USA > Pennsylvania > Lebanon County > Lebanon > Old Salem in Lebanon : a history of the congregation and town > Part 7
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OLD SALEM CHURCH.
ready in 1773 was supporting a schoolmaster as well as a pastor, and that a few of the prominent members of the church were giving largely, in ad- vance, for the purpose. Messrs. Stieb, Steckbeck, Marsteller and Doebler each gave £3. Mr. Stoehr £2. Mr. Fetzberger, £2, Ios, and Messrs. Jensel, Wolfert and Ziebold each fr. Mr. Dieterich seems at first to have subscribed £2 also.
The first communion under the new pastor was held on the Sunday Cantate in the Spring of 1773. At the preparatory service 88 persons appeared. Though it is generally supposed that in the olden time of the last century, woman was invariably put back into the second place by the fathers, yet here in this communion record of 1773, the names of the women appear first. The list is headed by Eleo- nora de Haas, doubtless the wife of squire John Philip de Haas, who played such a prominent part in the early legal, political and military history of the town. Four Embichs, three Germans (Gar- mans), six Ensmingers, three Steckbecks, several Beckleys and Ellingers, three Yensels, Christ. and Marg. Kucher, Geo. and Barbara Gieseman, Marg. Cormanni, Mrs. Eliz. Weiss, George and Nicolas Gebhard, and Michael Rieder (Ritter) and wife were among the communicants. At the Fall Com- munion on the 18th Sunday after Trinity, there were 55 persons participating. Among the new names are those of Agnes Braun, Jacob and Barbara Voigt, Matthew Voigt, John Atkinson, George Meile and his wife Rachel, Adam Eckart, Jacob
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A NEW PASTOR.
Hecker, and James Ross and wife. At the follow- ing Spring Communion on the Sunday Jubilate, among others were Juliana Eichelberger, Anne M. Ritscher, Eva Kobin, George Sprecher, Peter En- dres, Adam and Jacob Lehmann and their wives, Leonhardt Witmeier and wife and Ludwig Schott and wife. This time there were 94 communicants in all. A beautiful linen cover for the communion vessels has come down to us from these commu- nions of 1773, having been used for the first time then and after that regularly for over a century .* The date is worked in red silk in one corner, and it is said that the cloth was ornamented with small stars and crowns worked in red silk floss. These have almost entirely disappeared from the material.
It should be noticed that some of the prominent members of the church, e. g., the Fernslers, are missing at these early communions of Muhlenberg. They were friends of Rev. Stoever and no doubt communed at his services held either here or at the Hill Church. Rev. Stoever continued to hold ser- vices in the Lebanon Church until 1779, the year of his death, and it is not likely that there was any serious friction in this double pastoral arrange- ment, as both pastors attended the meetings of Synod and were in some wise amenable there. Pastor Muhlenberg must have been fluent in the use of both the German and the English languages. It is not certain whether he actually resided in Leba-
.It is worn through in one or two places now, and is no longer in use.
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non, but it is probable. He first came into the re- gion toward the close of the year 1770, living with his brother-in-law, Rev. Schulze, pastor at Stouchsburg, and helping him in his charge. He preached especially at Schaefferstown, and as stated above must have gotten to Lebanon and officiated here occasionally before he was pastor. He began his pastorate here on May I, 1773, and probably had been married shortly before.
After Muhlenberg left Lebanon, he became one of the most famous men that Pennsylvania ever has had, in both state and national affairs, and Old Salem has always been proud of the fact that her first pastor* was a member of the Continental Con- gress, and President of the Convention that adopt- ed the Constitution of the United States. But for a long while there has been a dispute between the historians and Old Salem as to the length of Muh- lenberg's pastorate in Lebanon. On the one hand the historians, relying on a statement of Dr. Kunze, Muhlenberg's brother-in-law, claim that Muhlen- berg removed to New York in 1773. On the other hand it has been claimed at Lebanon that his pas- torate here lasted until 1775. A close examination of the Church Record seems to show that neither party is correct. Muhlenberg began his pastorate here on May Ist, 1773, and baptized, buried and held communions in Lebanon for over a year. It is likely that he departed for New York in the Fall or Summer of 1774. The next chapter will furnish a brief sketch of his life as a whole.
1. .. The first one who served her exclusively.
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CHAPTER XVI.
FRIEDRICH AUGUSTUS CONRAD MUHLENBERG.
'713-75
T HIS young pastor of Salem was the second son of the Patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America. He was born on January 2, 1750, and was baptized three days later. Con- rad Weiser, Dr. Freder- FREDERICK AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG ick Ziegenhagen, the Court preacher at London, and G. A. Francke, of the Institutions of Halle, were his sponsors. At the age of thirteen he was sent, with both his broth- ers, to the Halle Institutions and the German Uni- versities to study. The one brother subsequently became General Peter Muhlenberg of Revolution- ary fame, and the other was, with Audubon, one of the most celebrated naturalists in America at the close of the last century. He was pastor of Trinity Church, Lancaster.
After a seven years' absence in Germany, Muh- lenberg returned to America in 1770, with his future brother-in-law, Dr. Kunze. On October 25 he was ordained at the meeting of Synod at Reading, and he became the assistant of his brother-in-law, Rev. Schulze at Stouchsburg (Tulpehocken) in Decem-
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ber. He preached at Schaefferstown, and, as we have seen, became pastor at Lebanon in 1773. In the latter half of 1774 he became pastor of the Lu- theran congregation in New York. His pastorate there ended just before the Revolutionary war broke out. In February, 1776, the American Gen- eral Charles Lee took possession of the city with troops and threw up defences. Muhlenberg now sent his wife back to her parents in Philadelphia. He remained in New York no doubt preaching pa- triotic sermons* until the English fleet arrived, and then went to Philadelphia; for the British are said to have made no secret of the fact that they would hang the rebel minister as soon as they could catch him. He was in Philadelphia on July 4th, 1776. In 1777 he preached at New Hanover, and in 1778 in the Oley mountains. He also preached in Read- ing occasionally. On March 2, 1779, he was elected to the Continental Congress. Here he was appointed upon the committee on the Treasury. He also served as chairman of the Medical Com- mittee which virtually made him director-general of the military hospitals. On November 3d, 1780, he was elected Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assem- bly, and was re-elected to the Assemblies of 1781- 1782. While thinking of going to Georgia to take charge of a congregation he was elected a member of the Board of Censors of Pennsylvania and be-
"Mr. Muhlenberg was an ardent patriot, and was prominent among the resistants of the encroachments of the crown, while Mr. Hausihl was equally ardent on the other side and prominent among the royalists. B. W. Schmucker, D.D. The Lutheran Church Review, 1885.
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MUHLENBERG.
came its president until the dissolution of that body in 1784. Shortly after the close of the Revolution it was found that the articles of confederation were not a good form of government for the country, and Muhlenberg was one of the most active in working for a more stable government and was made the President of the Convention that adopted the United States Constitution. As soon as the Constitution went into effect, Muhlenberg was elected as the Speaker of the First House of Repre- sentatives of the United States. He was re-elected to the Second, Third and Fourth Congress, and was Speaker of the Third, and Chairman of the Com- mittee of the Whole in the Fourth Congress. In this capacity he cast the deciding vote in favor of carrying out the Jay treaty and thus prevented a new war with England. In 1800 he became Re- ceiver General of the Land Office, and died highly respected on the 4th of June, 1801, in Lancaster having reached only the age of 51 years .*
Muhlenberg was the first but not the last young preacher that Salem gave up to New York and who became distinguished for their ability to preside with firm but fair hand over important parliamen- tary conventions. Although the pulpit is always a loftier post than the Speaker's Chair, yet it is pleas- ant to be able to associate little Lebanon, which has
*Halle Reports Vol. I., pp. 584 and 632 give most of these facts in reference to Muhlenberg. Mr. J. F. Sachse has published a beautiful monograph pamphlet, "A German Poem by Frederick Augustus Muh- lenberg," containing a number of facts in reference to his life.
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OLD SALEM CHURCH.
always been so loyal to her country, with great men and events connected with the Revolutionary War. It may not be amiss to direct our attention to the little town as she appeared at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.
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CHAPTER XVII.
LEBANON AND THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
W T E ARE passing into stirring times. On the 16th of December, 1773, the people of Boston had cut open 342 chests of tea on the three ships that had been sent to America to compel the Americans to pay duty, and had emptied the tea into the harbor. The whole country from Maine to Georgia* was in a blaze at this time. The popular wrath at the thought of being compelled to pay tax on tea, was greater than that which had been stirred up by the Stamp Act of eight years earlier. In April, 1764, Parliament passed a series of acts against the city of Boston by way of retaliation. No ships were to be allowed to enter its port until the tea thrown over had been paid for. The charter of Massa- chusetts was annulled and her free government was destroyed. The courts of Massachusetts were not allowed to try any magistrate, revenue officer or soldier for murder, but he must be sent to Great Britain. General Gage was to supersede the Gov- ernor of Massachusetts and was to bring four regi- ments with him. On the first day of June he was to close the port of Boston and begin starving the inhabitants into subjection. He was to arrest the
.John Fiske: The American Revolution, p. 83.
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leading patriots and send them to England to be tried, and he was to use his own judgment in allow- ing the soldiers to fire upon the people.
The news of all this came to America on the 10th of May. On the 12th the Committees of several Massachusetts towns held a convention in Faneuil Hall and adopted a circular letter to be sent to all the colonies asking for their sympathy and coopera- tion. The greater part of the country kept the first of June as a day of fasting and prayer. Bells were muffled and tolled in many of the churches. The colonies were thoroughly aroused. But Pennsyl- vania was hanging back. Both Franklin and Dick- inson thought perhaps the tea had better be paid for.
Then was the blood of the Pennsylvania Ger- mans stirred, and little Lebanon was one of the first to respond to the appeal of the city of Boston and to send on contributions for the Bostonians who were suffering thus for the cause of liberty.
On Saturday, the 25th of June,* a meeting of the inhabitants of Lebanon and the adjoining townships was held at the house of Captain Greenawalt "to take into serious consideration the state of public affairs. Major John Philip de Haas was president and John Light was secretary. It was unanimously declared
"I. That the late act of the British Parliament by which the port of Boston is shut up, is an act
*1774.
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LEBANON AND THE REVOLUTION
of oppression to the people of that city, and sub- versive of the rights of the inhabitants of America. 2. That while we profess to be loyal subjects of Great Britain we shall not admit to unjust and in- iquitous laws, as we are not slaves but freemen. 3. That we are in favor of a Congress of Deputies who will act in behalf of the peoplefor obtaining aredress of grievances. 4. That we unite with the inhabit- ants of other portions of our country in such meas- ures as will preserve us our rights and our Liberties. 5. That our countrymen of the city of Boston have our sincerest sympathy, that their cause is the com- mon cause of America."*
Philip Greenawalt, Thomas Clark, Michael Ley, Killian Long, and Curtis Grubb were appointed a committee to collect contributions for the suffering Bostonians. The money thus raised, together with flour, was sent on to Philadelphia, where it was in- cluded with similar contributions from other locali- ties and forwarded to Boston, so that it is not known or recorded in the annals of Boston history that one of the first of those to respond to her cry at the opening of the Revolution was the little Pennsylvania German town on the banks of the Quitopahila .**
On this summer day at the opening of the Revo-
For full text of resolutions see Egle's History of Lebanon County, p. 30.
"Not long ago The Atlantic Monthly, the leading literary monthly of Boston, published a very unjust description of the Pennsylvania Germans, especially emphasizing their slowness and niggardliness!
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lution, we can imagine how things looked in the little town of 200* houses. The buildings were largely of logs, a story and a half and two stories high. The latch string was hanging out, and near- ly all the doors were open. For the last ten or twelve years the stone masons had been having a busy time of it, and the excellent building stone of the limestone valley was being utilized to put up more substantial structures than those of logs. The old Farmers' Hotel had been up for several years. Peter Kucher had erected his magnificent stone mansion ** on the Quitopahila east of our Front st. in 1761. It had a wide hallway and a fine staircase of hard wood. In 1762 the old stuccoed stone Mish residence in Market square was built. On the corner of Cumberland and Market Sts.,* John Philip de Haas ** had his home and office from 1765 to 1775, and many of the land transactions and other legal matters of the town were witnessed to here.
Heinrich Rewalt, "Maurer in Lebanon," had put up the American House on Market St. for Caspar and Sabina Schnebely in 1771 .* In 1772 the Re-
*Robert Proud.
"Still standing and going into decay.
"Where Dr. Gloninger's office now is.
"He had bought the lot from Steitz shortly after the laying out of the town. De Haas arrived in the year 1739, while still a boy, from Hol- land. Mr. A. Hess, city treasurer, is one of his descendants.
"The year-stone bears the inscription: Gott segene dises Haus und alles was da geht ein und aus.
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LEBANON AND THE REVOLUTION
formed Church had enclosed its lots in a stone wall. At this time very possibly the old Boughter man- sion,* one of the handsomest old houses in Leba- non, was already up, and probably the old public house that originally stood just across the street. For years already Philip Greenawalt, one of the town's most prominent citizens, and a member of the Stoever Land Company, was keeping his two story frame inn on the corner of Market and Cum- berland Sts .**
The children were coming home from school either from Eighth and Willow or from Tenth and Walnut Sts .- for the public education of the chil- dren of the town was dependent upon the Lutheran and the Reformed schools .*
The cherries were ripe, and it was probably at and after haymaking when the Boston news was stirring the little place. The meeting was held at the inn of Philip Greenawalt at Market and Ninth Sts. By September the first Continental Congress was meet- ing in Philadelphia ** in Carpenter's Hall, and Leba- nonians must eagerly have awaited the news of what was being done there. Rev. Muhlenberg had left for New York, and during that winter Ben-
*Recently occupied as a residence by Judge McPherson.
** Where Henry and Reinoehl's store formerly was, and Filbert's liquor store now is. ,
*The Salem school was maintained up to about the year 1842, and many prominent citizens of Lebanon received their early education there. (J. J. Embich in Daily News.) Later on the school was con- tinued, as will be described hereafter.
** The First Troop of Philadelphia City Cavalry was formed in this year.
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OLD SALEM CHURCH.
jamin Franklin was in London trying to influence the Crown. By March, '75, Franklin made up his mind to return to America, and by the 18th of April the battle of Lexington occurred.
On May 10 there was great excitement and alarm in our town. All males between the ages of 15 and 50 were to have their names enrolled for mili- tary purposes. Two companies of militia had al- ready been organized, and were ready to serve. J. P. de Haas had organized one on his own responsi- bility and without a commission. The whole town took on a martial air, and there was such a strong sentiment for war that even the peace-loving Mo- ravians at Hebron "could not do otherwise than have their names recorded." They all went to de Haas .* By the Fall of 1775, Col. Philip Greena- walt formed a battalion, with Philip Marsteller as Lieutenant-Colonel. The Captain of the first com- pany was Caspar Stoever, of the third company, Philip Weiser, of the sixth company Leonard Im- mel. The second Lieutenant of the seventh com- pany was John Gossert, and of the ninth company John Rewalt. The ensign of the eighth company was George Frank.
In the Spring of '76, de Haas left for Philadel- phia as Colonel of the first battalion. About the same time Peter Grubb, Jr., organized a company, which went to the front with Colonel Miles' bat- talion and participated in the disastrous battle of
·The Hebron Diary is the source for some of the details.
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LEBANON AND THE REVOLUTION
Long Island, where the Germans from Pennsylva- nia made such a wonderful showing for bravery and good marksmanship .* The drummer of this company was Christopher Reinoehl, who enlisted April 20th, 1776. Another company wholly from Lebanon county was that of Capt. Thos. Koppen- heffer, in Col. Green's Hanover Rifle Battalion, 1775 and '76. Peter Brightbeel and Balser Bum- garner were the first lieutenants, and John Wea- ver and Jacob Tibbins the second lieutenants. Among the non-commissioned men were three Brightbills, two of them father and son, three Franks, three Winters, two of them probably fa- ther and son, two Walmers, John and Peter Fox, Henry Hess, Jacob and Peter Musser, Henry and Adam Mark, Martain Miley, Nicolaus Snyder, Michael Strow, and Adam Wentling.
On the Fourth of July, 1776, delegates from the officers and privates of the 53 battalions of asso- ciators of Pennsylvania met at Lancaster for the purpose of choosing two brigadier generals, and among the delegates present representing the ninth battalion were our Lieutenant Colonel Christian Wegman and Private Anthony Debler. The lat- ter was probably either the donor of the Salem communion service, or his son. Among the non- associators in the township were the Baughmans, Jos. Bumbarger, the Ellebargers, the Ebys, Mar- tin Funk, Christian Gish and son, the Snyders, the
.See Dr. Heckman's address
before The Pennsylvania German Society.
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OLD SALEM CHURCH.
Horsts, the Hoovers, the Hayces, the Lights, the Millers, the Neffs, the Strows, the Sneveleys, and many others .*
On July 7th the village of Lebanon was again thrown into a state of alarm, and on the 8th no- tice was received by a special courier that all must go to war by order of Congress. This is the Mora- vian chroniclers' way of putting the matter, but the announcement may really have been only the first tidings of the Declaration of Independence come to Lebanon. This naturally was a declaration of war and that the men would be obliged to go to the front. By the end of July several companies were encamped in Balthazer Orth's field in tents. They sang hymns and heard a sermon and went on their way to the front .**
In the begining of August the inhabitants were disturbed by a rumor that the Tories and Indians were coming over the mountains; but, instead, in December came 1000 Hessian prisoners, with many Tories marching on their way to Reading.
On January Ist, 1777, the Lebanons were rejoic- ing that Washington had crossed the Delaware and taken Trenton. But by the following May the pub- lic spirit was not encouraging. There were after all quite a number in the town who were opposed
"For most of these facts we are indebted to the rolls given in Egle's History of Lebanon County.
** Here is a pathetic scene often repeated since then: "July 30, in the forenoon came Balt. Orth to take leave; also, Adam Orth with his son, John. John came to take leave. He is yet a child, and it is therefore advisable to get his discharge. Proposals were made. They would give everything to get him free. It was a mournful sight."
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LEBANON AND THE REVOLUTION
to the Revolutionary War, and there were others who, though favorable to it, were opposed to any boisterous demonstration of Americanism. They were the ones who were stopped on the streets and asked to "Hurrah for Congress," and who, on re- fusing to do so, were violently punished. On May the 5th the people met to elect their officers and on the 19th and 20th the men were enrolled or draughted into classes in the militia, but the affair was not popular and most of the inhabitants were not present .* It was on the 5th of May that Thomas Wharton, in reality the first Revolutionary War Governor of Pennsylvania, was elected. His headquarters were at Lancaster. By the close of August 340 Hessian prisoners arrived in Lebanon in charge of Colonel Grubb and the most of them were kept in the Moravian church at Hebron to the great dissatisfaction and disgust of the pastor there. Part of them, perhaps, were placed in the Reformed church, and on October 29th news came that they were to be removed from Hebron to our log church. But as our church was wanted for a powder-magazine, the transfer was not made .* Dr. Egle's History tells us that the powder-magazine in Lebanon "was in an old building on Tenth street, a short distance west of Quitopahila Creek, known as 'Gibson's town.' The magazine was afterwards turned into a barracks, the ammunition removed to
*Hebron Diary.
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OLD SALEM CHURCH.
Lancaster." It took twenty wagons, making from four to six trips each to remove the ammunition.
By this time it will be seen that Lebanon was comparatively near to the heart of the Revolu- tionary War, as it was also to the seat of govern- ment. It was much nearer in fact to the scenes of greatest hardship than many localities without Pennsylvania, which boast largely of Revolution- ary fame. As Dr. Egle says, "During the war of the Revolution Lebanon was an important place .*
"It was the depot of supplies of provisions and the storehouse for ammunition during the occupancy of Philadelphia by the British. A large number of gunsmiths were collected here at work for the con- tinental army. Shoes especially were manufactured and large quantities of leather tanned. The people were exceedingly patriotic and there was always a recruiting officer stationed in Lebanon to enlist sol- diers to fill up the depleted companies in the ser- vice."
"The war continued and the demand for volun- teers was promptly met by the inhabitants of Leb- anon. While the major portion of the male popula- tion between the ages of sixteen and fifty-three were in the Continental service, others were chil- dren and old men, armed with their trusty rifles, were ranging along the northern frontier, guarding it from the marauding Indians and their white al- lies.
*Page 134.
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"The inhabitants did not only volunteer prompt- ly, but gave of their substance, and the Earlys, Henrys, Kreiders, Millers, Meilys, Immels, Orths, Sheaffers, and others, not only contributed to the patriot army, but hauled to Valley Forge during that terrible winter of 1777-78 flour and meat, with such articles of clothing as would be of service to half-clad soldiers. At several tanneries in the neighborhood leather was prepared and all who could make shoes assisted in the work of supply- ing all those who were barefooted in the American camp. This was all done cheerfully, freely and very often gratuitously. The men, women, and children of Heidelburg, Lebanon and Bethel were imbued with patriotic devotion, and did noble work for their distressed defenders. Too much praise cannot be awarded them, and we wish we had the names of those brave women of Lebanon who spun the wool and wove coverlets for the army, and to whom in a letter in our possession written Col. Marstellar says: 'God bless the good women of Milbach.' The brave women of the Revolution who cultivated the soil while their husbands and fathers were battling for their rights and their lib- erties deserve loving remembrance on the page of History."
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