History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 133

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards
Number of Pages: 1418

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COVENANT METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, located on Elm Street, above Ninth .- The con- gregation was organized in 1869, by Rev. S. G. Grove, with thirteen members. Under his ministration many members were added. He officiated as pastor until 1872. The following is a complete list of the pastors who have served this congregation :

S. G. Grove, from 1869 to 1872; T. M. Griffith, from 1872 to 1873; W. K. Macneal, from 1873 to 1876 ; J. B. Graff, from 1876 to 1879; L. B. Hoffman, from 1879 to 1881; C. Hudson, from 1881 to 1882; H. A. Cleveland, from 1882 to 1884 ; J. D. Fox, from 1884 to date.

Since its organization the congregation has greatly increased. Membership, 1886, two

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hundred and ten. The Sunday-school was or- ganized in the same year as the church, and has been very successfully conducted. The present number of pupils is two hundred and fifty. Mr. J. D. Fox is the superintendent.

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. -The congregation was organized in 1837, and soon after a one-story frame building was ob- tained, in which religious worship was held until the present handsome two-story brick church was built in 1869, on Tenth Street, near Washington, by Samuel Underhill and Aaron Eyrick. The membership of the congregation is about forty. The Sunday-school connected with it numbers fifty pupils. The superintendent is G. T. Hawkins.

The following pastors have ministered to this congregation since the time of organization :

Richard Robertson, Sampson Peters, George Greenly, John Cornish, John Butler, Adam Driver, William H. Jones, William Moore, Israel Scott, A. W. Wayman, William Winder, Joseph Smith, An- drew Till, Jeremiah Young, Richard Barney, Thomas Oliver, John L. Armstrong, John R. V. Morgan, William R. Norris, Thomas A. Cuff, Joseph Nel- son, Henry J. Rhodes, Amos Wilson, H. H. Lewis, Jacob Wilkshelm, James Payton, William H. Davis, Charles H. Green, J. C. Brock, J. W. Norris.

EVANGELICAL CHURCHES.

SALEM CHURCH OF THE EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION .- The congregation of this church was organized in 1844 by Rev. Joseph M. Saylor. A house of worship was erected the same year on the corner of Eighth and Court Streets. This building was used until 1877, when the present large and commodious church was erected. The congregation has constantly in- creased in membership until it now (1886) num- bers five hundred members. The Sunday-school was organized the same year as the congrega- tion. It now has seven hundred pupils with Dr. S. L. Dreibelbis as superintendent.

The following is a complete list of the pastors who have ministered to this congregation :

J. M. Saylor, Daniel Berger, William Hein, Chris- tian Meyers, J. M. Saylor, J. C. Farnsworth, Corne- lius Loose, Jacob Adams, Francis Hoffman, William Hein, John Koehl, Isaac Hess, Ephraim Ely, Daniel Wieand, Joseph Specht, John Schell, George Knerr, C. H. Baker, Solomon Neitz, B. F. Bohner, Solomon Neitz, S. S. Chubb, W. K. Wieand.

EBENEZER CHURCH OF THE EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION, located on Ninth Street, above Elm, was organized by the Rev. John Koehl, in 1870, with sixty members. The congregation first worshipped in Fisher's Hall. The same year a one-story church, sixty-eight by thirty-eight feet, was built on Ninth Street, near Buttonwood. George Gasser, Abraham Fry, William R. Heilig, Christian Kolb and Andrew Benner were the trustees and building committee. In 1885 a large and commodious two-story brick building, forty by seventy-four feet in size, was built, and a two- story brick parsonage which is the property of the congregation. The pastors in succession were John Koehl, E. Butz, Isaac Hess, F. P. Lehr, J. Neitz, S. B. Brown, S. Neitz and Isaac J. Reitz, who is the present pastor. The con- gregation has largely increased; has at the present time (1886) a membership of two hun- dred and thirty. The Sunday-school was or- gauized May 22, 1870, with forty scholars, and has been very successful, having at this date three hundred pupils. . James H. Miller is the superintendent.

IMMANUEL CHURCH OF THE EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION is situated on Sixth Street, above Chestnut Street. In 1861 a number of the members in good standing of the Salem Evan- gelical Church, of this city, made application to the East Pennsylvania Conference for a separate organization, the motive being to establish an exclusively English congregation. This was granted the same year, and the congregation or- ganized at the house of Rev. Seneca Breyfogel. Soon after, a hall was rented on the northwest corner of Fourth and Penn Streets. The first services were held on October 27, 1861, and seventeen persons signed the constitution as members. In January, 1862, the congregation purchased a two-story brick church on Chestnut Street, below Sixth Street, formerly used by the Protestant Methodist congregation. In this they worshipped until December, 1884, when they removed to the lecture-room of their new and large church on Sixth Street near Chestnut. This had been in course of erection for several months and was completed at a cost of thirty thousand dollars. The entire amount

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was secured on the day of the dedication, in 1885. During the dedication ceremonies the congregation unanimously decided that the pews of this church should be forever free.

The officiating pastors were,-

Revs. George B. Fisher, J. A. Apgar, Thomas Bow- man, C. S. Haman, S. C. Rhoads, S. P. Reinoehl, J. G. Sands, George B. Fisher, U. H. Hershey,. W. A. Leopold, James Bowman, J. N. Metzgar and S. C. Breyfogel, the present pastor.

Eight hundred persons have united with this church since its organization, and during the same period five thousand dollars were con- tributed toward the missionary fund. The congregation at the present time numbers four hundred members. A Sunday-school was or- ganized at the same time as the church, with sixty-eight pupils in attendance, and has been very successful. In 1885 the number of pupils had increased co five hundred and twenty, with an average attendance of four hundred and ten. F. G. Boas is now, and has been for more than twenty five years general superintendent of the school. Miss Ella B. Dunkel is superinten- dent of the primary department, withi over two hundred pupils.

ST. MATTHEW'S CHURCH OF THE EVANGEL- ICAL ASSOCIATION is situated at Eighteenth and Cotton Streets, and is a mission under the supervision of the pastor, Francis Hoffman, and trustees of Salem Evangelical Church. It was organized in 1883, in a one-story frame build- ing, which is still used as a place of worship. There are forty members connected with this mission ; also a Sunday-school with one hun- dred and sixty pupils in attendance. Lewis Riegner is superintendent. This chapel was erected by the trustees of the Salem Evangelical Church.

UNITED BRETHREN CHURCHES.

congregation from 1852 to 1856, during whose pastorate fifty-seven members were added and the church now standing was built.

The pastors in order of succession who fol- lowed were,-

Joseph Young, George W. Hoffman, Jacob Brewer, D. M. Kauffman, - Ezekiel (under this pastorate a division of the church was made and the Otterbein formed), J. Runk, Job Light, J. H. Unger, J. H. Mark, D. Hoffman. Rev. Samuel Etter became pas- tor of the congregation in 1881, and in 1886 is occu- pying the position.

The congregation had one hundred and fifty members when he was chosen pastor. There are now two hundred and ninety-six members. The Sunday-school connected with this church was organized in 1854. It has now three hundred pupils, with Franklin Ebright as superinten- dent.

OTTERBEIN CHURCH OF THE UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST is the second of that de- nomination in Reading. The church building is situated on Eighth Street near Elm. The con- gregation was organized in 1856, under Rev. I. L. Peters as pastor, and the first church was built the same year. The church was re- built in 1879 while the congregation was under the pastoral care of Rev. J. B. Funk.

The pastors have been,-

I. L. Peters, Wm. Evers, Israel Carpenter, J. Mnma, J. B. Funk, H. Phillips and the present pastor, M. P. Doyle.

The first board of trustees was composed of Michael Sands, M. Fishburn, N. Zell and Geo. Heffelfinger. The trustees for the year 1886 are J. Wisler, Emerson Kline, Joseph Kline, Abraham Landis and Jacob Stoner. The church membership in 1886 is two hundred and fifty. The number of pupils in the Sunday- school, three hundred.

MENNONITE CHURCH.

ZION CHURCH OF THE UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST was organized in 1847 by Rev. S. FAITH CHAPEL, Mennonite Brethren in Christ, is situated on North Tenth Street near Oley. The congregation was organized in 1884, by Rev. Wm. B. Musselman. Thirty-five persons became members at the first meeting. The chapel was dedicated in January, 1885, by the pastor, who has officiated since the or- Noll. A frame honse of worship was built during the same year, at a cost of six hundred dollars. Rev. S. Vonieda took charge in 1848, and the next year a mission station was consti- tuted, with Rev. S. Noll as leader, for three years, during which time he gathered in seventy- eight members. Rev. D. Hoffman served the | ganization. The present membership is sixty-

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HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

nine. The Sunday-school was organized in April, 1885, with one hundred and ten pupils. The superintendent is Wm. Gamler.

This is an independent congregation, a branch of the Mennonite denomination, whose strongest membership is in Canada.

FREE CHURCH.

FRIENDSHIP HOME MISSION OF THE RE- FORMED EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH (Cotton Street, above Tenth) .- The congregation was organized September 1, 1883, in Sauppe's Hall, on Penn Street above Eighth, by the Rev. Joseph Kutz, the pastor and founder of the church. Eighteen original members joined this church, and a Sunday-school was organized at the same time on Tenth Street below Cotton, with fifteen pupils in attendance. In 1875 Mrs. Mary Kutz, wife of the pastor, collected suffi- cient funds to enable her husband to build a one-story brick church, twenty-six by forty-five feet, on Cotton Street above Tenth, which is now used by the congregation. Joseph Kutz acted as their pastor until his death, in 1883, and was succeeded by his son, J. Addison Kutz, the present pastor. The membership of the church has been constantly increasing since the time of organization. There are at present eighty-five members. The Sunday-school has two hundred and fifty pupils. The pastor, J. Addison Kutz, is superintendent of the school. This congregation is an independent church or- ganization.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES.

ST. PETER'S .- The Roman Catholic denom- ination obtained an early foothold in Berks County. An establishment was effected in 1741 along the eastern border in Hereford (now Washington) township, at a place named "Churchville," after the church there situated. But their number in the county in the early history of the church was not at any time great.

There were adherents of this church in Read- ing from the beginning. About 1755, during the " French and Indian War," the inhabitants of the town regarded them with suspicion. This superinduced a strong letter, addressed by the justices of the county to the Governor of

the province, dated July 23, 1755, in which they expressed the fear that the Protestants were " subject to a massacre whenever the Papists are ready," and prayed direction " in this import- ant business." But, after submitting the mat- ter to the Executive Council, he, in a reply dated Aug. 25th, following, said that there was little foundation for their representations, and this caused the apparently unnecessary excite- ment to subside.

In the letter it would appear that there was a priest then at Reading, who preached to his con- gregation once in four weeks. His name was Ferdinand Farmer. He reported in 1757 at Reading the following membership :

German . 41 males, 39 females. .80

Irish : 5 males, 3 females, 8

The first Roman Catholic Church was erected in 1791, on South Seventh Street, east side, near Chestnut, on lot No. 321. It was built of brick and capable of holding three hundred persons. It was called "St. Peter's." Previously, for some years, worship was carried on in a small log building on same lot.

With the growth of the town their number increased, and after the lapse of fifty years a larger building became necessary. Accordingly, they removed to the westside of South Fifth near Spruce Street, and began the erection of a large, improved church in 1845, which was dedicated May 24, 1846. Patrick Devlan, a prominent member of the congregation, presented a large bell to the church on December 12, 1850, which is still in use. Its total weight was three thou- sand four hundred pounds, with a diameter at its mouth, four feet eight inches.

The membership and services were English and German till the erection of "St. Paul's," in 1860-61, when the German portion with- drew.

The priests who officiated here were,-

Revs. Peter Helbron, Paul Ernsten, George Shen- felder, Edward McCarthy, Nicholas Steinbacher, - Gasman, F. A. Marshall, Peter Steinbacher, Basel Shorb, - Balffe, Peter Lemke, Richard O'Conner, P. Carbon, James Powers, - Cobbin, J. Ahern,

Miller, - Kunzer, Francis O'Conner, - - Schroeder, J. J. McElroy, A. D. Filan, P. J. Garvey

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and Gerald Coghlan, the latter serving since August, 1882.

On March 25, 1829, W. S. Allgaier first moved to organize a separate Sunday-school for Roman Catholic children. He went to the different families of the congregation and ob- tained the names of sixty-two children. Col- lections were then made for the purchase of books, etc., and soon after the school was formed in the Madeira school building. Several years afterward the school was moved to the basement of the parsonage on Seventh Street, and after- ward to St. Peter's Church, on South Fifth Street, where it has since been conducted suc- cessfully.

A number of societies are connected with St. Peter's Church. Some are beneficial. The oldest, St. Joseph's, was organized in 1852, Hibernia in 1860, and the Emerald in 1869. St. Peter's Temperance Society, consisting of about one hundred adults, was organized in June, 1883, and is connected with the Dio- cesan. and the National Union. The cadets, having a membership of about sixty-five young folks, was organized about the same time as the adult society. The Sodality of the Blessed Mary was organized in May, 1883, and con- sists of about two hundred women and men. The Society of the Angels also has a member- ship of about two hundred, ranging in age from twelve to fifteen years, who have made their first communion. The Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, which includes many of the most prominent members of St. Peter's congre- gation, and looks after the temporal and spirit- ual wants of the poor, was organized in Decem- ber, 1884.

ST. PAUL'S .- This congregation was organ- ized in 1860. Its members were, prior to that year, connected with St. Peter's Roman Cath- olic Church, on South Fifth Street. Under the direction of the late Most Rev. Archbishop J. F. Wood, of Philadelphia, the German- speaking portion of St. Peter's Church was formed into a separate congregation, and the late Rev. Charles F. Schrader was appointed their first pastor. Under his superintendence and by his exertions the St. Paul's Church was erected. Mr. A. Felix donated the lot of ground

on which the church was built. Ground was broken on August 8, 1860, and the corner stone for the building was laid with great solemnity on the 16th of September, following, by the Most Rev. Archbishop Wood. The building was completed in June, 1861, and solemnly dedicated to the worship of God. Its original dimensions were sixty by one hundred and twenty feet, with a steeple one hundred and seventy-two feet high. The height of the ceiling is forty feet. The members of the con- gregation having increased rapidly in number, the church became too small, and an addition was made ; the steeple's height was also increased to one hundred and eighty-seven feeet. The present dimensions of the church are sixty by one hundred and sixty-two feet.

These improvements were completed in 1884. The architecture of this church is Romanesque in style, and the interior ceiling and walls are elaborately decorated with fresco-work and oil paintings. The new stained-glass windows are especially attractive; each one of these has groups of figures representing scenes from the Holy Scripture. They were imported from Innsbruck, Tyrol, and are really beautiful works of art. They are rare and costly specimens of fine workmanship, almost unrivaled in beauty of conception and artistic finish. St. Paul's Church is at present the largest house of wor- ship in Reading. The congregation is very large and constantly iucreasing. Rev. George Borneman has been the pastor since its organi- zation-after Rev. Schrader. Its present strength and wealth in church property attest to a very high degree his superior management in the performance of his duties.

St. Paul's parochial residence was built in 1873, beside the church, on North Ninth Street. It is large and substantial, and arranged with every convenience desirable.

Attached to St. Panl's Church is a large par- ochial school. The school-house was built in 1869. It is a spacious structure, sixty by forty feet, three stories high, each story fourteen feet clear. The daily attendance of pupils has been about six hundred ever since its origin. In this school both the German and English languages are taught. It is entirely supported by the

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members of St. Paul's congregation by volun- tary contributions.

In 1881 a lot of ground, thirty by two hun- dred and twenty-five feet, with a one-story brick dwelling-house, adjoining the church property on the south side, was bought, for the purpose of building a house for the Sisters of Christian Charity, who, together with one male lay teach- er, are now the instructors in St. Paul's School. A suitable three-story building was accord- ingly erected, in 1862, to the rear of the one- story dwelling mentioned, and is occupied since then by the Sisters as their residence.

The following beneficial societies are composed of members of St. Paul's Church, and hold their meetings in the parochial school building : St. Peter's and St. Paul's Society, organized in 1850 ; Bonifacius Brotherhood, 1866 ; St. John's Society, 1868 ; Holy Cross Society, 1868 ; St. Mary's Society (consisting of ladies).

ST. CATHARINE'S FEMALE ORPHAN ASY- LUM .-- In April, 1872, three Sisters of the Order of St. Vincent de Paul came from the Mother's Home, Emmitsburg, Md., and, on the 15th of that month, opened St. Catharine's Female Orphans' Asylum, in an old and small one-story building on the south side of Franklin Street, between Eleventh and Twelfth. The first two orphans were brought from the Berks County Poor-House by W. S. Allgaier, executor of Mrs. Medary's estate, on April 29th follow- ing. The property, one hundred and forty by three hundred and thirty-nine fcet, was devised for the purpose by Mrs. Catharine Medary, who died in May, 1871. The present three-story brick building, fifty by forty feet, was erected in 1873-74, at a cost of about fifteen thousand dollars, contributed by members of St. Peter's and St. Paul's Catholic Churches, and by citi- zens not belonging to the Catholic denomina- tion. The corner-stone of this building was laid on September 9, 1873, by the Most Rev. Bishop Wood, and the building was completed and first occupied June 10, 1874. On the first floor proper is a beautiful little chapel contain- ing a white marble altar that cost three hun- dred dollars. The chapel services are conducted by the pastors of St. Peter's and St. Paul's congregations alternately. At the present time

there are in the institution forty-two orphans, who are taught to read, and write, and cipher, and to do all kinds of house-work. They are neatly attired, have cheerful faces and are well cared for. The Order of Sisters of Charity, having charge of the asylum, was founded by Vincent de Paul, in France, in 1617.

HEBREWS.

OHEF SHOLEM OF THE CITY OF READING. -In 1864 (May 1st) the Hebrews of Reading assembled together for the purpose of forming a Hebrew congregation and of raising a sufficient sum by subscription for the encouragement of regular preaching by a rabbi. An organization was effected on the 8th of May following by the election of officers, and then a lot of ground for burying purposes was reported to have been purchased (situated on South Street opposite the Catholic Cemetery) and inclosed. On May 15, 1864, they adopted the name of their congre- gatiou.

Their first religious services were held in a rented room on northeast corner of Sixth and Franklin Streets, and continued to be held there for a considerable time. In 1885, and for some years before, they conducted services successfully in the building on the northwest corner of Eighth and Washington Streets.

In 1884 and 1885 the Immanuel Evangelical congregation erected a new church for their re- ligious worship on west side of Sixth Street above Chestnut. They then moved into this, leaving their old building unoccupied. The Hebrews found this building suitable for them as a con- gregation ; so they purchased it in 1885 and made the necessary repairs. They paid four thousand two hundred and twenty-five dollars. In this commendable undertaking they were generously encouraged by business men of all denominations. They have a resident rabbi, Rev. Simon Levy, who preaches to them reg- ularly. Their services are held on Friday evening and Saturday morning. They also con- duct a sunday-school for their children on Sundays. Their congregation comprises twen- ty-six members.

SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.

By a communication of " A Friend," address-

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ed to the Berk's and Schuylkill Journal, dated November 25, 1816, it would appear that the " Sunday-school" as an institution at Reading began some time before. The meeting for an organization of a "Sunday-school " was held in the " Reading Academy," aud its deliberations were presided over by the Rev. John F. Grier, who was then conducting the academy. He doubtless suggested the idea of such an or- ganization and offered the academy as a place of meeting for that purpose. Abont seventy- five children assembled. Through the zeal aud kindly assistance of several ladics, the first effort was attended with success. Its object was to "instruct children of every class, not on- ly in the rudiments of the English language, but in those moral principles and religious truths, which are acknowledged by all to form the basis of human happiness and hope." The first suggestion and attempt towards this organi- zation " were treated with levity by many." Upon its establishment the meetings were sub- sequently held in the " State-Honse" building, having begun there on October 10, 1819. A " Reading Sunday-school Association " was af- terward organized. The officers for the year 1828-29 were:

President, Samuel Baird; Vice-Presidents, John McKnight, Wm. Darling; Treasurer, Elijah Dechert ; Secretary, Lot Benson ; Managers, William Addams, Philip A. Good, Henry A. Muhlenberg, John F. Grier, William Paul, Henry J. Whitehouse, Jacob Hubley, Daniel Rhine, William Bell, Dennis O'Brien, William Davis, George N. Eckert, Philip Miller and Thomas Cruise.

By the names of these persons, it would appear to have had the support of the best and most influential people of the town. In June, 1828, there were three Sunday-schools in the associa- tion.

School No. 1 assembled in the " State- House." The scholars numbered four hundred and seven-male, one hundred and sixty-eight; female, two hundred and thirty-nine ; and the teachers twenty-nine-male, twelve; female, seventeen. It possessed a library of one hundred and fifty volumes. The officers were a president and two directresses.

School No. 2 assembled in the room on the first floor of the Presbyterian Church. Number

of scholars, one hundred and forty-male, sixty, female, eighty ; teachers, seventeen -- male, seven ; female, ten. Library contained one hundred volumes. Its officers were a director and di- rectress. The larger scholars of the two schools formed a " Bible Class," which numbered fifty. They met every Tuesday evening.

School No. 3 .- This school was composed of colored adults and children. Several years before, there was scarcely an African in Read- ing who could read the Word of God. But they made rapid progress and some were then teachers.

The Methodist Episcopal congregation had then a flourishing school, which numbered seventy children and twelve teachers; and flourishing schools were then also at Sinking Spring, Womelsdorf, Rehrersburg, Bernville, Hamburg and Kutztown.

The number of children taught at Sunday- schools in the county during the year was estimated at about twelve hundred.

School No. 1 continued to hold its sessions regularly every Sunday till September 26, 1847, in the " State House," a period covering about thirty-one years ; and during all these years there was but one superintendent, Thomas O'Brien. It was then transferred to the new Prebyterian Church-building, then erecting on Fifth Street near Franklin. At times the scholars numbered three hundred and fifty. During its existence, especially for ten years after its organization, the teachers were not only Presbyterians, but also Lutherans, Re- formed, Episcopalians and Catholics. The institution during that time had apparently been operated for the general welfare, without respect to religious feelings and prejudices.

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History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 133

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846 Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards Number of Pages: 1418

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards
Number of Pages: 1418