USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > A history of the Goshenhoppen Reformed charge, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (1727-1819) > Part 12
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IN THE NAME OF THE BLESSED TRINITY, AMEN.
Through the all-wise providence of God it has come to pass that both Evangelical congregations, Lutheran and Reformed, con- cluded to build a new stone-church, for which the corner-stone was laid today in the name of God. Inasmuch as under such circum- stances, and for the safety of both parties, a written agreement is necessary, showing in what manner each congregation is to conduct itself and what rights each possesses, therefore, the following con- tract has been made and established by us :
First : We implore unitedly and with burning hearts the almighty
144
History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
and all-gracious God, that he may not allow any discord or dissen- sion to arise among us, but may preserve us in love and unity, that our Christian work, undertaken by us, may have a happy issue.
Secondly: No congregation, neither Lutheran nor Reformed, shall have any preference in the divine service, nor shall any con- gregation have more rights in the church than the other, but every- thing shall be done in love, without confusion and disorder, nor shall either congregation disturb the divine services of the other.
Thirdly: We stipulate mainly and earnestly, that no false teacher, suspected of heresy, who adheres to neither the Lutheran nor the Reformed doctrines, shall under any circumstances be per- mitted or tolerated in our house of God, but in such a case either congregation shall have authority, right and power to close and lock the church against such a false teacher.
To our posterity we wish temperal and eternal blessedness. And, inasmuch as Jesus Christ is the only corner-stone and founda- tion of our faith, who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, therefore may he grant that this our faith may be continued and preserved to all times, in order that we all at last, when heaven and earth perish, may be translated from the church militant unto the church triumphant, and then, before the throne of the Lamb, all of us, with one accord, may honor and praise God, through our dear Lord Jesus Christ.
In testimony whereof the elders of both congregations have affixed their own signatures.
Old Goshenhoppen, May 14, 1744.
Reformed :
Lutherans :
CHRISTIAN SCHNEIDER
MICHAEL REIHER + his mark
CHRISTIAN LEHMANN BALSAR GERLACH
BERNHARD ARND PHILIP GABEL
JOHANN ZIEWER.
CONRAD SCHNEIDER.
As to the cost of the church nothing certain is at hand, because, in the first place, the two congregations have helped and given much, and in the next place, other friends have also contributed their share.
THE PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN SOCIETY.
LĪBERĀLI TASPLEBĪS LVTHERANAATAVE REFORMATAHASÆDES
VNAEXSTRVXIT ICANDREAPASTLUH
CORNERSTONE OF OLD GOSHENHOPPER CHURCH, 1744. (SEE PAGE 145. )
HOUSE OF WILLIAM DEWEES, WHITEMARSH. (REFORMED PEOPLE OF WHITEMARSH MET HERE, 1725-1745. )
I45
Declaration of Trust in 1744
The cornerstone of the first church at Old Goshenhop- pen is still preserved in the right hand corner of the pres- ent building. It bears an interesting Latin inscription :
LIBERALITAS PLEBIS
LVTHERANÆ ATQVE
REFORMATÆ HAS ÆDES
VNA EXSTRVXIT.
I. C. ANDREÆ. PAST. LVTH.
i. e. The liberality of the people Lutheran and also Reformed this house unitedly has erected. J. C. Andreae, Luth. pastor.
The inscription is unique because the capital letters when added together give the year 1744. This can be easily demonstrated :
Line I. LI. LI. LI. = 153
Line 2. L.
V. V. = 60
Line 3. M. D.
= 1 500 Line 4. V.
x.
VXI. = 31
1744
This ingenious method of indicating the date is prob- ably due to the Lutheran pastor, J. C. Andreae, whose name was put into the last line of the inscription.
Shortly before the cornerstone laying of the Old Gosh- enhoppen church took place, the church wardens or trus- tees of the two congregations had drawn up a " declaration of trust," which because of its contents and remarkable English deserves to be published in full, spelling and all, verbatim and literatim. It is dated April 16, 1744:
DECLARATION OF TRUST BY OLD GOSHENHOPPEN ELDERS, APRIL 16, 1744.
TO ALL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE to Whom these Presents Writings Shall Come Know Ye that We Michael Reyer, Churchwardens of the Lutherian Congregation & Jacob Keller, Churchwardens of the Reformirth Congregation of Upper Sollford Township in the
II
146
History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
County of Philadelphia are Lawfully Invested by a Warrant of the Hounorable the Propriedais Date the twelfth Day of January anno Domini 1737 there was Surveyed and laid out on the Six- teenth Day of the Said Month unto us the said Michael Reyer and Jacob Keller of the County of Philadelphia a certain Tract of Land Seituate in the sª Upper Sollford Township in the sd County BEGINNING at a Post in a Line of other Land of the said Jacob Keller and Extending thence by the Same South East Seventy Perches to a Post thence by other Land of the Said Michael Reyer Southwest ninety three Perches to a Post at a Corner of Adam Mayrers Land thence by the same North west Seventy Perches to a Post thence by Vacant Land North East Neinty three Perches to the place of Beginning Containing thirty Eight acres and a quarter and an allowance Proportional to Six acres Per Cent. for Roads and Highways as in and by the Survey thereof remaining in the Surveyor Generals Office may appear-
NOW KNOW YE that we the sd. Michael Reyer & Jacob Keller, Chosen Churchwardens of both the said Congregations have gath- ered so moch money as woult pay for sª tract of Land and Cost and Charges to pay, and was agreed between them two said Con- gregations that this place shall be for no other use but to built a Shoolhause and in Fouture to come a Chirch to keep a School- master upon said pleace Either between the both Congragations or Every on for them selfes and also built a Church between both sª Congregation or Every one for them selfes and we Paid for said Land & patend warrant and Recortern and sum other Costs Eight pounds nine Shillings & Three pence of the money we gathered. Now because the Patend and also the Draught of sd tract is made upon us and in our names weilst it Could not be Done otherwise, So we Prodest and Declear by and with this presents, that we or our Heirs, Exects, Administs, or Assigns shall have no claim or Demand of in or to the sª Land or any part thereof From or after our Decease but to permit and Suffer the sª two Congregations their Heirs and Assigns and Every of them to have, possess and enjoy to their own use for Ever the said Land and Every part thereof without any Let or disturbance of or by us our Exects
I47
Dorsius returns to Holland
Administ8 or Assigns or of or by any other person or persons or by this or any of their acts means consents or procurements Clearly released acquitted and Discharged of and from all Incumbrances What So Ever by them had, made and Committed or Done or to be had made Cominitted or Done but the two Congarigations be- tween them shall pay the Quittrend Due and for Ever to come to the Hounorable the Propriedars according as it is mentioned in the patend we have and Shall also have the two Congrigations the Reight and Power given in the patend to us, that we never have any more to Demand than another man of the sd two congrigations and that also for the true performans We give to Every Congri- gations this writings from unter our hands and Seals Dated this 16th Day of Aprill in the year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred and fourty four Annoque Domini 1744. Sealed & Delivered in the presence of us
CHRISTIAN
mark his X LEHMAN
his MICHAEL X REYER (SEAL) mark CHRISTIAN SCHNEYDER in place
his
ADAM > MEYRER
mark of JACOB KELLER (SEAL)
Philada 12th Jany 1737. Received of Michael Royer and Jacob Keller five pounds Seventeen Shillings & nine Pence in full for thirty eight acres of Land Surveyed to them in Salford Township in the County of Philadelphia. Received for the use of the Pro- prietaries.
£5 17s. 9d.
JAMES STEELYARD.
After 1744, Dorsius visited Goshenhoppen no more, although he remained pastor of Neshaminy, Bucks County, till 1748, when he returned to Holland. There he died about the year 1757. 145 The last reference to him is in
145 For earlier accounts of Dorsius see Harbaugh, Fathers of the Re- formed Church, Vol. II (1872), p. 375 f .; Good, History of the Reformed Church, pp. 190-199; Dubbs, Reformed Church in Pennsylvania, pp. 92- 94; Corwin, Manual of Reformed Church, 4th ed., pp. 429-31. The most
148
History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
the minutes of the Classis of Amsterdam, under date Oc- tober 5, 1750.145ª From 1752 to 1776 his widow received support from the Coetus of Pennsylvania.
extensive account of the "Life and Work of the Rev. Peter H. Dorsius " was given by the writer in a paper submitted to the Bucks County Hist. Society, see above, note 135.
145a Ecclesiastical Records of New York, Vol. IV, p. 3138.
CHAPTER V.
MINISTRY OF FREDERICK CASIMIR MUELLER, 1745-1748.
N July 7, 1745, a new handwriting appears in the New Goshenhoppen record. It is that of Frederick Casimir Mueller. On Sep- tember 27, 1745, he acted as sponsor at the baptism of a son of Johan Adam Mengel. On March 23, 1746, a son of Frederick Casimir Mueller himself was baptized with Johann Hoff- mann and Friedrich Helwig as witnesses. The record itself gives no indication that Mueller was actually the pastor of the congregation. All that can be inferred from the record is that between July 7, 1745, and April 28, 1750, he entered thirty-five baptisms into the record. But what is lacking in the record is fully supplied by other evidence.
In Schlatter's private diary we read under date Septem- ber 20, 1746:146
I preached in the new stone church at Old Goshenhoppen, but inasmuch as a considerable part of the New Goshenhoppen con- gregation adheres to a certain hireling, Frederick Casimir Mueller, who was a school teacher but now wants to be a minister, I was not able to accomplish anything. I concluded to investigate this
146 Printed in Journal of P. H. S., Vol. III, p. 11I f.
I49
150
History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
matter at some other time and then fix the salary. I shall also endeavor to bring about, with the help of God, unity in the con- gregation, since Do. Weiss is generally liked. But, whereas some adhere to the above-mentioned Fred. Mueller, it is necessary to use prudence, because he is a bold fellow and was in the congregation before Do. Weiss returned from Rhinebeck.
At a later place in the same diary Schlatter refers at length to Casimir Mueller and sheds considerable light on his activity :147
The above mentioned Frederick Casimir Mueller is the only one thus far known to me, who is not willing to submit to any order, but, as he states himself, will create as much dissension and division as possible. But I trust to Almighty God, that Mueller alone will not be able to hinder the progress of God's work, which other- wise is blessed everywhere.
He has now 10 or 12 small congregations in and about Oley and in New Goshenhoppen about 18 men, who adhere to him and re- fuse to side with Do. Weiss, being so to speak bewitched with his bragging and assurance. During the whole week he rides about and tries to make the kind intention of the Reverend Synods ob- noxious to his adherents, pretending that if they submit to them they will lose their liberty and accept unbearable fetters.
I asked him to come to see me in Oley on September 23rd. At that time he appeared to me rather favorable, and in view of your Reverences' counsel, I made to him the following proposition in the presence of Do. Weiss: Whether, if he were a true Reformed man, he would from now on abstain from administering the Lord's Supper and from uniting people in marriage, until I had written to the Reverend Fathers and received their answer, whether the Reverend Synods deemed it wise that, like Dom. Boehm in former years, he be ordained by a Coetus and be installed as a regular minister in a regular congregation? To this he heartily agreed, but on the following Sunday, through God's wonderful providence,
147 L. c., p. 119.
THE PENNSYLVANIA-GERMAN SOCIETY.
15I
Frederick Casimir Mueller
he made himself unworthy of the good opinion which I had formed about him. For he baptized children as before and announced the administration of the Lord's Supper in four weeks. Hence I lost all desire to write to you in his behalf.
From the Hebron Diary, written by the Moravian pas- tors at Lebanon, it appears that Frederick was the call name of Frederick Casimir Mueller, for his name always appears there as Frederick Mueller. The same conclusion can be drawn from his own signature, which is usually Friederich C. Müller.
Rupp's Thirty Thousand Names, notes the arrival of three Friedrich Muellers from 1727-1744. On Septem- ber 30, 1743, a Friedrich Miller qualified, whose name was written by the clerk, probably because he himself was unable to write. On September 24, 1742, a Friederich Müller qualified, who came in the same ship as John Jacob Riess, another Reformed pastor at Goshenhoppen. A third Friedrich Müller arrived October 28, 1738. We are inclined to regard the second Mueller identical with our Frederick Casimir Mueller, because he was apt to make his presence felt shortly after his arrival.
In spite of Schlatter's unfavorable opinion, Mueller preached acceptably to numerous Reformed congregations and no doubt did a good work, in his own way. It may serve, therefore, a useful purpose to put together the scat- tered references to his life and work.
In a letter of Schlatter, dated October 3, 1746, which is lost in the original, but an extract of which has been pre- served in the Minutes of the Synodical Deputies of March 21-22, 1747, Schlatter states that Mueller had been a school teacher at a place near Mayence, in the Palatinate. In July, 1745, he appears for the first time in Pennsyl- vania, as pastor of the New Goshenhoppen congregation.
152
History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
On October 19, 1746, Schlatter visited New Goshen- hoppen again, in order to restore if possible order and har- mony in the congregation. His private diary describes his experiences at that time as follows :148
On the 19th, I traveled to New Goshenhoppen, 18 miles, to- gether with Dos. Boehm and Weiss, in order to remove if possible the division which had been caused in the congregation by the above mentioned Miller.
I preached from II. Chron. 15: 2-4. After that I tried to gain the adherents of Miller with love and kind words and win them for Do. Weiss, but Miller, who was in the church, controlled his party to such an extent that all my efforts were in vain. He is said to have declared from the pulpit, last Sunday, October 16th, that even if the black and white wigs (meaning the Hollanders and Switzers), would come, they could not drive him away. Fi- nally I wanted to know how strong his adherents were and asked them to raise their right hand, but they refused, saying that they would not swear an oath. Then I asked them that, as a sign of their difference, they should put on their hats, but they refused that also. At last I asked that those who held with Do. Weiss should cover their heads, thus I was able to count the others against their will, namely 17 or 18 families. Thereupon I admonished them all to be peaceful and I caused the party of Do. Weiss, numbering about 30, to put upon paper their contribution toward his salary, which amounted to about 15 pounds and thirty bushels of wheat.
In Schlatter's diary, as published by Dr. Harbaugh in his " Life of Rev. Michael Schlatter," p. 140, is this addi- tional sentence: " Although we did not, at this time, suc- ceed in accomplishing this object, yet the Lord interposed some time afterwards and restored order."
Almost immediately after the visit of Schlatter, Mueller wrote him a letter on October 29, 1746, which, following the "old style," he dated October 18, 1746. As it is the
148 L. c., p. 160.
I53
Letter of Mueller
only letter of Mueller in existence and reveals clearly his attitude and spirit, we shall give it in full :149
LETTER OF FREDERICK C. MUELLER TO SCHLATTER.
Goshenhoppen, October 18, 1746.
I have thought much about you, since I saw and heard you at Goshenhoppen, for the reason that I expect you to organize every- thing in good order. You ought to know that church questions cannot be treated like secular affairs, which was done nevertheless. At the city hall I saw how people were asked to raise their hands or make a sign with their hat. That is the way it looked at your organization, to the amusement of the sects.
I do not wish to make you proud, but simply to write you the thoughts of my heart. I care little or nothing whether you send a petition to Holland or not, nor will I allow you to forbid me any- thing. If I need a petition, my congregations are willing to draw it up themselves, for they can give the best testimonial regarding me. I am ready to submit to an honorable Church Council, but not to beg for anything, and if my congregations submit a testi- monial to the honorable Church Council as to you and take as much interest in it as you, I shall have good help, but they will not drive me away from the congregations which love me heartily. You should know that neither money nor anything else will induce me to give up the congregation, even if Mr. Weiss's salary for two years be offered to me. You promised to secure me a place as a schoolteacher. I hope you will stand by your word, but if you are unable, because you can issue no command which the farmers must respect, I shall look for such a place myself.
I wish you heartfelt humility from him who can give abundantly. I shall report the outcome of the affair to the Rev. Mr. Bruynings in Amsterdam, whom I know and love heartily.
Your ever ready (Servant)
FRID. CASIMIR MÜLLER.
149 Hague Archives, 74, 1, 51 (9).
I54
History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
We cannot state definitely when Mueller left Goshen- hoppen. It may have been in 1747, for on September 29, 1747, Rev. George Michael Weiss reported New Goshen- hoppen as one of his congregations.150 But inasmuch as Do. Weiss dates the beginnings of his ministry in 1748, it is more likely that Mueller withdrew in that year. Weiss heads his baptismal entries with the statement "from 1748 till the year 1758, the following adult persons were bap- tized, upon the profession of their faith." Also his cate- chumens were recorded from the year 1748. Neverthe- less, Mueller continued his visits to Goshenhoppen, for in 1749, January to July, he entered five baptisms into the record and one on April 28, 1750. The record book re- mained in the hands of Mueller's followers till 1757, when it passed into the custody of Weiss. But even as late as 1752 we hear of a Mueller faction in New Goshenhoppen.
In order to realize the importance of Mueller for the Reformed Church, we must review his labors outside of Goshenhoppen. It is at present impossible for us to iden- tify all of the ten or twelve congregations in and about Oley, which Schlatter reports him as serving in 1746. We can, however, trace his activity in a number of con- gregations.
In 1746, he appears in Berne, Berks Co. An entry in the Berne record by his hand reads: "Register [showing] how many and whose children were entered by me Fried- rich Casimir Müller, at this time preacher, 1746." His handwriting stops in November, 1746. Then there is a break till February, 1749, when a new set of entries begins running till April, 1752. Though not written by Miller himself, it is barely possible that the baptisms were per- formed by him.
150 Minutes of Coetus, p. 33.
155
Pastorates of Mueller
In 1748, Mueller appears in Long Swamp, Berks County. After stating that the first church there had been begun in September, 1748, Jacob Weimer, the faith- ful schoolmaster, writes in the Long Swamp record : " After having completed this church to the honor of God and for their own salvation, they called the Rev. Fridrig Casemer Miller to dedicate this house and they accepted him as their preacher, who served them for some time." How long Mueller stayed at Long Swamp is not certainly known, but probably till 1752.
In October, 1752, the Minutes of Coetus report151 that he was "supported by a part of that congregation " at Muddy Creek, whereby he was causing considerable trouble to the pastor, Rev. John Waldschmidt.
On October 11, 1753, Mueller applied to the factional Coetus, held at that time at Cocalico, to be received as a member. But his request was not granted.152
In the same year Mueller appears as pastor of Coventry (now Brownback's), in Chester County. On February 18, 1753, he baptized there the first child. His entries extend there till November, 1761.
· In 1762 he signed an account at the Heidelberg Church (now Hains' Church), near Wernersville, Berks County. In the same year he appears as pastor of the Reformed Church at Lebanon. On July 18, 1762, he dedicated the newly-built Reformed Church there, as is stated in the Hebron Diary. He opened the church record at Lebanon on November 24, 1764.153 His entries, eighteen in num- ber, extend till April 5, 1766. On September 28, 1764,
151 Minutes of Coetus, p. 73.
152 L. c., p. 108.
153 For the ministry of Frederick Casimir Mueller at Lebanon, see the writer's " History of Tabor Reformed Church, Lebanon, Pa.," in the Re- formed Church Messenger of August 4 and September 8, 1904.
156
History of the Goshenhoppen Charge
the Hebron Diary reports the death of Rev. Mueller's wife, who was a daughter of Veronica Leidolt. The Moravian pastors at Lebanon speak of Mueller in a friendly way154 and exchanged visits with him. But while Mueller's handwriting stops in the Lebanon record in April, 1766, it is continued at Swatara till July 3, 1768. He probably died soon afterwards.
Frederick Casimir Mueller has had the distinction of having had two doubles.
In 1855, Rev. Henry Wagner published a Kurzgefasste Hundertjährige Geschichte der Bergkirche in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, in which he refers, p. 4, to a Mr. Friederich, a Swiss minister, who followed Tempelman in 1760. He is said to have had a quick temper and soon returned to Europe. His name is perpetuated by Dr. Harbaugh in his Fathers of the Reformed Church, Vol. II, p. 384; by Dr. Corwin, Manual, 3rd ed., p. 265; and also by Dr. Good, History of German Reformed Church, p. 649. Later, when the Hebron Diary became known, it was found that, beginning with 1762, it men-
154 What appears at first sight as a very serious charge against Mueller is made in Saur's paper, Pennsylvanische Berichte, under date June 16, 1749, where the following notice is inserted: "Henry Adam of Maxetani makes known that his wife Maria has left him faithlessly and turned to (hat sich gewendet zu) Friedrich Casimir Müller. None may loan or give her anything on his [Adam's] account, as he will not pay it." This statement does not necessarily prove that the woman had eloped with Mueller. She may have left her husband and entered Mueller's family as a servant. The New Goshenhoppen record proves that Mueller was mar- ried in 1745. The Hebron diary at Lebanon shows that Mueller's mother- in-law, Veronica Leidolt, was living with him in 1765. While in between these years he was constantly serving Reformed congregations. This would no doubt have been impossible if he had been guilty of adultery. The well-known facts of his life are best reconciled with the notice in Saur's paper by the supposition that Mrs. Maria Adam had become Mueller's maid servant in 1749.
I57
Mueller's Doubles
tioned Frederick Miller as the Reformed pastor at Leba- non; see Klopp, History of Tabor First Reformed Church, Lebanon, 1892, p. 54. Alongside of these two men, Frederick Casimir Mueller was known as the Re- formed pastor at Long Swamp, see Harbaugh, Fathers, Vol. II, p. 380. Thus it came to pass that Mr. Frederick, Mr. Frederick Miller and Mr. Frederick Casimir Miller figured as three Reformed pastors in history, see Good, History, pp. 517, 649. The truth is that all three are but one man. The Lebanon Reformed church record shows unmistakably the handwriting of Frederick Casimir Muel- ler. Moreover, of the 18 children whose baptisms Muel- ler entered, he acted as sponsor in the case of three, sign- ing his name Friederich C. Müller, in his well-known wretched script.
O
CHAPTER VI.
MINISTRY OF REV. GEORGE MICHAEL WEISS, 1746-1761.
HEN Michael Schlatter arrived in Penn- sylvania in September, 1746, he found a new minister in the Goshenhoppen charge. It was the Rev. George Michael Weiss. We left Weiss in 1732 as pastor of Cats- kill and Coxsackie, N. Y. There he re- mained till 1735. His last baptism was entered July 6, 1735. From Catskill he went to Burnetsfield or German Flats, now in Montgomery County, N. Y. There he was pastor from 1736 to 1742. In the latter year he removed to Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, N. Y., where he served as pastor from 1742 to 1746. He then returned to Penn- sylvania.
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