USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > History of Lancaster and York Counties > Part 14
USA > Pennsylvania > York County > History of Lancaster and York Counties > Part 14
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9. And lastly, that both christians and Indians should acquaint their children with this league and firm chain of friendship made between them, and that it should always be made stronger and stronger, and be kept bright and clean, without rust or spot between our children, while the creeks and rivers run, and while the sun and moon and stars endure.
And for a confirmation on our parts all these several parcels of goods, viz: twenty strowd match coats, twenty duffels, twenty blankets, twenty shirts, one hundred pounds of gunpowder, two hundred pounds of lead, five hundred flints and fifty knives.
After which the Governor proceeded and said: My brethren, I have now spoke to the league and chain of friendship, first made by your father, William Penn, with your fathers, which is confirmed. I am now to acquaint you with an unhappy accident that has afflicted me and all good people amongst us, and we lament and mourn with you on the heavy misfortune.
About forty days ago we heard that the Twechtweys* were coming as enemies against this country. I believe
*This intelligence was communicated to the Governor by- James Le Tort, Indian trader, then at Philadelphia, who had just come from Chenasy, in the upper parts of the river Sus- quehannah .- Col. Rec. III. 312 ..
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it is false, for we never hurt the Twechtweys; and about eighteen days since, I received an express from the Iron Works at Mahanatawny,* acquainted me that eleven foreign Indians, painted for war, and armed with guns, pistols and swords, were come amongst our inhabitants, plundering them and taking away their provisions by force, whereupon some of our people, to the number of twenty men, with arms, went to speak to them civilly, but the Indians fired upon them and wounded some of them; our men likewise fired on the Indians and wounded some of them also, but the Indians fired first.t It was very ill done to fire.
As soon as I heard this account, I took my horse and went to Mahanatawny, with several gentlemen of Philadelphia; but the Indians were gone off. I found our people believed there were more coming, and there- fore some hundreds met together with their arms to defend themselves in case the Indians should attack them. As I was returning home, I heard news that grieved me exceedingly. I was told that two or three furious men amongst us had killed three of our Indian friends and hurt two girls. I went back mourning, and sent out men to take the murderers, who were accordingly taken, and they are now in irons in a dungeon to be tried by the laws of the Great King of all the English, as if they had killed so many of his own subjects. I have likewise caused search to be made for the dead bodies, and two women were found murdered, who, by my order, were laid in a grave and covered with shirts and strowds. I hear likewise that the dead body of an Indian man has been found and was buried.
* About 30 miles above Philadelphia, in Berks county.
¡They were non-resident Indians, headed by a Spanish Indian .- Col. Rec. III. 321.
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You know there are wicked people amongst all nations; there are ill people amongst you, and you are sometimes forced to put them to death. The English are a great people, and there are likewise wicked men amongst them. I mourn for this misfortune, and will do all I can to comfort the relations of the dead when I see them, which I hope will be at Philadelphia with Sassoonan, and Opekasset.
About eight months ago, I received an account that an Englishman was killed by some Indians, at the house of John Burt, in Snaketown. I heard John Burt was very abusive to the Indians, and I sent to apprehend him, but he fled; if he can be taken he will be punished. But since there was a man killed, we expect the Indians will do us justice, for we must be just and faithful to each other, that this spot may be wiped away and the chain be kept bright and clean.
You know, my brethren, that one link of the chain is, that when the Indians are uneasy, they should tell it to us, and when we are uneasy, we will tell it to them. I therefore desire your hearts may be open, that I may know if you have any cause of grief, which I will endeavor to remove, for I am your brother.
I have issued a proclamation requiring all people to use you well, which shall be read unto you before I go away. I will prevent any hurt being done to our friends, the Indians, because those who do not behave themselves agreeable to what is therein commanded, will be severely punished. The Governor, council, Indians, and others, as the day before, met at the same place, May 27th.
Tawenna, in the name, and on the behalf of all the Indians spoke to the Governor, which was rendered into English, by John Scull, interpreter.
2ª
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Give ear, said Tawenna, my brethren, of Philadel- phia, the Conestogoe Indians, the Shawanese, the Ganawese, and Delawares, have somewhat to say, which they will speak presently.
They say, they look upon the Governor as if William Penn himself were present. They are four nations and among them are several foolish people, as if they were just sprung from the earth; but that since their first friendship with William Penn, they never have received any wrong or injury from him or any of his people .- That several foolish people among them committed follies and indiscretions, but they hope these will never inter- rupt the friendship which is between their people and us, for that they and all William Penn's people are as one people, that eat as it were, with one mouth, and are one body, and one heart.
Then presenting a belt of . wampum of eight rows, they say : They would not have the Governor grieve too much for the rash inconsiderations that of late have been committed; they must be buried and forgot, for that what has happened was done by their friends; if it had been done by their enemies, they would have resented it, but that we and they are one; that they have always met with justice and kindness from William Penn, and from all the Governors whom he had sent here, and thus do all the Indians of Conestogoe, Delaware, the Shawanese and Ganawese, say. That they are extremely glad and satisfied with what the Governor said to those yesterday, it greatly rejoiced their hearts that they had no such speech made to them since the time that the great William Penn was amongst them, all was good, and nothing was amiss.
Then presenting four strings of wampum, they say : They will visit the Governor at Philadelphia, after the
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harvest is over, and then they will speak fully to him, as their brother and friend, for the Conestogoes, Delawares, Shawanese, and Ganawese will then come to him, and he may look up the Conestogoe road and expect them. That what had happened at John Burt's House, was not done by them, it was done by one of the Menysinicks, who are of another nation, and therefore, they can say nothing to it."
After this answer of the Indians, some of the gentle- man present, moved the Governor that seeing there was now a numerous . company of our inhabitants met together, he would be pleased to press the Indians to declare to him if they suffered any grievance or hard- ship from this Government, because several reports had been industriously spread abroad, as if they had some just cause of complaint. And the Governor having . ordered the interpreters to acquaint them therewith; they all answered that they had no cause of complaint, that William Penn and his people had still them treated well, and they had no uneasiness.
The Governor then told them, that he was well pleased with what they had said unto him, and that since the Indian, who killed the Englishman at Burt's house, is not of their nation, he would demand justice from that nation to which he belonged.
After giving the Indians a few presents, the Governor took all the Indian' chiefs by the hand, and desired them that when they returned home they should acquaint all their people with what had now passed between them and us, that the remembrance thereof might endure forever.
NOTE .- Iron Works-" Kurtz, it is supposed, established the first Iron Works in 1726, within the present bounds of Lancaster county. The Grubbs were distinguished for their industry and enterprize : they commenced operations in 1728."-Haz. Reg.
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To close this chapter, we have introduced fferings sketch of the public services of our old father, assian Dieffenderffer, residing at Hew Holland. n at
DAVID DIEFFENDERFFER, was born, February e of 1752, near New Holland; before he had reached 'Id tenth year, his father, Michael Dieffenderffer, moved ti. Lancaster. David, when in his eleventh, saw a sight in Lancaster, "too horrible to relate," to use his own language, the massacred Indians in their gore, and one in the agonies of death, menacing revenge by the motion of "his dying hands."
At the age of twenty-five, he sternly advocated the suffering cause of his bleeding country, by actual and personal services; first in the character of a militia man, after the expiration of his tour, he served as an enlisted volunteer of Colonel Houssacker's* regiment, under Captain David Wilbert, of Philadelphia, and Lieut. Col. George Stricker, father of General Stricker, late of Baltimore.
He was in many important engagements. He was engaged in the taking of the Hessians at Trenton, where Colonel Rahl, the Hessian commander, and a gallant officer, was mortally wounded, besides six other officers, and between twenty and thirty privates, of the enemy, were killed, Decembsr 26, 1776, and twenty- three officers, and rising of nine hundred privates, were taken prisoners by the Americans, who lost only four
*Houssacker, who afterwards deserted the Americans, and surrendered twenty or more of his men, at Princeton, had been originally commissioned a major of Wayne's battalion. " He had," says Graydon, " if I mistake not, been an adjutant of the Royal Americans; and was considered a capable dis- ciplinarian, He was a German, or rather a man of no country or any country ; a citizen of the world, a soldier of fortune, and a true mercenary."-Graydon's Mem. 218.
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harvest i and two of these were frozen to death. He their by it the cannonading of Trenton, January 2, 1777; Shaw, the Americans were repulsed, "I ran," said the he mean to us, in his ninety-first year, "like a Hollander, Thfile the bullets whistled about my ears, and rattled doke hailstones against the fence." He was in the en- gagement where there was a fearful odds in numbers and tact against the Americans, when they had to contend against Lord Cornwallis's troops, and reinforced by regi- ments under the command of Colonel Maywood, at the battle of Princeton, January 3rd, 1777; here the British loss was more than one hundred killed, and rising of three hundred prisoners taken. "But the victory was by no means a bloodless one to the Americans; General Mercer was mortally wounded, Col. Haslet, Col. Potter, and other officers of subordinate rank, were killed."
He was with the American army at Morristown, in winter quarters. . Here Washington, not trusting to the barriers nature had thrown around his position, sent out detachments to assail and harass General Howe's troops; and it was in these expeditions Dieffenderffer frequently took part.
In a skirmish at Monmouth, in the spring of '77, Dieffenderffer was taken prisoner and shamefully mal- treated by one of the British, who struck him in his face with his musket; a scar is still visible on his upper lip ; blow upon blow would have been repeated, but for the manly and timely interposition of a small Scotch- man, he was treated as a prisoner. He, and twenty-five or thirty fellow-prisoners, were conveyed to New York, and confined in a sugar-refinery, covered in part with tile. The sufferings they endured, excited universal indignation, and will, everlastingly, reflect reproach on the British commander. Many of them sunk under
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their sufferings and died. Dieffenderffer's sufferings were mitigated by the kindness of a Mr. Miller, Hessian commissary in the English service; having been at . Lancaster, he had taken lodging at the public house of Michael Dieffenderffer, and who, in a conversation, told Miller he had a son, a suffering prisoner, at New York, and if he had an opportunity, would send him some money. Miller informed him he would shortly return to New York, and would be pleased to have it in his power to befriend him or his suffering son; the opportunity was improved, and four half-johannes, placed in the hands of the commissary, who, with the characteristic fidelity of an honest Hessian, on his arrival, delivered the gold to David .* He received, he said, with gratitude, and in tears, the money, a kind father had sent him. His condi- tion was greatly ameliorated.
Notwithstanding the economy he used, his money, as his imprisonment was protracted, was reduced to a few cents; and while, as a prisoner of hope, he was meditat- ing how his future sufferings should be mitigated, Capt. Michael Smyser,t of York county, on his return from Long Island, by way of New York, to his home, handed him an English guinea. After five months' suffering, in the latter part of October, he went to Long Island where he was, on parole, laboring for his board and clothing for some time; he returned to New York ; was
*This statement we have from the old father himself; while relating to us the incidents of his eventful life, at this particu- lar, we saw steal down his cheeks, in hurried succession, tears from his sightless organs ; he added, "I had a kind father."
+Captain Michael Smyser was one of the virtuous band of the gloomy period of '76. At the unfortunate capture of Fort Washington, he was made prisoner, and could appreciate the sufferings of his fellow-citizens.
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exchanged, and received a permit ; and in company with Colonel Atlee, who had been taken prisoner before, came to Trenton, where they parted. Dieffenderffer, by way of Valley Forge returned to Lancaster. He remained a short time at home; then in company with Captain Wilbert, went to Valley Forge; here he remained four weeks, sufficiently long to witness the sufferings of the American army.
On the 18th of June, 1778, General Howe evacuated Philadelphia, and crossed over into New Jersey, whither they were speedily followed by Washington; pursuing the enemy; and on the 28th of June, gained a signal victory at Monmouth, over the British. Dieffenderffer was in this engagement. This, says he, was one of the hottest days that he ever experienced; several fell dead from drinking cold water. From Monmouth, they marched to the White Plains, a few miles to the north- castward of New York Island. Thence they went to West Point, where Washington had his head quarters .-. Here Dieffenderffer having . received a furlough, returned to Lancaster, where he remained till March, 1779, when he returned to the 'regiment at Easton .- Under the command of General Sullivan, they marched into the Wyoming country, and Gennesee Flats; thence returned to Wyoming; then the regiment, under the direction of Major Weldner, came on to Sunbury .- Owing to sickness, Dieffenderffer, as ensign, resigned his commission, and returned to Lancaster, in 1779.
His eventful life, through habits of temperance and moderation, has been lengthened four score and ten .- Though sightless for some years, he enjoys at present remarkable health; and enjoys the company of a virtuous and intelligent offspring and relatives. Here we would add that his cousin, Jacob Dieffenderffer,
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residing in the same village, New Holland, was in the service of his country, when Lord Corn- wallis was taken. We regret that we have not the particulars of his services. May they both continue to command the esteem which they so riclily merit, and when their warfare on earth ends, may they rest in peace.
CHAPTER VI.
Ephrata-Origin of German Baptists in Europe, and their emigration to America-Some settle at Muelbach-Sieben Taeger association formed at Ephrata, by Conrad Beissel-Change of life among them-They built Kedar and Zion-Singular architecture of buildings-Fractur-Schriften by the Sisters-Specimens of original poetry-Eckerlein and the bell- Its destination-Sabbath School established-Miller succeeds Beissel- Juliana Penn's letter-Poetry dedicated to. Miller-Present state of Ephrata. List of names of the first inhabitants of Ephrata-Names of somne of the early settlers in Lancaster county.
A settlement was commenced, in 1725, or 1726, on the banks of the Cocalico creek, where the Reading road, and Downingtown turnpike intersect, at present, in Ephrata township, and is well known by the name of "Kloster," or "Ephrata," or "Dunkertown," a nick- name from the word Dunker, or Tunker, a corruption of Taeufer, Baptists. To show the origin of this settle- ment, we shall introduce as preliminary, a brief histori- cal sketch of the German Baptists, from whom the founder, of the society at Ephrata, seceded. Those at Ephrata, are generally known by the name of "Sieben Taeger," Seventh Day People; because they keep the seventh, instead of the first day of the week, as the Sabbath.
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In the year 1708, eight persons, five brethren and three sisters, viz: Alexander Mack, of Schreisheim, in the Palatinate, Germany, George Graby and Lucas Fetter, of Hesse Cassel, Andrew Boney, of Basle, in Switzer- land, and John Kipping, from Wirtemburg, and Johanna Bong, Anna Margaretta Mack, and Johanna Kipping, entered into a covenant with each other, to meet regu- larly, to carefully and impartially examine the doctrines of the New Testament, and by the help of God, to ascer- tain what are the obligations it imposes on professed fol- lowers of the meek and the humble Saviour; laying aside pre-conceived opinions, and, if possible, to attain to the answer of a good conscience by rendering implicit obedience to the commands of the Lord Jesus ; to follow him in evil as well as in good report. The result of their meetings and prayerful investigations was the formation of a society, that as brethren and sisters, under the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, dwelled together in unity of a living faith. This society is now called the Dunkers, from the mode of administering baptism, in water, by trine immersion.
The society having been formed, and, as they con- ceived that immersion was the only valid mode of administering baptism, and none of them thus baptized, they felt themselves in a difficulty, says one of their writers, "not soon got over;" one of their number, who labored among them in word, visited the societies in differents parts of Germany, to collect the opinion of the . awakened generally, upon the subject of baptism; the greater number acknowledged that immersion was the mode practiced by the Apostles and primitive christians, but still endeavoring to satisfy themselves, that a hand- full of water by pouring, would answer the same end, provided it was administered to proper subjects only.
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"'The consciences of the before mentioned could, how- ever, find no satisfaction in these; they, therefore, desired him, who was their minister, to baptize them by immersion; according to the example and practice of the first christians and primitive believers; he felt a diffidence to comply with their request on account of his not being baptized himself, he desired, therefore, first to be baptized before he could conscientiously baptize any of them; and they betook themselves to fasting and prayer, in order to obtain help and direction in this case, from Him who is the restorer of paths to dwell in, for they were all desirous to be baptized. In this dilemma, a testimony of scripture revived in their minds, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst."
"Wherefore, with an unbroken confidence in the precious promise of God, they cast lots, who of the four brethren should baptize him, that was anxiously desirous of being baptized; they pledged their word, at the same time, that it should remain a secret upon whom the lot fell, that no one might take occasion to call the society by the name of any man, as was the case with the Corinthian church, which was sharply reproved by the Apostle."
"The crisis for the camp to move forward, had now arrived; they were now made willing in the day of the Lord's power; accordingly, they went out in the morn- ing, to a stream called Ader, and then, he, upon whom the lot had fallen, baptized the brother, who was so anxious to submit to the ordinance. This being done, he was acknowledged as duly qualified; he baptized him first by whom he had been baptized, and the three remaining brethren, and the sisters; thus were these eight, at an early hour in the morning, baptized in the
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water by trine immersion; and after they came up out of the water, and had changed their clothes, they were filled with joy, and by the grace of God, these expres- sions were revived in their minds with peculiar energy, "be ye fruitful and multiply."
They met with no small share of opposition and per- secution, notwithstanding these, they soon increased, wherever the hand of persecution had driven them; some fled to Holland, some to Creyfels, in the Dutchy of Cleves; and the mother church voluntarily removed to Serustervin, in Friesland. In a very short time, there were efficient laborers in this branch of God's moral vineyard; especially at Creyfels. Among the brethren there were John H. Kalklosor, from Frankenthal, Christian Leib, and Abraham Dubois, from Ebstein, John Naas, and others, from the north, Peter Becker, from Dilsheim, John H. Traut, and his brethren, and Stephen Koch, George B. Gantz, from Umstadt, and Michael Ecker- ling, from Strasburg. Among these, as their leader, was Alexander Mack, who devoted his property to the com- inon use of the society, and emigrated to Pennsylvania, in 1729,* where persecuted virtue found an asylum under the benign Government of Penn. They first settled at Germantown, some at Skippack, Oley, others at Conestoga, and elsewhere. A congregation of them was organized, and they chose Peter Becker, as official baptizer.
The society increased rapidly, and soon a church was formed in Lancaster county, at Muelbach, ( Mill creek ). One of the prominent members of this last mentioned
*Im Jahr, 1729, ist Alexander Mack, der Urstaender der Taeufer, samt den uebrigen gedachter Gemeinde, von Fries- land abgesetzt und in Pennsylvanien angekommen .- Peter Miller.
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church, was Conrad Beissel, a native of Germany. He was converted in 1715. He had fled from the persecu- tions of that period. He arrived in America in 1720, and in 1721, settled at Mill creek, where he, and one Stuntz, built a house; and they were soon joined by Isaac Von Babern, George Stiefel, and others.
It appears from an extract of the Ephrata Chronicle, that Conrad Beissel was baptized by Peter Becker, in Pequea creek, in 1724. Soon a new organization arose from the Dunkers .* Beissel, "wholly intent upon seeking out the true obligation of the word of God, and the proper observances of the rites and ceremonies ît im- poses, stripped of human authority, he conceived that there was an error among the Dunkers, in the ob- servance of the day for the Sabbath; that the seventh
* About the same time, another religious sect was formed in Oley, now Berks county. This association was headed by one Mathias Baumann. His followers or disciples were styled " The New-born."
They professed to be impeccable, or of having attained a state of sinlessness: they were perfectionists. They boasted they were sent of God to confound others. Their disputations were frequently heard in the market places of Philadelphia .- On one occasion, Baumann, to show that his doctrine was from God, proposed to wade across the Delaware river.
They were, as it is the custom of enthusiasts and fanatics, contentious, wandering through the country, displaying zeal for their doctrines, by controverting with all who differed from them in matters of faith. Conrad Beissel, the founder of the Sieben Taeger, was occasionally annoyed in his recluse situa- tion, by them.
Baumann, their leader, was a native of Lamshelm,. Palati- nate ; born in 1701; came to America between the years, 1719, and 1722; he died, 1727. It is reported, he was an honest and sincere man ; not solicitous to accumulate property ; but, that Kuehlenwein, Jotter, and others of his followers, loved the good things of the world inordinately.
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day was the command of the Lord God, and that day being established and sanctified, by the Great Jehovah, forever! And no change, nor authority for change, ever having been announced to man, by any power sufficient to set aside the solemn decree of the Almighty; a decree which he declared that he had sanctified forever! He felt it to be his duty to contend for the observance of that day. About the year 1725, he published a tract entering into a discussion of this point, which created some excitement and disturbance in the society, at Mill creek ; upon which he retired from the settlement, and went secretly, to a cell on the banks of the Cocalico,* that had previously been occupied by one Elimelich, a
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