USA > Pennsylvania > The German Pietists of provincial Pennsylvania : 1694-1708 > Part 22
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So much for Pastorius. In our sketch of the Community, the civil career of Daniel Falkner was traced down to the year 1704, when the last mention of his name appears in connection with the local affairs of Germantown. That he still remained in the Province and pressed the claims of his principals in Europe, for whom he acted as attorney, is shown by the official records of the land office.
In a previous chapter extracts were given from the records to show how energetic Falkner was in settling the tangled affairs of the Frankfort Land Company, which had evidently been overlooked or neglected by Pastorius. The Furly claims were also vigorously pushed, as is shown by the old ininute book "G," where we find several entries bearing upon the subject.
319 According to the court records, October 14th, 1704, he was fined 6s. for having bad fences.
312
The Pietists of Provincial Pennsylvania.
Early in the year 1705, Daniel Falkner, together with Jawert, who in the mean time had also married, made another effort to recover the land company's property. To counteract the continual charges by Pastorius that the power of attorney given to Falkner was void, on account of the refusal of Kelpius to act (as the document called for three persons to act jointly and not severally), the two remaining persons, upon legal advice, on March 29, 1705, substituted one George Lowther, a Philadelphia attorney, in the place of Kelpius.
On the 22nd of the 8th month, 1705, Daniel Falkner went before the "Board of Property," 320 and "by order of Benjamin Furly, Informs that by the said Benjamin's letter he finds the Prop'ry had Promised him 2 lotts in the City Philad'a. for his 2 sons, Jno. and Arent Furly, and gave him an Expectation that he had wrote to the Sec'ry about it, y'rfor by his Petition, Requests the said lotts, but tlie Sec'ry nor any Other Person haveing Rec'd any Orders about them 'tis referred till such Orders arrive."
That the substitution of Lowther as the third attorney did not meet with entire success is shown by Pastorius' sworn report to the land company in Germany,321 where lie states that in November, 1705, Jawert, who by this time had located permanently on the Boliemia Manor in Mary- land, returned to Germantown, and upon the ninthi of that month affixed a public proclamation against the Court- house door,322 by which he notified all persons not to pay any rent or other debt unto the said Daniel Falkner on the company's account. 323
Notwithstanding the above manifesto, George Lowther,
320 Penna. Archives, second series, vol. xix, p. 465.
321 Pennsylvania Papers, S. P. G., London, Book 12, folio 206.
322 Another account states it was the meeting house of the Friends.
313
Johann Jawert.
four months later, March 26, 1706, notified all tenants to meet him at the house of Joseph Coulson, on Friday, April
Larry Aring Damil Pastry
elever your letter from the 17th of february, but was very or and of the other Letter you write of koop rott Riceve I Have writ open, 6
to the funds att Phithelpshis in hast: havout the Compagnons bi fall but you ean Foll there Fore there I know about the wicked prodigy have left the leter open Dofire to fail it, and make a fuper feription as you . Chinche fitt. I am making me felte vity to you done to dana polis to
fette my bilenir abaril De Meter Giorni Erbst, after that " Done 1 hope to go mile halle for you No more att potent bring on huf brott my fixiert Love and hearty Salutation, to your felt, and all qui Remarque your karty frind
AUTOGRAPH LETTER OF JOHANNES JAWERT AMONG THE FRANKFORT PAPERS AT THE PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
5th, and make settlement of the debts due the company.
323
An explanation of this action may be found in the fact that Jawert had become a member of the Society of Friends, and then joined forces with Pastorius against Falkner, who adhered strictly to his Lutheran
faith.
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314
The Pietists of Provincial Pennsylvania.
Under such circumstances, the lot of the German tenants was not a happy one; neither was the position of Falkner a sinecure.
The continuous opposition of Pastorius to Falkner's administration and the challenging of his authority to act, culminated about this time in a letter, inspired by Pastorius, from the Bailiff and Burgesses of the town, asking the company to dismiss Falkner and restore Pastorius to his former position. This missive failed to accomplish its pur- pose. For the next year or two, as Pastorius himself states, matters were quiet ; Falkner doing the best he could under the adverse circumstances.
In the meantime a new condition arose to complicate still more tlie affairs of the land company. The property belonging to this organization during the past years had steadily increased in value. The unsettled condition of its affairs in the Province, for which Pastorius was mainly responsible, attracted the attention of various persons wlio wished to possess themselves of this now valuable franchise. A conspiracy was the result, the chief actors in which were Johann Heinrich Sprogel, David Lloyd,32' and Thomas Clark, the last acting as attorney for Sprogel.
In the investigation of this celebrated case the finding of the Provincial Council, March 1, 1708-9, was that "it appeared that David Lloyd was principal agent and con- triver of the whole, and it was affirmed that he had for his pay a thousand acres of Benjamin Furly's land, which he, the said Benjamin, was so weak as to intrust Sprogel with the disposal of." 325
Sprogel,326 who was the son of the well-known theolo-
324 For biographical sketch of David Lloyd, see " Penna. Magazine," vol. v, pp. 187-8.
325 Minutes of Prov. Council, Col. Rec. ii, p. 432.
315
Perfidity of Sprogel.
gian of the same name, appears in anything but an enviable light. From certain correspondence between Benjamin Furly and others which has lately come to light, it appears that Sprogel was a schemer of the first order, and anything
John Thenry frugell
AUTOGRAPH OF JOHN HENRY SPROGEL.
but a man of honor, character or principle. In fact, Furly accuses him not only of forgery, but of larceny as well.327 Sprogel came to America either with the Falkner brothers or shortly afterwards, as his name appears upon the public records as early as 18th 11 mo., 1702.325
The climax of the conspiracy for which Daniel Falkner has thus far been blamed occurred on the 13th of January, 1708-9.329 According to Pastorius,330 "the said Falkner appeared in an adjourned court held for the County of
826 John Henry Sprogel, was born February 12, 1679. His father, an eminent author and clergyman of the same name, was teacher of the semi- nary at Quedlinburg. His mother, Susanna Margaretta, was a daughter of the celebrated composer of music Michael Wagner, and the Church historian Godfried Arnold, who wrote the "Kirchen and Ketzer Historia," married his sister. Sprogel was naturalized in 1705, and for a time figured as a shipping merchant and became quite a land owner, as in addition to the Frankfort Company lands he acquired several large tracts on the other side of the river. He died at his home at the mouth of Spro- gel's Run at Manatawney, which was a part of the land to the present suit, wherein he had subsidized all the lawyers who were then in the Pro- vince, viz .: David Lloyd, George Lowther, Thomas Clark and Thomas MacNamara.
The borough of Pottstown is now upon a part of this land.
327 Furly's letters in the collection of the Penna. Historical Society.
328 Minute Book G.
329 A full account of this case will be found in the report of Colonial Cases, by Hon. Samuel W. Pennypacker.
330 Archives of S. P. G., London, Letter-book xii, p. 206.
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The Pietists of Provincial Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia, where it is said he swore that the Frankfort Company was many hundred pounds in his debt, and that he therfore must sell their land to Ditto Sprogel; to whom the said court immediately granted an ejectment. When as neither Johannes Jawert nor the aforsaid Pastorius liad the least knowledge of it, and the tenants in possession never were summond to any court.
" The 24th of January, 1708-9, the sheriff, by virtue of a writt signed Joseph Growden, Esq., delivered unto the said Sprogel possession of the said company's house & land in Germantown and Atturned unto him the said Sprogell some of the Ten'ts in the German Township. The greatest part then refusing to acknowledge him for their Land Lord, who never the Less were afterwards successively persuaded so to do.
" Thereupon the said Jawert and Pastorius, Petitioned the Hona'ble Govern'r Charles Gookin Esq. and Councill, Anno 1709 for to assign a Lawyer, in Order to have the wrong redressed, for as much as the said Sprogel had feed inost of them, if not all & However Thomas Clark affirming before the Hona'ble Board, That when he did Rise in the above said Court, he was promised 40 shillings But never had the same paid to him, he was to do the Com- pany's business. Now in what manner he acted the said Johannes Jawert who gave him a Tenn pounds Fee, Can tell best and Judge Growdon Then owned at the said Board that the court had been surprised by the Lawyers. " 331
Now the true facts of the case are that Sprogel, by virtue of forged letters, he together with David Lloyd imposed upon Falkner, actually had him imprisoned in the common goal, and released him only upon conveying the Frankfort
331 Minutes Prov. Council, March I, 1703-9, Col. Rec. ii, 430.
317
Captain Vining's Report.
claims to them, as is shown by his own declaration to the representative of the Governor.332
Some years later the survivors of the old Frankfort Com- pany, owing to the unsatisfactory condition of their affairs in Pennsylvania and the lack of any returns from their investments there, offered to give all of their lands in Penn- sylvania to the Venerable Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,333 which had been formed in Lon- don. This offer, it appears, was accepted and an attempt was made by the society to recover the same.
In connection with the investigation that followed, a report was made by Captain Vining, who was deputed to look up the matter and report the true facts of the case to Governor Gookin. In this report he states : 334
"I have waited on Francis Daniel Pastorius, Severall times but he's Apprehensive of his own ill Administration, and others have forbid him whose Circumstances are as bad as his, I have herewith sent an Exemplification of 22377 acres in Mannatanny with the survey of it from the sur- veyor General's office, also an exemplification (here follows a list of the Company's property) But by Dan'l Falkner was this day informed that Pastorius sold all that (land) but gave no titles, the said Faulkner further saith that he sold 335 the 22377 acres of land to Sprogell by force being
332 Records S. P. G.
333 The credit for the discovery of these valuable documents, stored in the archives of the London Society, is due to the Rev. Roswell Randall Hoes, Chaplain U. S. N. Rev. Mr. Hoes, who is considered one of the most thorough investigators and geneologists of the early Dutch settlers, is best known by his publication of the Baptismal and Marriage Registers of the Old Dutch Church of Kingston, Ulster County, N. Y., formerly named Wiltwyck and familiarly called Esopus. New York, 1891.
334 Archives S. P. G. Letter-book xiii, Penna. Letters, folio 281.
335 This should read surrendered, as Falkner received no consideration whatever for the transfer of the property.
318
The Pietists of Provincial Pennsylvania.
sued and in Goal, and many years after Jawert and Kelpius lad renoun'd acting and that he knew himself weak and of no power to sell but was poor and forced to do it by David Lloyd and Tho' Clark, Sprogell's Attorney he Adds that 100 acres of Liberty lands was laid out Between the Two Ferrys Rocks and benjamins, w'ch he sold to Dr. Sober also 120 acres do Land near Derby which he sold to John Ball which he now lives on but observe that in all the sales of Land he sold it was by his own power of and 110 joint .power of Jawert, Kelpius, and the Falkner the records do not afford a copy of the power of Attorney by which these men acted, or at least I cannot come at them however Mr. Pastorius assures me that he often saw the power granted to Jawert, Kelpius and Falkner and that they were to act jointly together, but severally not at all. The same did this Daniel Falkner confess to mne this day but is poor and believe could be got for a small gain to discover the whole plott and in the presence of Edward Farmer Esq. promised he would."
From the above it will be seen that Falkner profited little or nothing by his attorneyship, and that in the end he was a victim of Sprogel's machinations ; further, that whatever loss resulted to the parent company was due to Sprogel, who remained in possession of the property.
Sprogel, in the year 1713, sold 1000 acres of this land to Rev. Evan Evans, then rector of Christ Church in Phila- delphia, and who was the most active clergyman within the Province. Six hundred acres, deeded July 10, II of above year, were to be known as Rhyd y Carw (the Deer's Trail). The remaining 400 acres adjoining the above, conveyed July 29, 30, 1713, were named by Evans " Trefeglwys," or Churchtown. The consideration being {180 lawful silver inoney of America, in addition to the usual quit rent. The
319
Falkner Swamp.
latter tract is in Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County. Here an Episcopal preaching station was established by Evans, which is still known as Christ Church, Church- tow11. 336
The Frankfort Company, in view of the new evidence that has come to light, certainly seems to have been unfor- tunate in the selection of its official representatives in America. Daniel Falkner seems to be the only one of the three who retired poor at the expiration of his stewardship.
The title of the Frankfort Land Company to the Mana- tawney tract of 22000 acres, confirmed October 25, 1701, is supposed to have been settled by Germans as early as 1700, emigrants who came over with Daniel Falkner upon his return. The development of this tract, which still
partly bears his name "Falkner's Swamp," 337 occupied much of the time and energy of the German Mystic, and as a result he gradually lost his interest in Germantown civil affairs, as well as in the Community he had been instru- mental in establishing upon the Wissahickon.
The earliest direct evidence of this congregation known to the writer, is a Swedish account of a visit made to Manatawney by Pastor Sandel in company with Daniel Falkner in the autumn of 1704, wherein it is stated that
336 Vide, Historical Collections of American Church, vol ii, p. 73.
337 According to Henry S. Dotterer, the boundaries of Falkner Swamp may be given in a general way as follows : on the north are the South Mountains, on the south are the Stone Hills, on the west the Fox Hills, and on the east the ridge rising from the left bank of Society Run. Swamp Creek, having as its tributaries Society Run, Spack Run, Minis- ter Creek (the old Pfarrer's Bach), Schlegel's Run and Goshenhoppen Run, flows in a winding course through the Valley. The first official name given to any portion of the Swamp Creek Valley of Falkner's Swamp was Hanover Township. Afterwards Frederick Township was set up, and later Douglass Township, and still later Hanover was cut up into New Hanover and Upper Hanover.
320
The Pietists of Provincial Pennsylvania.
the former assisted Falkner at the Church services on Sunday, October 15tl1.337 One of the first things he did in
Andreas Sandel Avec: monster at sures
AUTOGRAPH OF REV. ANDREAS SANDEL.
the new settlement was to organize a congregation, build a church, and hold services according to the Lutheran ritual.
This humble structure, a mere rude log-cabin, without any attempt at ornamentation or architectural beauty, with its sparse congregation and enthusiastic preacher, has the distinction of being the first regular German Lutheran Church and organized congregation in the Western World. It served the congregation until 1721, when a more pre- tentious building was erected, also of logs. In 1719 the church was endowed with 50 acres of land for church and school purposes by Sprogel, who succeeded Falkner to the land.
[The circumstances connected with this interesting gift are as follows :338 In the latter year John Henry Spro- gel requested Henry Pannebecker to lay out and survey fifty acres for the purpose, which survey was completed April 17, 1719, and George Boone, to prepare a deed, but through some neglect this important paper was never exe- cuted. The Lutherans entered into possession, raised a contribution among themselves, built a church and a school- house, and had them completely finished in 1721. About the same year, becoming more numerous and the congre-
337 Corroborative evidence appears in Sandel's Diary.
338 Henry S. Dotterer in the "Perkiomen Region, Past and Present," vol. i, pp. 4-5.
321
The Falkner Swamp Congregation.
gation being to large for the building, they raised another contribution and erected a larger church and school-house " far preferable to the former." In 1746 they awoke to a knowledge of the fact that Sprogel was dead, and that " owing to the Sloath and Neglect of the Elders and Church wardens" they had no title except it was shown by Spro- gel's conveyance of other lands described as adjoining those of the church. Henry Pannebecker, Valentine Gei- ger, George Jerger, Johanna Christiana Sprogel, widow of John Henry Sprogel, Jr., John Frederick Richards and Anna Elizabeth Hoppin, sister of Spogel and a widow, February 10, 1746, united in a certificate of these facts, and appearing before John Potts, one of his Majesty's justices, declared they were "Real Truth." Upon this paper the title depends. ]
It may be well to state here incidentally that Justis Falkner was not ordained at Wicacoa as pastor of this church, nor did he ever serve or preach here after his ordination. How long Daniel Falkner continued his interest in either this tract or the church is not known to a certainty, but it could not have been long after he was dispossessed of the property by Sprogel, as is recited at length elsewhere in this sketch.
[The next German preacher of whoin we have any record as ministering to the Falkner Swamp congregation is Gerhard Henkel 33 who served the congregation for several years after his arrival in 1717.34 From March, 1720, to October, 1723, the church was served by Rev. Samuel Hesselius, the Swedish pastor at Wicacoa, after which time the congregation was served by various preachers at irregu-
339 It is a question whether Gerhard Henkel was ever ordained. Vide, Rev. J. W. Mann, " Annotations Hallische Nachrichten," vol. i.
340 " Halleische Nachrichten," p. 831.
41
322
The Pietists of Provincial Pennsylvania.
lar intervals until they united with the congregations at Trappe and Philadelphia in an urgent call to Europe, 341 which was responded to by the Rev. Henry Melchior Mühlenberg in 1742.]
Daniel Falkner, now thoroughly disheartened and bereft of all his property by the conspiracy of Sprogel and Lloyd and the continuous opposition of Pastorius and his followers, and seeing that the Brotherhood, after the death of Kelpius, was in a state of disintegration, determined, at the first opportunity, to bid farewell to the scenes of his struggles and disappointments. He did not have long to wait, as his brother Justus asked his assistance in ministering to the Germans who were scattered over a large territory in East Jersey, and had started several congregations on the Raritan and its tributaries. The records of this are to be found upon the old register of the New York congregation, where they were entered by Dominie Justus Falkner (1703- 1723), as a part of his notitia parochialis.
According to an extended investigation lately published312 relative to the German Lutherans in New Jersey, it appears that the earliest known local record of any act of service by a German Lutheran pastor in that colony was a bap- tisin held August 1, 1714, at the house of " Ari van Guinea" a Christian negro on the Raritan, upon which occasion was baptized a child, born March 25, of John Peter Applemann and his wife Anna Magdalena.
Unfortunately the chronicler neglects to give the entry verbatim, or even to name the pastor who performed the sacred function, or where the original record is to be found. Which of the two Falkner brotliers officiated upon this
841 "The Old Trappe Church," Kretschmann, 1893, p. 5.
342 "The Early Germans in New Jersey," by Theo. Freylinghausen Chambers.
323
Ari van Guinea.
occasion is an open question. It was most probably Daniel, as Dominie Justus would have entered the fact upon his own register in New York.
Then again Ari and his wife Jora, both negroes, were originally from New York, and in the entry of the baptism of their child in 1705, Dominie Falkner calls them both Christian members of his congregation.313 After their removal to the Raritan Valley, they remained true and steadfast to their Christian profession according to the Lutheran doctrine, which is further instanced by the facts of their humble home being selected for the administration of the sacred ordinance, and that the name of their son, "Ari van Guinea, Jr.," subsequently appears upon Falk- ner's subscription list as a contributor towards the re-building of the Lutheran Church in New York.
To return to the subject of our sketch, it was shortly after the interview men ing that we find Dan ed as the regular more congrega ley of the Raritan, permanently set sey, where two of eventually married lie married Wilhelm
tioned by Captain Vin- iel Falkner install- pastor of two or ORS. WEST tions in the val- and his family NEW tled in New Jer- his daughters parishioners ; Mol- PR Dern, a brewer, and the other married To SEAL OF WEST JERSEY. hannes Kasner, who was a farmer. Both were active men in their respective congregations.
From now onward the history of Daniel Falkner becomes a part of the Lutheran Church record of New Jersey and New York. The congregations served by him were known
343 l'ide, extracts Baptismal Register, -sketch of Justus Falkner.
324
The Pietists of Provincial Pennsylvania.
as Rareton (Raritan), Im Gebirge (in the Highlands), Mühl- stein, Uylekil, Remrepugh, (Wallkill) or Ramapo,341 (Rem- merspach), Hanover, and Racheway.
[ Racheway, now Rockaway, originally Rahawaich, the Indian name of a tributary of the Raritan in Hunterdon County. It was upon the east bank of this river, two miles west of the present New Germantown, that the small log church of the Racheway congregation was built. ]
Of these stations at the time of Falkner's activity, according to the old records, Mühlstein must have been the most important Lutheran settlement at that day. The Rev. E. T. Corwin, D. D., of New Brunswick, who lived in the Mühlstein section for a quarter of a century, and spent much time in investigating the history of that region, states that the place now called Harlingen was, from 1728-1788, called Millstone (Mühlstein), because it was op de Mill- stone (over the Millstone). The Millstone River 315 is said to have been so named because of a hollow stone on the bank, in the present village of Millstone,346 where the In- dians pounded their corn. The reference to the Raritan, according to the same eminent authority, means the country about New Germantown in Hunterdon and Warren Counties.
344 Ramapo, in Bergen County, is a high hill on the river of the same naine.
345 The Millstone River rises near Paint Island Spring, in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County, and flows thence by a northern course of about five miles to the line between Monmonth and Middlesex Counties, thence N. W. about 14 miles through Middlesex County to the mouth of Stony Brook ; thence N. E. by way of Kingston into Somerset County, and after a course of 16 miles empties into the Raritan. It is a strong rapid stream, receiving the waters of an extensive country, and runs in many places through narrow valleys and consequently is subject to sudden and great overflows.
346 The village of Millstone is in Hillsboro Township, Somerset County, on the left bank of the Millstone River. It is about five miles south of Somerville.
325
Daniel Falkner in New Jersey.
According to late investigation,317 the congregation "Im Gebirge," i. e., in the highlands or mountains, also called in the German reports the Berg Gemeine or Hill Congrega- tion, built a church 318 at an early day which stood about one mile east of Pluckamin.349 The Rockaway Church, according to the same authority, was in Potterstown, 350 and is spoken of in a deed given for land " next to the church lot" by Aree van Genee,351 in 1741, to Matthias Scharfenstein.
As to the Hanover Church there seems to be some doubt and uncertainty about its identity. Recent investigations, however, all seem to point to the locality of Fuchsenberg or Fox Hill as the one here alluded to. 352 According to the Halle Reports, the original log church was located on the northern slope of this tract of elevated country, and was used by those of both the Lutheran and Reformed faith. 353
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