USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > The old Trappe Church, 1743-1893 : a memorial of the sesqui-centennial services of Augustus Evangelical Lutheran Church, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania > Part 14
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Jacob Van Buskerk, the first native American pastor, was born February 9, 1739, at Hackensack, N. J., settled 1680-90 by descendants of the Dutch immigrants on the Hudson, of whom the Van Buskerks were the most prominent and influential. His father, Captain Jacob Van Buskerk, was in prosperous circumstances and a prominent mem- ber of the Lutheran church in Hackensack. Muhlenberg first preached to this congregation, July 18, 1751, and it was no doubt owing
(101) Sprague's Annals, Vol. IX, p. 32.
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Jacob Van Buskerk.
to his influence during this visit that young Jacob was led to look forward to the holy ministry as his calling. After a preparatory instruction of four years under pastor John A. Weygand, he spent a short time in an English Presbyterian college, and then continued his studies privately under a Mr. S. as preceptor. At his father's request, Muhlenberg on the occasion of another visit to Hackensack in the Winter of 1759, con- sented to superintend his son's theological studies. Accordingly on January 15th, Van Buskerk accompanied Muhlenberg to Trappe and under his direction made satisfactory progress. In April, 1762, while still a candidate for the ministry, he became Schaum's successor at New Hanover and Zion's Chester County, was elected Muhlenberg's substitute at Trappe, and on October 12, 1763, was ordained by the Synod at New Hanover as diaconus to serve the three congregations. In 1765 he accepted a call to St. Michael's church, Germantown, where he labored until 1769 when he became pastor of the congregation at Macungie, with which Salisbury, Saccum, and Upper Milford were at that time united to constitute a charge. This was the chief field of his pastoral labors. Here he purchased considerable property, estab- lished his home and reared twelve children, of whom there are still many prominent and highly respected descendants. In 1781 the peace of . the Saucon congregation and pastor Van Buskerk was temporarily dis- turbed by the appearance of a new preacher on the field. John Beil, a member of the congregation, was suddenly seized with the conviction that he was intended for a preacher, for which he had neither gifts nor any previous training. Setting at nought the refusal of synod to entertain his application for reception, he started our to preach, giving the Saucon congregation the sole benefit of his homiletical ventures. They soon be- came convinced that, although John Beil was a very good man, he was not their pastor, and promptly informed him that that office belonged to Van Buskerk. Beil soon retired and in a short time peace was fully re- stored. In 1793, acting from a sudden impulse, Van Buskerk resigned his charge and accepted a call to the congregations at Gwynedd, Whitpain and Upper Dublin, Montgomery County. Macungie refused to elect a successor, hoping that Van Buskerk would soon return. Their hope was not disappointed, for in 1795 he once more took charge of the congregation at Macungie, and in the following year of Salisbury and Saccum, Upper Milford having in the meantime been provided with a pastor. He con- tinued as pastor of the charge until his death. While on a visit to Gwy- nedd, where on the preceding Sunday he had preached in the " old yellow church," (torn down about twenty-five years ago) a short distance from North Wales, he died August 5, 1800: aged 61 years, 5 months and 26 days. His body was buried in the graveyard connected with the
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The Old Trappe Church.
church at that place. He was a conscientious and faithful pastor, specially gifted in catechetical instruction, and gained and held the con- fidence and love of his congregations.
REV. JOHN LUDWIG VOIGT.
The first regularly elected pastor after Muhlenberg, John Ludwig Voigt, was born at Mansfeld in the Prussian province of Saxony, on No- vember 9, 1731. In 1763, having enjoyed a liberal and classical uni- versity education and served as preceptor of the Orphanage and in- spector of a portion of the German schools at Halle, he accepted a call to Pennsylvania at the instance of Dr. G. A. Francke, was examined and ordained with his companion to America, John Andrew Krug, by the consistorium at Wernigerode, took leave of his friends and started on his journey. At Amsterdam, on his way to London, while walking through the city seeing the " wonders," a woman beckoned him to approach, and when he drew near pressed something into his hand, saying she wished to give it for his voyage as she heard he was going to America, and then hastily left. Recovering from his surprise he found the good woman had given him two guineas. At London, where he and Krug arrived on November 14th, they enjoyed a short but profitable intercourse with Dr. Ziegenhagen, for whom Voigt preached twice in the Court Chapel, and once in the Savoy church, of which Rev. John Reichard Pittius ( Pythius) was pastor. Having disembarked at Gravesend, January 24, 1764, they left the Downs February 19th, and after a favorable voyage of six weeks, enjoying the special favor of Captain Watt, with whom they held devo- tional services regularly morning and evening using the Book of Com- mon Prayer, they arrived at Philadelphia on Laetare Sunday, April Ist, and were heartily welcomed by Muhlenberg and Handschuh.
After preaching at various places, including Trappe, and thus obtain- ing some acquaintance with the field in general, Voigt was stationed at Germantown and Krug at Reading. Voigt became an earnest suitor for the hand of Muhlenberg's oldest daughter, Eve Elizabeth, but she, not esteemning Voigt less, but loving Christian Emanuel Schultze more, gave her heart to the latter. His appointment at Germantown was soon rati- fied by a regular call from the congregation, but he remained here, serv- ing at the same time the congregation at Barren Hill, only from June 10, 1764 until December 13th of the following year, when on Muhlen- berg's recommendation he accepted a call to Trappe, Pikestown (Pike-
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John Ludwig Voigt.
land) and New Hanover, moved to Trappe but soon after took up his residence at New Hanover. Here, during his pastorate, the present com- modious stone church was erected, and at the meeting of synod, Novem- ber 6, 1768, duly consecrated.
On November 8, 1772, Voigt consecrated102 the newly erected St. Peter's church in West Pikeland, about five miles to the South-West of Zion's. Muhlenberg preached in German in the morning from Gen. 28 : 20-22, and Provost Andrew Goeranson, of Wicaco, in the after- noon in English from Ephes. 2 : 19-22. The Provost, little understand- ing the nature of the Patriarch, undertook to laud him and his family in his sermon, and thereby so confused and disturbed Muhlenberg in the worship, that, as he said, he was ashamed to raise his eyes. After the service he took the Provost kindly but seriously to task, and exacted from him a promise never to do it again.
Zion's congregation, of which St. Peter's was a scion, now decided to build a new stone church. The corner-stone was laid two years later, on August 15, 1774, but the new building was not consecrated until June 4th of the following year, when Muhlenberg preached in German, Mis- sionary William Currie, of St. James' Episcopal church at Evansburg, in English, and pastor Voigt performed the act of consecration, As early as August 12, 1764, Muhlenberg says in his diary he had promised squire J. Potts to preach as circumstances permitted at a place six miles from New Hanover and ten miles from Providence. This was, of course, Pottstown, where a small number (Häuflein) was organized into a congregation, which in 1772 or a little later was regularly included in the charge. But it became a very per- plexing quandary how to arrange services for all these congregations. A division of the charge, now consisting of Trappe, New Hanover, Zion's, St. Peter's and Pottstown, was therefore eminently necessary. The diffi- culty was only solved when, on Muhlenberg's return to Trappe in 1776, he took charge of Trappe and New Hanover, assisted by his two sons, Frederick Augustus until 1778, and Henry Ernst from 1778-80. Voigt now resigned at New Hanover, removed to Chester County and soon occupied the stone parsonage near Zion's church on a lot of fifty acres, secured jointly by Zion's and St. Peter's. The title to this property was afterwards presented to the congregation by a Mr. Pike of London, through his attorney Benjamin Chew of Philadelphia. Voigt now served Zion's, St. Peter's and Pottstown as regular pastor and preached at Trappe every four weeks, assisting Muhlenberg, who, by reason of fre- quent absence and the infirmities of age, could not assume the burden of
(102) Hall. Nach., Old Ed., p. 1286, et seq.
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the entire pastoral charge of the congregation. In 1777, after the defeat at Brandywine, when the American troops were quartered in his neigh- borhood, Voigt was denounced as a tory and much annoyed and abused by the soldiers for refusing to pray for the American congress. In the Spring of the following year, while the army was in Winter quarters at Valley Forge, both Zion's and St. Peter's churches were used as army hospitals. In 1779 Voigt had Zion's congregation incorporated. The same year, on November 16, Voigt, following the advice of his superior, was united in marriage by Muhlenberg with Anna Maria, widow of Con- rad Söllner, who brought him quite a dower, a fact which was of special advantage to Voigt, as he seemed to have a constitutional difficulty in making both ends meet. The following year Zion's congregation bought an organ for $150 of David Tannenberg103 of Lititz. It was conse- crated on October 9, 1791, the church being known from that time as the " organ church."
About the year 1790 Voigt, feeling the encroachments of age, re- linquished his active duties at Trappe; though he never formally re- signed, and some years after, for the same reason, was excused from attending the synodical sessions. He, however, continued as pastor of the two Chester County congregations and Pottstown until his death. In 1799 he informed synod that he intended to resign the active ministry, and not long after, on December 28, 1800, both his ministry and life were brought to a close on earth. He died without issue, aged sixty- nine years, one month and nineteen days. Rev. Weinland made the fol- lowing entry in the Burial Record of the church : " Ludwig Voigt, a persecuted as well as a faithful teacher, after having served thirty-one years in the Lord's vineyard with all humility and fidelity, entered into the joy of his Lord, December 27 (!), 1800, and was laid to rest in his deeply beloved congregation in Vincent Township, Chester County, on the 31st, a very large number of people following the body to the grave. Edifying addresses were made at the house by Rev. Geissenhainer, Jr., on Voigt's own selected words, Phil. I : 21, and Rev. Hoch on Isaiah 57 : 2. Weinland preached from Luke 2 : 29-30." A marble monument, erected by his congregations in front of Zion's church, marks the place of his burial. He was a sincere, earnest, positive character, and though at times perhaps somewhat injudicious, won the respect and love of his peo- ple. He bequeathed his library to Zion's congregation. His skill as a musician he had frequent occasions during his ministry to turn to prac- tical use. " He was distinguished as a man of simple habits, earnest piety, fervent benevolence and an eminently exemplary life."104
(103) He was the builder also of St. Michael's (Philadelphia) second organ, consecrated October 10, 1790, and said to have been the largest and best in America at the time. A full description of this organ is given in Hazard's Register, Vol. IV, p. 372.
(104) Sprague's Annals, Vol. IX, p. 42.
.
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John Frederick Weinland.
REV. JOHN FREDERICK WEINLAND.
He was born April 27, 1744, in Roembild, in Prussian Saxony. From 1769-72 he devoted himself with diligence to the study of theology at the royal Prussian Frederick's University of Halle, winning the esteem and favor of his superiors by his exemplary Christian conduct. Like all the Halle men he was engaged in the capacity of instructor and catechist at the Orphanage and worked with good results. Already at this time Dr. G. A. Freylinghausen regarded him as a proper candidate for the Pennsylvania field, but his debilitated constitution, the result of a recent severe fever, made it impossible for him to undertake such a trying voy- age. So after completing his academical course, he returned to his native home, and there served as a private tutor and preached as opportunity afforded. In response to an urgent request for more men, sent over by the Ministerium in 1784, and again in 1785 to Rev. Dr. John Ludwig Schultze, Freylinghausen's successor at Halle, Weinland at length received the call to Pennsylvania, and, although the place of his appointment had not as yet been determined, promptly signified his willingness to go wherever the Lord might desire to use him. He was accordingly soon after examined and ordained by the Stollberg Consistorium at Wernigerode, and as the last missionary sent from Halle took ship at Amsterdam in May, 1786, and reached Philadelphia safely on the 18th of August. He began his pastoral career in America in September, 1786, at Germantown, where the congregation, notwithstanding the fact that for a time during the Revolution (1777-78) it was greatly scattered, and his predecessor Rev. John Fred. Schmidt forced to leave for a time as a fugitive, had been left in a flourishing condition. The following year he was received into the Ministerium. During his pastorate at Germantown, which continued until the Fall of 1789, he married Susanna - . At the recommen- dation of synod he received a call to New Hanover, where he served as pastor until about the year 1795. In August, 1790, he began to assist Voigt at Trappe, assumed entire pastoral charge shortly after, and in 1793 was officially recognized as the regular pastor. The Hill church, Pike township, Berks County, was also added to his charge in 1794, where he continued as pastor until at least 1797. At Pottstown he became Voigt's successor in 1800, but probably relieved him of his pas- toral duties there sometime before his death, as his entries in the church records appear as early as August, 1799. At New Hanover, Weinland became involved in serious difficulty. Charges of a personal character were preferred against him at synod by Bernhard Gilbert in 1794, which, after investigation, were apparently settled. In the following year, how- ever, they were renewed, and as Weinland refused to attend synod to
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answer the charges by which he was being more and more implicated, and again in 1796, his name was stricken from the synodical roll. He now urged Dr. F. Wm. Geissenhainer, Sr., to accept the charge of the congregation at New Hanover, as he desired to leave and expected to be called to Reading, in which he was, however, disappointed. The weak- ness to which Weinland succumbed, and which thereby became the ground of the charges against him, was his desire for strong drink. That he made strong effort to conquer the habit may be doubtlessly inferred from the fact . that in 1803 he made application to synod to be restored, earnestly re- newed his request the following year, and that, although the brethren did not feel warranted in receiving him at once, they expressed their kindly feeling toward him and the hope that a continuance of his improvement would soon permit them to do so. But even after this his name does not appear on the minutes, as after the second refusal he probably did not again renew his application. He, notwithstanding, continued to serve as pastor at Pottstown until the Fall of 1806, and at Trappe until his death, February 4, 1807, aged 62 years, 9 months and 7 days. The Reformed minister of Falckner's Swamp (New Hanover). Rev. Fred. Lobrecht Her- man, preached the sermon at his funeral, which took place on the 7th. He lies buried in the Trappe Lutheran cemetery in a forgotten grave. Five of his children were buried in the grave yard of the Swamp Lutheran church. His wife, Susanna, survived him and on October 1, 1807, was married to Jacob Arms at New Hanover.105
REV. JOHN PETER HECHT.
On February 28, 1790, in the home of his brother Anthony, whither his mother had fled from the yellow fever scourge from Philadelphia, after her husband was stricken down with the plague a few months before, John Peter, one of twins, completing the list of twenty-one children in the family, was born. A few years afterwards, when the ravages of the plague had ceased, his mother returned to Philadelphia, and here John Peter was reared. He was a precocious youth. At the age of three years he began to read, and at five gained the Bible which had been held out to him as a promise if by that time he could read it freely. He received his
(105) For this hitherto unnoticed record of his death and burial, copied from the Reformed Rec- ords at the Swamp (New Hanover), and according to which the statement on page 26 is to be corrected. I am indebted to Mr. G. S. Nyce, per J. M. Zimmerman, Esq., secretary of the vestry of Augustus church. The latter's assistance also in searching several volumes of minutes of the vestry is gratefully acknowledged.
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Fohn Peter Hecht.
first school training in the parochial school of Zion's church, and so rapid was his progress that at the age of ten he had advanced in mathematics as far as surveying. When he was twelve years old he came in receipt of a stipend from the German society, and a few years later as this was given only to students at the University of Pennsylvania, continued his studies at that institution. At an early age he looked forward to the holy minis- try as his vocation, for which he was subsequently prepared by his pastors, Drs. Helmuth and Schmidt. It is said that before he was seventeen he preached for Dr. Helmuth in Zion's church. Young Hecht (der yunge Herr Hecht, as he is referred to in the records) at the age of eighteen began preaching at Trappe in November, 1808, and at Pottstown, about the same time. Upon the application of the Pottstown and Amity congregations he was examined at the meeting of the Ministerium at Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania, in 1809, and on the 30th of May, 1809, licensed with full power to act as pastor. He was at once also elected as pastor at Trappe. He resided at Pottstown, and being as yet unmarried his mother and sister lived with him and managed the affairs of the household. He already be- gan to give promise of the future eminence he attained as a gifted preacher and as a pastor of great fidelity. The education of the young was to him a matter of vital importance and deepest personal concern. He began a school in his own home at Pottstown and re-opened the parochial school at Trappe. During the Summer of 1813 he preached his first English sermon at Trappe, but it proved to be his last sermon in Augustus church. The blind, obstinate prejudice against the introduc- tion of English services-the Achilles heel of the Lutheran Church in those days, and, indeed, the only reason why the Lutheran Church in this coun- try holds the fourth instead of the FIRST place in the list of denomina- tional statistics,-forced his resignation. He now removed to Carlisle where he remained two years. Here he married Mary Ziegler of Harris- burg, a union that was blessed with eleven children, eight of whom long survived him. In December, 1815, he accepted a call to Easton, and became pastor of St. John's and the Greenwich congregation St. James', Still Valley, New Jersey. The St. John's congregation at Easton, having outgrown the capacity of the old church, erected a more spacious building in 1836, which has served the congregation ever since. As the rapidly increasing congregation at Easton was making the fullest demand upon his powers, he resigned St. James' and continued the successful pas- tor of St. John's as long as he remained in the active ministry. Young men, preparing for the ministry, attracted by his superior attainments as a theologian and his success as a practical pastor sought his services as theological preceptor. Among the number prepared by him for the holy office, were Henry S. Miller, a subsequent pastor at Trappe ; John
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The Old Trappe Church.
Charles Alexander von Schoenberg, licensed in 1822 and sent as mission- ary to Illinois, who, however, drifted into the editorial and political field and abandoned the ministry ; William B. Kraemmerer, licensed in 1826, and for a number of years pastor in Bucks County ; Joseph B. Gross, licensed in 1827; Richard Collier, an Irish Episcopalian, a weaver and school teacher at Easton, who became pastor at Spruce Run, New Jersey, in 1834 and died there in 1861, and Nathan Yaeger, licensed 1844, died at Rieglesville, January 2, 1864. He was also instructor for a time of the distinguished surgeon, Prof. Samuel D. Gross, LL.D., and for some years held the German professorship in Lafayette College. At Easton he was elected a director of the public schools, of which he was an ardent advo- cate, and served also for a time as superintendent.
He resigned the active duties of the ministry in May, 1845, and in January, 1849, at the age of fifty-nine, his earthly career was over. Dur- ing his ministry " his diligence in official duties, his intellectual ability, his oratorical powers, his elegance and elevation of language, won him large audiences, and his impulsive warm heartedness and noble generosity of feeling and character made and kept him many friends. His active, intellectual activities were not always attended by stable, enduring bal- ance of conviction. He at times, under surrounding influences, seemed to accept and advocate views which were not his abiding convictions. He was charged with holding tenets which his most intimate friends ever affirmed were not his real convictions. He was a diligent minister of the sick, tender and fearless, and most careful of the poor and venerated by them." 106
REV. HENRY ANASTASIUS GEISSENHAINER.
He was born at Mühlheim on the Ruhr, in the dukedom of Berg, now in Rhenish-Prussia, on Dec. 12, 1773. Having laid a good foundation in the schools at Mühlheim, he came to this country in 1793, at the age of twenty with his older brother Fred. William, by whom he was prepared for the ministry. He was licensed as catechist at the meeting of the synod at Baltimore, June 13, 1797, and under the supervision of Rev. D. F. Schaeffer, appointed to serve the congregations at North Wales, Whit- pain (Whitpen) and Upper Dublin. The license states that " he is authorized to catechise, to preach and baptize, to instruct (for con- firmation), to marry, and in emergencies to administer the Lord's Supper to the sick." On April 17th of the following year he was married to Anna Maria Schaerer of Whitpen Township, Montgomery County,
(106) Dr. B. M. Schmucker's Hist. of the Luth. Congs. at Pottstown, p. 37-8.
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Henry Anastasius Geissenhainer.
Pennsylvania. The fruit of this marriage was four sons and five daughters. Henry A. was licensed as candidate in 1799. After Rev. Voigt's death, at the close of the following year, he was called to Chester County, and removed to that place. There was considerable opposition to his election at Zion's church, East Pikeland, and the contention waxed ' so intense as to demand the intervention of synod. He was elected only by the St. Peter's congregation, West Pikeland, while Conrad Fred. Plitt was called to Zion's. Nice's congregation, East Nantmeal, and that in Amity now also received his pastoral attention. Pur- suant to the application of these three congregations he was ordained at Easton on May 30, 1804, and two years later he accepted a call to the Jordan charge in Lehigh County. His call to three of the congregations of the charge, Jordan, Egypt and Trexler was issued on April 15, 1806, and to Ziegel, June 8th. From 1806 until the end of 1807 he had pas- toral charge also of the congregation at Macungie. At the laying of the corner-stone of the new church in Allemängel, Berks County, on Ascen- sion day, May 7, 1812, he with John Weygand of Whitpain, assisted pastor John Knoske at the service. He resigned the Jordan charge in 1813 and followed a call to Trappe, in October. He was elected pastor at Pottstown in August 1816, and two years later at Limerick. In April 1821 he resigned the charge and moved to Pittsburg, where he was pastor until 1823. While on a visit at Philadelphia in this year he was taken sick and was removed by his son Henry to his home at Trappe, where on Sunday, February 9, 1823, he died. His body was laid to rest in the cemetery of the church and a large slab placed over the grave. His mother, who died in 1816, lies buried beneath the same stone. Five pastors and five students of theology were present at his funeral, the students acting as pall bearers. The services were conducted by Rev. John C. Becker of Germantown, who preached from 2 Timothy 4 : 7, 8. His wife survived him almost thirty years, dying on April 30, 1852. One of his sons, Augustus Theodosius, who, according to the last request of his father, was educated for the ministry by the latter's older brother Fred. William, entered the holy office, and after a life of distinguished service died in 1882.
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