USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > The history of the First English Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, 1837-1909 > Part 4
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
In January, 1842, the sale of the following pews was reported :
To Samuel Murray $112 50
To Samuel Hubley 135 00
To Mrs. Rahm. 120 00
To P. Shoenberger
110 00 $477 50
Pew rents $774 90
Collections on above
503 44
March 14, a report was made of cash received dur- ing the year, as follows:
For rent and sale of pews. $601 98
Subscriptions and donations 524 03
Weekly collections 253 73
Rent for room in basement. 60 00
$1,439 74
Mr. Weyman submitted a notice from Robert McConnell, stating that judgment had been procured in favor of Sharpless & Company which must be satisfied on or before the 20th inst. or the church would be offered for sale by the Sheriff on April 25.
March 26, the pastor tendered his resignation. It was laid on the table for future action. At a subse- quent meeting Mr. Peter Graff was elected a member of Council. Upon Mr. Weyman's motion a Committee on Finance was appointed to take charge of the finan-
[42]
Pastorate of the Reb. John mceron
cial affairs of the congregation, Messrs. Weyman, Ritz, and Graff being appointed. The Juvenile Total Abstinence Society of the Sunday School was per- mitted the use of the schoolroom once a week "so long as they conducted themselves in an orderly and quiet manner."
For more than a year the Sunday School Teachers' Association had held no meeting. An earnest effort was made to reorganize this work, and May 31, 1842, Mr. John R. Hersh was elected superintendent and Wm. Gillespie, secretary and treasurer. An article in the Constitution was changed to read :
" No person shall be elected President of this Society unless he be a member of good standing in this Church, a zealous advocate of Sabbath Schools, a determined enemy of Sabbath breaking, and willing at all times to open or close the sessions of the School, our society business meetings, and our society social prayer-meetings by prayer."
The situation was gloomy indeed and the faithful members must have been sorely discouraged. The Parish Bulletin, of Oct. 14, 1894, records the follow- ing action of the Council when it elected Mr. F. A. Heisely delegate to the Synod in the fall of 1842.
" Resolved, that our delegate to the West Pennsylvania Synod he instructed to confer with that body on the subject of the missionary station at Pittsburgh, and enter into any arrangement which the expression of the Synod may warrant."
Also the following from the minutes of the Alle- ghany Synod (which was organized this year and to which the delegate was evidently sent finally), dated Hollidaysburg, Pa., Sept. 9, 1842:
[43]
first English Lutheran Church
" Mr. F. A. Heisely made a plea in behalf of Pittsburgh, stating that unless aid be rendered the congregation they could not retain the services of their pastor. Whereupon pledges to the amount of $100 were given by members of the Synod."
Dr. Geissinger comments upon this as follows: "The First Church was also once a child that needed to be ministered to, even as she has now for many years in her maturity generously ministered to others. How little, comparatively, we know of the difficulties and trials of our fathers in their faithful and noble efforts to maintain and promote the Faith."
Mr. McCron had continued to serve the congrega- tion, but on November 9, 1842, he requested a settle- ment of his account, having accepted a call from New Lancaster, Ohio. At a subsequent meeting, the fol- lowing was unanimously adopted :
" We, the undersigned, members of the Vestry of the First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Pittsburgh, Pa., take great pleasure in certifying that our beloved pastor, Rev. John McCron, has ever sustained whilst among us an unsullied and unimpeached moral character. His principles and doctrines, so far as we can judge, have been strictly evangelical, and in our opinion he is fully qualified to discharge the duties of his high vocation. We cannot, however, help our deep sorrow that we have to separate, and in doing so our sincere and fervent prayer is that the Great Head of the Church will abundantly reward him for his labors of love in our midst."
Mr. McCron began his ministry in Pittsburgh. Tall and well-proportioned, with a dignified carriage, a pleasant countenance with large, expressive eyes, and
[44]
pastorate of the Reb. John Mceron
engaging social gifts, he made a favorable impres- sion at once. Possessing a sonorous voice, a fluent delivery and a style animated and at times even ex- cessively florid, he was popular as a preacher and the evening services attracted large audiences. He was especially admired and befriended by the Methodists for whom he repeatedly preached and who were very kind to the feeble Lutheran congregation. Leaving Pittsburgh he served congregations in Lancaster, 0., Pikeland, Still Valley, and Norristown, Pa., Rhinebeck, N. Y., Middletown, Md., and for twelve years was located in Baltimore, Md., as the pastor, first of the Monument St. Church and then of the West Lexington St. Lutheran Church. He was for several years Principal of the Hagerstown Female Seminary. Roanoke College conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity upon him in 1857. After brief pastorates in Bloomsburg, Pottsville, and Philadel- phia he died in the latter city, April 26, 1881, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. He is spoken of by those who knew him in his maturity as "unrivalled for readiness, fluency, and glowing oratory."
During his pastorate in Pittsburgh a condition of unwonted excitement pervaded the country. The presidential campaign of 1840 was unrivalled in in- tensity and in the mode of conducting the campaign. Within a few days following the dedication of the church, an immense Whig convention was held in Pittsburgh. This brought thousands from remote distances, undoubtedly the largest gathering in pro- portion to the size of the city ever held here. A number of the members of the Synod remained after adjournment to witness the demonstration. The
[45]
first English Lutheran Church
death of President Harrison one month after his in- auguration was a great shock to the country. A day of national humiliation and prayer was observed and the churches of the city were crowded with devout congregations, the First Church for the first time being draped in mourning.
Besides the political ferment, there were various developments of fanaticism. A temperance Society, originating in Baltimore and called the Washing- tonians, held meetings nightly in the churches for many weeks with unabated crowds in attendance. Addresses were made by reformed drunkards who detailed in a shocking manner their degraded ex- ploits and applauded the Society's work in their re- formation, and urged all present to sign the pledge which was in charge of officers of the meeting. So widespread was the excitement that the volunteer fire engine companies, which then constituted that de- partment, paraded the streets at night, carrying torches and singing popular temperance songs.
Another extravagant development was the predic- tion of the impending destruction of the world, which was set forth with terrifying energy from stands on the butcher blocks in the Market House and from elevated positions at prominent street corners. A distinct sect, calling themselves Millerites, actually prepared ascension robes in which to be caught up in the air at the second coming of Christ.
This fanatical spirit manifested itself, often with painful extravagances, in the churches of various denominations in what was popularly called "new measures," the influence of which was traceable for many years.
[46]
CHAPTER V Pastorate of the Reb. William H. Smith 1843-1844
N unsuccessful effort was made to secure the Rev. Samuel Sprecher, of Martinsburg, Va., as the successor of Mr. McCron. Arrangements were made to sup- ply the pulpit during the vacancy "at any salary not exceeding five dollars for each sermon."
An invitation was extended to the General Synod to hold its next session, in 1845, in Pittsburgh.
The Finance Committee reported that the total indebtedness of the congregation to Mr. Weyman amounted to $13,504.30. Messrs. Graff and Yeager were requested to solicit aid from Harrisburg and Philadelphia churches in the liquidation of the Church debt, while absent on a proposed business trip to the East.
Early in April, 1843, it was announced that the Rev. William H. Smith, of Charleston, South Carolina, had been secured as pastor at a salary of $600.00, and that he was expected to arrive in a few days.
Mr. Smith was strikingly in contrast with his pred- ecessor in every respect. Slight of build, with a quiet and pleasing address, he lacked the oratorical abilities of Mr. McCron, but in practical efficiency he was his superior. Not depending exclusively upon
[47]
first English Lutheran Church
his efforts as a preacher, he labored zealously as a pastor to promote the interests of the congregation. In his brief pastorate he added a number to the membership, Messrs. W. C. and Thomas H. Lane being included in his confirmation class. He secured various improvements in the church building. The most welcome was the introduction of gas for illumi- nation, though when this was done an immense chandelier, constructed of iron tubing, was suspended from the centre of the church. This was really a deformity, unattractive in appearance and a failure in the diffusion of light, while it obstructed the view of the preacher from a considerable number of pews in the rear.
To aid in securing funds to meet these expendit- ures it was proposed to hold a fair, and in order to attract public attention, the pastor, by a resolution of Council, was authorized to visit Washington, D. C., in an endeavor to obtain permission from the Custis family to bring General Washington's tent, which they owned and greatly prized, to Pittsburgh for ex- hibition. Mr. Smith, being a native of Georgetown, D. C., was personally acquainted with the Custis family, and obtained their consent, though never be- fore or since did they permit the tent to go beyond their protection. The tent, on its arrival in the city, was escorted to its destination by the Duquesne Greys. The fair was held July 4, in a storeroom on Wood Street, a few doors from Diamond Street. The tent was set up on the second floor and was carefully guarded day and night. The Council, in returning it, passed grateful acknowledgments to the Hon. G. W. P. Custis and invited him to visit the city.
[48]
INTERIOR OF THE SEVENTH AVENUE CHURCH
First english Lutheran Church
His efforts prowler, he labored zealously as a Gr Justerests of the congregation. In Tale he added a mimber to the W. C. and Thomas H. Lane being mortales hoz his confirmation class. He secured varum improvements in the church building. The maal wewon- the introduction of gas for illumi malle barn when Wils was done an immense chinit fity saurosted of leon tubing, was suspended frow ilu sos - the chovli. This was really a deformity, so-medlems Meavance and a failure in the (Brfrieren 4 5t wil wobstructed the view of the prares fin arildo number of pews in the remp
To aid in wie lila la nost these espendit- urde it was peer -4 56 Sif & fair, and in order to ntiesof public attede- le pilor hy a resolution of Council, war udkommet Mi sfil: Washington, D. C .. in an endeavor lo chu yen boton from the Custhe family 10, bring frist que" umt, which they owned and great
Inbition Mr. Storn & salove & Goorgetowi, D. C., was personally with the Costia Faandy, and obtained !. . Wongh never be
foro or sinve did they anied in the city,
to go beyond
their protection. The umu
The Duquesne тя рёров)АйНо ИЧИТА НИЯЧА? Энт Но ЯоЯтТИ ForprDoio On! Groys. The fair was
Wood Street, a few Jours Beim Isam ond Stroet. The Lent que set up in the I floce wol was carefully gourded day and night The Cure il, in returning it, purwed grateful adin eledenools to the Hon. G. W. P. Cnatis and insjies boom to seit the city.
.
Pastorate of the Reb. William H. Smith
In the interests of the same effort to secure funds, there is also a record of October 9 that Mr. Weyman reported the proceeds of Col. Lehmanowsky's lec- tures $110.00, and that $55.00 were appropriated to the Church.
-
January 9, 1844, Mr. Thomas H. Lane was elected librarian of the Sunday School. March 4 of this year, the Council accepted a bill from Mr. Weyman for $810.25 interest on Church debt for one year, and ordered it paid "as soon as the money could be secured."
At the same meeting, the pastor, having been in Pittsburgh less than a year, tendered his resignation, occasioned by the condition of his health and the advice of his physicians that the atmosphere was un- favorable to his recovery. His letter closes with the prayer that "the Great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls may continue to water your Zion with copious effusions of His rich and saving grace and that Christ may hold in His right hand the candlestick which now burns with its healthful and cheering glow in the midst of your devoted and faithful flock." He warmly recommended the Rev. William A. Passavant of Baltimore as his successor, and submitted a letter he had written him urging him to come. The Council authorized a committee to extend a call to Mr. Passavant, at a salary of five hundred dollars.
March 25, an extended communication was received through Mr. Smith from Mr. Passavant, explaining his position in Baltimore and declining the call. April 22, Mr. Passavant was present at a special meeting of the Council and was introduced by Mr. Weyman. He stated that if the call from this congre- 4
[49]
First English Lutheran Church
gation should be repeated, he would be willing to accept. It was unanimously agreed to extend the call again to Mr. Passavant.
The resignation of Mr. Smith was formally accep- ted May 14 by the following unanimous resolution :
" With deepest regret, we hereby accept the resignation of our beloved Pastor, the Rev. W. H. Smith. We can with pleasure bear testimony to his uprightness and Christian deportment and to his kindness and love to his charge which has endeared him to the congregation. In parting with him, we cannot refrain from expressing our sincere regard and love for his zeal and devotion to the interests of the Church which fully marked his short sojourn in our midst. Our prayer is that the Father of all Mercies may restore him to his wonted health and afford him a field of usefulness which has so satisfactorily characterized him here."
Mr. Smith, who was born in Georgetown, D. C., in 1816, had, before coming to Pittsburgh, served as assistant to the Rev. Dr. Bachman of Charleston, S. C., and had married a lady of that city. He also served congregations in Barren Hill, Pa., St. Louis, Mo., and Baltimore, Md. He was much interested in scientific studies, especially chemistry and electricity, and developed a number of inventions. He is also said to have received the degree of M.D. He visited London, England, in the interest of his inventions, and died there.1
1 Pennsylvania College Book, p. 198.
CHAPTER VI Pastorate of the Reb. William A. Passavant, D.D.
1844-1855
HE entrance of the Rev. W. A. Passavant as pastor of the con- gregation was not only an epoch in its history, but from it followed far-reaching influ- ences in the development of Lutheranism throughout West- ern Pennsylvania, and other influences which ulti- mately extended beyond human calculation.
For extended notice of his relations to the congre- gation and to general Church operations we must refer to the complete biography by the Rev. Dr. Gerberding, "Life and Letters of W. A. Passavant, D.D."
His family was among the early settlers of Western Pennsylvania, and while the home was in Zelienople, the family had many acquaintances among prominent people of Pittsburgh, and thus especial attention was attracted to the young and comparatively unknown congregation, by the arrival of its new pastor.
Youthful, handsome, and gracious in manner, his popularity was immediate and general. He put new courage and life into the disheartened and debt-bur- dened flock. His sympathies and activities soon ex-
[5]]
First English Lutheran Church
tended beyond the bounds of his immediate parish. Regular services were held in the jail, and the poor, the sick, and the neglected were sought and relieved.
This was a period of great unrest and of great looseness of doctrine and practice in the Lutheran Church in this country. With practically no Lutheran literature of an historical or confessional character in the English language, and with a radical professor in the Seminary at Gettysburg and equally radical editors of the Church papers, it is not strange that many of the English pastors were swept off their feet by the widespread fanatical movements in the country and the "new measure" practices of the denominations about them.
During his pastorate in Baltimore, Mr. Passavant had been a "new measure" man, and this spirit characterized the early part of his ministry in Pitts- burgh. Popular with all classes and all denomina- tions, his pulpit ability drew large congregations, many of the students of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary attending the services quite regularly. His "unionistic" tendencies reached their culmina- tion in a series of protracted meetings held jointly with the pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, with which denomination he also seriously advocated, in the columns of the Lutheran Observer, an organic union.
His activity was incessant, and his missionary spirit and farsightedness led him to secure lots and to organize Sunday Schools and mission congrega- tions in various suburbs and the surrounding coun- try. While many of these enterprises date from a period later than his connection with the First
[52]
THE REV. WILLIAM ALFRED PASSAVANT, D.D.
finac Englteli karbenm church
al no immediate parish. I ta tite jail, and the poor, I were sought and relieved. Cost uurest and of great el practice in the Lutheran With practically no Lutheran Vor confessional character in oil with a radical professor wasbarg and equally radical more, it le not strange that dnes were swept off their hosted movements in the practices of the
Milinoin. Mr. Passavant wir and this spirit Mdatry in Pitta and all denomina- Down agregations. Arturun Theological omite regularly. fod florir onlmina ings hold jointly 1 Presbyterian he also seriously Lutheran Observer
wok his amissionary Loy to moore lots and ul mission congregn- ( mrrounding coun- Arises date from i'm with the First
m. W
pastorate of the Reb. William A. Passabant
Church, yet during his pastorate of eleven years work was thus begun at Grace Church, Birmingham, where the Revs. W. R. Roedel and Henry Reck were the first pastors; Trinity Church, Allegheny ; and Mt. Calvary, McKees Rocks, where a frame church was dedicated free of debt in the fall of 1853. A lot was also bought on Juniata St., Allegheny, and a chapel built (1850) where Emanuel Church was later organized, but the chapel was destroyed by a hurricane when under roof, and this enterprise was for the time abandoned. Sunday Schools were also organized in Bayardstown and Lawrenceville, but were later discontinued. Pledges to the amount of nearly $300 were also given by members of the First Church towards the support of a missionary for Bayardstown and East Liberty, and in 1850 the Pitts- burgh Synod placed the "Bayardstown and East Liberty Mission" on its roll of missions. The Rev. J. K. Plitt served it for a brief time. Twelve hun- dred dollars were subscribed by members of the First Church toward the erection of a chapel in Bayards- town, but the field was abandoned in 1852.
June 10, 1844, on motion of the pastor, the Council decided that the Lord's Supper should be adminis- tered on the last Sunday of every other month, thus providing for six communions a year.
For several years the Sunday School celebrated the Fourth of July by an outing. On this day in this year (1844) Mr. Passavant addressed the school "in a beautiful grove on the banks of the Allegheny," mak- ing an earnest appeal for the mission cause. At the close of the year the missionary boxes returned sixty dollars. For some years the mission offerings were
[53]
First english Lutheran Church
sent to Father Heyer in India, and later were devoted to Home Missions.
August 6, the Teachers' Association resolved to begin a new School in the Fifth Ward to be known as "The English Lutheran Sunday School, No. 2." The Rev. Mr. Schweigert, then a Bible colporteur, collected scholars. The first session was held Sept. 1, 1844, with 43 scholars. By January there were 132 enrolled. The School met for some time in a school- house. About this same time Sunday School work was begun in Allegheny, also, but was soon discon- tinued, to be resumed successfully later. A School was also begun this fall in Birmingham in the house of Mrs. Millinger.
November 11, a committee was appointed "to con- fer with Brother Fownes, or some other person, on the subject of leading the singing in the church and instructing the choir." $25.00 per annum was the price fixed for the service.
January 13, 1845, there is a record that "the regu- lar business of Council was postponed on account of the protracted meeting."
As early as 1831 ten pastors of Western Penn- sylvania had met in Greensburg, Pa., and had dis- cussed the advisability of organizing a new Synod. The need of closer association among the ministers and of better provision for the scattered people was felt by all, and a resolution looking toward organiza- tion was unanimously adopted. But the older Synods, especially Ohio, disapproved of the project and it was dropped.1
1 Burgess, " The General Synod in Western Pennsylvania ", p. 49, et seq.
[54]
Pastorate of the Reb. William A. Passabant
Mr. Passavant was the successful organizer of the Pittsburgh Synod. In September, 1844, he had preached at the consecration of a modest brick church in Zelienople, which was but the second Eng- lish Lutheran Church in all the territory now covered by the Pittsburgh Synod. He here proposed to the Rev. Gottlieb Bassler, who later became the first president of the General Council, the formation of a local Synod, and maintained an unceasing agitation on the subject which finally resulted in a meeting of eight ministers and six lay delegates in the First Church, Pittsburgh, January 15, 1845. The local congregation appointed Mr. George Weyman as its delegate and arranged for the entertainment of the visitors.
The organization was effected with the following officers : President, the Rev. Michael J. Steck of Greensburg; Secretary, the Rev. Gottlieb Bassler of Zelienople. President Steck represented seven con- gregations, and Mr. Bassler, five. In addition to Mr. Passavant, the other pastors present on this memorable occasion were, the Revs. George F. Ehrenfeldt, of Clarion, two congregations; Abram Weils, of Ginger Hill, two congregations; Elihu Rathbun, of Mercer, three congregations; Samuel D. Witt, of Shippenville, two congregations; and David Earhart, of Leechburg, four congregations. The six lay delegates were Messrs. Jacob S. Steck, Greensburg; George Weyman, Pittsburgh; C. S. Passavant, Zelienople; James Griffin, Mercer; Fred- erick Carsten, Scenery Hill; and Joseph Shoop, Freeport.
[55]
First English Lutheran Church
The vitality and missionary energy which charac- terized this movement is manifest in the fact that in the first ten years of the Synod's history no less than sixty new churches were built. During much of this time, in addition to all his other labors, young Mr. Passavant was the Missionary President of the Synod.
February 22, 1845, at a special meeting of Council, thirty-six new members were received, among them Mr. Asa H. Waters, afterwards ordained to the min- istry and long closely associated with Dr. Passavant in his charitable work.
April 1, the treasurer's report for the year showed the income to have been $1205.29, with expenses of $1145.35.
Two calamities of unusual severity befell Pitts- burgh during Mr. Passavant's pastorate. One was the conflagration of 1845 and the other the virulent out- break of cholera in 1854.
April 10, 1845, a large part of the business section of the city was destroyed by a fire which began at Ferry and Second Streets, and, widening from its place of origin, swept the warehouses on Water Street, the Monongahela Bridge, and along Wood Street to Diamond Alley and on Smithfield Street to the building of Mr. Weyman, which then stood at the corner of Diamond Alley. It required the most strenuous efforts to save the latter, and the final achievement was recognized as a special Providence, as Mr. Weyman had but recently rebuilt after a fire that had destroyed his property, and had his new premises gone it would have been a loss almost irremediable for him and for the congregation. One-
[56]
Pastorate of the Reb. William A. Passavant
third of the entire city was left a smoking ruin. Eleven hundred houses, stores, and warehouses were burned in a district covering more than twenty squares. Two thousand families were made home- less. The State Legislature appropriated $50,000 for relief at once and remitted taxes. Further con- tributions amounting to $200,000 were received from eighteen States of the Union.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.