History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 1, Part 66

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904; Hungerford, Austin N., joint author
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Everts & Richards
Number of Pages: 948


USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 1 > Part 66
USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 1 > Part 66


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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Daniel Andrew. Daniel Brandstetter.


lohn Anthony.


Jahn Buhler.


Jneoh Bahler.


Jacob Bapt.


Stepdien Balliet.


Jacob Blitt.


Jacob Balır.


l'eler Beissell. Jolin Beyer.


Peter Buhr.


Solomon Brandstetter.


George Blose.


Peter Ray.


James Kemmerer.


George Ray.


Solomon Kreitz.


Jacob Kiedy.


John Krum.


Conrad Kiedy.


Christian Krom.


Adam Kounkle.


Christian Lanchner.


John Lintz.


Conrail Lintz, Jr.


John Miller.


Nicholas Miller.


Philip Mertz.


l'eter Meyer.


Jacob Missinger.


Peter G. Missinger.


Frantz Missinger.


Michael Missinger.


Frederick M. Meyer.


Leonard Miller.


Henry Nenf.


Widow Neff.


Ulrich Nen.


Michnel Ohl.


Caspar Peter.


William Peter.


Jacob Poter.


Leonard Wasum.


Caspar l'eter, Jr.


Yost Wall.


Michael Wehr.


Lawrence Wehr.


George lex.


George Rex, Jr.


l'eter Dewalt.


No. 25, Elias Painter, Ang. 22, 1758. 170


No. G, Adam Reeder, Aug. 5, 1752 27


William Kern.


l'eter S. Riedy.


No. 1750, John Rumple, Aug. 6, 1766


No. 92, William Silleers, Ang. 29, 1753


No. 1227, Christian Solidt, Nov. 5, 1765


No. 2507, Philip Lehr, April 18, 1767.


271


HEIDELBERG TOWNSHIP.


Jolin Ebert.


Balzer Royer.


Peter Seidel.


Michmel Ebort.


Andrew Ranch.


Daniel Shuler.


Conrad Ebert. Christian Ebert. Henry Ebert.


John Kressher.


Abraham Rex.


Jacob Kressler.


Christian Rex.


Henry Stimler (Stemler). Jolin Schoneberger.


Samuel Kly.


Barnet Kressler.


lolin Kex.


- Fenstermacher.


Adatu Kressler.


Abraham Riedy.


l'eter Sell.


Gottlieb Foclit.


John krim.


Peter Rockel.


Jacob Fryman.


Daniel Kramer.


Admin Rockel.


William Fenstermacher.


Christian Krum.


Widow Rockel.


Jacob Ferber.


Christophel Kern.


William Ruckel.


Widow Ferlwr.


Nicholas Kern.


Godfrey Roth.


Conrad Wut (Wert).


George Fryman.


Philip Kemmerer.


Daniel Retert.


Jacob Wehr.


Daniel Fink.


John Keck.


George Kemely.


Michael Wahr.


Peter Frey.


Adamı Kunkle.


Joli Rohrich (Berich).


John Frederick.


John Kressler.


Ambros Remely.


John Fritzinger.


Andrew Kunkle.


Michael Remely.


Mary Frey.


Matthew Fritzinger.


Philip Krause,


Peter Roth. Peler Rohrich (Rerich).


George Wassam.


Andrew Fritzinger.


Conrad Kern.


George Hatert.


Conrad Wehr.


Jarob Fenstermacher.


Daniel Kern.


Widow Raterl.


Lawrener Webr.


Julin Frantz.


Daniel Kern, Jr.


George Rex.


Jacob Weber.


Jacob Franz.


Frederick Kemmerer.


Philip Ratert.


Martin Werth.


John Miller, Jr.


Jesse Kern.


- -- Jolin Rex.


Peler Wahr.


Franklin Loyer.


George Kamper.


Susana Reedy | Riedy ).


Laurence Zeller.


John Frederick.


John Kohler.


Abraham Roder (Roeder ).


George Zerfas.


Jacob Focht.


Abraham hrerr.


Christian Shuyder (Suyder).


Jacob Kern.


Conrad German.


Joseph Lorash.


Abraham Sorilz.


Peter Frees.


Jacob Geiger.


Joseph Luchter.


Jacob Shnyder (Suyder).


Philip Bretz (Pretz).


Adam German.


Adamı Linus (Lentz).


Andrew Sehassler (Schisler).


Samuel Leger.


Phihp German.


.Jacob Linux ( Leutz).


Christian Schmidt.


John Schmidt.


Andrew Gultner.


Jacob Lanchier.


Jacob Schneider (Suyder).


Samuel Miller.


Abraham German.


William Linns (Lentz).


Christian Suyder.


Daniel Kranss.


Henry Geisinger. Philip Haas.


John Meyer.


Henry Schmidt.


Samuel Kressler.


Jacob Miller.


Michael Schmidt.


Lanrenco Newhard.


George Handwerk.


John Miller.


Andrew Sensinger.


Michael larter.


Carl Fred Moyer.


Jacob Hartman.


Simon Moyer.


Jacob Hoffman.


Daniel Kranss.


Joseph Ilunsicker.


Francis Messinger (Messemere).


John Bare,


John lousman.


John Rex.


Joli Remely.


John Hunsicker.


Leonard Miller.


lolin Hunsicker.


William les.


Jolin Innsicker, Jr.


Dewalt Meilz.


Christian Shuyder (Snyder). John Weidman.


Jacob Hoffman.


Frederick Miller.


John Handwerk.


Peter Hunsicher.


William Ilottinkn. Michael Hollman. Peter Hoffinan,


John Mace.


Michael Krum.


l'eter Krm.


Peter Handwerk.


Henry Miller.


John Handwerk.


Christian Messinger ( Messemer).


Peter Handwerk.


John Meyer.


Jacob Handwerk.


Bernhard Neff.


Henry Handwerk.


Henry Neff.


Philip Hamlwerk.


Widow Nell.


Henry Hennewitze.


Michael Netf.


George Horn.


Peler Newhand.


Frederick Hansman.


Jucob Neese.


l'eter Hofman


lohn Poder.


Daniel Peter.


Hansmn).


Johannes Peter.


George Bollz (supposed Haats). Julin Hansman.


Thesbold Peler.


Christian Hausman.


William Peter.


Christian Haag (Ilawk).


Caspar Peter.


Solomon Harlinen.


Caspar Peter, Jr.


Henry Helfrich.


Joli Peler, Sr.


Damel Helfrich. Joel Kern.


George Peler.


Casper Hunsicker. Simon Hartman.


Jucob Peter.


Andrew Kemmerer.


Heury Peter.


John Jeager.


loli Peter.


Henry Kistler. George Korn, Jr. Jolin Kranse.


Daniel Roder (Roeder).


John Rinker. Daniel Roth.


Christian Krum. Jalm Krm.


Jacob Riller.


William Kern.


Goorge Kern.


Abrilunu Redig (snp. Riedy). John Rotest ( Retur).


Adam Poter.


Henry Bore.


Daniel Suyder.


[ The amount of tax was $498.02. |


Early Settlers .- The carly residents of this town- ship are all or nearly all mentioned in the list of land warrants, and the list of inhabitants in 1781 and 1812. Some of them are treated of at length elsewhere in this chapter, as for instance in the parts devoted to the history of Saegersville and Germansville, and accounts of the Peters and Handwerk families appear in the chapter on Washington township.


The greater part of the land now owned by Edward Nell' and Joel Neff, in Heidelberg township, was originally by warrant dated June, 1745, granted to Andrew Shitler, and after his death it was conveyed by the administrator to his only sun and heir, Con- rad Shitler, who by deed dated Dee. 13, 1762, con- veved the same to Jacob Peter, who on Nov. 10, 1764, conveyed the same to John Hunsicker, Sr., who by deed dated Oct, 26, 1787, conveyed the same to his son, Jacob Hunsicker, who died leaving a widow and


Caspar Hunsickel.


George Mnthard.


William Moyer.


Henry Hofman.


Saminel Boller ..


George Millor.


Frederick Snyder. Jacob Kresley.


Leonard Kevinsmith. John Weber.


Willian Lafavour ( Lafavre). Michael Hoffman.


Daniel Hunsicker. Grorge Sensinger.


lammen (supposed


Jacole Peler.


Nicholas Peter.


Michael Peler.


Henry Peler, Jr.


George Rex.


John Schleicher. David Shnyder (Snyder).


Simon Schneyerder (Snyder). Conrad Schnyder (Suyder). Joseph Sauger. Jolm Sauger.


Martin Wuchter. Jacob Weber.


Christian Werth.


Jacob Fritzinger.


George Kranss.


Nicholas Kern. Jonas Kern. John Kern.


Single Freemen.


272


HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.


seven children, and at an Orphans' Court held at Easton, Jan. 11, 1797, the said land, then consisting of two hundred and sixty acres, was accepted by Jolin Hunsicker, eldest son of Jacob Hunsieker, who by his deed dated July 19, 1779, conveyed one hundred and thirty-seven and one-quarter acres thereof to Bernhard Neff, son of Ulrich Neff. Said tract did then adjoin land of Peter Missemere, Jacob Brandsteteer, Adam German, etc. Bernhard Neff had three sons, John, George, and Abraham. Bernhard Neff, by deed dated Jan. 23, 1829, conveyed sixty-nine aeres thereof to his son, George Neff, and the balance thereof to his son, John Neff'; about the year 1845, conveyed his por- tion to Abraham Lobach, who still resides on the same, and John Nell' moved to East P'enn township, Carbon Co., close to the Andrew Church, where he died and left one son, and only son and heir, who still lives on the place; and George Neff, by deed dated March 20, 1866, granted and conveyed a portion of his land to his son Edward Neff, who still resides on the same and of the balance of his land. George Nell' died intestate on the 26th day of November, 1881, and on April 3, 1882, Joel Neff, another son of the said George Neff, accepted the same at the appraise- ment, and who is still the owner of it, but resides at Slatington, where he is an extensive operator in quarrying slate, ete. Abraham Neff, the other son of Bernhard Neff, in his early days resided here near Germansville, but afterwards moved to North White- hall township, close to the Union Church, where he earried on the undertaking business, and afterwards established a carriage factory, and built up the village which is named after his name, Neffsville. Edward B. Neff, hotel-keeper at Slatington, is one of his sons.


Here is added a copy of a memorandum in the handwriting of Richard Peters (whose name is so frequently mentioned in the upper township in the old papers), which memorandum was found among the old papers of George Neff, deceased, as follows. to wit :


"January 1$ 1755 Memorandum that Monday, the third day of April next is Appointed for an Housing Between Bernhard Nett and Henry Fele at the Secretaries office upon a Caveal Entered the tith Sep- tember last by said Nell' against The acceptance of a Survey made for the Said Frie on a Brance of Truckers Creek now (Jordan Creek) in North- ampton County (now Lehigh Co) and the parties are desired to attend accordingly IDCHARD PETERS.


" A true copy from its original."


A portion of the land now owned by Nathan Wuchter was originally by a warrant dated Oct. 25, 1749, granted to Daniel Burger, of Salisbury town- ship. Said tract was mentioned as situated between Francis Giltner and John Suyder in Heidelberg town- ship, Bueks Co., and which Daniel Burger, by deed dated Aug. 1, 1772, conveyed a portion thereof to John Martin Wachter, Sr., who conveyed the same to his son, Martin Wachter, who conveyed the same to his son, William Wachter, who conveyed the same to his son, Nathan Wachter, who is still the owner


thereof. The above-named Martin Wachter was one of the Revolutionary soldiers under Washington.


Among the Peters who had original land here, near Saegersville and Germansville, was Rudolph Peter, to whom seventy-four acres, one hundred and forty perches of land was granted by warrant dated Jan. 28, 1754, which tract is situated north of Saegersville, and is now divided up and owned by Edwin Hand- werk (son of Michael), Owen Hunsieker, Tilghman Peter, Lewis K. Peter, John Metzger, and David Hunsicker. Edin Handwerk is the owner of the largest portion of the same.


.


Jacob Peter, who was the owner of a tract of land between Saegersville and Germansville, and said tract was originally by warrant dated March 12, 1745, granted to him; it is the same where now Nathan Snyder and Jeremiah D. Suy reside. And Philip Peter was the owner about the year 1786 of a tract of land adjoining Jordan Creek on the west, and west of Germansville, where now the Germansville Depot of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Railroad is erected.


Of the family of Peters who early settled in Heidel- berg township were three brothers,-Caspar, Rudolph, and Jacob. Caspar settled in what is now Wash- ington, and the account of his descendants will be found in that township. His son, Caspar, lived in the limits of Heidelberg, on the farm now owned by Gideon Peters. He built the present house in 1761, and placed in the wall a stone with the year marked upon it.


Rudolph Peter settled in Heidelberg, where Henry Handwerk now lives. He took out a warrant for seventy-four acres of land on the 28th of January, 1754. Eve Elizabeth, a daughter, became the wife of Adamn German, who settled at Germansville. It is not known who his other children were. He died in 1813, aged fifty-seven years, and is buried in Heidel- berg churchyard.


Jacob Peter, supposed to be a brother of Rudolph and Caspar, took ont a warrant for thirty-one acres of land on the 12th of March, 1752; nothing is known of his descendants.


In 1751 Caspar Peter, Caspar Peter, Jr .. William, Jacob, dolin, and the Widow Peter were assessed on real estate, and in 1812, John, Daniel, Johannes, Jacob, Theobald, William, Caspar, Sr., Caspar, Jr., John, Sr., Nicholas, George, Michael, Jacob, Henry, Sr., Henry, Jr., and lohn Peter, Jr.


It must be born in mind that Heidelberg in 1781 and 1812 embraced Washington. The line of Caspar Peter, one of the three brothers, has been well traced. Of the other brothers, Rudolph and Jacob, but little is known of the generation following. Nicholas Peter. whose name appears in 1812, had three sons, -- Daniel, Elias, and John Jacob (20). The latter lived where his son, Joseph, now resides.


A .John Jacob Peters ( Ist) lived on the farm now owned by Aaron Peter. He executed the mason work of the county jail at Allentown in 1816. He married


273


HEIDELBERG TOWNSHIP.


Maria Krum, sister of Michael. They had seven ehil- dren : Jeremiah, Adam, Polly (Mrs. Dutton), Henry, I Abram, Jacob, and Reuben.


Johannes Hunsicker was the first of the family of that name known to be in the township. His son Henry married Maria Barbara Huff in 1786, by whom he had three sons and six daughters. She died in 1802, aged thirty-eight years.


Peter Hunsieker lived in 1794 on land adjoining Philip Mosser. The Heidelberg churchyard contains tablets to Susanna HFunsicker, born 1799, died in 1850, and Magdalena Hunsieker, born in 1731.


John Hunsicker, who was born in 1755, and died in 1836, aged eighty years, and his wife, Catharine (Stiegerwalt), born in 1757, died in 1823, were located near the Heidelberg Church, where his son Henry lived. He married Susanna -, who died in 1850, and left five children, of whom were Reuben, David, and Levi, the last two living on the homestead.


Joseph Hunsieker, a brother of John, married a daughter of Michael Ohl, by whom he had no chil- dren. He married for his second wife a daughter of


Krum, and a sister of Christian Krum, by whom he had Christian, Jonas, John, Daniel, Reuben, and Henry.


owned by Paul and Leonard Stein, now the property of Monroe Seusinger. He died about the year 1825, at the age of eighty-eight years. He had a brother Fritz, who was a miller in Allentown.


History of Heidelberg Church.1-The township of Heidelberg, Lehigh Co., Pa., has had up to this time but one church, and this has always been known as the Heidelberg church and the congregation as the Heidelberg congregation. The church, like most of those in Eastern Pennsylvania, where German immi- grants of the Reformed and Lutheran faiths settled at the same time and the same place, was a Union Church; that is, the Reformed and the Lutherans held all the church property-such as the building, the church lands, the cemetery, etc .- in common, and had their divine services alternately in the same church building, either congregation entirely tree, however, to engage in worship according to its own faith and teachings unmolested by the other, with admission to the members of the other faith as well as its own. The necessities of primitive times col- lected these divided members of one faith under one and the same roof.


The church stands about one mile cast of Saegers- ville, nearly in the centre of the township. The first small springs of the Heidelberg Creek, which flows his son Edwin now lives. Jonas settled where Wil- ' into the Jordan at Gideon Schmidt's, at the iron bridge, take their rise upon the church lands. The church, sehool-house, graveyard, and the lands of the congregation lie all together in one small valley,


Christian settled on part of the homestead where liam Addis now lives. John on part of the homestead, and resides on the property with his son Levi. Dan- iel settled in Washington township. Reuben moved to Slatington, where he died, and Harry located in ' hemmed in by the surrounding low hills. Carbon County.


The first settlement by the congregation was made John Handwerk, on the 9th of November, 1758, in the year 1735. The number of the first immigrants took up in Heidelberg township, on a warrant, fifty- was small, consisting of isolated families who had seven acres of land, and on the 12th of August, 1766, , come from Switzerland and Westphalia. Their names Nicholas Handwerk took out on a warrant one hun- dred and ten acres of land. John was born in 1710, 1 and died in 1791. In 1781 he was assessed with Peter Jacob, Sr., Peter Jacob, Jr., and among the single Freemen is given Frederick Handwerk.


In 1812, Peter John, Peter Jacob, Henry and Philip them cannot be ascertained. Later came Johannes Handwerk are assessed. In the Heidelberg church- vard are tablets to Peter Handwerk, born 1744, died 1826; Johannes Handwerk, born 1742, died 1818; Jacob Handwerk, born 1771, died 1826; Catharine Handwerk, born 1747, died in 1808. The family in the township and Washington are numerous, but like many others their records and memories are meagre.


have been preserved, and show that they were from oue neighborhood, but the name of the place is, un- fortunately, forgotten. The names of the first arrivals wore Jacob Peter, Casper Peter, and Wilhelm Peter, three brothers, but whether their father accompanied Hunsicker, Jacob Mayer, David Gisi, Conrad Wirtz (now written Word), Friederich Single. Ullrich Nett. Heinrich Hoffman, Peter Miller, Heinrich Roeder, Georg Grum, and Jörg Schmalz. This first company of settlers formed the foundation of the succeeding congregation, and at once staked off the land they in- tended to use for church and school purposes. They scendants the solemn injunction that they should not rest until they had obtained lawful possession of the same through a warrant. The first immigrants passed through Upper Milford to the Kittatinny Valley, and followed the course of the Lehigh to the Blue Moun- tains. They traversed all the land lying between the Lehigh Hills and the Blue Mountains, and not until


Jaeob Kemmerer moved from Saucon township to . called it the Hill of Zion, and laid upon their de- this township in the early part of his life, previous to 1754. He was a great hunter, and during his life shot a vast number of deer. He also was or acted as cap- tain over a squad of men who went from here across the Blue Mountains to Gnadenhutten to bury those who had been killed by the Indians. He went to the Wyoming Valley to help to protect the whites from the horrible slaughter of the Indians. The land upon which he lived is now owned by Rev. J. S. Ren- 1 Written in German by Rev. William A. Helftrich, and translated by ninger, being adjoining land of the tract formerly ; James 1. Schaudt, E.s. 18


274


HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.


the latter loomed up before their sight, and they saw their height, and the hillsides and the valleys below, forming the present area of the townships of Heidel- berg and Washington, together with the excellent water and the fine forests, did they discontinue their journey, saying, " Ilere there are hills, woods, water, and rocks ; here it is possible to live."


Between the years 1735 and 1740 there also eame hither Palatines and Würtemburgers, and strength- ened the colony. Among these there were, on the Reformed side, Heinrich Ohl, Jacob Riedy, Michael Fritzinger, and others; on the Lutheran side, Ulrich Sensinger, Jorch Reeks, Peter Handwerk, Johann Krauss, and others. The Lutherans likewise pro- vided themselves with a piece of land for church and school purposes adjoining the Reformed lands on the south.


The organization of the congregation took place in the year 1740. Heinrich Ohl, who had taken up the land where Saegersville now stands, and who was the richest and most respected man in the settlement, agi- tated the matter of building a church, but four years passed before the church was constructed. Meetings were held, but as no minister could be engaged, the work of construction was discontinued. During this period the services of a reader from Lynn were ob- tained, and he was accustomed to hold services at the houses of the people. The place for assembling was at Jacob Daubenspeek's, about one mile sonth of the church lands. There divine service was held for a period of five years. Finally there came a talented Lutheran minister, by the name of Jacob Friederich Schertlein, who was undoubtedly sent through the interposition of Rev. Muhlenberg to this portion of the country.


And now steps were taken to build the first church, which was erected in the year 1744 as a log church, and was dedicated by Revs. Schertlein and Philip Jacob Michael. This first church building stood in the northeastern corner of the old graveyard, which has for a long time been filled with graves, At the same time a school-house was erected. From the very beginning the plain of the fathers contemplated the holding and enjoyment of these buildings in com- mon. For this reason they built the church upon the Reformed land, and the school-house upon the Intheran, and when the church was completed and dedieated, both branches of the congregation made a contract on the 28th of March, 1745, that it should be and remain a Union church. The following heads of families formed the congregation : Jacob Fried- erich Schertlein, the Lutheran minister; Philip J. Michael, the Reformed minister. Schertlein was a regularly ordained minister of great ability, who soon, however, left here and was called elsewhere, either to Maryland or Virginia. Michael, of whom we have already learned in the history of the Ziegel Clinreh, was a reader, who was never ordained, and had ele- vated himself to the office of minister. The Reformed


1


elders were George Grum and Jorg Schmalz; the Lutheran, George Reeks and Michael Mosser. The members were Jacob Mayer, Heinrich Ohl, Ulrich Sensinger, George Schmalz (elder), Daniel Burger, Nickel Klein, George Grum (elder), David Gisi, Michael Fritzinger, George Reeks (elder), Leonhard Mayer, Heinrich Oswald, Adam Winch, Heinrich Hoffmann, Ulrich Neff, Andreas Schüssler, Friederich Schneider, Jonas Matzinger, Michael Fritzinger, Jacob Peter, Caspar Peter, Rudolf Peter, Michael Mosser (elder), Jörg Newhard, Nickel Burger, Michael Ruch, Peter Miller, Conrad Wirtz ( Wert), Friederich Nisele, Jacob Schlung, Hans Ulrich Arndt, Johannes Niesele, Heinrich Roeder. The above-named mem- bers were the builders of the first church, and paid for its construction €18 58., of which the Reformed side contributed £13 188. 8d., and the Lutheran $4 68. 4d. None of the Lutherans were married.


Early circumstances were here as elsewhere in the congregations of Eastern Pennsylvania. (See the history of the Ziegel Church.) The Swiss charac- teristics peculiarly predominated in this congregation, and have been maintained down to our time. Swiss honesty and faithfulness are proverbial in Heidelberg. Here it was the custom, when one borrowed money from the other, to mark the loan with chalk upon the rafters of the house; and when later promissory notes came into use, a dispute having arisen as to who should have possession of the note, it was gravely decided that the borrower should retain possession of the note, so that he could readily see when it was to fall.due. Their character is straightforward, rugged, blunt, and stiff-necked, but at the same time honest, true, open, and cordial ; they are ready to render as- sistance at any time, are neighborly, and attached to each other; and they hold the church in high esteem, revereneing everything sacred. Worldliness and avarice have not made among them the same inroads. as elsewhere. Their lives are simple and economical ; they are industrious, and, although the land is of poorer quality and less productive here than in the townships lying towards the south and east of them, yet they always have money; so that it has, during these last twenty years, become a saying, that who- ever desires to borrow money must go to Heidelberg.


The Indian massacres, which during the fifties of the last century devastated all the settlements across the Lehigh, at Gnadenhütten (now Lehighton) and in Lynn, both on the right and left of the Heidelberg settlement, passed by this congregation almost with- out leaving a trace. Scarcely a single murder took place. Nevertheless the members were prepared to render each other prompt assistance. Fathers Long- enour, Kemmerer, and others went to Gnadenhiitten and assisted in burying the murdered, and upon the occasion of the Lynn township massacre, when Zeis- lof and others were murdered, Father Bachman has- tened to their assistance from Miller's Valley, near the present Lynnville. Zeislof and some of his


·


275


HEIDELBERG TOWNSHIP.


family were scalped, but were still alive when Bach- man arrived, and he attended to them until death de- livered them from their agony. Bachman said it was dreadful to see the bloody, disfigured heads, and to hear the sufferers calling for water to allay their thirst. The reason for the freedom of the congregation from the Indian troubles lay, besides the providence of God, possibly in the fact that no Indian village stood within their limits, The nearest village was in Lynn, and another was on the other side of the Blue Mountains, in the vicinity of Lehighton, and still another lay south of the Blue Mountains, across the Lehigh. An Indian path, however, led in a straight direction from the Lehigh Gap through the present village of Sae- gersville over the Schochary Mountain (where a spring on land then owned by Christian Miller is still known as the Indian spring) to the principal Indian path, which ran from the Lchigh Mountains through the Indian village in the Ziegel congregation's lands to the Blue Mountains.


The second church was built in the year 1756. The first little log church was destroyed by fire. The new church was also a log church, but very much larger and better arranged in every respect, being fitted out with galleries, aisles, pulpit, and altar. A new school- house was also erected at the same time with the church. This was placed upon the land of the Re- formed congregation, which sold all its right in and to the old school-house to the Lutherans for 04 10x., and from this time on each portion of the congrega- tion had its own school until later years, when the old school-house was torn down, and the schools again united in one. The new church was dedicated in 1757, and the old contract, that this building should be used in common, was renewed. From 1745 and 1757 the number of communicants was more than doubled. However, an increase from Europe partly accounts for this.




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