USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Historical sketches : a collection of papers prepared for the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 6
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tee, Christopher Roben, who was bound for the debt jointly with Dr. Muhlenberg and Mr. Henry Keppelle, threatened to sell the church to the Roman Catholics upon any condition whatever. This brought about a crisis in the congregation and something had to be done to remove the load of debt. The church petitioned the corporation of St. Michael's Church in Philadelphia as their supervisors to appoint arbitrators in order to examine the management and accounts of the build- ing, to determine, judge and give an award of all the matter in dispute depending between the parties.
Accordingly the church of St. Michael did appoint, with the consent of Christopher Roben, well experienced men, ar- bitrators, viz: Robert Smith, architect; Jacob Graef, master of masonry; Frederick Kuhl and Michael Hillegass, Esq. These arbitrators, after nearly six months spent in adjusting the accounts and settling the controversy so far as they could, held Dr. Muhlenberg, Mr. Keppelle and Mr. Roben responsi- ble. To this Roben dissented at once, which left the respon- sibility remain with Muhlenberg and Keppelle.
Upon the settlement of the troubles by the arbitrators, Doctor Muhlenberg, together with the good Mr. Keppelle, went to work to pay off the debt. Hearing of the trouble of his friend the doctor, the Rev. Dr. Ziehenhagen, the chaplain of the King of England, directed Dr. Muhlenberg to draw on him for one hundred pounds sterling. This paid off the most clamorous of the creditors. But what principally enabled the securities to liquidate the indebtedness was the legacy of thir- teen thousand guldin ($5,200) from the Count Solms of Roed- elhiem, near Frankford on the Main. Three thousand guldin of this bequest ($1,200) he made to St. Peter's Church at Barren Hill, for removing the load of debt under which it groaned. An old manuscript in the custody of the church, which I have seen, says, " His grace, sympathizing the situa- tion and distress of Muhlenberg, was pleased most graciously to bestow three thousand guldin, especially to render Muhl- enberg free from that burden."
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Thus was the debt of the church paid off so far as to re- move it from the meshes of the law, and in a short time after- wards totally wiped out. The high standing of Mr. Keppelle of Philadelphia, joined with the intelligent influence pursued by Dr. Muhlenberg with the Directors of the Orphan House and Royal Seminary at Halle, in Saxony, brought about this happy result.
In the earliest minutes of St. Peter's Church I find the first election under date of April the first, 1766, was held and that Henrich Katz, Johannes Bauer, Andreas Koeth and Philip Lehr were elected elders, and that William Hiltner and Johannes Fisher were elected deacons. They were installed by Dr. Muh- lenberg on the 23d of October, 1768, Johannes Richert and Johannes Mitchele elected elders, and on the 15th of May, 1769, Johannes Hailman (or Hallman) and Christian Stier in- stalled by Reverendum Pastorem Schultze. The last election in the first minute book was held September 24, 1775, and Henrich Katz, Andreas Koeth (Koetes), Johannes Rickert, Conrad Gerlinger (Gilinger), Andreas Bauer, Friedrich Miller, were elected deacons, and Leonhart Kolb, Frantz Vaaht were elected elders, and William Linneschut holding over.
This closes the records of the Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg. As will be observed these minutes are very defective and irregular, as the pastoral labors of Dr. Muhlenberg extended over such large extent of country that charges were very often without their pastors and interferred with regular service. The distance between churches in those early days, and bad roads, when the country was but thinly settled, and the inhabitants principally of foreign birth and of slender means, was in a great measure the cause of much irregularity in church government and lukewarmness or indifference on the part of the members themselves. This any one who will examine the condition of the religious state of the country from just previous to the Revolution and some years after will readily perceive. St. Peter's at Barren Hill was no exception to this general com- plaint, for it pervaded all denominations. The following letter
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of Dr. Schaefer, who was pastor of this church from 1790 until 1812, will verify this:
"This Protocol was found among the papers and writings of the late Rev. Dr. Henry Muhlenberg, Sr., after his death, and was delivered to me by the Rev. Mr. Schmid, of Philadel- phia, in November, 1803, for St. Peter's Church, at Barren Hill, in Whitemarsh township.
" It plainly appears that in the year 1775, this book was entirely laid aside. In the year 1790 I was called to the con- gregation of St. Peter's Church as their regularly ordained minister, and found the church and school in such a lament- able condition as to be commiserated. Only a few heads of families adhered to this congregation: the greater number of the children had already been sent to English schools, and an English school master had been appointed to teach without my knowledge. The church building was in a deplorable condition, like a neglected or disordered house, the rude walls, windows and frames broken and shattered, and the roof ap- peared also ready to fall in. It needed faith and trust in God on the part of the congregation to prevent this deplorable con- dition of the church. May the kingdom of God break forth with such power that the outward affairs of the church would be better administered.
May the Lord grant it.
FREIDRICK D. SCHAFER,
D. Z. Evangelical Lutheran pastor of Germantown and Barren Hill, member of the German Evangelical Lutheran Min- isterium in Pennsylvania."
Germantown, the 25th of November, 1803.
This letter is recorded in the minutes in German in his own handwriting.
The founder of the church, the Rev. Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, D. D., was born in Eimbeck, in Hanover, Ger- many, September 6, 171 I, and was educated at the Universities of Gottengen and Halle. In or about 1740, the Lutherans in Pennsylvania, having become dissatisfied with the ministers among them, sent urgent appeals to the fathers at Halle, for regularly ordained clergymen to take the place of those then officiating in the sacred office, and who in many instances were imposters and entirely unfitted by their ignorance and morals for the places into which they forced themselves. For this
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purpose when Dr. Muhlenberg was sent to Pennsylvania by his superiors at Halle, to remedy the troubles which then per- vaded the churches and to establish good order among them. With this object in view he arrived in Pennsylvania on the 25th of November, 1742, and on the 28th of November he preached his first sermon at the Swamp, in New Hanover, in this county, then the county of Philadelphia. When he ar- rived he found only three organized Lutheran churches in the province, one in Philadelphia, at Trappe, and one at New Hanover. He settled at Trappe and took charge of the three named churches until 1761, when he removed to St. Michael's in Philadelphia until the Revolution when he returned to Trappe again and died there October 7, 1787, aged 76 years. His third son, Rev. Henry Earnest Muhlenberg, who finished his education at Halle in 1770, was appointed assistant min- ister of St. Michael's, and thus aided his father in his numer- ous charges.
He with his father officiated as pastor at the Barren Hill Church until 1777, when Howe entered Philadelphia, when the younger Muhlenberg fled to Lancaster, to escape capture from the British, whose enmity he had incurred, and took charge of the Lutheran church there. The Revolution practically ended the mission of the Muhlenbergs at Barren Hill. The Rev. John Frederick Schmidt, in June, 1760, accepted the charge at Germantown, and preached every other Sunday at Frankford and Whitpain, and occasionally at Barren Hill. The Lutheran pastors, it appears, namely, Kurtz, Voight and Buskirk, preached here at about this time or shortly afterwards every other Sun- day. From about 1775, when the Muhlenbergs left, the records of this church are quite deficient or may be still pre- served among the records of other churches with which the several pastors may have been connected.
During the Revolution this church received considerable injury, it being located upon debatable ground, alternately occu- pied by the British and American forces, and used as a battery and stable. In his journal under date of November S, 1777, Dr. Muhlenberg says: "It was used as a stable for horses
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by a portion of the American army encamped in the vicinity;" and likewise mentions that a short time previous the British army had been here, and taken from the people their horses, oxen, cows, sheep and hogs. The military history of this church is reserved for the future, in connection with the town- ship's Revolutionary history.
Shortly after the election of Mr. Schmidt to the German- town charge, the Rev. Daniel Schræder was the minister at Barren Hill. As the minutes of the church are very defective about this time and for years afterwards, Mr. Schrœder's name nowhere appears among them. This mention I have from Buck.
Among the minutes of St. Peter's church, I find that the first baptism on record is that of a child of Christophel Schup- part, named Christian; the sponsors were Philip Kolb and wife. This took place February 10, 1765. It appears that in 1765, Conrad Bischoff taught the parochial school, as he is designated as the school master in this year.
In a note over the signature of Conrad Bischoff, he men- tions that the first book of the church minutes was lost or mislaid, and likewise that the Rev. Lewis Voght was the pas- tor at that time, probably here to assist the older Muhlenberg before the arrival of his son.
During the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. F. D. Schaeffer, and by his exertions, the old church was restored to its former appearance and taste. As already noticed, the edifice had been much defaced, and dilapidation generally prevailed in and around the buildings and grounds, the results of its occu- pation by the contending armies during the Revolution. In 1809 the congregation appointed the following members a committee to rebuild the church, and likewise to restore the grave-yard and fence, namely: Messrs. Henry Katz, Leonhard Kold, Johannes Herd, Johannes Mence, Adam Miller, Andreas Fisher and W. Bisbing, which was accomplished during the summer of that year at considerable expense, and which in few years was liquidated.
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On the 7th of January, 1810, the new building was dedi- cated in the presence of an immense concourse of people. Dr. Schaeffer, the pastor, preached in the forenoon in the German language, and Rev. S. Schaeffer in the afternoon in English, the day being a very fine one. Dr. F. D. Schaeffer, after a service at this place and Germantown of twenty-two a half years, resigned his charge, and preached his farewell sermon August 23, 1812. He found the Barren Hill church in a wretchedly dilapidated condition, and the members scattered, as he says, like lost sheep. After a great deal of hard labor, extending over twenty years, he gave them a restored church, a thrifty and increasing membership which has ever since been maintained.
It appears that an Act of Assembly was passed in 1807 which gave rise to a much talked of affair, a church lottery.
No. 2666 Barren Hill Church Lottery. (Authorized by law of the State of Pennsylvania.)
This ticket will entitle the bearer to such prize as may be drawn to its number, if demanded within one year after drawing, subject to a deduction of fifteen per cent.
WILLIAM HALLMAN, Commissioner. September 24, 1807.
The above is the ticket issued under the act, but I have from good authority that the lottery was never drawn. There is no evidence in the books of the church that the congrega- tion availed themselves of this privilege. I have examined the treasurer's books and find that all the money needed to repair the church and enlarge the grave-yard was raised by sub- scription after expenses were incurred. William Hallman was a justice of the peace in Whitmarsh, and owned the hotel and store, late the property of Samuel Culp, and the farm of the late George Fisher.
Upon the resignation of Dr. F. D. Shaeffer, the Rev. John C. Baker, D. D., was ordained the minister at Barren Hill, and remained its pastor until 1828. In 1818, when the Union Church of Whitemarsh was built, Dr. Baker was likewise ordained the Lutheran pastor at that place. These two
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churches remained under the same pastorate from this time until 1858. During the ministry of Dr. Baker the English service was first introduced, and before his resignation the German language was entirely dispensed with in public wor- ship, and the church regularly chartered. On the 17th of February, 1828, the Rev. Benjamin Keller, D. D., commenc- ed his labors at this place, and remained until 1835. Upon the retirement of Dr. Keller, the Rev. C. W. Schaeffer was ordained pastor of Barren Hill and Whitemarsh. In 1836, the first year of Mr. Schaeffer's ministry, the parsonage was built at a cost of about $840. The mason work was done by Frederick Ferringer, and the carpenter work by John Hart. In 1841 Mr. Schaeffer resigned and took the Germantown charge, where he has ever since resided.
On the Ist of January, 1841, the Rev. Dr. Frederick R. Anspach was called to the charge, and remained until 1850, when he resigned and went to Hagerstown, Md. He after- wards became the editor of the Lutheran Observer, the organ of the General Synod of that branch of the church, while it was located at Baltimore. Dr. Anspach was the last minister who occupied the pulpit in the old historic church. I was through his untiring efforts that the old building was removed and the present more modern and elegant church edifice was erected in the summer of 1849. The last communion in the old church was held April 8, 1849. The new building cost about $6,500. Dr. Anspach was a man of great energy of character, and by his industry greatly increased the member- ship of both the Barren Hill and Whitemarsh churches, and when he gave up his ministry at this place he left the two congregations in a healthy and flourishing condition. In con- nection with his pastoral labors, he conducted a select school at the parsonage at Barren Hill, where the higher branches of an English education were taught. Dr. Anspach was suc- ceeded, in 1850, by the Rev. William H. Smith. His stay was short;' he resigned on May 10, 1852. In November of the same year, the Rev. William M. Baum, D. D., now of Philadelphia, accepted a call and entered upon the labors of
بمكيد
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the charge. His efforts were attended with much success. The remaining debt on the new building was paid off, the grounds surrounding the church were improved, the cemetery enlarged and beautified, and the membership of the church increased. Dr. Baum resigned in May, 1858, and was followed in the same year by the Rev. S. Sentman, who resigned in April, 1862. It was during his ministry, in 1861, that the centennial celebration commemorative of the foundation of St. Peter's Church at Barren Hill was held with appropriate ceremonies and in the presence of a large number of the people of the surrounding country. Mr. Sentman was succeeded in 1862 by Rev. C. F. Keedy, who in turn was followed by Rev. J. Q. Waters, when in 1867, upon his resignation, the Rev. J. R. Dimm became his successor. The Rev. T. C. Pritcherd succeeded Mr. Dimm, September 1, 1871, and still remains pastor at Barren Hill.
At the conclusion of the rebellion, the citizens of White- marsh township erected a large and handsome monument of native marble in memory of the dead of the civil war in the cemetery of the Barren Hill Church. The cemetery contains the graves of thousands interred here, and among the grave or tomb-stones are some very costly ones. In approaching the cemetery from a northern direction, it presents the appear- ance of a city of the dead. The church and cemetery, on account of their elevation, serve as a land mark, and can be seen for many miles around Barren Hill.
In November, 1878, a terrible rain and wind storm passed over the centre of the township and in its course a great num- ber of barns were unroofed and demolished and other buildings destroyed. The steeple of the Barren Hill Church was blown to the ground during this storm, but in the following year was restored again. It was always an open question whence the name was derived, but I think, unquestionably, the name came from a quite narrow strip of poor soil and confined almost wholly to the church property. In the first minutes or records, we find the name spelled Barren Hill, both in German and English; this is evidently its true derivation. The good peo-
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ple of this place, not liking the original name of Barren Hill. have had the name of the post-office changed to Lafayette Hill, thus in a measure destroying its historic association in connection with our Revolution, with the expectation of en- hancing the value of the property of the village and wiping out any presumable traces of barrenness.
I have omitted to state the amount of money desired to be raised to defray the expenses of repairing the building. The Act of Assembly passed April 13, 1807, created the Rev. Fred- erick D. Schaffer, Henry Katz, Leonard Kolb, John Hart, George Bisbing and William Hallman commissioners to carry out the provisions of the act, but as already noticed only one of them acted in the matter, and from this fact it appears that for the want of unanimity the scheme was abandoned. By the act the incorporators were not permitted to raise more than three thousand five hundred dollars for the use of the church.
The following incident which frequently occurred. was re- lated to me by an old citizen of the township, who often heard an old relative of his say, that in the latter end of the last cen- tury or the beginning of this the bats in the fall of the year would collect in large quantities within the old and dilap- idated church, to the great annoyance of those assembled inside during church service. The walls inside were not plastered, but left in their rough state, without any finish, and the bats would collect in large numbers on the inside, and hang in clusters on the walls, and as the church would become warm from the heated stoves the bats would let go their hold on the walls and whole clusters would fall at short intervals upon the heads of the worshippers, to the dismay of the female portion of the congregation, and to the aggravation of the male portion. The land around the church in those days was not cleared up and beautified as at the present time, but many of the native forest trees remained, and the land in partially a wild state was a fit place for such vermin to harbor and annoy the worshipper on a quiet Sabbath morning.
I have frequently heard from an aged citizen of the town- ship, that when Dr. F. D. Schaeffer was the pastor, upon a
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certain occasion while preaching he suddenly stopped the services and directed his hearers to two snakes playing in the rough and unplastered walls directly opposite the pulpit. The doctor was speaking German, as usual, at the time, but in calling attention to the snakes, he did it in very broken Eng- lish, which created some merriment among his hearers.
From the same source I have it that in person the doctor was very tall and spare, and generally rode on horseback from Germantown to Barren Hill. He wore a broad-brim hat, and presented quite a venerable appearance. He was a man of solid worth. His pastorate extended from 1790 until 1812.
Christopher Roben, who was a large land owner in White- marsh township in 1745, was one of the committee selected to build the old parochial school house and St. Peter's Church at Barren Hill. His tract or plantation was situated east of the church, extending as far as Thomas Lancaster's, or later the Wilson properties, and on the north of the fine property of Anthony Williams.
As already noticed, as one of the committee Roben became involved in its financial transactions on account of the poverty of its members and the small subscription that could be col- lected. An arbitration finally held Mr. Roben, Dr. Muhlen- berg and Henry Keppelle, of Philadelphia, bound for the debt incurred in building the church. But before the arbitration was had Roben became so dissatisfied with his former colleagues on the building committee, owing probably to their irrespon- sibility, that he endeavored to sell the church to the Roman Catholics to get out of the difficulty. But this in no wise would be permitted by Dr. Muhlenberg and Mr. Keppelle, who at once assumed the whole debt, and in course of time paid it off. Thus the church was saved to the Lutherans.
Mr. Roben, or Raben, as is inscribed on his tomb-stone in the church-yard at Barren Hill, was born November 19, 1706, and died in 1770, at the age of 64. His wife, whose name was Mary, died shortly before, both having inscriptions in German
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upon their head-stones, in common with many others who have German inscriptions marking their last resting place.
In visiting this church-yard the visitor's attention would be drawn to the fact that nearly all who repose within its limits are of German ancestry or lineage. Among those buried here the most numerous are those of the following names, viz. : Hagy, Hiltner, Barnes, Sharp, Katz, Kolb or Culp, Hitner, Streeper, Fisher, Hallman, Gilinger, Bisbing, Schubert, Schiat- ter, Roben, Dager, Freas, Fie, Hellings, Righter, Kirkner, Faust, Scheetz, Hocker, Cress, Ketler, Lentz, Hass, Rex, Bickley, Rickert, Johnson, Weidman, and many others.
The wife of the Rev. Michael Schlatter, the father of the Reformed church, is buried in this cemetery, together with two of his daughters and two sons, William, a merchant, and Gerardus. Mr. Schlatter resided at Chestnut Hill on the property lately owned by David Styer. The following inscrip- tion is copied from an old head-stone, broken and defaced, though its orthography and poetry would not find many admirers at this time, thus showing in a measure the rudeness of the times He was undoubtedly a sailor.
IN MEMORY OF THOMAS TIESON,
Who departed this life, December the 18th, 1794. Aged 24 years.
The waves of Neptune I have conquered, And Bora's blasts I did shune, But Jupiter with his horrible shaking
Soon laid me underneath the ground.
But yet there is an omnipotent Being, And I know he mercy hath,
I hope that he will show it to him, Who did die such a sudden death.
If mercy he douth show unto me, Then I will set sail again, For God is merciful to all sinners, *
* 'douth seek his glorious name.
Another head-stone of recent erection and close at place of entrance, has the following laconic inscription :
ANDREW SOCKS, A Soldier of '76.
Upon the death of Edward Farmar, in 1745, his son, Joseph Farmar, Peter Robeson and Jonathan Robeson, Jr.,
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his sons-in-law, in settling his large estate, sold to Thomas Yorke, Esq., gentleman, of Germantown township, 952 acres of land, embracing as fine a plateau of land as any contained within the limits of the township. The farms of Charles Wil- liams, a large part of the Erdenheim property, Daniel Williams, the Cleaver property and Thomas S. Phipps, were part of this tract; it was called by the Indians, "Umbilicamence."
Yorke sold immediately, to Peter Robeson, the entire purchase. It appears from the transaction that Yorke's pur- chase was only to make legal title to Robeson, as Robeson had married Sarah, daughter of Edward Farmar, and of course could not purchase directly himself. However this may be, Robeson sold to Anthony Williams, of Bristol township, Phil- adelphia county, 552 acres of land, being the property now owned by Charles Williams, and the late Lukens farm, now part of Erdenheim. The deed to Williams is dated March 4, 1755, for which he paid the sum of one thousand six hundred and sixty-six pounds, four shillings and nine-pence, Pennsyl- vania currency.
In the assessor's list of 1780 his estate is assessed at 470 acres, in the name of Isaac Williams, his son, who was tenant. This is evidence that Anthony Williams died before 1780, and about this time his son Isaac succeeded him, who in after years moved to the place of James M. Coulston, where he died in 1835 or thereabouts, having arrived at a good old age. It appears that he was a man of progressive spirit and of great energy. He was the first who undertook the task of boring for water by sinking an artesian well. He died before he com- pleted it, though he succeeded in sinking the well to the depth of 300 or 400 feet, and getting the water to flow; the bore was about three inches, but the water fluctuated considerably, and finally ceased to flow. This probably was the first effort made to obtain water by boring for it in this county, or in eastern Pennsylvania. Who knows? Can any one tell or give any information who was the pioneer in boring for water by the use of augers? It would be interesting to know.
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