USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Germantown > History of the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Germantown, Ohio : and biographies of its pastors and founders > Part 6
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of birth and death unknown.
The Stumps.
The Stumps are a prominent family in the Lutheran Church of this place. The founders of the family
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were three in number, all brothers, Leonard, George, and Michael. They were all natives of Berks County, Pennslyvania.
George and Michael came here in 1810. They were members of the Lutheran Church, but beyond this fact nothing is known of them to the writer.
Leonard arrived in the Twin Valley in 1805, and was then a man of family. He bought the land adjoining Germantown on the west. His two sons, George and John, became later active and prominent members in the church. George married a daughter of the Rev. Dill, and followed farming. John became a prominent business man, engaged in mer- cantile pursuits and in banking operations, and died in a high old age. Leonard Stump was born January 1, 1767, and died July 29, 1811.
The Stoevers.
This family claim to be lineal descendants of the Rev. John Casper Stoever, a pioneer Lutheran minister, who came to this country from Germany in the year 1728, and labored mainly in Lancaster and Lebanon counties, Pennsylvania. The patriarch of this family in our township was John Caspar Stoever, said to have been a grandson of the reverend of the same name. He was born in Swatara township, then in Daughn, but now in Lebanon County, Penn- sylvania. He came to the Twin Valley in 1806, and was then already an old man. There came with him
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his three sons, Frederick, Casper, and John, who were all of them heads of families. They all settled near Germantown, and all of them took an active part in the organization of the Lutheran congregation. John especially, called by his associates Hannas Stoever, acted for many years a leading part in all its affairs. The dates of birth and death of any of them are unknown to the writer. The Stoevers are many, but not a single one of them is known to the writer, who is not either a coummunicant or a nominal member of the Lutheran Church. They are a' family who will be neither coaxed nor driven from the church of their fathers.
The Lindamuths.
There is a numerous connection of this name, all descended of these two, Jonathan and Thomas Lindamuth. Jonathan came to the Twin Valley in 1806, in company with his father-in-law, Michael Emerick. He secured land one mile west of Ger- mantown, on which he lived and died. He reared a large family, consisting of nine sons and two daugh- ters. Two of the former moved to Darke County; Ohio ; the rest all settled about Germantown. He was one of the founders of the Lutheran congrega- tion at this place, to which most of his descendants still adhere.
Thomas arrived much later, in 1824. Lived on Big Twin Creek several miles to the northwest of
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Germantown. Was an excellent man, and an exemplary member of the Lutheran Church.
George Coleman.
This gentleman, it seems, was here on a visit in 1806, entered land, and returned to Pennsylvania. In 1809 he brought his family out and settled on the land previously entered, situated about one mile to the northeast of Germantown. He had seven children, all of whom are still living. They are one of the best families in this valley, and adhere faithfully to the church of their fathers. Mr. Coleman, before coming to Ohio, was a resident either of Somerset or Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
The Kimmerlings.
Frederick Kimmerling, sr., resided, previous to his removal to Ohio, near Tanytown, Frederick County, Maryland. He came to German township in 1808 with his family, consisting of his wife and four children, bought, and lived on land, adjoining Mr. Coleman's farm on the west. His son Frederick inherited his place, and lived on it until the few last years of his life. Both father and son were honored members of the Lutheran Church. The latter, after a life adorned by every Christian virtue, died in peace; February 15, 1880, at the age of 76 years.
Among those who came here at a later period, and
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in their time acted a prominent part in the affairs of the congregation, may be mentioned Charles O. Wolpers, Jacob Eminger, George Rowe, the Schwartz family, Dr. M. Trout. The present church council consists of the following :
Elders. -- Leonard Dechant, Henry Moses, George Eckhart, Daniel Shaeffer.
Deacons. - Adam McCallay, John P. Shuey, Tobias Kuhnle, Charles Bohme.
Trustees .- Dr. M. Trout, Lewis Huber, D. Schriver, David Eminger, William R. Kern.
Secretary. - Charles Eminger.
Treasurer .- H. Wolpers.
We will conclude this history by giving a condensed account of the adventures and life of a most remark-' able female, who, during the latter part of her life, became identified with the Lutheran congregation in Germantown.
Mrs. Catharine Schaeffer.
This lady has a most romantic history. Her maiden name was Lorisch. Her father's given name is no longer known. Her parents were farmers, and lived in Berks County, Pennsylvania. When she was a child about seven years old, somewhere between the years 1750 and 1760, it happened one day, when the whole family were in the harvest field, that they were surprised by hostile Indians. The mother, offering resistance, was instantly killed, and the
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others were made captives. There were three of them-Catharine, her father, and an infant sister. They were immediately started westward. Their way lay over high mountains and took them through dense forests and across wide and deep streams. For three days they had nothing to eat, and nearly perished from fatigue and starvation. The infant cried incessantly, which annoyed the Indians, and they determined to make an end of it. They took the child and threw it into a stream, to drown it, but Catharine pleaded for its life. An old squaw inter- fered in her behalf, and she was permitted to rescue her sister from a watery grave. Just then a female deer, which had just been killed, was brought into the camp. It had had young, and being still warm, Catharine milked it, and with the milk nursed her little sister. After that they were supplied with food, and Catharine devoted herself particularly to taking care of this child. This infant became later >the mother of Mr. George Emerick, already spoken of, moved from Pennsylvania to Germantown, Ohio, died here, and lies buried in the Lutheran graveyard.
The Indians, who held Catharine captive- con- tinually shifted their place of encampment, and wandered over vast areas of forest. How far, or where they went, she was atterward unable to tell. But, when late in life, she moved to Ohlos she recognized some of the localities where she had b een during her captivity. Among others, she claimed to have been in the Twin Valley, on the very spot,
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which is now occupied by our town. Catharine's ** father and sister were, after some time, given up, and' returned to their former home; but with Catharine the Indians were unwilling to part, and for seven long years she remained in captivity Being a rather. handsome maiden, of regular features, dark and : brilliant eyes, fair complexion, and long auburn hair, all of which her captors admired, they were anxious to retain her, and watched and guarded her with jealous eye.
The years of her captivity were to her years of sadness and sorrow. She witnessed scenes that she was never able to erase from her mind, and the thought of which would always cause her to shudder. The Indians often brought white captives into their camp, whom they would slowly torture to death, amidst the intensest sufferings. They would first strip their victims to the skin, then they would make incisions into the flesh all over their bodies, and into these they would thrust sharp-pointed ragged-edged sticks, until they would bristle all over with them. Then they would set fire to these sticks, and slowly roast their helpless victims, until after hours of most excruciating agony death would kindly come to their relief The children of white parents who had offended them, they would suspend by the arms, and hold them over a fire until life became extinct. Such surMes of horror would cause Catharine nearly to die with terror. But great as were her sorrows, she bore: them all with remarkable patience. She had learned
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enough of the Christian religion from her parents, to prove to her a source of consolation and hope. Her parents were members of the Lutheran Church and had taught her to pray, and she prayed every day of her captivity to her Savior for protection, and for her restoration to her friends and her home.
She was assigned as servant to an old chief, who was no longer able to engage in the chase, or to accompany his tribe in their various excursions. She prepared and set before him his food, and ministered. to his general comfort, as a child would to a parent. She soon learned to speak the Indian language with fluency, which she never again forgot. The Indians at last ceased to mistrust or to watch her. She was. often left quite alone with the aged chief, and suffered to go into the woods to gather herbs and roots and firewood. Prompted by curiosity she would frequently wander off great distances. It thus hap- pened that one day, having gone away a greater distance than usual, she came to a river bank, where she saw white men engaged in building a large river boat, perhaps a ferry boat. She entered into conver- sation with them, and they discovered that she was a white captive. She went there again, and the white men learned other particulars of her former history and present situation. As after this they saw nothing more of her, they determined to enter the Indian village in which she lived, during the absence of the men, and steal her. Their plan succeeded. When the old chief heard and saw what was being done,
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the called Catharine to him and bade her affectionately good-by, made her many presents of trinkets such as Indians prepare with their own hands, and wept like a child, an exhibition of sorrow quite unusual to an Indian. The trinkets Mrs. Schaeffer kept to the end of her life, and always esteemned them as very precious mementos.
The locality where this took place is not accurately .known at present. By some it is supposed to have been in the vicinity of Wheeling, West Virginia. But this is mere conjecture. It is more likely that it was in North-eastern Ohio, along the shores of Lake Erie; inasmuch as at that time various Indian tribes had here permanently established themselves, and lived more securely than they did in the southern and .south-eastern part of what now constitutes the State ·of Ohio.
After her liberation Catharine lived in the family ·of one of her liberators. This man would have liked to adopt her as his own daughter, but she anxiously longed for home and parent. She at last ·discovered the locality of her childhood's home, and was soon thereafter restored to her father. There must have been great joy when, after so many years of separation, and after so many dangers and trials, father and daughter met once more. The father had believed his daughter lost to him forever, and as Jacob of old often wept over his son Joseph, so he had often wept for his captive child. And she, as the 1 long years of her captivity passed by, had begun to
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give up all hope of ever again meeting her kindred. The greater was now their gladness, and all past sorrow was forgotten in their present transport of joy.
She married Peter Schaeffer and became the mother of eight children, five sons and three daughters. Her husband died in Berks County, Pennsylvania. After this she lived with her daugh- ter, Mrs. George Boyer. When the Boyers moved , from Berks to Center County, she accompanied. them, and when from there again they immigrated to. Ohio, she went with them to the same state. She came to the Twin Valley in 1805, and remained here until removed by death, which took place August 16, 1818, in the seventy-third year of her life. > § 1
Mrs. Schaeffer was a member of the Lutheran Church and a devoutly pious Christian lady. During the dozen of years that she lived in Germantown, by her kindness in word and in deed, she endeared herself to all with whom she came in contact. During her captivity among the Indians she had acquired some knowledge of the medicinal proper- ties and uses of roots and herbs. As physicians in her day were not very numerous, she was often applied to for advice and assistance in cases of sickness. It thus happened that by degrees she got into quite an extensive medical practice. She was especially skillful in midwifery, and those who knew her had the utmost confidence in her as a reliable physician. She thoroughly understood the Indian character, and always retained a dread of the red
:
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man. She declared the Indians to be a treacherous, vindictive, and cruel people, with very few redeem- ing qualities about them. During the first few years of her residence in Ohio, the Indians were still numerous in this state. They soon learned who she was, and after that she was frequently favored by their visits. They would hang around her for days, encamp in the woods near by her residence, and visit her day after day. She conversed with them in their own tongue, and treated them kindly, not so much from a feeling of kindness for them, as from fear of them. And there was real danger for her. They claimed her as one of their own race, and had they thought it safe to do so, they would have carried her off, old as she was. Knowing this, she would always rather hide from them than meet them.
The number of descendants of this lady are at this time to be counted by the thousand. All her eight children settled in and about Germantown. They all reared large families. These and their descend- ants have intermarried with other families in the community, until almost every family is in some way related to her. For this reason, as also on account of her strange experiences of life, and her own peculiar characteristics, she is deserving of the extended notice hereby given her. Her remains lie buried in front of the Lutheran Church, and it is to be hoped that some day an enduring monument will be erected over them, so as more effectively to per- petuate her memory.
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HECKMAN BINDERY INC.
JUL 84
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N. MANCHESTER, INDIANA 46962
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