USA > Pennsylvania > Lebanon County > Hamlin in Lebanon County > History of St. Paul's (Klopp's Reformed Church, Hamlin, Pa. > Part 1
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Gc 974.802 H18b 1828138
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
L 3 1833 02165 686 0
GENEALOGY 974.802 H18B
Gc 974.801 H18b 1828138
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HISTORY
-OF ----
ST. PAUL'S
(KLOPP'S)
REFORMED CHURCH,
HAMLIN, PA.
FOUNDED, 1752 BECAME UNION, 1825 AGAIN REFORMED, 1884
-BY -- REV. C. A. BUTZ, A. M., MYERSTOWN. PA.
READ AT THE 154 ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE CONGREGATION, THE 22 ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW CHURCH AND THE OPENING OF THE CHURCH AFTER EXTENSIVE REPAIRS, MADE DUR- ING THE SUMMER OF 1906.
PRINTED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
REV. C. A. BUTZ, A. M., MYERSTOWN, PA.
1828138
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ST. PAUL'S (KLOPP'S) REFORMED CHURCH, HAMLIN, PA.
"Reaching forth unto those things which are before" .- Phil. 3:13 "God shall be with you" .- Gen. 48:21.
HE highest force that has animated man from time immemorial is that which has taken hold of his inner self. The consci- ousness of a God and the search after Him has ever led him to do the heroic. Thus it was that Noah built the ark and perpetuated the race, that Abraham left the old homestead in Ur of the Chaldeans in search of a new one, and received the name of "father of nations" and "friend of God," that Israel left the banks of the Nile for the land of promise and inaugurated ideals and principles of government and society that have become the basis of future legisla- tion, and that the missionaries of the Cross had forsaken all and pushed into the dark and benighted corners of the globe and carried a message of love, thus transforming the desert "to blossom like the rose." It is the same force that in the early times produced the great migrations of nations, consolidated various types and interests of the race and formed a homogeneous whole, thus accomplishing the great purpose of divine Wisdom. Strange and wonderful as these early migrations may have been, the physical had contributed its share too. In fact, the physical and spiritual had been closely allied. But there are no migrations in the history of nations that have as yet been equalled in the purity of motive and the loftiness of purpose and the dignity of zeal and the de- votion to ideals and the sacrifice to personal comforts and interests that characterized the pioneers of this great country of ours. Whether the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, the Catholics of Maryland, the Hu-
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HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S REFORMED CHURCH.
guenots in the Carolinas, or the Germans in New York and Pennsyl- vania, all came in response to an inner prompting, to carry out princi- ples of life and to perpetuate institutions that they felt convinced were essential to the realization of true happiness and real existence. Their thot-life had so molded their spirit-life that they could say in unison with the great German reformer, "Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise, so help me, God."
There was great unrest in the Old World because of the shifting of dogmas and truths that had so long been accepted as inviolate. The papacy had become corrupt and thus insufficient to meet the demands of an awakened age. Hearts and minds once brot into the light of reason and of truth, refused to be bound by the fetters of inconsistency, ignor- ance and superstition, and off came the shackles of slavery, and thus a new epoch was ushered in. But darkness always resists the light ! Ignorance and wickedness refuse to learn. The atrocities and cruelties committed by the church claiming to be the bride of Christ, are such as are a disgrace to the cause of religion. The magnitude of these cruel- ties can well be imagined when we remember that in one night an army of close on to 100,000 Reformed people were murdered in France, and in a very short time property to the value of $30,000,000 confiscated in the Netherlands by Alba. Germany, Switzerland and England were equally oppressed. Scarcely had peace been made when hostilities were again renewed. The fathers had accepted a cause that meant trouble and worry, and at last compelled them to sacrifice home and country. Well might they have been justified to renounce the new ideas and re-embrace the old ! But how could they ! They had looked unto God in the face of Jesus Christ and their vision had been widened in the larger hopes of a fuller and richer life. Their hearts were kin- dled by the flames of the heavenly altar and there was a burning and a yearning after true and unmolested worship. And the soul that trusts in Him shall not be disappointed. The light of a new morn was break- ing. With the oppression and cruelties new aspects and possibilities presented themselves. Why endure hardships and atrocities any longer when a new world was before them, with new hopes and a promising future !
THE EARLY SETTLEMENTS
America has ever been the asylum of the oppressed of all nations. From the earliest period to the present her doors have ever been wide open and the hand of fellowship extended to those who were seeking & place of safety. Refugees from all lands have sought and found the land of the free and the home of the brave. Most of the early settle- ments of our country were by those who had fled from the cruelty and oppression of the homeland. The Germans were especially an oppressed people. Tho many of them, one time well-to-do, yet they were com-
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HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S REFORMED CHURCH.
pelled to give up all and flee for safety. New York and Pennsylvania 1
became the destination of many. As early as 1684, Francis Daniel Pas- torious, with a colony of Germans, closely allied with the Quakers in their religious opinion, laid out Germantown. Other colonies followed settling in different parts of Pennsylvania. But it was not until 1709 and 1710 that they came in large numbers. In the former year we are told, a large number of German Protestants had arrived in London, and after 10,000 had died for want of sustenance, medical attendance, &c., and 7,000 had returned to their native home, 6,520 were given transportation to America, not gratuitously, as some one says, for they had to earn their fare later by working in the tar industry, up the Hud- son, which proved to be a loss to the British government. Many of them had originally settled in Schoharie County, New York. Between 1720 and 1725, thirty-three families, because of the more tolerate laws. came to Pennsylvania, via. the Susquehanna River, on rafts to the mouth of the Swatara, ascending which stream, already settled by the Scotch-Irish, they took up their abode in this section and near the waters of the Tulpehocken. From 1725 to 1735, and still later there was another great influx of Germans, representing various religious opinions. From 1749 to 1752, there were no less than 24,000 to 30,000 German's who arrived in Philadelphia. In 1761, the population of Pennsylvania was 180,000, whereof nearly one-half were Germans. Many of these Colonists set out for Tulpehocken, a highly favored spot, coming via. Oley, and gradually spread themselves over the beautiful Lebanon Valley.
WHAT DID THE IMMIGRANTS FIND ?
The transportation, in the first place, of many, was miserable, and inhumane The ships are described as floating hospitals and pest- houses, filled with small pox and all the other diseases of crowding and dirt, which increased frightfully during the long voyages of two to three and even six months. It is said that some ships lost one-third of their passengers, and one particular ship is said to have lost 250 passengers during the voyage Then again, it is true, they had discovered a land flowing with milk and honey, but like Israel of old, it was still in the hands of the enemy. There were the primeval forests with the stately oak, still in the hands of the Redmen. These proved treacherous and hostile at times. The Indians actually held title to all the land within the limits of Lebanon County until 1732, altho it was considered by the proprietaries that the deeds of Chief Kekelappan, of the 10th of Sept., 1683, to Wm. Penn, covered a portion of the territory upon which the whites located, as early as 1710, if not prior. The final purchase was not made until Sept. 7, 1732, when the Chiefs and Sachems of the Dela- wares made a treaty by which they disposed of all their land in Penn- sylvania not previously bot lying between the Delaware and Susque-
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HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S REFORMED CHURCH.
hanna and south of the Blue Mountains. This purchase included about one-half of Berks County, the whole of Lehigh, and part of Northamp- ton, with the whole of Lebanon and Dauphin, and south of the first range of the Kittochtinny. The price paid : Twenty brass kettles, one hundred strand water match-coats of 2 yds. each ; one hundred duffels, ditto; 100 blankets, 100 yds. of half-tick, 60 linen shirts, 20 hats, 6 made coats, 12 pr. of shoes and buckles, 30 pr. of stockings, 300 lbs. gunpowder, 600 lbs. lead, 20 fine guns, 12 gnn locks, 50 tomahawks or hatchets, 50 planting hoes, 120 knives, 60 pr. scissors, 100 tobacco tongs, 24 looking-glasses, 40 tobacco boxes, 1,000 fiints, 5 lbs. of paint, 24 doz. of gartering, 6 doz. of ribbon, 12 doz. of rings, 200 awl blades, 100 lbs. of tobacco, 400 tobacco pipes, 20 gallons of rum, and 50 lbs. in money. The articles paid for this and the tracts previously purchased, and the numerous presents given to the Indians when they visited Philadel- phia officially, were generally articles indispensible in every sphere of civilized life. On one occasion there were "4 doz. jewsharps," among the items presented by the government, and this shows that they must have had some taste for music. These sales did not exclude the In- dians from within the boundaries of Lebanon County, and there were a number of roving bands still living here. Tho they held no longer claim, right or title to the land, they at times proved quite hostile, and set the life of the settlers in danger compelling them to put up places of protection, e. g .: the Zellers' Indian Fort, near Sheridan, erected in 1745, &c. Instances are on record where entire families were murder- ed and robbed, and the house set on fire. During the French and In- dian War, (1754-63) they proved especially hostile and dangerous. Rev. Wm. Stoy writes to the Classical Deputies of our Church in Hol- land, Sept. 30, 1757, thus : "With regard to the horrors of war, which now rage on our shores, they are certainly so great that they can hard- ly, yea, not even at all, be described. Our Indians, more savage than wild beasts, have either dragged away innumerable inhabitants of British America, or slain them in a most wretched and indescribable manner. Cold horrors shake my body and an icy tremor runs thru my very bones when I recall what I have seen myself and learned from hearsay. Neither would the tiger nor the most ferocious lion rage so fiercely when meeting a man, as these wild barbarians do. They scalp the living, and what is more, even the dead. I, myself, have seen them slay them and mutilate their bodies with tomahawks. Like wolves they wander thru the continuous forests of these regions. They go and return unimpeded. In this manner they have devastated our land far and wide. We have lost some of our congregations, either entirely or in part. The largest part of the people at Tulpehocken, among whom I lived, have either fled, or were led into captivity, or killed by the Indians. Beyond Tulpehocken, three other congregations, belonging to our church have been totally destroyed. Thru such calamities it has come
HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S REFORMED CHURCH.
to pass that we, at present, need no new ministers in Pennsylvania, be- ing in doubt where to locate them."
Thus it will be seen that our forefathers had to undergo many hard- ships and meet with disappointments that were undreamed of in the mother country. But they had been well seasoned and could endure. Their strength of character and their tenacity of purpose led them to do the heroic. Coming to a section they naturally would have their attention first turned on acquiring land in order to establish homes. The land, having been bot of the Indians by England, was then sur- veyed to the settlers. Altho a treaty was entered into between Gover- nor Patrick Gordon, on behalf of the proprietaries, with the Indians for the land in question, it was not until 1733 that lands were surveyed to the actual settlers. Lands, it is true, were granted at an earlier date, but these were warrants to the holders of deeds given the original pur- chasers. That the early settlers of Bethel Township were poor, but frugal and honest, is proved by the fact that no tracts had been pur- chased prior to 1737, when John Brightbill bot 200 acres for 15£ and 10s per 100 acres. In 1732, we find the following persons to have rented tracts which they subsequently purchased :
Henry Dubbs, 150 acres, bot Apr. 24, 1755. John Eisenhauer, 126 acres, bot Sept. 23, 1765. John Speitler, 200 acres, bot Mar. 1. 1744.
The following also purchased land :
Peter Bixler, 50 acres, May 8, 1751. Isaiah Cushwa, 50 acres, Feb. 21, 1752. Rudolph Hunsick er, 200 acres, Apr. 23, 1740. Philip Houtz, 100 acres, Oct. 24, 1746. Peter Smith, 50 acres, Oct. 18, 1751. John Cline, 250 acres, Mar. 28. 1775. Nich. Eisenhauer, 100 acres, Jan. 20, 1753. Leonard Kern, 100 acres, Jan. 22, 1749. Christian Lentz, 50 acres, Sept. 19, 1772. Henry Merck (Meck), 100 acres, Feb. 16, 1749. John Spitler, 100 acres Nov 11, 1784. Dan. Schuey, 125 acres, Sent. 23. 1747. John Schuey, 150 acres, Jan. 4, 1749. Stuffield Reyer, 50 acres, July 29, 1767. Peter Smith, 60 acres, Oct. 18, 1751.
The properties erected were mostly of logs, tho substantial, yet very simple and unpretentious, and thus commensuate with the times. Utility and economy were the governing principles in those days. The implements for the cultivation of the soil and the harvesting of the grain, &c., &c., were very simple too. Yet, with it all, we find that thru their frugality and sincerity they attained unto a reasonable de- gree of success.
THE RELIGIOUS ASPECT
In the beginning we stated the object of their coming. We shall now trace the religious aspect more in particular. It was seen that Bethel Township, (then Lancaster County, and later Dauphin County), was settled as early as 1732, and still earlier. The question naturally presents itself where did these people attend divine worship? The
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HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S REFORMED CHURCH.
writer is of the opinion that a great part of the Reformed people of this section were originally members of the Tulpehocken Church, which was organized and served by Rev. John Philip Boehm in 1727. In those days people were not afraid of distance; religious dyspepsia was unknown People could eat and digest, and there was no mal-assimi- lation either. In every Colony a church was to be found which gave expression to their belief and devotion. To-day when a settlement is made the first thing they put up is a hotel. The social side is to be taken care of ! Surely men want to spend their evenings somewhere ! Then the church occupied a prominent place in the hearts of the set- tlers, whereas in our times it seems to have lost its grip on many. In those days mostly every one felt that the church stood for something, that it meant life and character, hence their devotion. Tho it was at first an unimposing structure, principally constructed of logs, and in many places unheated during the winter, and no fioor but mother-earth, yet the heart longed and yearned for the courts of the living God. They were a noble ancestry. We can well pride ourselves in their work, -- the monuments they have left behind. Their motives were pure, their aims grand, and their purposes praise-worthy. They have founded in the wilderness of America a civilization that is to be for the uplifting of nations.
THE PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS
Coeval with the settlement of this section, a parochial school was founded and maintained where the children were trained for usefulness in life. Such schools were not necessarily conducted in separate build- ings especially erected for that purpose, but in private families, either that of the teacher or such who could provide adequate quarters. In the annual report to the Church of Holland, our forefathers complained that the "Directors try to erect nothing but. English schools and care nothing for the German language," and urge, as a counter work, that the "Germans ought to look out for their schools in which their chil- dren may be instructed in German " With all due respect to our fore- fathers and recognizing the grandeur of the German language, we, however, feel that if they would not have held as tenaciously to the German language, that our communities would be altogether different. It took one hundred years more for our church to recognize this fact. With the acceptance of the English language came the prosperity, that has marked its history during the last decade.
One of the chief characteristics of those schools was an element which is so sadly missing in the public schools of our day,-the religi- ous. The schools aim to be distinctly secular inculcating principles of patriotism and of correct living. "The enemy hus done this." We let our schools to be too much controlled by Roman Catholicism, which has ever been the enemy of enlightenment and of progress. The high-
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HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S REFORMED CHURCH
est elements of patriotism are those that are born of religion and are conducive to correct living. It seems that Christ and the public schools have been divorced. He seems to be getting divorced from so many interests ! Since he is eliminated from the foundation (elementary education) how can he be found in the structure (future development) ? While the writer does not believe that our public schools should be Schools of Theology, he does aver, however, that there should be a re- ligious atmosphere influencing and molding the life and character of the child. To say that these elements must be obtained in the Sabbath School, the church or the home, is talking nonsense, for there may be many who never attend any of the institutions, but the public school. The object of the State is to train the child as a good citizen, and there- fore spends millions of dollars for this purpose. Yet it fails to take cognizance of this one great fact, that education is only complete when it has the religious combined. Education does not aim, or should not aim,simply to develope the mind but the heart as well. Let the princi- ples of the Sermon on the Mount be implanted into the hearts and minds of the rising generation and you will find that they will be men and women worthy of being American citizens.
ORGANIZATION OF CONGREGATIONS
Much of the early history of our congregations is unknown because of the incompleteness of the records. It seems that the fathers were unthotful of the importance and desirability of keeping a record of their deeds and acts to be transmitted to posterity. Perhaps they believed in letting the work speak for itself. There are many things that we would like to know, yet we are left entirely in the dark and can, there- fore, only guess. This is especially true of the organization of St. Paul's congregation. In the Coetal Records of 1752, a congregation is men- tioned by the name of * Tolpehil, which we believe referred to St. Paul's, for the following reasons :- Tulpehocken township was written Tulpetoun. In 1765, two congregations are mentioned as located in Tulpetoun, one of which is two years later definitely mentioned as Bethel, (there were two Tulpehocken churches further down but not served by one man at this time), as served by Rev. Zufall. Since St. Paul's (or Bethel) was located so near the line of Tulpehocken town- ship,-13 mile away,-that it was confused as late as 1765, (In 1765, Rev. J. Geo. Alsentz, Germantown, was secretary, while in 1767, Rev. Wm. Hendel, Tulpehocken, served in that capacity), why may not also this geographical uncertainty have existed (and yet, all this region was designated by that name), in 1752? In that year Rev. Wm. Stoy, of Tulpehocken, was clerk, and he must have known what he was talking about. We find that the first cemetery was located on a hill, definately defined and distinct, where also the first church may have existed, or
NOTE -$ Rev H. J. Welker claims that Tolpehil refers to Kimmerling's Church,- founded about 1745,-so called on account of the Tulpehocken, which has its source about 1/4 mile away. But he has no evidence in favor of his claim.
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HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S REFORMED CHURCH
both were located on the hill beyond the Tulpehocken Valley.
At all events, an organization had existed in 1755, for baptisms were recorded in that year. The old records are in rather poor state of preservation, (the books having been torn and many of the leaves lost), and furnish no, information beyond the year designated. However, 1755 is so written as to indicate that the record had been begun prior to that year.
The following are the baptisms of 1755 :
1. Emma Barbara, daughter of Gotlieb Stambel and wife, Anna.
2 Frantz, son of Peter Dietrich and wife, Maria.
3. Catherine, daughter of Nich. Yungblut and wife, Anna Maria.
Sponsers, Johannes Schuy and wife, Catherine.
1756 :
1. Born Jan. 26, Baltzer, son of Michael Gunkel and wife, Maria.
2. Born Feb. 8, Anna Catherine; daughter of Isaiah Cushwa and wife, Christina. Sponser, Towias Bickels.
3. Born Feb. 2, John, son of Peter Klein and wife, Margareth. Sponsers, John Christman and wife.
But who was the organizer ? In 1752, Rev. Wm. Stoy promised Coetus to visit the Tolpehil congregation, "and, if possible, to bring it into a prosperous condition." The following year the congregation is reported as being served by Rev. Conrad Templeman. The latter labored in this section before 1744, for Boehm says in that year, that he had served already "for some time," and speaks of him as a tailor and one time a school teacher, and a reader at Hill Church, and a man of "praiseworthy life." Before 1748, he was the only one who ministered in spiritual things within the present limits of Lebanon County. He had, however, no ministerial authority at first, yet he served in that capacity with a degree of satisfaction and always worked in harmony with Coetus until 1752, when he was examined and licensed and be- came a member of Coetus. He served his charge until 1757, when he was compelled to resign on account of blindness.
THE OLD CEMETERY
The very earliest landmark of St. Paul's was a cemetery, located about a quarter of a mile south toward the Little Swatara, ou quite a prominent elevation, on the land now owned by Valentine Urich. Its location was about 13 mile from the Berks County line. This would indicate and prove conclusively that a church existed prior to the erec- tion of the first one on the present premises. However, a mistaken notion exists about the original grant of land for cemetery purposes. It is claimed that the land had been donated by a Mr. Klopp, whose re- mains had also been interred there, and in whose honor the church was named, "Klopp's Church." This is a mistake. We have examined all the deeds granted to the various purchasers of the farm since 1745 and did not find this name. In that year, on the 27th of August, Isaiah Cushwa purchased of John George Knowl and John Casper Stover, ex- ecutors, 114 acres for 3€, of the property of Jacob Kitzmiller, who owned a farm of 27 acres. Whether this was for church purposes we know not, but in 1752. (Feb. 21), he made another purchase of 50 acres
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HISTORY OF ST. PAUL'S REFORMED CHURCH
which later became a part of the farm of his son, John, who hot it in 1769, together with another tract of 100 acres purchased from the estate of Thos. Freames. It then passed into the hands of Isaiah Cushwa, Jr., (1785), and later into the Houtz family, until 1826, when it passed into the Walborn family. If there was a grant or a purchase, it either was of the land of Isaiah Cushwa or that of Freame's manor, which con- sisted of 1,309 acres, and a part of which was later incorporated into the 205-acre farm on which the cemetery was located.
The cemetery remained undisturbed until about 28 to 30 years ago, when the bodies were disinterred and buried on the one secured in 1767. It is said, that only about half a dozen bodies reposed here and that the plot covered an area of about 450 square feet. It was sur- rounded by a white paling fence. To our mind this location would have been more preferable than the one later selected. *
"KLOPP'S" CHURCH
We had thot that the report concerning the original grant for the first cemetery had been correct and were willing to accept it as such. But finding it to be incorrect, we have to seek another solution. It is said that three Klopp brothers immigrated to this country, two locating in Berks County and the third in Bethel township The latter was killed by the Indians during those dark and gloomy days of the French and Indian War. His remains were laid to rest in the small cemetery on the hill and his memory has ever since been commemor- ated and kept fresh in the church to which he belonged. The church had never been designated "Klopp's" in the Coetal Records. But Har. baugh uses the name in connection with the history of this section as early as 1767.
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