USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 1 > Part 49
USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 1 > Part 49
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Towards the close of Mr. Gobrecht's ministry he was too feeble to attend properly to the wants of the Allentown congregation, especially because this was the farthest distant from his residence. Accordingly, Rev. John Zuilch became his assistant, preached in Zion's Church every fourth Sunday, and soon became
very popular. We can easily understand how natn- ral it was that subsequently many of the members should have wished to retain him as their pastor.
Upon the death of Pastor Gobreeht the four eon- gregations belonging to the charge met and agreed to eleet a minister. Four candidates were proposed. It was found that Rev. J. S. Dubbs had received a ma- jority of all the votes cast in the whole charge, but that in Zion's Mr. Zuileh had received the larger number. This, unfortunately, led to a division, and the friends of Mr. Zuileh organized a separate eon- gregation, and ealled him to be their pastor. He soon withdrew, and was succeeded by the Rev. Dr. J. C. Becker, of Northampton County, Pa., who preached in Allentown once a month, until 1834 or 1835. Mean- while the differences between the two parties had been adjusting themselves and gradually disappeared. In 1835 we find the whole congregation reunited and under the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. J. S. Dubbs, the duly elected successor of Mr. Gobrecht.
Father Dubbs (originally Dubs) was born in Lower Milford township, Oct. 16, 1796. Here lived his grandfather, who had emigrated from Switzerland, and had purchased a traet of land from the Penn family. The house in which he was born is still standing, and is said to be the oldest briek building in Lehigh County. He pursued his theological studies mainly under the direction of the Rev. F. L. Herman, D.D., who is celebrated as one of the ablest men then in the ministry of the Reformed Church. He was ordained September, 1823, and until 1831 served as the pastor of several churches in Berks County. But in the latter year he became, as we have seen, the pastor of the Allentown charge and removed to Le- high County.
Meanwhile Allentown had increased in population so rapidly that the congregation of Zion's Church resolved to put up another and larger building. The old stone church was small and umneomfortable, and unsuited to the various purposes of so large a cou- gregation. On the 5th of August, A.D. 1838, the corner-stone of the present brick building was sol- emily laid, and on the 7th and Sth of June, 1840, the completed structure was dedicated to the service of the triune God. The plan was designed by Mr. John Mohr, and the edifice was in those days consid- ered quite a model of neatness and general adapted- ness.
And now the congregation began to feel the need of more frequent services, and Dr. Dubbs began to preach in the evening. But the English language had come to be extensively used, and to meet this additional requirement the Rev. A. J. G. Dubbs, as his father's assistant, commeneed to preach in English in Zion's Reformed Church. Still later the Rev. C. R. Kessler served in the capacity of English preacher, but under the authority of the regular pastor.
Father Dubbs performed a great work. Besides serving his charge faithfully, he corresponded exten-
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THE CITY OF ALLENTOWN.
sively with some of the representative periodieals of the Reformed Church, and was the author of several popular German hymns. In 1856 he was eonstrained by the weight of years to resign the pastorate of the Allentown Church, especially as this required more attention than he could possibly give to it. Ilis resignation was, however, not accepted, and the difli- culty was temporarily met by calling the Rev. Joshua H. Derr as associate pastor. But this arrangement did not prove satisfactory, and resulted, in 1858, in the organization of a separate congregation called St. John's, and of which Mr. Derr became the regular pastor. (This St. John's Church sustained no his- torical relation to the present St. John's Reformed Church of this city.) The two rival congregations occupied the same church on alternate Sundays until 1863, when they were peacefully united.
In September, 1859, the Rev. Joseph H. Dubbs, D.D., now professor of History and Arebiology in Franklin and Marshall College, became his father's assistant in Allentown. In 1860 he was elected the pastor of Zion's Reformed Church, Father Dubbs having retired. Professor Dubbs continued in this relation until January, 1863, when he resigned. Rev. N. S. Strassburger, of Pottstown, Pa., was elected as his snecessor, and became the pastor of the once more united Zion's congregation.
Under Father Dubbs' supervision Zion's grew most wonderfully. In 1831 there were but seventy-five members ; in 1861 more than twelve hundred.
The subsequent history of this congregation is too recent to require extended notiee. During the pas- torate of the Rev. N. S. Straasburger Zion's Reformed Church experienced the joys of maternity three times, and thus only increased her usefulness and renewed her youth. St. John's, corner of Sixth and Walnut ; Salem's, on Chew, above Sixth ; and Christ, on See- ond, above Hamilton, these all are the daughters of the old church on Hamilton Street, and were founded in the order of their naming.
Rev. Mr. Strassburger did good service in the eause of the Master. He is an able and carnest preacher, and, as a parliamentarian, second to none in the church. In March, 1881, he tendered his resignation, which was accepted by the consistory. On the ISth of April, 1881, the congregation met and elected the present pastor, Rev. Edwin A. Gernant, who was then a student in the Theological Seminary. He accepted the call, and after his graduation was received as a licentiate by the Classis of Lehigh. On the 17th of July, 1881, Mr. Gernant was ordained to the holy ministry, and installed as pastor of Zion's Reformed Church.
We subjoin the statisties of the congregation as summarized September, 1883; members, 834; im- confirmed members, 400; Sunday-school scholars, 450; contributed for benevolence during the year, $605 ; contributed for congregational purposes, $2500.
Joseph S. Dubs, for many years pastor of this
ehureh, was born Oet. 16, 1796, and was the seventh child (who grew to maturity ) of Daniel and Elizabeth Dubs.1 At an early age he felt an earnest desire to prepare for the gospel ministry, but had to overcome many difficulties before he could achieve his purpose. In those days educational facilities were few in num- ber, and even these were not always attainable.
After attending school for some time in Chester County he finally chose as his preceptor Rev. F. L. Herman, D.D., a learned man, who prepared many young men for the ministry. For four years he was under Dr. Herman's immediate instruction, and studied hard to make up for the deficiencies of his earlier education.
Having been licensed to preach in 1822, and or- dained in the following year, he became pastor of a charge, consisting of the Windsor and Weiss Churches, in Berks County. His salary from the whole charge amounted to one hundred dollars per annum ; but such was the eheapness of living that on this small sum he was able to live comfortably.
In 1824 the Eppler Church, and in 1826 the Hain Church were added to his charge, of which he remained pastor until 1831. It was a laborious field, and, in reaching his appointments, he was compelled to cross three streams, -the Schuylkill, the Tulpehocken, and the Antelauny. There were in those days no bridges over these streams, and he was often compelled to cross them, especially in winter, at the danger of his life. The adventures which he related might put us, of a weaker generation, to shame for our lack of zeal and energy.
In 1831 he accepted a call from the charge in Le- high County, consisting of the Reformed Churches of Allentown, Egypt, Union, and Jordan. The Allen- town Church was in those days the smallest congre- gation in the charge, and he consequently took up his residence in North Whitehall, at a place which was more near the centre of his field. For thirty years he remained pastor of the whole charge, assisted in Allentown during a few years by his son, Alfred, and the Rev. C. R. Kessler. The church in Allen- town increased very rapidly with the growth of the town, and required an immense amount of labor. Several small congregations were also formed out of the material of his regular churches, and these re- quired his services on Sunday afternoon. These were the churches at Rittersville, Cedarville, and (after he had resigned Allentown) Morgenland, in Lowhill township. It was usual with him to preach three times on Sunday, and he sometimes preached funeral sermons every day in the week. He also found time to contribute to the periodicals of his church, and was always careful in his preparation for the pulpit. A man less abundantly blessed with physical and mental health could not have performed all this labor. At least six Reformed ministers now find
1 For sketch of his ancestry, see Lower Milford township.
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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
plenty of work within the limits of the field which he attempted to cultivate alone.
In 1861 he resigned the church in Allentown, and his younger son became his successor. He continued to preach in the other congregations of his charge until 1866, when, feeling the approach of the infirmi- ties of old age, he resigned and removed to Allen- town, where he lived in retirement until his death. During his whole ministry he kept careful records of all his official acts, of which the following are the statistics : Baptisms, 7065; funerals attended, 2778; confirmations, 3780; marriages, 2176. He preached over eight thousand sermons, and officiated at the eor- ner-stone-laying or consecration of sixty-five churches. The last service of the latter kind in which he was engaged was the solemn opening, on Christmas-day, 1876, of Salem Reformed Church, Allentown, of which his eldest son is pastor.
In 1866, Franklin and Marshall College, in recog- nition of his faithful service, conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. Popularly he was known as "Father Dubbs," and the latter title pleased him best, for there were multitudes who re- garded him with almost filial affection. His devotion to the minutest details of pastoral duty and his abun- dant good will towards all classes of the community gained for him an unusual degree of genuine popu- larity.
Father Dubbs was twice married,-the first time, in 1825, to Susan Getz, a daughter of Nicholas Getz, of Berks County; the second time, in 1837, to Mrs. Eleanor Murphy, a daughter of David Lerch and his wife, Eleanor Jones.
The first marriage was blessed with three children, -one son and two daughters. The son-Rev. Alfred J. G. Dubbs-has been pastor of charges in Northamp- ton and Lehigh Counties, and is now pastor of Salem Reformed Church, Allentown. The daughters-Lonisa and Elmira-are respectively married to Messrs. A. L. Schreiber, of Coplay, and James O. Shimer, of Allentown.
By the second marriage there were two sons, of whom the younger died in childhood. The other- Rev. Joseph Henry Dubbs. D. D., of Lancaster, l'a .-- has been pastor of Zion's Church, Allentown, Trinity Church, Pottstown, and Christ Reformed Church, Philadelphia. Since 1875 he has held the position of Audenried professor of History and Arehæology in Franklin and Marshall College. He is also editor of The Guardian. In 1878 he visited Europe, and was most cordially received by distant relatives in the Fatherland.
In the present sketeh we have no room to trace the several branches of the family down to the present day. Of late years the family has rather diminished than increased, and the last portion of the ancestral land in Lower Milford, which had never been held by any one not of the name since the days of the red men, now, by the lack of male descendants, passes to
another line. It will be observed that the family, whose history we have related, has in this country but rarely sought for office or popular notoriety, pre- ferring to perform their duties without attracting un- necessary attention. May the present generation imi- tate the virtues of their ancestors, and be faithful as they were in all the relations of life.
St. John's Reformed Congregation.'-To estab- lishi a congregation of the Reformed faith in this city whose services were designed to be conducted ex- clusively in the English language was, eighteen or twenty years ago, no light matter. It presupposed a long course of preparation going before.
The German language, since the first origin of the Reformed Church in this section, has been the prin- cipal medium of social and religious intercourse, and with but one or two exceptions all the congregations have been exclusively German. The early pioneers naturally preferred to worship God in their mother- tongue, and they desired their children to do like- wise ; hence they regarded the use of English service in the church as a dangerous innovation. This preju- dice held sway for some time.
At length, however, the more intelligent and ad- vanced members, and especially the young, began to show signs of restlessness under the full consciousness that their religious wants were not fully met, and they resolved upon immediate action.
This city had been rapidly increasing in popula- tion ; the public schools introduced an entire English curriculum ; the language came to be more generally spoken, and there became apparent a more urgent demand for English service in the Reformed Church. To his eredit be it recorded that Rev. Dr. Joseph S. Dubbs, now of sainted memory, showed a disposition, during the closing period of his long and laborious pastorate of Zion's Reformed Congregation, to meet this growing demand for English service to the best of his ability, by instructing sneh of his catechumens as preferred it, in that language.
The first step taken was the introduction of an oc- casional English service by the pastors of the mother congregation, which was soon afterwards followed by a regular evening service in that language. Yet even this did not satisfy a pressing want; it began to be generally felt that the organization of an exclusively English congregation, and the erection of a suitable church building for the same, was absolutely indis- pensable, and the only means of keeping the young within the church of their fathers.
Encouraged and stimulated by the judicions coun- sel of Rev. W. R. Hofford and Rev. A. J. G. Dubbs, who actively sympathized with them, a few of the more venturesome spirits resolved that they would take the initiative without any further delay.
An earnest petition, setting forth the importance of such organization and the desirableness of realizing it
1 By Rev. Samuel G. Waguer, D. D.
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THE CITY OF ALLENTOWN.
at as early a day as possible, was presented to the con- sistory of Zion's German Reformed Congregation, over the signatures of Mr. George Kull and C. Lewis Huber. The author of this petition was the Rev. W. R. Hof- ford. We find the following record bearing on this paper :
" At a meeting of the Consistory of the German Reformed Congregation, held June 4, 1865, the above petition was laid before it, when it was, on motion, Resolved, That the prayers contained therein be granted. By order. Attest, E. J. Knauss, Secretary of Zion's Reformed Consistory, at Allentown, Pa."
After some few months' delay, caused by certain un- expected complications, in obedience to a call inviting all those favorable to the new enterprise, a meeting was held in the lecture-room of the mother-church on the evening of Sept. 14, 1865. An organization being ef- fected, with Mr. Tobias Kessler as president and Mr. Reuben H. Kramin as sceretary, the following reso- lution was unanimously adopted : " Resolved, That the members of the Zion's German Reformed Congre- gation, of Allentown, Pa., seeing the necessity of doing something speedily to maintain and further the interests of our church, favor the organization of an exclusively English congregation ; and desiring that this may be done peaceably, and that a friendly rela- tion may continue to exist between the mother-church and her offspring, we deem it prudent that our pastor, Rev. N. S. Strassburger, should organize and install the members of the consistory, and that, after the or- ganization, said congregation be left unrestrained in the adoption of such measures as will be thought most expedient to insure success," A committee was ap- pointed at the same time to consult with the influential members of the mother-church as to the best method of promoting the contemplated enterprise. Atan ad- journed meeting, on the evening of Sept. 27, 1865, this committee, having reported favorably, was continued for a further prosecution of the work. Another com- mittee, appointed Nov. 29, 1865, to secure a suitable room for the use of this inchoate organization, reported at a subsequent meeting, held Dee. 6, 1865, that they had sneceeded in obtaining the Academy Builling. Meanwhile, the proper application, as required in such cases by the Constitution of the German Reformed Church of the United States, being laid before the Classis of East Pennsylvania, convened in special session in the city of Allentown, on Nov. 26, 1865, met with favorable action, and authority was given to proceed with the organization.
We accordingly find that on the evening of Dee. 28, 1865, these anxious and earnest souls met in the Academy Hall, on the corner of Eighth and Walnut Streets, and at once provided for the creation of the new Sunday-school, to be called the "Sunday-school of the English Reformed Congregation of Allentown," and to form the nucleus of said congregation. The following officers were elected: Superintendent, Mr. T. Kessler; Assistant Superintendent, Mr. R. II.
Kramm ; Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. George Kuhl ; Librarian, Mr. Levi Fenstermacher ; Assistant Libra- rian, Miss Ellen J. Mellose ; President of the Asso- eiation, Mr. George Hagenbuch. A committee was appointed to draft a constitution and by-laws for the government of the Sunday-school Association, to re- port at a meeting held Jan. 11, 1866, when its work, after a few slight changes, was adopted, and substan- tially controls the organization to this day.
An announcement having appeared to that effeet in the Daily News of the city, the English Reformed Sunday-school convened for the first time in the Academy Hall, on Sunday, Jan. 1, 1866, at 1.30 o'clock p.M., with an encouraging attendance of officers, teachers, and pupils. A fortnight atter, Jan. 15, 1866, divine service being ended, in order to complete the new organization, an election was held for church officers, which resulted in the choice of two elders, viz. : George Hagenbuch and Tobias Kess- ler, and four deacons, viz .: Reuben II. Kramm, George Kuhl, John S. Kessler, and C. Lewis Huber. These gentlemen were ordained and installed at a ser- viee held in Zion's Reformed Church on the evening of Jan. 29, 1866, by a committee appointed by the Classis of East Pennsylvania. They constituted the consistory for 1866-67, being the first consistory of the new English Reformed Congregation of Allen- town, Pa.
It now became a question of absorbing interest, Who shall be the first pastor of this new enterprise? Ac- eordingly, at a regular meeting of the consistory, hell April 2, 1866, it was resolved to present the name of Rev. S. Philips, of Carlisle, as a candidate to be voted for as pastor by such persons as, at a congregational meeting to be held for the purpose, on Sunday even- ing, April 8, 1866, might be willing to identify them- selves permanently with the new interest. This elec- tion was held at the appointed time, and resulted in the choice of the above-named candidate. A call was promptly extended to him, and as promptly ac- eepted. He preached his introductory sermon on Sunday, May 20, 1866. He was installed by a com- mittee of the Classis of East Pennsylvania on June 26, 1866. The new congregation being still without a name, it was agreed at a meeting of the consistory, June 20th, that the church shall hereafter be known as the "St. John's English Reformed Congregation." At the same time the constitution and by-laws were reported by the pastor, which were afterwards unani- mously adopted by the congregation on July 1, 1866. On July 8th, when the first communion was admin- istered, we learn from the record that the congrega- tion then numbered one hundred and twenty-four members, two of these having been received by con- firmation, and the others by certificate and repro- fession.
Being without the necessary church building, the eonsistory met in special session on July 29th of the . same year, when they appointed the Hon. Samuel
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McHose to negotiate for a suitable lot for a church. This resulted in the purchase of the lot or lots on which the present church stands, on the corner of Sixth and Walnut Streets. Measures were at once adopted to secure the proper corporation, in regard to which we find the following record : "The petition to incorporate the St. John's Reformed Church of Al- lentown, Pa., was presented through Jacob S. Dillin- ger, Esq., Feb. 4, 1867, and on the same day was filed, and was granted April 8, 1867, by the Court of Le- high County, Judge J. W. Maynard, and recorded in the recorder's office of the city of Allentown, April 15, 1867, in the charter-book, volume i. page 160, etc. Jonathan Trexler, Recorder."
The following building committee was appointed : Samuel MeHose, William Blumer, Thomas Mohr, C. B. Haintz, and Thomas Barber. At a congregational meeting, after service, Nov. 25, 1866, the following persons had been elected to the position of trustees of the congregation, viz. : Milton J. Kramer, Levi Line, and Thomas Mohr. The next item which we deem proper to record is the enlargement of the consistory, by the addition of one elder and two deaeons, at a congregational meeting held in the court-house on May 5, 1867, when the following consistory was elected for the year 1867-68 : Elders, George Hagen- buch, three years; Tobias Kessler, two years; and Samuel Engelman, one year. Deacons, George Kuhl and Reuben HI. Kramm, three years ; C. Lewis Huber and John S. Kessler, two years ; and Lewis P'. Hecker and Charles H. Ruhe, one year.
During this time, it is apparent that some changes were made, though there is no special reeord. Acad- emy Hall had been abandoned, the court-house having been seeured for the Sunday services, and Leh's Hall for the Wednesday evening service, and the use of the main Sunday-school, while the infant school had been removed to the third story of Mr. Kuhl's build- ing,-Mrs. W. R. Hofford, Miss Anna B. Steckel, and Mr. George Kuhl, having it in charge.
The building committee had meanwhile gone for- ward with its work, and the foundation had been so far laid that the time had come for the laying of the corner stone of the new church, which ceremony and service accordingly took place in the presence of a large congregation in the early fall of the year 1867. We much regret that we are without a record of the date of this service. We find a singular pause in the his- tory of the congregation. There is a strange blank on the record, which reminds one of the blank which must have darkened the hearts of the devoted flock when, at a meeting held in the Sunday-school hall, on Oct. 30, 1867, a communication was received which proved to be the resignation of the pastor, Rev. S. Philips, to take effect on November 10th, following. This resignation was unanimously accepted, and we accordingly find that the record of the first pastor of this congregation suddenly stops at that date. The pastorate of the Rev. S. Philips was a short though
active one. It began May 20, 1866, and ended Nov. 10, 1867. During this brief period of eighteen months the following was the result of his labors : infant bap- tisms, 20; adult baptism, 1; additions, by confirma- tion, 31 ; by certificate, 166 ; by reprofession, 39: total, 236. Marriages, 11 ; deaths, 3; dismissions, 2; Sun- day-school teachers, 26; pupils, 183 ; benevolent con- tributions, $150.
The congregation was thus left without a pastor to guide them ; still, they were not without religious ser- vices, these being supplied by pastors from abroad. Nor did the matter of church improvement stand quite still, not at least until the building was under roof. Strenuous efforts were made to gather in the amounts subscribed, which realized to the committee on subseriptions between ten and twelve thousand dollars.
At length at a congregational meeting, held Mareh 2, 1868, an election for pastor took place, which re- sulted in the choice of the present ineumbent, the Rev. Samuel G. Wagner.
A constitutional call was tendered and accepted, and the present pastorate began June 1, 1868. The formal induction or installation took place in the court-house in the month of June, which service was presided over by a committee of the Classis of East Pennsylvania. The introductory sermon was preached on July 12, 1868, and the congregation continued to hold their services in the court-house until the end of the year, when the new church building was ready for dedication.
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