USA > Pennsylvania > Cumberland County > Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of the Nineteenth Congressional District, Pennsylvania > Part 17
USA > Pennsylvania > Adams County > Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of the Nineteenth Congressional District, Pennsylvania > Part 17
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In Adams county the records obtainable are of many churches unsatisfactory. Christ's Lutheran church in Gettysburg was formed before 1789 and is generally known as the "College Church." St. John's church, of Berwick township was organ- ized 1829; Biglerville, 1881 ; St. Matthew's, 1743; Flohr's, 1822; Trinity, 1781; St. Paul's and St. John's, of Germany town- ship, 1863, and 1763; East Berlin, 1811; Fairfield, 1855; Huntingdon, 1831; Christ, of Latimore township, 1745; Bendersville, 1835; Wenksville, 1836; Grace, 1876; New Oxford, 1860; Pines, 1861; Heidlersburg, 1844; and St. John's, of Union township, 1763.
The growth of Lutheranism in Cumber- land county has been largely in the present century. Hickory Wood Evangelical Luth- eran church was organized as early as 1765, in East Pennsborough township; and the Shippensburg church was formed in 1780, while the Carlisle congregation was in ex- istence as early as 1816. The Second (Ger-
man) Lutheran church of Carlisle was or- ganized in 1853; St. Luke's and Trinity, of Mechanicsburg, - and -; St. John's of Hampden township, 1866; First, of New- ville, 1832; Dickinson, 1829; Centerville, 1852, and Mt. Holly Springs.
Reformed. The "Reformed Church in the United States" was known as the "Ger- man Reformed Church in the United States" until 1869 when the word German was dropped from its name. It is different from the "Reformed Church in America," which previous to 1867 was the "Dutch Reformed Church in America." The Ger- man Reformed church was organized about 1740 in eastern Pennsylvania by immi- grants from Germany and Switzerland, and its doctrines are Calvinistic, making the Heidelberg Catechism its symbol. "High Church" and "Low Church" views at the present are the result of a division of the prominent leaders of the church, the East- ern Synod being High Church and the Western Low Church.
The Reformed settlers at York organized a church as First Reformed church at an early day, and it is now known as Zion Re- formed church from an interesting history of which we quote:
"If all accounts are true the Reformed Church, in York, antedates the organiza- tion of York County. There was preaching in the early 1730's.
However difficult it may seem to get along without a leader, these Reformed people kept together and not until when the Rev. Jacob Lischy, the great "Swiss Preacher," visited this settlement and preached for them, did they enjoy the la- bors of a stated clergyman in their midst. The Rev. Lischy, having received a call as their regular pastor, he declined the samne, but the congregation did not listen to this and as a result sent him (Rev. Lischy) the second call on May 29, 1745, and after a
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persistent urging on the part of the mem- bers he accepted the call.
Now they had a pastor but no house of worship wherein these good people could gather until in the year 1746, when a log building was erected on the ground where the present Zion Reformed church stands, which was known as Lot No. 91, and was granted by the Penn's.
There are many interesting stories told concerning the locating of the church lots in York donated by the Penns. It having been left to a Board of Arbitration as to which denomination should occupy the ground, the board decided that the church members who would put in the first spade and turn the ground on a certain day should forever hold the right to the ground. Thus, where Christ Lutheran church stands today seems to have been the more favor- able lot at that time, and both the Reformed and Lutherans being anxious to occupy that plot, they arranged to be on the ground. The legend goes that while the Reformed people had counted on breaking ground at 4 o'clock a. m., the Lutherans broke the ground at one minute after 12 o'clock midnight. It seems the Reformed people slept just four hours too long to oc- cupy the desired lot of Christ Lutheran church, but it was a fortunate sleep for the Reformed people, as they evidently occupy the more desirable lot, being on the main street of the City, while the other lot is on the side street.
Since the time that these lots have been occupied many changes have taken place in this old colonial inland city, which has greatly enhanced the value of property, and this congregation as a result, has largely shared in the increase.
The present structure is the Wren style of architecture and comprises the finer de- tails known to the early German builders, who came to this country and had no other
occupation in view, except that of adorning the new land with German houses and church edifices. This old Reformed church, in point of architecture, is without a doubt the peer of any in the State of Pennsylvania. Its central tower and open belfry adorns its low solid walls with exquisite symmetry. Although snugly packed between other buildings, it loses none of its charms and beauty and continues to stand as an open monument to its early construction.
There seem to have been some very ex- citing scenes through which this congrega- tion had to pass while the Rev. Jacob Lischy remained pastor on account of his unsettled position between the Reformed and Moravian churches. At different times he wanted to lay down his work at this place, but a strong element prevailed upon him and he remained pastor up to 1760, when he, withdrawing, organized an inde- pendent church in Codorus township and was deposed by the Synod.
For one year there was no regular pastor over this congregation, and not until the Rev. John Conrad Wirtz entered upon his labors as pastor on May 9, 1762, when,after a short period, he brought the congregation into harmony, and through his indefatig- able labors the congregation prospered, and the block building erected in 1746 was razed and steps taken towards the erection of a large stone building, of which the cor- ner stone was laid May 25, 1763. The Rev. Wirtz, however, did not live to see this church completed. He died September 21, 1763, and was buried under the altar.
Again, according to records, there was a vacancy for two years, and there is no rec- ord of these two years to be found. In Sep- tember, 1765, the Rev. William Otterbein was called to the pastorate, and having ac- cepted the call, he became pastor in No- vember, 1765, and having a desire to visit his native land, he did so in 1770, and dur-
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ing his absence in Germany of about one year, the Rev. Daniel Wagner, who was then pastor at Kreutz Creek, preached oc- casionally. The Rev. Otterbein returned on October 1, 1771, and continued to be pastor of this church until 1774, when he went to the city of Baltimore. In May, 1774, the Rev. Daniel Wagner was called to serve this people. He remained their pastor dur- ing the entire period of the Revolutionary war, resigning in the year 1786 to accept a call from the Tulpehocken charge, in Berks county, this State.
During the session of the Continental Congress in York, in 1776 and 1777, many of the then prominent men attended divine services in the second building on this lot, even though the preaching was in the Ger- man language. For many years there was a graveyard back of the Church, among its many dead were the remains of Col. Philip Livingston, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. His remains, however, have since been disinterred, as well as the remains of all the dead with but two exceptions.
Again comes a period of which there is no record, but it is known that a young man named Rev. Philip Stock preached and also the Rev. George Troldenier served this people for a short period. These two min- isters, as far as can be learned, served from the fall of 1786 to the spring of 1793. The congregation still having a love for their former pastor, the Rev. Daniel Wagner, they extended a call to him, and accepting, he entered upon his duties August 1, 1793. His second ministry was more successful than his former one. During the Rev. Wagner's second pastorate the Stone church, built in part under the pastorate of Rev. John Wirtz, was destroyed by fire on July 5, 1797, and all the records of the con- gregation were burned, save one book. The congregation, under its estimable pastor, at
once took steps towards the erection of a new building, which they erected on the same spot, 65x55 feet, with the side to the front, and the steeple in the rear. The cor- ner-stone of this building was laid June 19, 1798, and dedicated in May, 1800, though old as it is, its general appearance is good, and a landmark to many of our citizens, who can trace their ancestry back to the time when they were devoted seekers of salva- tion within its walls. The old steeple has just been remodeled at an expense of sev- eral hundred dollars, and it is the finest piece of colonial architecture to be seen anywhere.
In May, 1804, Rev. Wagner resigned and the Rev. George Guistweit was called to the pastorate and accepted the call, and remain- ed pastor of the flock for sixteen years, un- til 1820. Now there was new life brought to the congregation through the calling of the Rev. Lewis Mayer, D. D., who began his work January 8, 1821. At this stage English was introduced with the German. He built a lecture and Sunday school room on the rear of the lot. Having received a call to the Theological professorship in the Seminary he resigned April 3, 1825. The church having no regular pastor for two years the Rev. James Ross Reily accepted a call on April 1, 1827, but his health failing, he had the Rev. Daniel Zacharias, a licen- tiate, as his assistant from 1828 to 1830. The Rev. Reily resigned July, 1831.
Not until the Rev. John Cares was called, October 1, 1832, did these people again have a regular pastor. The lecture and Sunday school room was destroyed by fire December 8, 1837, and instead of rebuild- ing it, the congregation resolved to alter the interior of the Church and take off ten feet of the audience room and make a two- story building out of it and have the audi- ence room up stairs and the Lecture and Sunday School room down stairs. The Rev.
23350,
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Cares served eleven years, having died April 5, 1843.
Now followed an exciting and stormy period in the history of this congregation. No sooner was the grave of their beloved pastor closed than certain parties made a strenuous effort to secure the services of the Rev. Herman Douglas , a converted Jew, the pastor of an Associated Reformed Church at Hagerstown, Md. He was a powerful pulpit orator and had many bril- liant attainments. This brought about op- position, and the opposers brought the mat- ter before Classis. Rev. Douglas took charge of this Church July, 1843, and re- mained only until January 1, 1845, when he resigned and went to Europe. The congregation January 16, 1845, extended a call to the Rev. William A. Good, of Ha- gerstown, Md. Rev. Good was the father of Rev. James I. Good, D. D., of Calvary Reformed Church, Reading, Pa. During the pastorate of Rev. Good the congrega- tion was chartered by the Legislature, on March 9, 1849, under the title, "The First Reformed Church of the Borough of York and its vicinity." The first charter ever issued to this congregation was given at Lancaster January 7, 1809, by the Com- monwealth of Pennsylvania, Simon Snyder, Governor. A copy of which the congrega- tion still retains.
Under this charter of 1849 the congrega- tion was authorized to lay out a public cemetery under the title of "Prospect Hill Cemetery," which contains at the present time between 80 and 100 acres. In the latter part of Rev. Good's pastorate, it was resolved to call a co-pastor to preach ex- clusively in the English language. This resulted in a call to the Rev. Phillips as English pastor, however, this proved un- satisfactory and they then resolved to di- vide into two sections, English and Ger- man, each section to call their own pastor
and support him, but to hold their prop- erty in common under one corporation. This called for the resignation of both the English and German pastors-Rev. Phillips and Rev. William A. Good, in the fall of 1851.
The Rev. David Bossler, of Harrisburg, was then called by the Germans, and en- tered upon his duties April 4, 1852, and on November 6, 1852, the Rev. J. O. Miller, of Winchester, Va., was called by the Eng- lish section, and began his labors January I, 1853, and has labored with his people ever since; the English section after leav- ing the Zion Reformed Church, organized and adopted the name of Trinity Reformed. Each of the sections had the use of the audience room on alternate Sunday morn- ings. In the spring of 1862 Rev Bossler resigned. He was succeeded by the Rev. Daniel Ziegler, who became pastor of the Mother Reformed congregation. The in- convenience of two congregations worship- ping in one building manifested itself, and steps were taken for a final separation. Ar- ticles of agreement for the sale of the Church property were adopted December 26, 1862. The Germans paid the English section, after the sale, $9,925.
In 1872 at a congregational meeting it was decided to change the name of First Reformed Church, to that of Zion Re- formed Church, and the charter was ac- cordingly amended, thus changing the name from First to Zion Reformed Church, of York, Pa.
The Rev. Daniel Ziegler remained pas- tor until 1875, when the Rev. Aaron Span- gler was called to succeed Rev. Ziegler, and labored with his flock until the fall of 1886. During Rev. Spangler's pastorate the Church was remodeled at an expense of several thousand dollars.
The Rev. O. P. Schellhamer was next called to take oversight of this congrega-
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tion, in the spring of 1887, and remained pastor until March 31, 1894.
Rev. Morgan A. Peters, the present in- cumbent, next received a unanimous call March 12, 1894, and began his labors April I, 1894. The services at present are con- ducted in both the German and English languages. The first English sermon was preached to this congregation on Sunday evening, September 8th, 1878, and at once the consistory introduced the English into the Sunday school. The present member- ship of the congregation is over 400 and of the Sunday school 560.
Thus you are hastened over a brief his- tory of The Mother Reformed church, of York, Pa., embracing 164 years from the time of its first organization.
Of the formation of other Reformed churches we have account of the following: Emanuel, of Hanover, about 1750; Trinity, Hanover, 1884; Kreutz Creek, about 1750; Mt. Zion, of Spring Garden township, 1852; Hoover, about 1819; Wolf's, 1763; St. John's, of Franklin township, about 1785; Rossville, 1869; St. Paul's, of Washington township, 1844; Salem, 1800; Dover, 1757; Zion, Conewago township, 1767; Holz- Schwamm, 1775; Pidgeon Hill, about 1786; Dubbs, -; St. David's 1750; St. Peter's, Codorus township, 1760; Stelze's 1794; St. Jacobs, about 1785; Zion, Codorus town- ship, -; Ziegler's about 1800; Christ's, Codorus, about 1827; Shrewsbury, 1822; St. Peter's, Springfield township, 1783; St. John's, York township, 1748; St. Paul's, York township, 1855; St. John's, Red Lion, 1882; Emanuel's, Windsor township, about 1772; Locust Grove, 1874; Lower Windsor, 1764; and Lebanon, -. Many of the churches accommodate both Lutheran and Reformed congregations and some of them have been so used for over a century and a half.
In Adams county the Reformed church
was organized at Gettysburg in 1790; Emanuel, of Berwick township, before 1783; Zion, Arendtsville, about 1781; Re- deemer's, Littlestown, 1859; St. James, Germany township, 1851; Union, 1811; Fairfield, 1824; Mt. Olivet, 1745; Liberty, about 1823; Bendersville, 1824; Mark's, 1789; St. James, Mountjoy township, 1851; St. Luke's, near Whitehall, 1846; St. Paul's, New Oxford, 1820; and Christ, Union township, 1847.
Cumberland county contained Reformed congregations among its early German set- tlers. Carlisle Reformed church was or- ganized before 1807; Mechanicsburg, -; Shippensburg, about 1780; Frienden's Kirche, before 1797; Poplar, about 1788; and Mifflin before 1790.
Friends or Quakers. Originally calling themselves Seekers and later Friends, in derision the name Quakers was applied to them. They rose in England about 1650 and soon introduced the tenets of their religious faith into other European coun- tries and the English colonies of North America, where acting as "the spirit moved them," they taught valuable lessons of pa- tience, prudence, and peace to the world. Most prominent among their early leaders was George Fox, and most illustrious of their denomination is William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. Refusing to take oaths, opposed to war, slavery and a paid ministry and admitting women to preach, they ran so largely counter to the spirit of the seventeenth age that persecution be- came their portion in every land in which they settled.
After Penn planted his colony in Penn- sylvania he welcomed every creed and faith and while his own followers were most numerous on the Delaware and Schuylkill, yet west of the Susquehanna they were in the minority in most of the early settle- ments.
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The first monthly meeting in York county was called Warrington and com- posed of Newberry preparative, Warring- ton worship and Menallen "indulged" meetings. This monthly meeting was a part of Concord quarterly meeting which belonged to the Philadelphia yearly mcet- ing.
Warrington and Fairfax quarterly meet- ing was set apart in 1776 and joined to the Baltimore yearly meeting. An "indulged" meeting was held at York in 1754, and York monthly meeting was established in 1786. The York meeting house was built about 1766 and of the meeting houses after- ward erected in the county, only the Fawri Grove house remained in 1885 as a place for regular services. Warrington meeting is held but once a year and Newberry and York meetings have been discontinued as many of the early Friends emigrated south and west and the descendants of those re- maining joined other denominations. The Quaker societies were principally in the northern part of the county. Near Wrightsville a meeting house was built about 1776, if not earlier. Another meeting house was at Newberrytown, west of it was a Friends school house, and both probably built before 1770. The meeting house near Wellsville, and the one at Fawn Grove are successors to one built prior to the Revolu- tionary war.
There were Quakers among the settlers of Adams county and in 1850 two of their societies were still in existence. Southeast of York Springs is a Friends meeting house and graveyard, and in Butler township is another Quaker graveyard, while beyond tlie mention of these bare facts it seems the local historians have recorded nothing of the Quakers of Adams county.
In Cumberland county were some Quaker settlers but we have no account of any meeting or meeting house of their's.
Presbyterians. Calvinism was first ex- emplified at Strasburg, France, where Cal- vin established a church on his own plan in 1538, but Geneva was the great center from which the system spread in Central and Northwestern Europe and was carried by John Knox into Scotland where it had room to expand from parochial sessions into Presbyteries and Synods under a gen- eral assembly. John Knox, the disciple of Calvin, by his preaching founded Presby- terianism which is represented today by several denominations.
While the Quaker was in the northern part of York county, the Lutheran and German Reformed predominated in the central part, and the Presbyterians ruled in the southern part where they were the first settlers and have increased ever since in numerical strength and influence.
The First Presbyterian church of York was organized prior to the Declaration of Independence, while the second or Calvary Presbyterian church of York did not come into existence until a century later, being formed in 1882. The Wrightsville church was organized in 1828; Dillsburg, about I737; new Harmony, 1847; Chanceford, be- fore 1760; Stewartstown, 1844; Centre, about 1780; Slate Ridge, about 1747; and Slateville in 1849.
The Presbyterian church in Adams county dates back to the days of early set- tlement. The Gettysburg church was or- ganized about 1740, and some time later Upper Marsh Creek was formed. The Mu- masburg church was organized before 1882; Berlin, in 1801; Lower Marsh Creek, before 1790; York Springs, 1818; and Great Conewago, 1740.
While Presbyterianism was predominant in one part of York and prevalent in one section of Adams county, yet its home west of the Susquehanna seemed to be in the Cumberland valley where nearly every strong
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spring of water had a Presbyterian church planted by its side and bearing its name. Cumberland county was first included in Donegal Presbytery which was organized about 1732 and two years later Meeting House Springs and Silvers' Spring congre- gations were formed. Big Spring (now Newville) and Middle Spring (north of Shippensburg) congregations were organ- ized about 1740. The first regular settled pastor was Rev. Thomas Craighead, a son of Rev. Robert Craighead, "who was in the siege of Londonderry, and the father of Rev. Alexander Craighead whose advanced political views, in North Carolina, bore fruit after his death in the Mecklenburg Declar- ation of Independence" made in 1775. Rev. Thomas Craighead was a very eloquent man and fell dead in the pulpit as he enun- ciated the word farewell in pronouncing the benediction. The First Presbyterian church of Carlisle was formed about 1753; the Second Presbyterian church of Car- lisle was organized in 1833, and Walnut Bottom church was formed in 1810.
In speaking of the Scotch-Irish Presby- terians in the Cumberland Valley, Dr. Nor- cross, pastor of the Second Presbyterian church of Carlisle, says: "It was the same sturdy race of men who planted the first churches up the Susquehanna and along the blue waters of the Juniata, who 'held the fort' in Sherman's valley and set up their standards in the Path Valley region, who planted old Monaghan in the edge of York county, spread out through the 'Bar- rens,' and built the stone churches on the Great Conewago and Marsh Creek. The status of the churches in Cumberland val- ley has been altered somewhat by the changes which have gradually come over the race elements of our population. Many families of the original settlers have passed on the wave of emigration to the west, and their places have been taken by worthy
people of the German stock. But most of these original churches continue strong and prosperous, notwithstanding the racial changes which have gone on around them. The strength of the original congregations is evinced not only by their present healthy condition, but by the strong colonies which they have sent out. These young churches have in some instances quite equaled their parent hives, and almost all are showing the aggressive power of a pure gospel by gathering into their communion many who were not originally of Presbyterian families. Our people are generally true to the tradi- tions of the fathers; for though devoted to his "Confession of Faith," the Ulsterman was able to criticise it. The authority in matters of religion which it had conceded to the civil magistrate, he was no longer willing to admit. He had learned some- thing in the school of affliction, and on this point he had grown wiser than his teachers. In an ideal Christian state, where all men had accepted one interpretation of Scrip- ture, it might be a very beautiful system; but in such a very imperfect world as this, with its conflicting opinions as to the claims of God, the powers of the church, and the needs of the soul, the Ulsterman had found to his sorrow that the civil magistrate could not be safely trusted with the question of heresy. The freedom which he claimed for himself he conceded to others. The out- ward uniformity in religion which the Westminster fathers had hoped might be secured in Great Britain and Ireland, he saw was a Utopian dream which he re- nounced forever. He revised his "Confes- sion of Faith" (1788) so as to limit the pow- ers of the civil magistrate to secular con- cerns, and left the church free in its own province. On this whole question Presby- terians of Pennsylvania were greatly in ad- vance of the New England Puritans and the churchmen of the South. The restless
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spirit of enterprise in the Scotch-Irish race has caused the children of many of these early settlers in the Cumberland valley to seek their fortunes in distant parts of the land, but the churches which they planted remain the sacred monuments of their re- ligious principles. Other races have come in to swell the population of their beautiful valley, but the day must be far distant when their memorials shall have perished from the land which they at first consecrated to liberty and religion by toil and sacrifice in tears and blood."
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