USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > History of Lancaster County : to which is prefixed a brief sketch of the early history of Pennsylvania > Part 34
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THE GERMAN BAPTISTS .- A number of these settled in this county prior to 1721. They constituted a church in 1723, under the charge of Rev. Peter Becker. At first they increased rap- idly, but at present their number is small. They, like the Omish, meet in private houses to hold their religious meetings. They hold their meetings at some 12 or 15 different houses in the county, and in a few instances at school houses.
THE GERMAN SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS, or Sieben Taeger .- This society took its rise about the year 1724 or 1725. The founder was Conrad Beisel, who seceded from the German Baptists. This society flourished for many years at Ephrata, where is their only place of holding meetings in the county .- See pages 211, 233.
THE LUTHERANS .- Many of this denomination emigrated to Lancaster county before 1730. Missionaries visited the scat- tered brethren. Among these were, in 1731, 1732, &c. the Rev'ds C. J. Shultz, Casper Stoever, who also ministered as the first pastors of the Lutheran church in the city. The fol- lowing succeeded them : In 1740, Rev. T. Dylander, Swedish Rector of Philadelphia ; 1741, Rev. Valentine Kraft; 1743, Rev. L. Nyberg; Rev. G. Nauman, Swedish Rector of Phila- delphia, preached occasionally in Lancaster, from 1746 to 1748; this year Rev. T. F. Handschuh preached till 1751. From 1751 to 1753, the congregation was successively served by the Rev'ds Tobias Wagner, England, H. B. G. Wortman. From 1753 to 1769, the Rev. Siegfried Gerock ; from the latter
*See page 367.
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period, the congregation was visited by the Rev'ds Dr. Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, E. Shultz, N. Kurtz and others, for a short time ; when the Rev. J. C. Helmuth, late from Europe, was called and continued till 1779; in 1780, Rev. H. Muhlen- berg, son of Dr. H. M. Muhlenberg, took charge of the con- gregation, and was their pastor till 1815, when Rev. Dr. C. En- dress succeeded him and continued till 1827. The present pastor, the Rev. Dr. J. C. Baker, took charge of the congrega- tion in 1828. Besides Dr. Baker's church, there is another in the city, exclusively German, under the pastoral care of the Rev. W. Beates.
There are at present seven Lutheran ministers residing in the county : Dr. John C. Baker, Rev'ds W. Beates, J. J. Strein, S. Trumbauer, C. G. Frederick, C. Barnitz and L. Gerhart .- They have 27 places of public worship. Here we would add the names of the Rev'ds A. C. Muhlenberg, Schroeter, Yung, Ernst, Scriba, Riemenschneider, Rothrauff, Bernheim, Sahm and Mueller, all of whom had charge of congregations at dif- ferent times.
THE GERMAN REFORMED .- In the beginning of 1700, a number of Reformed came to the province of Pennsylvania. The Ferrees, members of the Reformed Walloon church of Pelican, in the Lower Palatinate, left Europe for America, and settled in this county about the year 1712 .* With the Ferrees, Isaac Le Lever came to this county and brought with him his French Bible, which is still preserved by his descendants as a precious relic.
As early as 1717 or 1718, the Rev. P. Boehm of Witpen, one of the oldest German Reformed preachers, had charge of a German Reformed church. Rev. Boehm, the Rev. G. M. Weiss, who had charge of a congregation in Philadelphia, about the year 1724, and the Rev. H. Dorstius of Bucks county, occasionally visited the pastorless German Reformed who had settled in this county prior to 1729.
In 1727, a large number of Germans, among whom were many German Reformed, came into this county : these were the Dieffenderfer's and others, whose number was augmented in 1731 by the arrival of the Bushongs,; Nehs, Schwartz,
*See pages 308 and 20,
tSee page 271.
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Mentz, and the Rev. J. B. Rieger,* who had charge for many years of German Reformed congregations in this county, among others was " Seltenreich's Kirche," near New Holland. In 1730 or 1731, the Rev. John Peter Miller, ordained by the Scotch Presbyterian Synod, in I730, visited German Reformed congregations at Cocalico and Tulpehocken. About this time several congregations were organized, one at Lancaster, and in other parts of the county. In 1743, there was one formed at ".Modecrick," near Adamstown. However, there was a great and general destitution of pious and qualified pastors in this branch of the church till the middle of the last century. In 1746, the Rev. Michael Schlatter, of St. Gall, in Switzerland, in consequence of information he had received of the destitute condition of the German Reformed churches, left his pastoral charge, and having received a regular appointment and re- commendation, visited the churches in Pennsylvania, and while in the discharge of this duty, visited those in Lancaster county. Besides the visits paid them by the Rev. Schlatter, the Rev'ds Folk, Loescher, Waldsmith, Deckert, Fuetzmiller, Wittner, Templeman and others ministered occasionally in spiritual things among the German Reformed. The Rev'ds J. C. Bucher, W. Runkel, W. Stoy and others labored in vari- ous parts of the county prior to the Revolution. In the Co- calico charge, now principally under the pastoral care of the Rev. Daniel Hertz, the Rev'ds Gobrecht, Hautz, Wilhelms, Charles Helffenstein, Faber, A. Herman ; and since 1819, the Rev. Hertz, labored from time to time. The Rev. Henry Schaffner of Marietta, had, for rising of thirty years, a number of congregations in charge. The Rev. Hiester also had charge of several congregations.
The congregation in the city, at an early period, was occa- sionally served by the Rev'ds Hoch, Rieger, Hochreutner, Steiner, Schlatter and others. In 1752, the Rev. W. Otterbein took charge of it. The Rev. Stoy was a supply for a short time, and so was the Rev. L. C. Boehm. In 1779 the Rev. A. Helffenstein was called; in 1782 the Rev. W. Hendel; in 1795 the Rev. Becker; in 1806 the Rev. Hoffmeier; in 1832 the Rev. Brunner; in 1840 the present pastor, the Rev. G. W. Glessner, was called. The Rev'ds Weiler and Hoff heins have
*See page 226.
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charge of congregations. The German Reformed have twenty places of public worship, and if they had a competent number of efficient ministers, might easily organize ten or fifteen congregations in a few years. Here is a large field for home missionary enterprize.
THE UNITED BRETHREN OR MORAVIANS .- This denomination is essentially missionary in their operations; and as early as 1742, several congregations were organized in this county. In 1742, count Zinzendorff, the apostle of the American Mora- vians, visited Lancaster. In 1746 they held a provincial council in the town of Lancaster. At Litiz they have a large commu- nity .* The following ministers have presided over the congre- gation at Lancaster : 1746, Rev. L. T. Nyberg ; 1748, Rev'ds L. Schnell and R. Ultey ; 1749, Rev. A. Reinke, sen .; 1751, Rev. G. Weiser; 1753, Rev'ds C. Rauch and A. Wagner; 1754, Rev. O. Krogstrup; 1755, Rev'ds C. Bader and C. F. Oerter; 1756, Rev. A. L. Rusmyer; 1757, Rev. C. G. Rundt; 1758, Rev'ds Rundt, Rusmyer and Bader; 1753, Rev. C. Bader; 1762, Rev. A. L. Rusmyer; 1766, Rev. A. Langgaard; 1773, Rev. O. Krogstrup; 1785, Rev. L. F. Boehler; 1786, Rev. J. Herbst; 1791, Rev. A. Reinke, jr .; 1795, Rev. L. Huebner; 1800, Rev. J. M. Beck; 1803, Rev. A. Reinke, jr. ; 1806, Rev. J. M. Beck ; 1810, Rev. C. Mueller; 1819, Rev. S. Reinke ; 1823, Rev. Peter Wolle ; 1826, Rev. J. G. Herman ; 1829, Rev. C. F. Reinhel; 1834, Rev. C, A. Vanvleck ; 1835, Rev. S. Reinke; 1839, Rev. George F. Bahnson, present pastor.
THE ROMAN CATHOLICS .- A church, by this denomination was organized about the year 1740. The members were regu- larly visited by pastors from Philadelphia. It appears they had no regular settled pastor among them before 1800. Their number has steadily increased, principally however from foreign emigrations of German and Irish Catholics. Their present pastor is the indefatigable Rev. B. Keenan. They have 3 or 4 places of public worship in the county.
THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL .- In 1781, Methodist ministers first visited this county ; and in 1782 the Lancaster Circuit was formed, and the Rev. William Partridge appointed as minister, Among the early ministers who preached in different parts of
+See pages 308 and 20.
39*
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this county, were the Rev'ds William Glendening, W. Jesup, Isaac Robertson, W. Hunter, T. P. Chandler and Simon Miller a native of the county.
In the city of Lancaster, the Rev. Jacob Gruber preached occasionally about the year 1705 and 1706. The first regular service held in town, was in the house of Philip Benedict, by Rev. Henry Boehm in 1807. In 1808 the Rev'ds Thomas Birch and James succeeded Boehm. Their successors were the Rev'ds Joseph Samson, Thomas Ware, John Walter, John Tally, George Cookman, Jacob Gruber, John Leonard, John Woolson, Wesley Wallace, W. Torbert, Thomas Neal, John Ogden, James Moore, as circuit preachers. In 1829, Lancas- ter was made a regular charge, where stationed ministers have since been located : these were Rev'ds Joseph M'Cool, Thomas Miller, John Nicholson, Thomas Sovereign, James Houston, James Neil, D. D. Lore, S. H. Higgins, and the present pastor, the Rev. Robert Gerry. The following named preachers are stationed in various parts of the county : Rev'ds T. Sumtion, T. C. Murphy, J. W. Arthur, E. Reed, A. W. Milby, Mr. Hum- phries. The Methodists have rising of twenty places of public worship in the county.
THE NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH .- For an account of this de- nomination, see page 431.
THE EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION .- This sect, sometimes called "Die Albrechts Leute," is of comparative recent origin. It took its rise in this county about the year 1800, through the indefatigable efforts of Jacob Albrecht, a native of Berks coun- ty ; but he had settled previous to 1800 in Earl township .- They have 8 or 9 places of worship, besides several churches.
THE REFORMED MENNONITES .- It appears that prior to 1810, some conceived that there was spiritual declension among those who had embraced the doctrines of Menno Simon, and in order to renew these doctrines and re-establish that church, a few of them, among whom was their persevering friend and minister, John Herr, of Strasburg township, united for that purpose, and in 1811, organized an association, now generally known by the name of the Reformed Mennonites. Their number of minis- ters is small, and their members, though active, is still compar- atively not large. They have two orders of ministers, bishops and ordinary ministers. Their bishops at present, in the
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county, are the Rev'ds. John Herr, John Keeport, and Henry Bowman. Among their ordinary ministers are the Rev'ds. Abraham Landıs, John Landis, Joseph Weaver, Abraham Snevely, Christian Resh, and Samuel Hershy. They preach English occasionally. They have three meeting houses ; and hold meetings at eight or ten other stated places in the county.
THE UNIVERSALISTS .- There are comparatively few of them in this county ; they have three places of public worship; but at present they have no one that officiates in spiritual things.
THE SECEDERS .- The number known by this name is small in this county. They have one minister, the Rev. Easton, and two places of public worship.
THE UNITED BRETHREN, or Vereinigte Brueder .- There are some of this respectable body in the county. Weknow neither the probable number of their ministers nor places of worship.
THE CHURCH OF GOD .- This denomination is of compara- tively recent origin. The name of " Church of God," was as- sumed by them about the year 1827 or '28. The church in the city was first gathered about the year 1820, under the ministry of the late Rev. John Elliott, who preached the gospel many years faithfully and with success, to an independent congrega- tion in the city. After he left, the church declined, till about the year 1841, when the Rev. John Winebrenner, V. D. M. of Harrisburg, Rev'ds Jacob Flake and Joseph Ross and others of the Eldership of the Church of God, held protracted meetings, when a number were revived and others awakened, and a deep interest manifested, and soon a congregation of one or two hundred was organized. The Rev. Winebrenner, and their present pastor, the Rev. Jacob Flake, labored jointly in the city till lately.
The number of ministers at present in the county, is five, viz: the Rev'ds J. Flake, J. H. Bomberger, J. Tucker, I. Bra- dy, J. Stamm. Their places of public worship, may range from twelve to fifteen in the county. Within the last few years they have erected several houses for public worship.
THE CALVANISTIC BAPTISTS .- This denomination although characterized for their missionary enterprises, made no effort in this county to promulgate their views, and organize congre- gations, until within a few years, except in the southern part of the county, where a church has been built rising of twenty_
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five years since. In the year 1835, the Rev. Leonard Fletcher, then stationed in Chester county, preached occasionally at Churchtown, and baptized a number of persons. Sometime about 1839, a member of that denomination, Gilbert Hills, late from Connecticut located in the city of Lancaster, at whose instance baptist ministers were invited to visit the place. The same year the Rev. Kingsford preached occasionally, and he was soon followed by others, among those were the the Rev'ds. Gillette, Kennard, Babcock, Dodge, Keys, Woolsy, Fletcher, Dickinson, Dean, Brettell, Higgins, who organized a church in February, 1841 ; after which missionaries and visiting minis- ters preached-these were Rev. Shadrac, Miller, Burbank, Keys, Smith and Hendrickson.
In the spring of 1843, the Baptists purchased a house for public worship in Lancaster, on Chestnut, near Duke street .- Their present pastor, October, 1843, is the Rev. Leonard Fletcher, of the American Baptist Missionary Society. He and the Rev. Enos M. Philips of Colerain, are the only Baptist ministers in Lancaster county. They have three places of public worship.
THE MORMONS .- A few are found in the county who hold the views of this sect; and also some theoretical Millerites, who are ready to ride into notice on every "cloud of novelty." These are babes in knowledge and piety, and full-grown in the love of the world-ceaseless in schemes " to raise the wind." Besides these, there are also several African churches in the county.
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CHAPTER XIII.
GEOLOGY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.
FOR an extended view of the Geology of the county, we must refer to the final report of the general survey authorized by the State government.
In glancing over Mr. Scott's very beautiful and accurate map of Lancaster county, it will be seen that the surface is broken by irregular east and west ranges of hills, no one of which can be properly styled a mountain. Commencing at the south, we find an extensive formation of primary stratified, or meta- morphic rocks, such as mica slate and talcose slate, the latter having garnets imbedded in it. These are quite abundant on the Susquehanna, below Pequea creek. Occasional patches of limestone* and clay slate occur, and the latter is extensively worked for roofing purposes, at a place called Slate-hill .- Ascending the river, we find the same formation extending to Turkey-hill, where it terminates, about two miles below the village of Washington, or about the fortieth parallel of latitude.
The next rock in ascending order, is a close grained, very hard, siliceous sandstone, best seen at the mouth of the Chic- quesalunga, between Columbia and Marietta, where it strikes the Susquehanna in a bold bluff upwards of three hundred feet in height. It is found at the opposite boundary of the county, and extending into Berks, forms the hill on the south side of Reading. A great deal of iron ore (argillaceous oxid and hematite) has been taken from the clay overlying this forma- tion, which although possessing some of the characters of the preceding, such as large veins of quartz, and traces of fel- spar and tourmalin, may probably be looked upon as the lowest of the transition, rather than the uppermost of the pri- mary stratified. This conclusion, however, could scarcely be attained from an examination of the rock, limited to our own localities. To understand it fully, it must be studied in the state of New York.
*Two miles below the mouth of the Conestoga, for example.
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Next above this lies "formation number II" of the state survey, including the tracts of limestone found in our valleys and level districts, and approaching the base of most of the larger hills, but seldom itself rising into ridges much above the general undulations of the surface.
The northern border of the county is made up of a formation of red and grey shales, or soft slates, grits, and pudding stones, furnishing in some places a material sufficiently hard and compact to afford an excellent material for mill stones. These are accordingly wrought out of the large detached fragments found upon the surface in Cocalico township. In several loca- lities the same formation has afforded indications of coal, but as it is entirely distinct from the great coal formation of the commonwealth, it is very probable that veins which can be advantageously worked, will never be discovered. Iron ore is of rather frequent occurrence, and we have met with indica- tions of copper. In several localities on the southern border of this series, the curious calcareous rock called Potomac marble occurs ; namely, east of Bainbridge, and north of Man- heim.
But the most interesting feature in the Conewago hills, is the large amount of weathered blocks upon the surface, of a hard grey stone made up of white and black particles. This is a trap rock of the variety called greenstone, and identical in composition with the smaller ridges which traverse different parts of the country, under the name of ironstone, a mineral remarkable for the sonorous ring produced when struck. The finer texture of the latter is produced by the rapid cooling of the material, consequent upon the comparatively small quan- tity of matter ; this rock being of igneous origin, and injected from below in a melted condition. In the Conewago rock the quantity of material is so great, that in the length of time required to solidify, the constituents were able to enter into combinations ; or crystallize, in a manner ; whence the felspar and hornblend appear in distinct particles.
A flood sweeping across these hills, has carried large blocks of the rock for miles southward, and beyond the reach of the highest floods of the Susquehanna. That a powerful curren swept over the country from the north-west, is proved by the additional fact that primary sienitic pebbles are found among
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the accumulations of gravel which must have been derived from the regions of the great lakes.
Besides the ores of iron mentioned, the sulphuret occurs in detached cubic crystals, over a considerable portion of the surface ; galena, or sulphuret of lead, and plumbago, have been found in small quantities ; and chromate of iron and sul- phate of magnesia have been mined in the southern section of the county, for economical purposes ; but as we possess no granitic rocks, our list of mineral species is much more meagre than those of the counties lying more to the east.
NATURAL HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.
IN giving a sketch of the Natural History of a single county, in a work of this character, it is of course necessary to com- press the matter as much as possible, as the zoology and botany would separately require volumes equal to the present one in size, were they to be discussed at some length. Our collections have been made more with a view to the Natural History of the commonwealth at large, than to any particular county ; so that no care has been taken to prevent objects collected in other parts of the state from being intermixed with those now under consideration ; whence it has been necessary to omit the mention of some which may have been collected within our borders.
A note of interrogation has been added to some species to indicate that the species may not be properly named, or may not occur within the boundary of the county. Thus among the fishes, not having been able to examine the trout found in our streams, we quote the name Salmo fontinalis with doubt; and Menopoma Alleghaniensis has been cited with a question, because this reptile has been caught in the Susquehanna some miles above the boundary line of the county. We have in- serted both species of "black-snake," not being certain which of the two occurs with us; but it is not improbable that we have them both. We have seen a green snake in the south-west-
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ern part of the county, but not having a specimen, are unable to name it with certainty.
English names are given to such animals as have received them, and short notes have been added to some of the species to enable the reader to recognize them; but it would have extended this article to too great a length to follow out this plan to any considerable extent. The objects are so numerous, that in most cases, a dry list of names must suffice ; as the reader who wishes to know more about the object themselves, must refer to works expressly devoted to their history. Some of these are noted at the foot of the pages ; but unfortunately several of the more important branches are still unillustrated, as the fishes and insects ; and much as works devoted to these branches are wanted, it is probable that little will be done until the necessity calls forth the patronage of legislative enact- ment, as in Massachusetts and New York.
Our vertebrate animals, except the fishes, are pretty well known to naturalists, and the number of species found within the borders of the county, may be stated approximately as follows : Beasts, 30 ; Birds, 180; Reptiles, 40 ; Fishes, 50.
Among the Mammalia, the Cerus Virginianus (deer) might have been included, as it sometimes crosses the Susquehanna from York county. The Lutra Canadensis (otter) is said to have inhabited the islands of the Susquehanna at an early day ; and within ten years, a species of wolf has crossed the same river from the western side.
But the greater part of the zoology of most countries, is that which takes cognizance of the ANNULOSA, including the exten- sive class of PTILOTA or winged insects; the ARACHNIDA, or spiders; the CRUSTACEA, of which the crab and lobster are familiar examples, and of which class all our springs and streams contain species, some of them so minute, as to be re- cognized with difficulty by the naked eye ; and the class AME- TOBOLA, represented by the centipedes found under stones and logs.
Taking all these together, the number to be found in Lan- caster county, cannot fall short of six thousand species; the PTILOTA or winged insects being the most numerous, and of these, the order Coleoptera (distinguished by having the wings folded under a pair of hard elytra) is the most extensive ; and
1
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although they do not possess the brilliant beauty of the Lepi- doptera, or butterfly order, they have hitherto secured the prin- cipal attention of entomologists ; whence it happens that they are best known, and we have devoted more space to them than to the remaining orders.
The Coleoptera deserve a careful study, as a knowledge of their habits will enable us to turn them to account in the de- struction of noxious species. Thus the genus Coccinella (la- dybug) feeds upon the Aphides or plant lice, so destructive to roses and other plants ; and in their larva state they may be found upon the leaves of useful vegetables, devouring small insects or grubs which, when numerous, destroy the plants by eating the leaves. The Cecidomyia destructor (wheat fly) is extensively destroyed in the grub state, by the young of another minute insect. The carnivorous tribes are readily distinguishable from those which feed upon vegetable food ; and the greater number and variety of the former to be found in gardens and fields, the more likely will they be to destroy the noxious kinds, or to prevent their increase by the destruc- tion of their eggs.
There can be no necessity in giving common names to ani- mals which have not already received them, as they can be just as well recognized by the scientific name. Common names are frequently local, and the same name is applied to different an- imals in different parts of the country ; whilst the scientific name, being that under which animals are described, are known in all parts of the world, whatever may be the language spoken. The English apply the name ground-hog to an Afri- can animal not at all like our ground-hog, which some authors call by a name under which most people would not recognize it. One of our hawks is called a buzzard in England, and our buzzard a vulture. A mammal is called gopher in the west, and the same vulgar name is applied to a tortoise in the south. In a work upon North American birds, one author has called our Hirundo rufa (barn swallow) chimney swallow! doubtless because it is like the chimney swallow of England ; instead of preserving this name for the Chætura pelasgia, which actually frequents chimneys. Bald eagle is the common name for Ha- liatæus leucocephalus throughout the United States, yet some people affectedly call it the whiteheaded eagle! Thus it some-
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