USA > Pennsylvania > History of the Church of the Brethren of the Western District of Pennsylvania > Part 3
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" During the Revolutionary War, when all of Elder Sower's property was confiscated, this meetinghouse narrowly escaped. Sower was one of the trustees in whose name the property was held. For this reason it was seized. But Breth- ren Fox and Leibert, trustees with Sower, explained that the building and ground were not Sower's, but the congregation's ; that he was simply one of the trustees in whose name the title temporarily rested. Finally the representations of the mem- bers availed and the building was spared, although the yard about it was occupied by the cavalry in the Germantown battle.
" When the meetinghouse was occupied, in 1770, the old Pettikoffer house became an Old Folks' Home, in which the poor of the congregation were sheltered, clothed, and fed at the expense of the congregation. This is, no doubt, the oldest home for the poor established by the Brotherhood.
" The ground for a cemetery was not so used until the yellow fever scourge swept Philadelphia. Then the Brethren mercifully opened their ground for burials. This was in 1793. There was need of more ground and the congregation purchased for 430 pounds sterling the adjoining lot, on which was an old log hut, once the Weaver residence, and a good dwelling house, now the parsonage, No. 6611 Germantown Avenue. Half the purchase money was paid by voluntary subscription in 1793, and the remainder on April 1, 1805" (Brumbaugh, pp. 165 to 170).
These seem to be the congregations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey before the Revolution: Germantown ( Beggars- town), eight miles from Philadelphia, December 25, 1723; Coventry, in Chester County, September 7, 1724; Conestoga,
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in Lancaster County, November 12, 1724; Oley, fifty-five miles northwest of Philadelphia, in Berks County, 1732; Great Swamp, Bucks County, 1733; Amwell, New Jersey, 1733; Cocalico, in Lancaster County, 1734; White Oak, in Lancaster County, 1736; Little Conewago, York County, 1738; Big Con- ewago, York County, 1741; Northkill, in Berks County, in 1748; Big Swatara, Lancaster County, in 1756; Little Swatara, in Berks and Lancaster Counties, in 1757; Codorus, in York County, in 1758; Bermudian, in York County, in 1758; and probably Stony Creek (Brothers Valley), Somerset County, in 1762; also Antietam, in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and Washington County, Maryland, in 1752.
We also find settlements of Brethren in Morrison's Cove, Blair and Bedford Counties before the Revolution.
Thus we find them gradually moving westward, settling valley after valley, until they reached the foot of the Alle- ghany Mountains, which, for a while, seemed to retard their westward progress. A number followed these valleys south- westward, thus settling in Maryland and Virginia. But before the close of the eighteenth century a number of these hardy pioneers ventured to scale the Alleghanies to see what lay beyond. Their early activities will be the subject of the next chapter.
CHAPTER III.
Early Settlements of the Brethren in Western Pennsylvania.
" Westward the course of empire wends its way " is an old saying, verified in all history, and as we are writing the history of the Brethren in Western Pennsylvania, we naturally look to the East as the place where our forefathers came from. As has been noted in Chapter II, the first Brethren churches in America were located near the City of Brotherly Love. Among them were the churches at Germantown and Coventry, in Pennsylvania, and Amwell in New Jersey. From these beginnings the Brethren moved westward through the counties of Eastern, or rather Southeastern Pennsylvania, to the Sus- quehanna River, thence sought out the fertile valleys lying between the numerous ridges and mountains of Central Penn- sylvania, such as the Cumberland Valley, Morrison's Cove, Stone Valley, Sinking Valley, and others, thus reaching the most noted chain of the Appalachian System, the Alleghanies. It would seem that for some time these high mountains had formed a barrier to the westward flow of emigration. During this lull, however, the stream continually gathered force and some time in the eighteenth century, probably soon after the middle of it, the tide had risen to such strength that the Breth- ren began to scale the obstructing mountains, and commenced the settlements in Western Pennsylvania. In crossing the mountains a number of different routes were used, a few of which we will note: The National Pike, the Somerset and Berlin Roads, the Johnstown and Bedford Road, the Kittan- ning and Ebensburg Pike-these and some others were used by the early settlers in Western Pennsylvania.
When the State was divided into three districts, the Al-
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leghanies formed the dividing line between Middle and Wes- tern Pennsylvania. That part of the Middle District, em- braced in what is known as the Dunnings Creek valley of Bed- ford County, was attached to the Western District several years later, for the convenience of meeting in the Annual Dis- trict Conferences of the Church.
CONEMAUGH.
The early settlements usually took names from appella- tions applied to physical peculiarities of the region. We will first take up the most northern section, which in its early his- tory covered the territory embraced along the lower course of the Stony Creek, in Somerset County, nearly all of Cam- bria County and a part of Indiana County. This settlement, as well as the church later organized here, was named Cone- maugh, after its principal river, the Conemaugh. It is not known at this time who were the first Brethren to brave the dangers and hardships of this new wilderness country, and carve for themselves homes out of the virgin forest. It is quite possible that a church was organized here in the latter part of the eighteenth century. If not, it was early in the nineteenth.
The region now embraced by the Shade Creek and Scalp Level congregations was at that time also a part of the Cone- maugh congregation. One of the first families mentioned as living in this territory is that of Philip Hoffman, who moved from Morrison's Cove, and who was a brother-in-law of Martin Miller, a minister of Morrison's Cove, and father of Elder Jacob Miller, who for many years exercised the over- sight of what now comprises Woodbury, Yellow Creek and Dunnings Creek congregations, in Bedford County.
Philip Hoffman had two sons, Jacob and John, and the fol- lowing daughters: Mary, Catharine, Susan, Barbara, Mattie, Elizabeth, Christina, Frany and Sally. Probably all the Hoff- mans in Shade and Scalp Level churches are descendants of these two brothers. John married Susan Wertz, and died early in life, leaving three interesting sons: Samuel, Jacob,
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who served the church many years as a deacon, and Aaron, who moved to Indiana, where he became a minister, but died in the prime of life. The descendants of Jacob are also very numerous. Among the descendants of the Hoffman daughters might be named the Holsopples, Fyocks, Seeses, Beabeses. Shaffers, Statlers, and others.
THE GLADES.
As to the beginning of settlements by the Brethren in " The Glades," now Somerset County, here is a quotation from Dr. Brumbaugh : " The first movement of the Brethren across the Alleghany Mountains in Pennsylvania was to Bruederdall, Brothers Valley, in what is now Somerset Coun- ty, Pennsylvania. About 1762 this congregation began under George Adam Martin. He was, at this time, a Seventh Day Baptist, and the congregation at the beginning held to the same doctrine. They soon, however, returned to the practice and faith of the Brethren Church. The number of members, in 1770, was seventeen ; Elder George Adam Martin and wife, Henry Roth, Sr., wife and daughter, Henry Roth, Jr., and wife, George Newcomer, Philip Aswald, wife and daughter, Abraham Gebel and wife, Philip Kimmel and wife, Wildebarger and wife.
" George Adam Martin had a curious history. He was converted, and joined the church at Coventry. He was born near Lundsthal, in Germany, in 1715, and came to America at an early day. He was a member of the Reformed congre- gation under Peter Miller in the Tulpehocken country. He was baptized in 1735, and was ordained by Elder Peter Becker, in 1739. He lived first in the Coventry church, later in the Conestoga church. Thence he removed to Little Conewago. He served the Conewago congregation. In this district he had some misunderstanding with the Brethren and removed to the An- tietam congregation, then almost wholly in Maryland. Here, in 1762, he adopted the Seventh Day view and preached to the Bermudian church. The same year he removed to Stony Creek. He married one of the Knippers (Kneppers) and was the father of many children.
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" He has left a long account of his activity in the church, and gives a reason for his change of faith. It was he that sug- gested to Martin Urner the 18th of Matthew at the baptismal service, and it was he that attended the Zinzendorf Synod at Oley, and returning, suggested to Elder Urner the holding of the first Annual Meeting in 1742."
Next I will quote from Elder H. R. Holsinger's " History of the Tunkers and the Brethren Church." "In the spring of 1783 a young Tunker deacon, by the name of John Keagy, emigrated from York County, Pennsylvania, to the back- woods of Somerset County (then Bedford), into the valley lying between the Alleghany and Negro Mountains, and lo- cated at a point about thirteen miles south of the ancient vil- lage of Berlin. At the time of his arrival there were living in the vicinity a few scattered members of the same denomina- tion. One of these was John Burger, who lived on the farm now known as the Buechley estate. In the fall of the same year some ministering brethren from the east visited Brother Keagy, hunted up the other members in the valley, and held a love feast at the home of John Burger, and organized the little band into a church. Keagy was promoted to the ministry, and another brother was elected deacon. This was the first com- munion meeting held by the Tunkers west of the Alleghany Mountains.
"Peter Livengood, John Olinger, Michael Buechley, and Christian Hochstetler, all of them members of the Amish Church, had preceded Keagy. The four families soon after united with the Tunkers, and Livengood, Buechley and Hoch- stetler were called to the ministry. From this time onward the church grew rapidly, extending her borders southward into Maryland, and across the neck into West Virginia, and northward to the Conemaugh. Sometime afterward a separate church was organized on the south called Sandy Creek; and, later on, Conemaugh was struck off into a separate congrega- tion. Keagy was ordained bishop in 1790, and in the fall of 1806 he emigrated to the vicinity of Dayton, Ohio. Michael Meyers, who had emigrated from Lebanon County in his
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youth, was ordained to take the place of Elder Keagy, and was, consequently, the second elder living in this valley. He presided over an extensive membership for thirty years. He died in the spring of 1836. In the fall of the same year Peter Cober and John Forney were ordained. John Forney died in 1847, and Jacob Meyers, son of Elder Michael Meyers, was ordained to the eldership.
" The farm occupied by John Burger at the time of the organization above referred to is now covered by the beautiful town of Meyersdale, and contains two Tunker churches (one Conservative and one Progressive), and more members to the square acre than any other territory in the United States.
" An incident occurred in a part of the territory de- scribed above, which is worth recording. The Tunkers were, from the beginning, great missionary people in their own way, Their method was peculiar to themselves. They called it visiting neighboring churches, and in olden times all the churches of Pennsylvania constituted the neighborhood, or mission field. It was quite common for ministers from Franklin, Cumberland, and other eastern counties to visit, once a year, the churches beyond the Alleghanies. During one of these mission tours, Elder George Price, grandfather of Elder Isaac Price, and others had been visiting the churches in the 'Glades.' On their homeward journey they found it necessary to stop at a hotel. They were politely informed by the land- lord that the house was promised for a dance that night, and he feared they could not be made comfortable. But it was growing late and it was seven miles to the next tavern, where the accommodations were not so good for man or beast. They seemed inclined to remain. The landlord remarked that his accommodations were ample, if the music and dancing would not disturb them. One of the old men remarked that neither the music nor dancing would keep him awake, if nothing of a more annoying kind should follow ; and so they all said.
" After supper the landlord came to their room and stated that the leader of the dancing party desired to see them. He was invited up, and, after a brief interview, he requested that
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a few of his friends might also be permitted to enjoy their company. This was readily acceded to, and after a number had collected in the room, it was proposed to postpone the dance, and the old man was invited to preach ; and preach and pray they did, but further deponent saith not. Eternity may reveal the results, but the Lord has declared that 'bread cast upon the waters shall not return to him void' ; and from the numerous crumbs scattered abroad by the pioneer Tunker preachers a wonderful sentiment has obtained, and a numerous membership is scattered over the territory included between the Alleghany Mountains and the Ohio River."
FAYETTE COUNTY.
Elder George Wolfe and family, who were of German descent, moved from Lancaster County, across the Alleghany Mountains, and settled near Uniontown, the county seat of Fayette County, in the year 1787. What is the extent of his ministerial labors is not known, but he remained here thirteen years. In 1800 Elder Wolfe with his family started down the Ohio River, landing in Muhlenburgh County, Kentucky, where they lived a number of years, and then went on to Illi- nois.
WASHINGTON COUNTY.
Elder John Wise, who grew to manhood and spent much of his life in this county, is authority for what I will here re- cord. At the Des Moines (Iowa) Annual Meeting, in 1908, the last one he ever attended, I had a lengthy interview with him concerning the early history of Western Pennsylvania. He was then past 86 years of age, but his mind was clear and he made his statements without hesitation. He told me that the Ten Mile congregation was organized about 1759 or 1760. He also said that a man by the name of Helft was the first elder. The old brick meetinghouse, he said, was built in 1832. I give these statements as I received them from Elder Wise. If these statements are correct, as I suppose they are, this puts the Ten Mile congregation at the head as the oldest congrega-
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tion in Western Pennsylvania, and the brick meetinghouse as the first one erected west of the Alleghany Mountains.
GREENE COUNTY .- The Eckerly Brothers.
We find the following account of them in Sherman Day's " Historical Collections of Pennsylvania," published in 1843 :
" These men, 'Dunkards' by profession, left the eastern and cultivated parts of Pennsylvania, and plunged into the depth of the western wilderness. Their first permament camp was on a creek flowing into the Monongahela River in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania (Greene County), to which stream they gave the name of 'Dunkards Creek,' which it still bears.
" These men of peace employed themselves in exploring the country in every direction in which one vast uncultivated waste spread around them. From Dunkards Creek these men removed to Dunkards Bottom on Cheat River, where they made their permanent residence, and with a savage war raging at no considerable distance, they spent some years unmolested -indeed, it is probable, unseen.
" In order to obtain some supplies of salt, ammunition and clothing, Dr. Eckerly recrossed the mountains with some peltry. On his return from Winchester to rejoin his broth- ers, he stopped on the South Branch of the Potomac at Fort Pleasant and aroused the curiosity of the inhabitants by re- lating his adventures, removals and present residence. His avowed pacific principles, as religious principles have every- where else done, exposed him to suspicion, and he was de- tained as a confederate of the Indians, and as a spy come to examine the frontier and its defences.
" In vain did Dr. Eckerly assert his innocence of any con- nection with the Indians-that, on the contrary, neither he nor his brothers had ever seen any Indians since their residence west of the mountains. He could not obtain his liberty until, by his own suggestion, he was escorted by a guard of armed men who were to reconduct him a prisoner to Fort Pleasant, in case of any confirmation of the charges against him.
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" These arbitrary proceedings, though in themselves very unjust, it is probable saved the life of Dr. Eckerly, and his innocence was made manifest in a most shocking manner. Approaching the cabin he had left where he anxiously hoped to find his brothers, himself and his guard were presented with a heap of ashes. In the yard lay the mangled and putrid remains of the two brothers, and, as if to add to the horrors of the scene, beside the corpses lay the hoops on which the scalps had been dried. Dr. Eckerly and the now sympathizing men buried the remains, but a forlorn and desolate man re- turned to the South Branch. This was among the opening ยท scenes of that lengthened tragedy which was enacted through upwards of thirty years."
CHAPTER IV.
Western Pennsylvania.
As a district Western Pennsylvania embraces fully one- third of the area of the whole State. When, in compliance with Annual Meeting recommendations, the State was divided into three State Districts, in 1866, the Alleghany Mountains naturally became the line between Middle and Western Penn- sylvania. Since then, in 1874, for the sake of convenience, the Dunnings Creek congregation, located in the western part of Bedford County, was added to the District.
The counties composing the District are Erie, Crawford, Warren, Mckean, Mercer, Venango, Forest, Elk, Cameron, Lawrence, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Armstrong, Jefferson, Clearfield, Washington, Allegheny, Westmoreland, Indiana, Cambria, Greene, Fayette, Somerset and a part of Bedford Counties in Pennsylvania, and parts of Marshall, Wetzel and Monongalia Counties in West Virginia. Since transferring the Ryerson Station congregation, which at one time comprised a large part of Greene County, Pennsylvania, and parts of Marshall and Wetzel Counties, West Virginia, to the Second District of West Virginia in 1913, the only congregation out- side of the State belonging to the District is the Mt. Union, in Monongalia County, West Virginia. At one time the Sandy Creek congregation, Preston County, West Virginia, extended into the District, but since the Markleysburg congregation was organized, in 1879, the State line is the line between the two congregations. It would seem, too, that prior to 1849 the " Glades " church of Somerset County extended into Garrett County, Maryland. Prior to 1883 the Glen Hope Mission in Clearfield County, now the Chess Creek congregation, be- longed to Middle Pennsylvania.
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The congregations and the counties in which they are located are as follows: In Bedford County, Dunnings Creek ; in Somerset County, Maple Glen, Elk Lick, Summit Mills, Meyersdale, Greenville (partly in Bedford County), Berlin, Brothers Valley, Somerset, Middle Creek, Stony Creek, Quemahoning, Rummel, Shade and Scalp Level (the latter partly in Cambria County) ; Somerset and Stony Creek con- gregations have been consolidated with Brothers Valley; in Fayette County, Markleysburg, Trout Run and Georges Creek; along the Fayette and Westmoreland line and partly in both counties, Indian Creek and Jacobs Creek ; in Mononga- lia County, West Virginia, Mount Union; in Westmoreland County, Ligonier Valley and Greensburg; in Washington County, Ten Mile; in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh ; in Cam- bria County, Conemaugh, Johnstown, West Johnstown, Mor- rellville and Pleasant Hill; Conemaugh has been consolidated with Johnstown ; in Indiana County, Manor, Montgomery and Bolivar, the latter partly in Westmoreland County ; in Clear- field County, Chess Creek and Rockton; in Jefferson, She- mokin (disorganized) ; in Armstrong County, Cowanshan- nock, Red Bank, Glade Run, Brush Valley and Plum Creek, part of which is in Indiana; Brush Valley was consolidated with Glade Run and Cowanshannock with Plum Creek; in Clarion County, Clarion (disorganized). The District Meet- ing Minutes also show that there was a congregation named Fayette. It appears first in 1889, when it is represented by letter. From then to 1897, when it was dropped from the list of churches, it was not once represented by delegate.
Altogether there have been forty-four congregations. At the present time there are thirty-five, with prospects of several new ones soon. About the time that the Clarion and Cowan- shannock congregations were prosperous and active, we had scattered members in nearly all of the northern and western counties of the District. Now there are fifteen counties with- out an organized church.
Emigration to States farther west has been one cause of weakening many, and disorganizing a few, of our congrega-
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tions. Today many of our members, both lay members and officials (or their descendants) are found in practically every State where organizations exist. A number of congregations have been organized by members from this District. Since churches are no longer established in our territory through emigration, we will have to pursue a different method if we ever hope to dot the northern portion of the State with churches of the Brethren. Our Home Mission Board must be supplied with sufficient money to constantly keep a number of strong missionary evangelists in the field, opening new points, and erect houses of worship as fast as promising points are found.
CHAPTER V.
Congregations.
BERLIN.
Much of the history of this congregation is given in the history of the Brothers Valley congregation, by Elder W. G. Shrock. It is therefore needless to repeat it here. When, in 1849, the county was subdivided into four large congregations, that division of which Berlin was the central point and chief town naturally took the name "Berlin." Though this section was also known by the names of " Glades " and " Brothers Valley," its correct name was " Berlin " and this is the name used in the Minutes of the District Meetings until the further. division in 1880. Berlin congregation, at that time, was. bounded by the Elk Lick, Middle Creek, Quemahoning, Shade Creek. and Dunnings Creek (the latter in Bedford County) congregations, and embraced Brothers Valley, Stony Creek and parts of Somerset and other townships.
Beginning with the settlement of the first Brethren in the "Glades," in about 1762, under Elder George Adam Martin, to 1880, a period of one hundred and eighteen years, the church enjoyed a healthy and substantial growth. As evidences of its influence and aggressiveness we note its growth in numbers, the erection of large, substantial meetinghouses, early organization of Sunday-school, its strong ministry and the fact that so many who had been reared in other denom- inations united with its communion-a number becoming pil- lars in the church. It is also a well-established fact that the valley and the township took their names from the Tunkers, who invariably called themselves "Brethren " ; hence the name Brethren's Valley, or Brothers' Valley. A postoffice
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in the township, by the name of Brotherton, was in existence a number of years.
So far as can be ascertained the following elders presided over the Berlin congregation : Michael Meyers, Peter Cober, John Forney, Sr., Jacob Meyers and Jacob Blough. Other active elders and ministers were: John P. Cober, Solomon Knepper, Daniel P. Walker, Ephraim Cober, George Schrock, William Sevits, Peter Musser, Henry R. Holsinger, Joseph W. Beer, Solomon J. Baer and Michael Weyandt.
Here I take the liberty to quote from Elder H. R. Hol- singer's " History of the Tunkers " : " The church increased in numbers, from time to time, until, in 1880, it had a mem- bership of over four hundred. Then it was deemed proper to subdivide the territory. This was accomplished at a council meeting appointed for the purpose on October 9, 1880. Com- mittees were appointed to name the boundaries and report to the next council meeting, on the 23rd of the same month.
" The meeting of the 23rd was presided over by Elder P. J. Brown, of Ohio. The committee on boundaries reported the lines of four separate congregations, and the report was unanimously adopted, with a few amendments.
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