USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > Bethlehem > A history of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1741-1892, with some account of its founders and their early activity in America > Part 31
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24 Their main contention was in reference to the taxes assessed on the large number of single men individually. It was claimed that they should not be taxed personally, on the basis of the valuation put on the properties of their establishments and the magnitude of the agricultural and manufacturing operations in which they were jointly engaged, because they were not part owners, enjoyed no share of any profits, received no wages, but merely got their subsistence from the common store, giving all their labor to a common cause, which was not for the material aggrandizement of any individual or body of individuals, but for benevolent and charitable objects in the furtherance of evangelistic work. It was argued that they should be taxed jointly as large families in their several houses. This was met by the opponents in two ways. Some flatly refused to believe these statements. This, of course, was no argument, and was not to be reasoned with. Others took the position, that, if such was the case, the organization for which they labored was under obligation to pay the individual taxes for them as a part of the body of current expenses necessarily in - volved; and that the law had nothing to do with the question of what was done with the proceeds. The position taken by the courts seems to have been that the plea made in behalf of the single men could only be admitted if they stood on the basis of indentured " servants," like "redemptioners"; and this was not the case. This question continued to be agitated for some years. Their contention had been admitted by the court of Bucks County, and they had been thus taxed as family establishments. It is on record that the amount of such tax collected from the single Brethren in April, 1753, was £73, while the taxes of the whole County, with its population of over 6000, was slightly more than £300. So the new county managed to make the Moravian settlements rather profitable, while Parsons was declaring them " detrimental to its prosperity."
25 Two companies had arrived from Europe on the Irene since Spangenberg's return to America, December, 1751. Returning from her fifth voyage, May 17, 1752, she brought, besides the Rev. Andrew Anthony Lawatsch, with his wife Anna Maria; the Rev. Jacob Rogers, a widower; Francis Boehler, later ordained, and his wife Anna Catherine; Rosina Pfahl, a widow, and Margaret Wernhamer, a single woman. They were accompanied by the faithful and valuable steward, David Wahnert, who was now a widower. After another voyage on the Irene, July 6 to November 20, 1752, he was married at Bethlehem, January 29, 1753, to Rosina Pfahl, who then accompanied him on the next voyage in April, 1753.
273
1749-1755.
Spangenberg had hoped to have some leisure, after getting away from Bethlehem, to dispose of a mass of important writing before the ship sailed, that he had no time for during the preceding extremely busy weeks, and was much disconcerted when he found everything in readiness to leave. Just then a letter came to him from Zinzendorf intimating that, as matters then were, he might delay until after Easter if he preferred. So he let the Irene sail26 without him and, while the people at Bethlehem supposed he was on the ocean, he retired to a house in the vicinity of New York, where he quietly finished his voluminous report on the North Carolina plans, and other writing, and did much thinking on affairs, that had not been possible in the whirl of the previous weeks. On April 20, he preached the Good Friday sermon in New York and directly after the service hurried aboard the ship on which he had engaged passage.
After his departure, yet other important conferences on the financial situation were held by Bishop Matthew Hehl, who now took his place; Nathanael Seidel, Herrmann and Lawatsch, the temporary Board of Wardens; Nicholas Henry Eberhardt who had come over in December, 1751, and now temporarily took Pezold's place as Warden of the single men; Antes, Horsfield and Okely; these being principally the men who had to worry with the uncertain problems of the hour. One such session, May 25 to 28-during which
When the vessel returned to New York from her sixth voyage, November 20, 1752, she had on board John Toeltschig, who had been one of the early Georgia colonists, and Anna Johanna Piesch, daughter of John George Piesch, the conductor of the First Sea Congre- gation, grand-daughter of Father Nitchmann and later the wife of Nathanael Seidel. She had charge of seventeen single women. Johanna Dorothea Miller, wife of the printer Henry Miller, and a certain widow Schultz, were also passengers, and, as stated, David Wahnert was again along as steward. The single women were the following :
Beyer, Anna Maria, Klingelstein, Margaret Catharine, Ruch, Catherine,
Dietz, Maria Catherine, Mann, Anna,
Schuster, Felicitas,
Ebermeyer, Maria Margaret, Meyer, Maria Agnes, Seidner, Margaret Barbara,
Gaupp, Dorothea, Morhardt. Christina, Sperbach, Johanna Rebecca,
Gerhardt, Catherine, Neumann, Regina,
Waeckler, Juliana.
Heyd, Inger, Redelerburg, Helena,
26 The company that sailed in the Irene were John Toeltschig and Anna Johanna Piesch, returning; Samuel Krause and wife, now also leaving Pennsylvania; David Wahnert, the steward and his wife; Judith, widow of the missionary Abraham Meinnung; Gottlieb Pezold, who was to bring a large colony of single men to Pennsylvania; Dorothea Bechtel, a daughter of John Bechtel ; Bally Noble, a girl, and the young men Jacob Adolph and William Okely, the latter a sailor and ship's-carpenter who was with the crew of the Irene on several voyages.
19
274
A HISTORY OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.
time Antes remained in Bethlehem-was occasioned by the receipt of a letter from Bishop John de Watteville in reference to the extensive credit-system that had been carried on and now rendered the crisis the more critical; stating what steps had thus far been taken, and expressing concern about the credit in Pennsylvania. where the difficulties in Europe had become known and a panic was imminent. After mature deliberation, all the communicant members at Bethlehem were summoned and were told how matters stood. de Watteville's letter was read to them, and they were called upon to manifest united loyalty. At the conclusion of the conference, Antes and Lawatsch started for Philadelphia, followed later by Father Nitschmann, Joseph Mueller, Hermann, Horsfield and Okely, to have interviews with the men who had made loans in this country, to explain the entire situation, so far as they could at that time, and correct erroneous and exaggerated reports that had gotten afloat, when the news of the failure of Gomez Serra, the banker, and the connection of the General Diaconate of the Church with him first reached Philadelphia. They succeeded in allaving the excitement and the creditors had sufficient confidence to wait. At another such conference in June, yet fuller explanations were made to the people at Bethlehem, and it was decided to give every one an opportunity to express his views and wishes on the question of standing by the Economy, and continuing to serve on the basis hitherto maintained. They were reminded that, while they were important producers for the general cause, their transportation and keeping had occasioned a considerable part of the great debt that had accumulated. They were asked to devote themselves anew to the task of helping to bear the common burden, and to be ready for yet more plain and frugal living for a season.
In addition to these trying financial circumstances, the outlook for the harvest of that year was by no means promising. In that, and the two following years there was a very general failure of crops throughout Pennsylvania, succeeding several years of plenty. The spirit manifested by the people generally, in response to this appeal. was highly gratifying, and when the intimation was given that if any preferred to sever their connection with the Economy under this test, they should feel at liberty to do so and might go in peace, no disposi- tion to withdraw was apparent. The sensations set afloat by these circumstances attracted new attention to Bethlehem in business circles and among civil officers, not only in Pennsylvania, but also in
275
1749-1755
New Jersey and New York. Many men of prominence visited the place during the summer of 1753, either to inspect the situation and talk with the officials in order to form a better judgment about matters from a business point of view, or to merely gratify awakened curiosity. Among other visitors noted in June, was "Mr. John Penn, the son of Richard Penn, one of the Proprietors, with two gentlemen who looked about Bethlehem with pleasure." In September, besides many others referred to, were "a number of gentlemen from Phila- delphia, among them the Director of the Academy, Mr. Allison, and two of his colleagues." Merchants from New York and Philadelphia and a number of sea captains were among the visitors. In June, 1753, three weeks after Bishop Spangenberg reached England, Bishop Peter Boehler sailed, with his wife, for America on the Irene to take Spangenberg's place until the end of the year, and oversee the further work of settlement with creditors in Pennsylvania, in harmony with the policy and method which had been instituted in England. Boehler was not only fully acquainted with the plans of the hour and possessed of more than ordinary ability in such matters, but had been one of those who deplored the heedless methods of the preceding few years and raised his voice against various measures and ventures, to the displeasure of those who were running things down the road to ruin. He landed at New York, September 9. They were accompanied by two married couples, Jacob and Elizabeth Till, and George Stephen Wolson and his wife Susan Rebecca, with David Wahnert, the steward, and his wife, again in attendance. Besides these, there came, under the leadership of Gottlob Koenigsdoerfer, a colony of twenty-three single men, to engage in the service of the Church in various ways. It was, on the whole, a body of superior men. Nine of them had studied at universities, and some others were men of considerable education. They added eight men to the educated ministry, while several more of good natural abilities joined the ranks of the assistant missionaries. There were also a surgeon, a surveyor and an experienced scrivener among them, while nine other trades were represented.27
Bishop Boehler reached Bethlehem, September 13, and, after protracted consultations with Antes, Horsfield, Okely and others,
27 Jacob and Elizabeth Till also entered the ministry, engaging at first, with great zeal and faithfulness. in the work among the children. The university men later best known in the ministry among those in the list which follows, were Friis, Krogstrup, Rusmeyer and Soelle. The surgeon was Kalberlahn, who later went to North Carolina, and the surveyor was
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A HISTORY OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.
applied himself to the difficult task before him. The formal com- mission and guarantees he brought with him, the detailed statements he was able to make, together with his own personal standing in Philadelphia, eventually restored confidence and enabled him to so arrange matters with the creditors, who had agreed to wait only to the end of the year before foreclosing, that everything was gotten into order and the properties of the Church were secured. While engaged with these things, he also held a Synod in November, to deliberate on such matters as required the attention of all who were engaged in church work at that time. Furthermore, on October 8, the first colony of thirteen men-some from among those who arrived with Boehler-started for North Carolina to found a settle- ment on the new domain of Wachovia.
At that time another project of some extent, which however was never consummated, began to engage attention at Bethlehem. Just before Spangenberg sailed for Europe, a proposition came to him by a company which owned about fifty thousand acres of land in New York, to give four thousand acres and sell seven thousand additional acres at a very low figure, to the Moravian Church to found a settle- ment. The land lay in Ulster County, a short distance east of the Delaware River between the Minnisinks and Schoharie. In May, after Spangenberg's departure, men were appointed to inspect the tract and send a report to Europe. This report was such that, not- withstanding the financial embarrassment of the time, it was con- cluded to investigate the proposition further. Boehler had been requested to give attention to it, but the early beginning of a severe winter prevented him from visiting the neighborhood. When Bishop David Nitschmann returned to America the following year, he was commissioned to take the matter in hand. May 2, 1754, he started
Golkowsky, Krause was a butcher, and the first of the line of that name who have conducted the business at Bethlehem. The following is the complete list :
Backhof, Ludolph Gottlieb,
Juergensen, Jacob,
Baehrmeyer, Christopher Henry,
Kalberlahn, Hans Martin,
Beyer, Frederick,
Krause, Henry,
Daehne, Ludwig Christopher,
Krogstrup, Otto Christian,
Eyerle, Jacob,
Lemmert, Joseph,
Fabricius, George Christian,
Rusmeyer, Albrecht Ludolf,
Friis, Jacob,
Soelle, George,
Golkowsky, George Wenzeslaus,
Toellner, Christian Frederick,
Haberland, Joseph,
Wedsted, Christian,
Weicht, Peter,
Herr, Jacob, Hunt, Samuel,
Worbass, Peter,
Ziegler, Curtins Frederick.
277
1749-1755.
from Bethlehem with David Zeisberger for Ulster County to select a site for a settlement. On that day, thirty years before, he and the other "Moravian churchmen" had started from Zauchtenthal, the old Moravian home of the Nitschmanns and Zeisbergers, on the pilgrimage which led them to Herrnhut, and this suggested the idea of calling the new settlement Zauchtenthal. Further visits and negotiations with the owners followed and progressed so far that, at the end of November, what promised to be mutually satisfactory terms and forms of deeds for the land had been agreed to, and Bishop Nitschmann had arranged to take up his residence there and open the settlement, for which elaborate plans had been made. Then a closer inspection of the land revealed that the variety of uses to which it could be put was too limited to meet the stipulations, on the part of the owners, that had been accepted, and at last the scheme collapsed. A new individual offer of another tract in that region by Mr. Livingston, one of the company, was taken into consideration the next summer, but nothing came of it.
A more promising opening was at that time being taken advantage of. This was the donation, by George Klein, of his entire farm at Warwick, in Lancaster County, where a little congregation had existed since 1749. On that body of land, first offered in 1753, the important settlement of Lititz was founded under the superintendence of Bishop Matthew Hehl, who had been Bishop Spangenberg's coadjutor at Bethlehem. This settlement, which was planned to be more fully one of separate homes than Bethlehem and the Nazareth places had been, and at which no such arrangements as the Economy of these places was ever instituted, not only diverted attention from the opening in Ulster County, New York, but took the place of the proposed villages of Gnadenhoeh and Gnadenstadt on the Nazareth land.
Bishop Spangenberg got back to Bethlehem, April 22, 1754; having arrived at New York on the Irene on the 15th. The record states that the return of "Brother Joseph"28 to Pennsylvania caused great joy at Bethlehem. Besides a number of other persons, Bishop David Nitschmann accompanied him, after an absence of more than
28 This name by which Spangenberg was commonly known then and on to the end of his life-he often used it himself signing his name even officially "Joseph, alias Augustus Gottlieb Spangenberg "-was a metonymy first applied to him by Zinzendorf, substituting the sacred Bible name for Augustus, which had radically the same meaning. In his provision for the sustenance of so many dependent upon his wise fore-thought and good management at Bethlehem, he was compared to Joseph, the provider in Egypt.
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A HISTORY OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.
four years, to pass the rest of his life in America. Like Spangen- berg,29 he was at this time a widower.30
There were others of note among the passengers : the Rev. John Ettwein, with his wife Joanetta Maria and his infant son Christian- the zealous superintendent of work among the children, the inde- fatigable itinerant, the commanding spirit at Bethlehem during the Revolution, and then the bishop of such extensive acquaintance and correspondence with public men ; the Rev. Francis Christian Lembke, a widower, the accomplished schoolman and preacher who became the pastoral head at Nazareth the next year ; John Valentine Haidt, with his wife Catherine, less known as a minister than as a painter of pictures in oil, whose numerous scenes from the Saviour's passion and portraits of prominent Moravians remain, both in Europe and America, as mementos of those days-his studio was in the Horsfield house at Bethlehem for a season, and nearly all the oil portraits in the Church archives are his work; Andrew Hoeger the architect and building-inspector who rendered important service at Bethlehem; the Rev. Christian Thomas Benzien, with his wife Anna Maria and his two children Anna Benigna and Christian Lewis-worn and broken by the harassing ordeal of the financial crisis in England during which he had to bear a heavy load. The Rev. Paul Daniel Bryzelius, with his wife and three children, were also passengers. But the most interesting name in the company was that of Hecke- welder. The parents, David and Regina Heckewelder, subsequently joined the missionary force in the West Indies. Their children were John, David, Christian and Mary. The name of John Heckewelder, Indian missionary, linguist and archaeologist, founder of settlements, government agent and man of affairs, figures in the Bethlehem
29 Spangenberg was married again at Bethlehem, May 19, 1754. His second wife was a widow who had been engaged in official work among her sex in Europe, Mary Elizabeth Miksch, m.n. Jaehne. She was one of the passengers with him on the Irene. He later called her his " Martha," and she came to be known by this name so exclusively that it has often been taken by writers to have been her real name. She was an excellent woman and of great value to him as an assistant. Spangenberg left no issue by either marriage.
3º Bishop Nitschmann's wife Rosina died at Marienborn, near Herrnhaag, August 10, 1753. Intending to locate in Ulster Co., N. Y., at the head of the projected settlement, Zauchten- thal, he married again, September 7, 1754, at Bethlehem. His second wife was Mary Barbara Martin, m.n. Leinbach, widow of Frederick Martin, missionary bishop in the West Indies. They had a daughter, Anna Mary, who became the wife of Christian Heckewelder, brother of the celebrated missionary John Heckewelder, both of whom were among the boys of the company that arrived on the Irene in April, 1754.
·
279
1749-1755.
records until his death in 1823. As missionary and master of Indian languages and traditions, his name stands second, in the Moravian Church, only to that of David Zeisberger. Captain Garrison was accompanied by his wife on this voyage, and his son Nicholas Garrison, Jr., was again with the crew, who this time were exclusively Moravian sailors. Christian Jacobsen, later Captain of the Irene, was again along; also Andrew Schoute, one of the most useful and interesting men in this service; William Edmonds who served as ship's cook, later inn-keeper, shop-keeper, county officer and Assem- blyman, and the Norwegian sailor, Jost Jensen, who later was inn- keeper at Bethlehem. Dr. John Michael Schmidt, subsequently apothecary at Lancaster and (1757) at Lititz, and three young women, with David Wahnert, the veteran steward and his wife were also on board.
Returning from her ninth voyage, on November 16, the Irene brought Gottlieb Pezold back to America with the large colony of single men he had gone to bring over. He was accompanied by the missionary Christian Frederick Post, who had gone to Europe in 1751, and the next year was with the unsuccessful missionary expedition to Labrador. A sturdy company of farmers and mechanics was now added to the membership, in the arrival of this colony. They represented no less than sixteen trades. One person of special interest was Samuel Johannes, the one Malabar convert of the Mora- vian Church from the Island of Ceylon, who was taken to Europe in 1742, was baptized at Marienborn and died at Bethlehem in 1763. Some of these young men were had in view for the new settlement in North Carolina and for that to be founded in Warwick Township, Lancaster County.31
31 The following is the list of names for reference :
Anspach, Nicholas, Anst, Gottfried,
Dust, Gottfried, Ernst, Jacob,
Johannes, Samuel, Klein, John,
Bagge, Lawrence,
Fischer, Caspar,
Kloetz, Christopher,
Koffler, Adam,
Bailey, Joseph (?), Bulitschek, Joseph, Coeln, Nicholas, Colckier, Jens, Cramer, Adam,
Francke, August Henry,
Friebele, Christian,
Funck, Hans Nicholas,
Giers, Joseph, Gruenewald, John Henry,
Kriegbaum, John George, Kuerschner, Christopher, Kunz, David, Lenzner, John Henry, Linstroem, Michael,
Conrad, Melchior, Delfs, Detlef,
Gimmele, Matthias, Hassfeldt, John Adam,
Miksch, John Matthew,
Diemer, Franz Christopher, Dreyspring, Carl Joseph,
Huepsch, Joseph, Jag, John,
Meisser, Henry George, Nielsen, Lawrence,
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A HISTORY OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.
The course of events in Europe altered many previous plans and led to new ones in America also, some of which were carried out while others were not. Among the latter was no less a scheme than that which Count Zinzendorf, as clearly appears, entertained quite seriously for a while, when, after the storm of financial trouble lulled, and he was preparing to leave England where he had his residence for some time, he thought of coming to Pennsylvania again and establishing himself here, a project alluded to in a previous chapter. This thought, which at one time took sufficiently definite shape that details were already being considered at Bethlehem, brought about an enterprise on the Nazareth land that did not remain merely on paper, like those two projected villages, but, even though Zinzendorf did not return to Pennsylvania, resulted in the erection of an imposing building which remains standing, the most conspicuous edifice in the vicinity and richest in historic associations. At the general meeting of the people in March, 1753, before Bishop Spangenberg started for Europe, when the suspension of operations in founding Gnad- enhoeh was spoken of, he intimated that the site had in view for it might be utilized for the "Juengerhaus"32 the building of which had been under consideration. The favorable location of the site "in the midst of the group of other places" was pointed out and the collection of some building material at the spot preparatory to the founding of the village, that might be made use of, was referred to. The outcome of the enterprise thus mooted may be here given. At another Church Council on November 18, 1754, Spangenberg stated that the "Disciple"-Der Juenger, i. e. Zinzendorf-now needed a house to dwell in, with his little company, for things had come so far that he might be expected in Pennsylvania, and timely provision should be made. He added that a site between Bethlehem and Naz- areth was at one time had in view but could not be secured,33 and then another between Nazareth (Old Nazareth) and Gnadenthal had been proposed-the site eventually selected.
Ollendorf, Carl,
Schindler, George,
Weinecke, Carl,
Petersen, Hans,
Sproh, Christian,
Willy, Joseph,
Ring, Philip Henry,
Stiemer, Anton,
Wittenberg, Jens,
Rohleder, Martin,
Stark, John George,
Wuertele, John,
Saxon, Samuel,
Stettner, John,
Zillman, Henry.
Schenk, Martin,
Thorp, Edward,
32 On this word see note 19, this chapter.
33 The plan to secure a tract, on which it was thought for a while such a manor house might be built, between Bethlehem and Nazareth and the new county seat, on the proprietary manor of Fermor-so named by Thomas Penn in honor of the maiden name of his wife, the
28I
1749-1755.
Spangenberg stated, furthermore, at that meeting, that Zinzendorf had been written to about this site between Nazareth and Gnaden- thal and was agreed that his house should be built there, provided that it did not bind him exclusively to Nazareth, in view of the special attention he desired to devote to certain features of the work at Bethlehem also. When it was suggested that if the enterprise were undertaken energetically and building material gotten together dur- ing the approaching winter, the erection of the house could easily be accomplished the next year, general willingness was cheerfully expressed. Already on December 3, a site for the proposed manor house was selected at the place referred to. On the 8th, the building committee was announced and the statement was made that this house would be planned to contain the central place of worship for the people on all parts of the Nazareth domain, in addition to the provisions for separate services by the several colonies at their respective places ; such a common place of assembly having been one of the features had in view in planning the village of Gnadenhoeh. Zinzendorf changed his mind and, after he broke up his establishment in England and returned to the continent in March, 1755, concluded to retire to Herrnhut and remain there; but with these plans and movements on the Barony that had been the property of his wife, the Countess Erdmuth Dorothea who, not long after this-June 19, 1756-departed this life at Herrnhut, the history of Nazareth Hall
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