846, this firm have enlarged their business, until they are now extensive manufacturers of portable saw mills, turbine water wheels, bark mills and general machinery.
In this place a forge was started about 70 years ago by David Welsh, the fourth, who was succeeded by Kempel and he by Hugh Bartley.
The upper line of the Budd tract runs through the mill pond in a course north twenty-six west across the valley. This tract was taken up by John Budd October 22d, 1714 [Burling- ton Lib. fol. ], and contained 1804 acres. This was sold 22 June, 1733, to Wm. Allen. The northernmost farm, of 310
143
SETTLERS OF UPPER GERMAN VALLEY
acres, on this tract was bought by DIETRICK STRUBLE, a mason, December 17th, 1770, for £166 ($442.66). This farm is now divided into the farms belonging to the John P. Sharp and the Decue estates. Dietrick Struble was one of the first elders of the Reformed church in the Valley. He came from Germany and arrived at Philadelphia on the 5th of September, 1748. His wife's name was Elisabeth Catherine and he had at least eleven children, whose descendants are found in Sussex, War- ren and Hunterdon counties and in Pennsylvania. He removed from the Valley to Hampton township, Sussex Co., and is said to have died in Pennsylvania at 100 years of age.
MATTHIAS ABLE bought the next farm of 109 acres of Wm. Allen before 1767. This Matthias was probably a brother of Michael Paul and Andrew, and a son of Matthias, who arrived in Philadelphia from Germany in 1728, Sept. 4th, in ship Rose- tree. This family is quite numerous and settled also at Hack- lebarney and in Tewksbury township, Hunterdon Co. The Able farm was owned in succession by Jacob Arnold, Philip Darmer, William Welsh and Morris Sharpenstein, who bought it in 1800. It included the mill property at Four Bridges.
MORRIS SHARPENSTEIN bought the next farm of 361 acres on the 3Ist of March, 1767, of Wm. Allen for £344 ($917.33), and divided it by will in 1781, between his two sons Morris and Peter. Morris was probably the oldest son of Matthias, who lived at Potterstown, Tewksbury township, Hunterdon Co. He may have been a nephew of the first John Peter Sharpenstein, who lived near German Valley.
ANTHONY WALDORF bought the 258 acres between Sharp and the road crossing the valley at Naughright. Anthony, grandson of the first Anthony, was the last who owned the whole farm, which was divided in 1808 among his children.
This family probably came from the town of Waldorf, whence the well known family of Astors originated. Anthony had six children, John, Martin, George, Anna, Margaret and Gertrude, the wife of Adam Rhinehart. They have disap- peared from this vicinity. This property was sold out in parts to Abraham Sharp, whose descendant, Frederick Sharp, now owns the larger part of it.
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EARLY GERMANS OF NEW JERSEY
CONRAD RARICK bought 150 acres in 1773 of William Hew- lings on the western side of the valley next to the Budd tract. This farm was part of 294 acres, surveyed to Daniel Smith, of Burlington, in 1754. Of the rest of this tract GEORGE, JOSEPH and JACOB MEYERS appear to have been the owners. At any rate George sold 33 66-100 to Morris Alpock, May 7th, 1808 and 118 to William Rarick in 1811.
This tract was surveyed to Daniel Smith [Burlington Lib. S, fol. 217], June 10th, 1754, and sold to William Hewlings February 23d, 1755.
Conrad was the ancestor of all the Raricks who settled in this vicinity. He arrived at Philadelphia probably from Erbach, Wittenberg, October 8th, 1744, with JOHANNES HEND- RICK, who may have been his father or brother. The latter appears on the court records of this county in 1753. He was one of the first elders of the Reformed church and sometimes read sermons in the absence of a minister. His eldest son Henry removed to Northern New York State and his other sons Conrad, John and William remained in New Jersey. Conrad also bought, May 28, 1767, lot No. 9 of the Boynton tract containing 143 acres.
NAUGHRIGHTVILLE.
CHRISTOPHER KERN received in 1766, Dec. 16, the deed for 490 acres on which Naughright village now stands. He had settled upon the land some years previously. He paid £466 ($1,242) to Wm. Allen for the land. [Trenton Lib. A F, fol. 81]. The Kern family is scattered throughout northwestern New Jersey and Canada. It is supposed that Christopher's father JACOB came to Philadelphia from Germany in 1739 in the "Jamaica Galley." It is claimed that considerable prop- erty is awaiting the heirs of John Jacob in the old country. The Kern property included what are now the farms of Elias Buchanan, John T. and John D. Naughright.
The village of Naughright contains a grist mill now turned into a felt factory, a store and a blacksmith shop. It was formerly a place of very busy activity, a large business in wagon making being carried on by the late John Naughright. A creamery is situated about a mile north of the village, owned
LEBANON REFORMED CHURCH.
145
SETTLERS OF UPPER GERMAN VALLEY
until lately by the Hon. Wm. Naughright. Iron mines were opened on the mountain west of the village by the late Theo. Naughright, but proved unremunerative.
A Union Chapel was erected a few years since above the school house and religious service and a Sabbath school are regularly maintained. William S. Fisher is the Superintendent of the latter. The store belongs to George Swackhamer, of German Valley. Mr. Axford, a veterinary surgeon, owns the blacksmith shop and Hamley and Batson carry on the felt factory.
HERMAN BITZER occupied the last farm on the Budd or Allen tract as early as 1750 and until it was purchased by John Peter Scharpenstein. Nothing is known of the Bitzer family, except that the name occurs among the settlers at Annsburg, near Rhinebeck, in 1711. This farm of 455 acres included the farms of Willard Apgar, the Wyckoff and Lambert Sharp place, and perhaps the Henry Wise, the Baldwin and Lance farms.
FREDERICK SOVEREIGN bought May 10, 1768, part of the Ebenezer Large survey or 240 acres for £125 ($333). This survey joins the Budd tract on the west. This land, 240 acres, was sold by Sovereign on May 21st, 1801, to Garret Lake for $2,400. The name Sovereign was originally spelled, as signed to the deed to Garret Lake in German hand-writing, Friedrich Zofrin. Frederick may have been the son of Johannes Soeffrens, who landed at Philadelphia 19th September 1734. He had probably ten children, of whom one, David, bought a farm on the Robins' tract north of his fathers, and another, Frederick, removed to Sussex Co. The Sovereens of Pottersville, engaged in the iron furnace there are of this family. Some of the children of the second generation removed to New York State.
GARRET LAKE was the first of the name in Morris Co. His descendants still live on the original property. Silvester Lake owns the original homestead. Garret was a Quaker, and came from Hunterdon Co. He was the son of GARRET, who died 1781 in Amwell township, and the grandson of THOMAS, who died 1765. The Rev. John W. Lake is a grandson of Garret.
CHAPTER XVI.
SETTLERS OF GERMAN VALLEY.
GERMAN VALLEY.
UR own village of German Valley is sit- uated on the Logan tract of 1,666 2-3 acres, surveyed to James Logan on the 12th of May, 1713 [Burlington, Lib. B, fol. 118, and Lib. E, fol. 154], and sold by James to his son William on the 9th of July, 1743. It was resurveyed 20th June, 1749, and found to contain 1,813 acres. This tract was all bought by, or at least the deeds were given at about the same time, 1749, to six purchasers, John Peter Scharpenstein, Philip Weise, Tunis (Anthony) Trimmer, William Welsch, Leonard Neighbor and Matthias Trimmer.
The oldest part of the village is the grist mill, which was first run by Philip Weise, as early at least as 1767. In 1791 the mill belonged to Nitser and Welsh. Of the houses still stand- ing, the residence of Richard Schoenheit, called the Old Fort, F. D. Stephens house and the Hagar Weise residence, are the oldest and were probably built about 1774. The old Hager house is probably as old as the above.
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Crater, James R. Denniston, John McCarters, Will. Goodwin, George Crater, Augustus Mettler and Nelson Hyde.
The grist-mill, referred to above, has been recently furnished with new process machinery, and is now owned and run by Isaac W. Dorland. M. T. Welsh carries on an extensive lumber and coal business ; and the stone quarries of Mr. Bartles and Mr. Schoenheit, the latter leased by Lyman Kice, are found to meet an increasing demand for superior building stone. John Todd is the blacksmith.
John Peter Nitser, the first storekeeper, was succeeded by William Nitser and he by Lawrence Hager.
The present stores are kept by George Swackhamer, in the building erected by Samuel Welsh ; by Jesse Weise, as the successor of Hagar Weise and his son Edward; by Lyman Kice, succeeding his father-in-law Morris Naughright. The F. D. Stephens Co., agents for the Florida steam heaters and engaged in the tin-ware and stove business, carry on an exten- sive business. Also the Allen and Van Nest Steam Heating Co., have their headquarters here.
The German Valley Quarterly, formerly The Independent Quarterly, has been published here for twelve years and has attained a circulation of nearly four thousand. The two churches, Lutheran and Presbyterian, both date back 150 years.
JOHANNES PETER SCHARPENSTEIN bought the first farm in the northern part of the tract. He was in actual possession of the 210 acres, for which he paid £100 ($266), when he received his deed in Philadelphia on the 8th of December, 1749. His farm, like the others, ran across the tract from one side of the valley to the other. It is probable that John Peter was a brother of Matthias Scharpenstein, of Potterstown, and there- fore an uncle of Morris of the Upper Valley. He died intestate in 1760. He had at least seven children : Morris, Mary Cath- erine, the wife of Lawrence Hager, the first ; John Peter, whose descendants are all those of the name of Sharp now living in this vicinity; Anna Maria, the wife of William Hann (son of William Ist); Jacob, who kept a tavern at Hackettstown ; George, who removed to Sussex Co., near Lafayette, where his descendants are still found ; and Anthony, who lived for a time
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