USA > Pennsylvania > The Reformed Church in Pennsylvania : part IX of A narrative and critical history, prepared at the request of the Pennsylvania-German Society > Part 3
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26 "Der Deutsche Pionier," Vol. 10, p. 188.
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Southern Pioneers.
In their enterprise Michel and Graffenried were supported by a joint stock company known as George Ritter and Company. In the articles of agreement made at the estab- lishment of this company, in 1708, it was expressly stipu- lated that " perfect religious freedom should be granted to the colonists whom they were about to send to America, and that a preacher of their own land should preach to them in their own tongue." 27
The history of the Swiss settlement in North Carolina is too well known to be related here. Students of American history remember the story of the disastrous war with the Tuscarora Indians, and the consequent destruction of New Berne, Sept. 22, 17II. After much suffering Graffenried made his way to Virginia where he was kindly received by Governor Spotswood. That he was instrumental in direct- ing the mind of the Governor to the desirability of encour- aging German immigration is very probable; but the assumption that he brought the relics of his colony to Vir- ginia is at least not proven. He returned to Berne in the year 1713, disheartened and impoverished. The " Life of Graffenried," which has recently been published in his native country, makes it appear that, though unfortunate, he was really a good man. His colony was scattered 28 but successive companies of Swiss immigrants arrived in the Carolinas and Georgia during succeeding years. In 1732 John Peter Purry (or Pury) founded Purrysburg 29 in South Carolina, which became a large village and is described as
27 Gen. John E. Roller's "Historical Address," 1897.
28 In a letter to the author the pastor of a Presbyterian Church in New Berne said, many years ago, that he could discover no trace of the early Swiss settle- ment, except the name of the town.
29 In an early document in the possession of the writer the name is written "Purrysbourg."
.
30
The Reformed Church in America.
well built and prosperous.30 The colonists brought with them as their pastor the Rev. Joseph Bugnion, who during his sojourn in England received Episcopal ordination.31 He served a Reformed Church in Purrysburg until 1735, when he removed to St. James, on the Santee. He was suc- ceeded by Bartholomew Zou- berbuhler,32 John Joachim Zubly, and others to whom we shall refer hereafter. Purrysburg continued to ex- ist as late as the period of the American Revolution ; and Mills informs us that it was the first headquarters of the Mappen Don Uri. American army under Gen. Lincoln, and was afterwards in the possession of the Brit- ish under Prevost; but soon after that time the place was deserted, and now it is only " a name in history."
About 1730 or a little earlier, the stream of Swiss emi- gration began to change its direction. Hitherto most of the emigrants had sought a home in the Carolinas; now they turned toward Pennsylvania. Bernheim intimates that letters had been written home, complaining of the southern climate, and the statement is not improbable. Other causes have been assigned for this change of direc- tion, but the matter is not important. It may, however, be observed that the migration to Pennsylvania was from the canton of Zurich, and to some extent from St. Gall and
30 Bernheim's "German Settlements in the Carolinas," p. 96.
31 Mann's "Life and Times of H. M. Muhlenberg," p. 80.
32 So he wrote his name in Zubly's album, April 12, 1746.
3I
Swiss Immigrants.
other German cantons. Isolated Swiss had indeed settled here at an earlier date-and the traders of Geneva had journeyed far into the wilderness-but the actual Swiss settlement in Pennsylvania dates from the Zurich mi- gration.
The Swiss immigrants came in large numbers, at first apparently without organization or recognized leaders. Many German-speaking people were already in the land ; and there were several organized Reformed congregations, but in the region between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers there were still many unoccupied districts which were well suited for agriculture. Here they settled in little companies which became the nuclei of Reformed congre- gations. In this region most of the early churches were exclusively Reformed; but there was no sectarian preju- dice, and at a later date many of them were replaced by Union churches.33
There can be no doubt that the comparative strength of the Reformed churches in this particular region was mainly due to their Swiss element. The Great Swamp congregation, in the southern angle of Lehigh County, originally consisted almost exclusively of " Zurichers "; and from there northward, at least as far as " Shugeri," at the base of the Blue Mountains, a careful examination of early records indicates that similar conditions pre- vailed.
We have spoken at some length of the Swiss because we believe they have not received the credit which they deserve. Though simple and unpretentious they were
33 The late Dr. B. M. Schmucker says in an article in the Lutheran Church Review for July, 1887 : "Throughout the district between the Schuylkill and Delaware, the Reformed congregations were formed somewhat earlier than the Lutheran congregations in their vicinity."
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The Reformed Church in America.
earnest and energetic, and the influence which they exerted on the development of the Reformed Church can hardly be too highly esteemed.
2. THE GERMANS .- That the majority of the founders of the Reformed Church in the United States were natives of the Rhine country is sufficiently plain. This fact indi- cates the reason why the Reformed immigrants were far more numerous than their relative strength in Germany might have led us to expect. In the Palatinate they were " by law established " and in Electoral Hesse, Nassau and certain other provinces, they were almost equally strong. That some of our earliest churches were largely composed of natives of Rhenish Prussia is well known, and from the fact that many of the early congregational constitutions have north-German peculiarities we conclude that this ele- ment was more important than has been generally supposed.
To attempt to determine the numbers of this Reformed immigration would probably prove a hopeless task. So far as the entire American continent is concerned it has, we believe, never been attempted; and the estimates of the early Reformed population of Pennsylvania which have come down to us are hardly more than guesses. In a re- port offered to the Synod of South Holland, convened in Breda, in 1730, it was stated that " the Reformed holding to the old confession constituted more than one-half of the whole number (of Germans), being about fifteen thousand."34
In Schlatter's days it was common to estimate the Re- formed population of Pennsylvania at 30,000. If this is understood to be an estimate of the whole number of
34 Reiff ventured to assert that there were 70,000, but this was manifestly a wild assertion. On the other hand Rieger and Diemer (1733) put the whole number of Germans, which included the Lutherans and sects at 15,000, and a letter from Pennsylvania, in 1731, says there were only 3,000 .- Good's "His- tory," p. 140.
THE REFORMED CHURCH IN PENNSYLVANIA.
FREDERICK THE PIOUS.
33
The Germans.
people of Reformed ancestry, scattered here and there throughout the province, it may not be very far out of the way; but it is plain that nothing like so large a number was ever gathered into congregations. The great majority were lost in the general population of the country, and their descendants soon forgot " the rock from which they were hewn." It must also be remem- bered that, though the Reformed element may have been in the majority so long as the migration was practically confined to Switzerland and the Rhine country, the com- parative number became less as the migratory movement extended to other parts of Germany, and that before many years had passed the Lutherans had become the larger body.
As already indicated it is not our purpose to relate the story of " the great migration." We have briefly attempted this task on previous occasions,35 and the subject has been extensively treated in former volumes of the publications of the Pennsylvania-German Society.36 It may, however, not be out of place to remind the reader that this migra- tion was the natural result of the prevailing misery of the fatherland. For a century Germany had been the battle- ground of Europe,37 and there were generations which never knew the blessings of peace. History has most to say about the Thirty Years' War (1619-'48), but the climax of horrors was reached during the French invasion of the Palatinate (1688-'89), which for pure barbarity was unex- ampled in the annals of nations. "Then," says Duruy,
35 "Historic Manual," pp. 143-152; "American Church History Series," Vol. 8, p. 236 ; "Founding of the German Churches of Pennsylvania," p. 9. 36 See especially "The German Exodus to England in 1709," by Frank Ried Diffenderffer, 1897.
37 The struggle began in 1609 with the war for the possession of the Rhine Duchies and was not actually concluded until the signing of the treaty of Utrecht, May 4, 1713. The brief periods of peace brought no tranquility.
34
The Reformed Church in America.
a French writer, "one hundred thousand inhabitants, driven from their country by the flames, entreated Ger- many for revenge "; but the German princes of this period had no conception of the responsibilities of their position, and generally did not even make an effort to relieve the sufferers. " God forgive them," said Prince Eugene, " for they know not what they do; much less do they know what they want ; and least of all, what they are."
The migration which began at that dreadful time was continued and extended in succeeding years. There were several minor French invasions, and then, after a brief in- terval, came the War of the Spanish Succession, during which western Germany was once more desolated by con- tending armies. The war was practically ended, so far as Germany was concerned, by the magnificent victory of Marlborough and Prince Eugene at Blenheim, or ARMS OF HOLLAND. Hochstadt, but the result brought no promise of better days. In times of war the soldiers had at least been prodigal with their booty, and in this way some fragments had returned to their original owners; but now even this uncertain means of subsistence was taken away, though their merciless rulers did not hesitate to send out companies of soldiers to distrain the goods of a people who were on the verge of starvation.38 For several years the harvest failed, and at last, to crown this chapter of horrors, came the terrible winter of 1709 which was accompanied by a famine that
38 " Der Deutsche Pionier," XIV., 271.
35
The Great Migration.
spread over Germany and France.39 "Then," says Löher, " the people looked into each other's faces and said : 'Let us go to America and if we perish, we perish !'"
To relate the story of the emigration would demand a volume. We may read elsewhere how the multitude of " Palatines " hastened down the Rhine to Holland; how they were transported to England ; and how, after difficul- ties which taxed to the utmost the resources of the British government, most of them were finally conveyed to the American colonies. Though we have no room to dwell on themes like these, it may be well to recall the fact that compared with the sufferings of the early Palatines the trials of the Pilgrims of New England were very gentle experiences.
It must not be forgotten that the German migration was a movement that extended through the greater part of the eighteenth century. Though in its later developments it lacked the dramatic elements of earlier days, it is not for that reason destitute of interest. The later immigrants were not fugitives from French invasion, nor were they pensioners on the charity of Great Britain. Many of them, it is true, were poor when they left the fatherland, and othere were robbed on the way. There were wicked men who enticed the ignorant and confiding to sail to America though they were utterly destitute of means-men who even then were known as " sellers of souls" (Seelenver- käufer)-whose infamous work naturally resulted in pri- vation and suffering. There were immigrants whose passage was paid by years of labor; but as a rule Redemptioners were not oppressed, and some of them in later years became men of wealth and influence. In a
39 Duruy says : "The lackeys of the king begged for bread at the gates of Versailles."
36
The Reformed Church in America.
general way it may be said that the early German immi- grants were, in culture and social condition, fully the peers of the settlers of other nationalities. Not a few brought with them the means of purchasing land which friends or relatives had selected for them before they crossed the ocean. Nearly all could read and write; and that they were fond of reading is sufficiently indicated by the great number of German books which were published in Pennsylvania. The " church-people " had a traditional respect for higher education, and though they may have been themselves uneducated, they were never quite satis- fied unless they had a pastor whom they believed to be a learned man.
That the Reformed people through all their trials tena- ciously held to their ancient faith is in many respects mar- velous. They were not fond of controversy ; they never dreamed of increasing their numbers by theological propa- ganda ; but were careful to preserve their ancient traditions. They might differ among themselves with regard to ques- tions which now seem to have been of little importance ; but they insisted that certain matters of ritual must under all conditions be strictly observed.40 Though the laity could
40 The early Reformed Churches in America most generally used the Palat- inate Liturgy, though other European orders of service were sometimes em- ployed, and in the absence of a liturgy the worship was often entirely free. At first the congregations generally, though not exclusively, sang the Psalms ac- cording to the version of Ambrosius Lobwasser ; but after the Marburg Hymn- book had been reprinted by Christopher Saur it seems to have been generally introduced. "If a Pennsylvania farmer had at this time been asked to point out the difference between the Reformed and Lutheran churches he would probably have said : 'In the Lord's Prayer the Reformed say " Unser Vater" and the Lutherans say " Vater Unser" ; and further on in the same prayer the Lutherans say "Erlöse uns von dem Uebel" and the Reformed " Erlöse uns von dem Bösen."' He might also have referred to the fact that the Lutherans generally use unleavened bread in the Lord's Supper, and if particularly well instructed, he might have mentioned the variation in the division of the Ten Commandments which is found in the Catechisms of the two churches."- "Historic Manual," p. 264.
37
Palatines.
not be expected to be generally familiar with European confessions of faith the Heidelberg Catechism was univer- sally recognized and constituted a bond of union which sufficed for their simple religious necessities. On the title- page of their catechisms appeared a representation of a nand holding a measuring-rule, extending from a cloud and surrounded by a scroll with the inscription : " Nach dieser Regel suchet in der Schrift"-" According to this rule search the Scriptures "-and there can be no doubt that the exhortation was accepted in the most literal manner.
Though many of the early German settlers were very devout, there were few who appreciated the necessity of closer denominational unity than had existed in the father- land. Unlike the dissenting churches of England, they had never been trained to self-support ; and now that they were toiling hard to found new homes in a strange land they seem to have imagined that the government ought somehow to provide for the preaching of the Gospel. Years passed be- fore they learned the lessons of liberality and self-sacrifice which are essential to the successful establishment of the Church.
Religiously and socially the Reformed pioneers are hardly to be distinguished from the great body of Germans of their times. It has been said that in conduct they were unusually strict, and that they laid more stress on moral discipline than has been done by their descendants ; but all attempts to establish such distinctions are unsatisfactory. If they had lost the joyous spirit which is supposed to be characteristic of the Palatinate, we must remember the terrible trials through which they had passed. If the English regarded them as ignorant and stolid, the impres- sion was mainly due to that insularity which fails to recog- nize intelligence unless it is expressed in accustomed forms
38
The Reformed Church in America.
of speech. As a rule they were quiet and unpretentious, thoroughly honest and very hospitable. Their ready con- fidence in the assertions of strangers often made them the prey of worthless pretenders. Some of them had been influenced by Pietism, which generally assumed the form of quiet reflection. They were great readers of devotional books ; but it was not easy to handle them in great masses, nor to induce them to work together for the accomplish- ment of a general purpose. Though they treated their pastors with profound respect they rarely suffered them to become their secular leaders. Excellent people as they were in many ways,41 they were hard to lead and harder to drive.
In considering the formative influences in the Reformed Church of this country there is another national element which must not be overlooked. Though less significant than either of the others it exerted a more important influ- ence than has been generally supposed, and in the study of the history of the Church it cannot be entirely ignored.
3. THE FRENCH .- The Protestants of France, in con- sequence of the persecutions which followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes were scattered through many coun- tries. Many of them were intelligent and enterprising men, and both England and Prussia owe much of their prosperity to the energy and skill of the exiled Huguenots.
That many of these people found their way to America we have already intimated. In the South, and especially in South Carolina, they formed compact settlements, which, however, were greatly strengthened by the arrival of
41 "In 1727 a committee of the Provincial Assembly of Pennsylvania re- ported : 'The Germans have purchased and honestly paid for their lands, and have paid their taxes and assessments regularly ; they are a very sober and honest people, both in their religious and civil duties.'"-Rupp's MS. "Fire- side History of Pennsylvania."
39
The French.
large numbers of French Swiss. In the province of New York they were numerous, and the French Reformed Church of the City of New York was founded by Pierre Daillé in 1683. They built the town of New Rochelle, and a Reformed church was founded there by Bonrepos in 1688. Leaving these settlements out of consideration, it may be interesting to make inquiries concerning the extent of the Huguenot element in the province of Penn- sylvania.
That such questions are difficult is evident at a glance. There are, of course, many families in Pennsylvania which bear names that are undoubtedly of French origin, and it might naturally be supposed that these must be de- scended from Huguenot emigrants. This, however, does not necessarily follow. From the earliest times there were migrations from France to Germany, and in the re- verse direction, and these were not in every case influenced by religious motives. Traders passed freely from one country to the other, and journeymen mechanics (Hand- werksbursche) could not be restrained from settling in foreign lands. The German author, August La Fontaine, was once asked whether he belonged to the family of the celebrated French fabulist, Jean de la Fontaine. He said in reply : " The La Fontaines, I am told, are as plenty in France as the Schmidts are in Germany. I am probably descended from some undistinguished Frenchman of that name who strayed to our side of the Rhine and married a German girl. For hundreds of years the connections of my family have been purely German, so that there is nothing French about me except my name."
Long before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, as we have seen, French refugees became so numerous that they were able to found churches in several German cities,
40
The Reformed Church in America.
but the great majority were scattered throughout Germany, and their descendants became thoroughly Germanized. Of this class there were, no doubt, many among the early settlers of Pennsylvania.
On the other hand the fact must be recognized that from an early period there were many German names in France, as may be seen by referring to ancient Huguenot records. Naturally, too, there were many Frenchmen who gave their names a German or English twist as soon as they left their native land; for in those days a French name was not supposed to confer distinction. This process, begun in Europe, was continued in America, so that in Pennsyl- vania but a small proportion of French surnames have pre- served their original form. To refer only to names which occur to us at the time of writing, Fortineaux has become Fordney ; L'Hommedieu, Lumdy ; Chappelle, Schappel ; Blanc, Blank; La Fleur, Leffler ; Beauchamp, Bushong ; De Jean, Shunk; Charpentier, Carpenter ; Le Jeune, Young; Caquelin, Gackly-and so on to almost any extent.
From what has been said it becomes evident that sur- names are not the most important element in determining the extent of the French element in the Reformed Church. There are, however, credible traditions and even documents which indicate that this element was much larger than is generally supposed. Not all the Huguenots, Walloons and French Swiss were Germanized before they crossed the ocean. In Lancaster-where a company of French traders had long been settled-the Rev. Charles Louis Boehme, who was pastor of the First Reformed Church from 1771 to 1775, preached regularly in the French language. This is distinctly stated in the records of the congregation. He also occasionally preached French in Philadelphia.
THE REFORMED CHURCH IN PENNSYLVANIA.
DAVID PAREUS Theol Heidelb .
HENRICUS ALTINGVS Theol Prof. Groning.
AMBROSI, LOBWASSER, Duc. Boruss. Confiliarius.
JOHANNES WOLLEBIUS. Theol. Basilzzzzsis .
EARLY REFORMED THEOLOGIANS. ARMINIUS (1560-1609)
4I
Huguenots.
Whether French services were maintained in Lancaster after Boehme's resignation we do not know,42 but that there was a French community in Lancaster appears probable from the following quaint advertisement which we trans- late from the Neue Unpartheyische Lancaster Zeitung of January 27, 1788 :
" PETER AUDIRAC, from France, has the honor to an- nounce to the Gentlemen and Ladies that he intends to keep a school in the French language. His wife makes known to the Ladies that she makes habits, caps, cha- peaux, etc., after all sorts of fashions. He lives at the Widow Newman's."
Among the papers collected by Dr. Harbaugh there is a curious letter written in French by the Rev. Abraham Blumer, of Lehigh County, which may be of interest in this connection. It has, we believe, never appeared in print. Blumer was a Swiss minister who was sent to America in 1770 by the Synods of Holland, and was for more than thirty years pastor of Reformed churches in Allentown and its vicinity. In his early ministry he had acquired the French language, and on this ground the French Reformed Church of New York gave him a call which he felt constrained to decline because he had grown " rusty." In his declination he refers pleasantly to Pastor Boehme, and gives the congregation some excellent ad- vice concerning the best way of securing a pastor. The letter is in its way unique, and we therefore reproduce it exactly as it was written :
42 Boehme was pastor of the Reformed Church of Hanover, Pa., from 1775 to 1781. It is known that some Huguenots had settled in that vicinity, but it does not appear that he preached to them in their native language. He died as pastor of the Second Street Reformed Church of Baltimore, about 1786.
42
The Reformed Church in America.
" Messieurs mes très chers Fréres en J. C. à la fois Le Duc de Mirepoix in his Absence to
Je me voir honoré de deux de Vos lettres à la fois, d'une de l'onzieme Juillet que je reçus le 21 de ce mois, et du Duplicat de la même qui me fut rendu un jour plutôt, savoir le 20 du Courant. Quant aux propositions que Vous me faites dans les dites Lettres, je suis faché de ne me pas trouver en état de respondre a Vos Desirs. C'est vrai que je parlais la Lange françoise quelque peu il-y-a quelques années mais j'avoue ingenuement que je ne pos- sedoir jamais cette Langue dans un tel degre pour satisfaire á tous les Devoirs d'un Ministre etabli dans une Eglise françoise, et á présent faute d'exercise la francois en bonne partie, s'en elle en oubli. Vous me dites dans Votre chere Lettre d'avoir apris, que javoir preché il-y-a peu de tems en francois á Germantown, mais permettes que je Vous dise, mes trés chers freres, que ce ne'etoit pas mois, mais mon Compagnon de Voïage dans ce pais-ci, Mr. Boehme Minister de Lancastre que precha un Sermon francois a Philadelphia au mois de May passé. Peutêtre Vous auriez plus d'assistance à esperer de ce côte-la que de ma Part. Mais comme les intentions de ce Mr. me ne sont pas con- nues, je crois la Voie la plus sure pour obtenir un fidele Min- istre pour Votre Eglise seroit d'addresser à quelque pieux et zelé Ministre d'une Eglise françoise en Hollande, et je ne doute point si Vous exposerez Votra Situation, qu'il tacherais a persuader à quelque Ministre sans place, qui S'y trouvent toujours, d'entreprendre la Voïage pour la Nouvelle-York. En attendant Jesus Christ le fidel, bon et Souverain Pasteur de ces fideles veuille habiter entre Vous par la parole et Son Esprit, et Vous mes frères ne cessez
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