USA > South Carolina > Orangeburg County > The history of Orangeburg County, South Carolina : from its first settlement to the close of the Revolutionary War > Part 5
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London, and at the same time proposes to bring over with him a number of Germans, which he thinks may be as great a number as ever were brought at any time into this province, it being a great encourage- ment to them when they find that they may have the Gospel, not only on their voyage, but also after their arrival in this province, preached to them, &c.
"'Upon reading the said petition, it was the opinion of His Majesty's Council, that providing the petition- er do produce a certificate from the inhabitants of Orangeburg, as also a certificate from ye Ecclesiasti- cal Commissary, Mr. Garden, of his qualifications to receive orders in the Church of England, and his en- gaging to go home to London to receive ordination, and after that to go to Germany to procure others of his countrymen to come over to settle in this province, that the sum of five hundred pounds currency be ad- vanced him out of the township fund, in order to en- able him to perform the same.'
"Journals of Council, vol. xi, pp. 74-76. Under date of Feb. 13th, 1743-44: 'Reconsidered the petition of Rev. Mr. Zauberbühler, which had been exhibited at this Board on the 10th day of November, 1743, praying that in consideration of the earnest desire of the inhabitants of Orangeburg, Santee, to have a per- son to preach the gospel to them in their own lan- guage, he is willing to perform that pastoral duty. but being as yet unordained, desires to be supported with a competent salary until he shall be able to take a voyage to England to be ordained, at which time he proposes to bring over a number of foreign Protes- tants to settle in this province, who are unwilling to come over for want of having the gospel preached to them in their voyage here. Whereupon it appearing by a former minute of Council, of the 10th of Novem- ber last, that provided the petitioner shall produce a
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certificate from the inhabitants of Orangeburg of their desire to receive him as a preacher amongst them. and also a certificate from the Rev. Mr. Garden of his qualifications to receive orders, that then the sum of £500 current money be advanced him out of the township fund, in order to enable him to perform his voyage, and bring on the Protestants to settle here as he mentions. Whereupon the petitioner produced the following certificate from the Rev. Mr. Commis- sary Garden:
" .SOUTH CAROLINA.
" These are to certify whom it may concern, and in particular the Rt. Rev. the Lord Bishop of London, that the bearer, Bartholomew Zauberbühler, a native of Appenzell in Switzerland, appears to me on credit- able testimony to have resided in this Province for the space of seven years last past, and during that time to have been of good life and behavior as be- cometh a candidate for holy orders, &c., &c.,
" 'Signed, ALEXANDER GARDEN.
" 'February 13th, 1743.'
"'On producing the said certificate his Excellency signed an order on the public Treasurer for the sum of £500, to be paid him on condition that the Treasur- er take his written obligation to repay the said money upon his returning and settling in the Province, in case he does not bring over the Protestants he men- tions.'
"The following counter-petition against Mr. Zauber- bühler from the Orangeburg settlers is found in vol. xi of Journals of Council. pp. 139-143, and dated March 6th, 1743:
".Read the humble petition of the German and Eng- lish inhabitants of Orangeburg and the adjoining plantations, showing to his Excellency. to whom it is
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directed, that the petitioners heartily congratulate his Excellency on his auspicious ascension to the gov- ernment of this Province, hoping that by his judi- cious care and power not only their present grievances, but likewise all other misfortunes may evaporate and vanish. And ye said petitioneers humbly beg leave to acquaint ye Excellency, that above five years ago, the German minister happening to die, Mr. John Gies- sendanner, by the consent and approbation of your said German petitioners, went to Charlestown with the intention to make his application to the Rev. Mr. Alexander Garden, Commissary, to admit him into holy orders, to preach in German in this township; and when the said Mr. John Giessendanner came to Charlestown aforesaid, he accidentally met with one Major Christian Motte, who acquainted him that he ought not to trouble the said Rev. Alexander Garden with the affair, but to go with him to some certain gentlemen, who, if they found him sufficient, would directly give him orders according to his desire; upon which the said Mr. John Giessendanner, being then a stranger to the English method of proceeding in such cases, accompanied the said Major Christian Motte, and was by him introduced to an Assembly of the Presbytery, who, after examination, presented him with orders to preach, which he has since done in German constantly for the space of five years to the inexpressible satisfaction of the congregation at Orangeburg; and about two years ago your said English petitioners, being fully sixty miles from any other place of divine worship, some of whom had not been favored with an opportunity of hearing a sermon in the space of seven years, observing the said Mr. John Giessendanner to be a man of learning, piety, and knowledge in the Holy Scriptures, prevailed with him to officiate in preaching once every fortnight in
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English, which he hath since performed very articu- late and intelligible to the entire satisfaction of ye said English petitioners, and always behaves himself with sobriety; honesty, and justice, encouraging virtue and reproving vice.
"'And the said Mr. John Giessendanner lately ob- serving great irregularities and disorders being com- mitted almost every Sabbath day by some wicked per- sons in one part of the township, publicly reprimand- ed them for the same, which reproof so exasperated them that they threatened to kick the said Mr. John Giessendanner out of the church if be offered to preach there any more, and have lately sent for one Barthol- omew Zauberbühler, a man who not long ágo pretend- ed to preach at Savannah town, but, as your said pe- titioners are informed, was soon obliged to leave that place and a very indecent character behind him. The last week he arrived at Orangeburg, and upon the last Sabbath, he, the said Bartholomew Zauberbühler and his wicked adherents associated together, and pretend- ed that the said Bartholomew Zauberbühler had brought with him a power from the Hon. William Bull, Esq., late Lieutenant-Governor of this Province. his Majesty's Hon. Council, and the Rev. Mr. Alexan- der Garden, Commissary, an order to expel the said Mr. John Giessendanner from the church. and to preach there himself, and some of ye said petitioners demanded a sight of his said authority, but he refused to produce it, which occasioned great animosities and disorders in the congregation, and when the said Bartholomew Zauberbühler makes his second appear- ance at or near Orangeburg, which he declares shall be at ye expiration of three weeks, there will certain- ly be more disturbance and confusion than before. un- less some powerful means be used to obstruct it.
"'Whereupon your said petitioners most humbly
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beg that your Excellency will be pleased to interpose with your authority, and direct the said Mr. Alexan- der Garden, if he hath given or granted any such or- ders, to countermand them, and to permit the said Mr. John Giessendanner still to officiate for them in divine service, free from any further disturbance or molestation, &c.
"'Signed by John Harn, and above forescore more subscribers .*
"'Ordered by Council that the consideration of this affair, and of the above petition, and those of Mr. Zau- berbühler, be deferred until Mr. Zauberbühler's return from England, and that ye Clerk acquaint them there- with in writing.'
"Fortunately, however, Mr. Zauberbühler had not yet departed on his journey to England as the Coun- cil had supposed, but had been lurking for awhile in Orangeburg District, and as soon as he returned to Charleston he once more made his appearance upon the floor of the Council chamber.
"Journals of Council, Vol. XI, p. 143: 'Bartholo- mew Zauberbühler, being returned from Orangeburg Township, attended his Excellency in Council, and laid before him two written certificates from justices of ye peace there in his favor, and which were read, representing his sobriety and good behavior, where- upon Mr. Zauberbühler was by his Excellency direct- ed to wait again on Rev. Mr. Garden, and to learn if he has any objections to his receiving orders in Eng- land, and to report the same.'
"Journals of Council, Vol. XI, p. 152: 'Bartholomew Zauberbühler attended his Excellency, the Governor. in Council, according to order, whom the Governor gave to understand that he had not acted well in the
*All efforts to find the original of this petition, with the names ap- pended, have been unsuccessful.
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exhibiting a certificate from the Township of Orange- burg, read at this Board on November 13th, 1742. see- ing that under the notion of having an invitation to the ministry by the majority of that Township, there was, on the contrary, a later memorial laid before the Board, signed by near ninety of the inhabitants, and by far the majority of the Township, praying that Mr. Giessendanner, their present minister, might be con- tinued to preach among them, and that Mr. Zauber- bühler's going to preach in the said Township, and his design to be settled there as a minister, was not by their desire, on the contrary, had occasioned no small disturbance in the said Township. That his proceed- ings with the Lieutenant-Governor and Council in ye said affair had not been with that candor that might have been expected from one who designed to take on him holy orders, and that, therefore, he ought to be contented with at least one-half of what had been paid him by ye Treasurer, and return the other £250, or, at any rate, to procure a joint security of one re- siding in Charlestown that he would return the money in case he did not bring over the Protestants men- tioned, but that if he did bring them over the whole €500 should be allowed him; whereupon Mr. Zauber- bühler withdrew.'
"After this action of the Governor and Council we read nothing more of Mr. Zauberbühler in the Journals of Council, and the Rev. John Giessendanner was per- mitted to continue his labor as pastor in Orangeburg without further molestation.
"The historical facts deduced from the above State papers are the following:
"That the Rev. John Ulrick Giessendanner, Sr., who was the first pastor at Orangeburg. departed this life during the close of the year 1738, having labored there but little more than one year.
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"That his nephew, the Rev. John Giessendanner, became his successor some time during the year 1739, and that he was 'a man of learning, piety, and knowl- edge in the Holy Scriptures'; he was probably educa- ted for the ministry, but left Europe before he had been ordained; that, although a Lutheran in his re- ligious persuasion, as we learn from other documents, he applied for ordination at the hands of any Protest- ant ministry who were empowered to impart the de- sired authority, there being at that time no Lutheran Synod in all the American colonies. That he was or- dained by the Charleston Presbytery is certain, but that he was not a Presbyterian in faith is evident also, else he would not have endeavored first to obtain or- dination at the hands of the Protestant Episcopal au- thority, and only changed his purpose of becoming Episcopally ordained at the suggestions of Major Chris- tian Motte, and doubtless to avoid an expensive and wearisome voyage to Europe, which he would have been obliged to undertake had he insisted upon ob- taining the requisite authority to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments either in the Lutheran or Episcopal Church.
"That the first Orangeburg Church must have been built some time before the above-mentioned petition was written, A. D. 1743, as it is therein spoken of, as being then in existence.
"That Rev. John Giessendanner labored faithfully as a good servant of his Master, even bringing enmity . upon himself for reproving vice; likewise, that he preached in the German and English languages.
"That the country in the vacinity of Orangeburg must have been sadly deficient at that time in the en- joyment of the usual means of grace, as many persons were living sixty miles from any other church, some having not heard a sermon preached for seven years;
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need we wonder at the irregularities in faith and con- duct manifested in those days.
"That Rev. Giessendanner must have had a consid- erable congregation, inasmuch as the petition drawn up in his defence was signed by nearly ninety male persons, who were either all members of his congre- gation, or mostly so, and the remainder his friends and adherents.
"That Rev. Bartholomew Zauberbühler must have sadly degenerated in the latter period of his ministe- rial life, as the Ebenezer pastors give us a very favor- able account of him several years previous in the Url- sperger Reports, when he first came to this country.
"Rev. Giessendanner was affectionately remember- ed by the Church in Europe. Rev. Bolzius, in the Url- sperger Reports, Vol. III, p. S75. states: 'I also wrote a letter to-day to young Mr. Giessendanner, the pres- ent minister in Orangeburg. informing him that a do- nation of about nine guilders had been collected for him in Switzerland, of which a respectable merchant in Zurich writes, that as old Mr. Giessendanner had died, this amount should be paid over to his nephew. Also, that we will send him, as soon as possible, those books collected for him in Switzerland, which are sent in the chest for us, and which has not yet ar- rived.
''I would have been pleased to have sent him this money sooner had any safe opportunity presented it- self. I entreated him. likewise. to write to me occa- sionally, and inform me of the transactions of the de- parted Giessendanner, which may be of great service to him.
"The name Giessendanner occurs in several other paragraphs of the same Reports, but only in connec- tion with the books and money above-mentioned: but nothing further is said concerning himself and his
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ministry, or that of his predecessor. He was probably prevented from imparting the desired information on account of the want of communication between Eben- ezer and Orangeburg. í
"Rev. John Giessendanner labored ten years as a Lutheran minister, after which, in 1749, he went to London to receive Episcopal ordination* at the hands of Rev. Dr. Sherlock .; Bishop of London. The 'rea- sons for making this change in his Church relation- ship are not known; however, it is presumable that, as he was then the only Lutheran pastor in South Carolina; he preferred to enjoy a more intimate con- nection with some ministerial organization than the one that was then afforded him in the bosom of his own Church; and although the Ebenezer pastors were also then laboring in the South, nevertheless they were somewhat distantly removed from him, and dwelling in another Province. He doubtless also had his fears that some other Zauberbühler difficulty might harass him again, and thus, by taking this step, he would have all legal preferences in his favor, as the Church of England was then virtually the established Church of the Province.
"He was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Hug, and became the father of several children, one of whom, a son named Henry, born July 3d, 1742, was still living in 1826, as he is mentioned in 'Mills' Sta- tistics;' and his widow spent the close of her life with one of her children residing in Georgia.
"Henry Giessendanner was married to Miss Elizabeth Rumpf. February 25th, 1767; he recorded the birth of but one child, Elizabeth, in his father's church-book.
*Ordained Deacon Aug. 27, and' Priest Sept. 24, 1749 .- Dalcho, p. 333.
+Gen. D. F: Jamison once had a prayer book that Dr. Sherlock had presented to Rev. Mr. Giessendanner.
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though he may have had more children, whose names were not entered there. This record-book likewise in- forms us that Rev. John Giessendanner had a brother and sister living in Orangeburg, named George and Elizabeth (afterwards married to a Mr. Krieh), and that the whole family were natives of Switzerland; hence also the money sent Rev. Giessendanner came from this country, as mentioned in the Urlsperger Reports. This concludes the history of the Giessen- danner family, as far as it is necessary for our purpose, and until recently it was not known that these two pastors were the first Lutheran ministers that labored in South Carolina-even their very names had become almost obliterated in the annals of the Lutheran Church. Dr. Dalcho yet adds this information, that Rev. John Giessendanner departed this life during the year 1761 .*
"The Orangeburg settlers at first clustered together near the banks of the Edisto River, and built their dwellings near each other in the form of a small town. supposing that the adjacent stream would be advan- tageous in forming an outlet for them to Charleston, in the transportation of lumber to market. A year later other German emigrants arrived, who located themselves on lands adjoining their predecessors, and thus this tide of immigration continued until the en- tire district became mostly colonized with German and Swiss emigrants. The present town of Orange- burg is located very near the spot where this original German village once stood. In this village the first Lutheran church in the Carolinas was erected,; and
*His will is dated March 5, 1761; probated July 24, 1761 .- Probate Court Records, Charleston County, p. 124.
+The late Mr. John Lucas doubted that Rev. John Giessendanner had a church building before going to England, but was of opinion that the congregation had some place of assembly. The record book does not say, but I think the evidence is strong the other way.
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there also the first Lutheran pastor of this congrega- tion lived and died; his nephew and successor, as is supposed by some of the present inhabitants, had his home several miles from the village, where he died and was buried .*
"Some half a mile from the centre of the present town of Orangeburg and towards the Edisto River there is a'graveyard, which presents the appearance of having been a long time in use for the interment of the dead. and where the entombed generations of the present day are silently slumbering with those of the past. It is still styled 'the old graveyard,' although there are many new-made graves to be seen in it; and here, doubtless, repose the remains of the first Luther- an pastor in the Carolinas.
"During the evening twilight of autumn the writer visited this hallowed spot, in order to commune with the dead; the seared and faded leaves of October over- hanging his head or rustling beneath his feet; the pe- culiar sighing sound of the winds of autumn, passing through the foliage of the Southern long-leaved pine trees, produced Nature's sad and fitting requiem for the dead. He sought for records of the past upon some dilapidated tombstone, but his search was un- availing, and, like the fallen leaves of many years past, even these mementos of a former age were no longer visible.
"What lessons of the vanity of all human greatness, namely: the power of wealth, the pride of family, the pleasures and gayeties of life! All end at last in the grave-all alike blend in one common dust.
"Around this place, with the old church edifice very near it. the former village stood; they are both thus
*Mr. Lucas said his wife was also buried there, but it is more likely that she was buried in Georgia, where Dr. Bernheim says she "spent the close of her life".
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described by a correspondent: The Orangeburg church was built of wood and clay, in much the same manner as chimneys are when made of clay; the old grave- yard is still used as a burial-ground common to all; and the site of the church is still plainly seen-it is in the village, and was at that day in the centre of it. I have learned this likewise from an old gentleman who remembers hearing his father saying this as above. It fell to ruins at the time of the Revolution; but the spot has never been built upon since that day. and is now known as 'the old churchyard.' This church was the one used by the Rev. John Giessendanner as an Episcopal church, and no doubt used likewise by him at first as a Lutheran church; its dimensions were-say thirty by fifty feet.'
"The time when the old church edifice was erected is now no longer known, and can only be a matter of conjecture; however, it is possible that this event oc- curred during the elder Giessendanner's ministry-the records do not positively state this to have been the case, nevertheless several indications are given which make it very probable that this was the time.
"It became changed into an Episcopal house of wor- ship in 1749, when the pastor, the younger Giessen- danner, took orders in the Church of England, as he continued to labor there to the close of his life. At the time this change was effected, the congregation numbered 107 communicants, and on Whitsunday fol- lowing 21 persons more were admitted to the Lord's Supper.
"In concluding the history of this congregation. we would simply add. that after Rev. Giessendanner's death nothing further is known concerning it until 1768. when a new Episcopal chapel was ordered to be erected. and the Rev. Paul Turquand preached there in connection with another congregation.
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"During the Revolutionary War, Rev. Turquand was absent,* and labored in the valley of the Missis- sippi, but returned in 17SS, when he resumed his la- bors in Orangeburg, and died the following year; since then no trace is left of the history of the church and its congregation.
"The present Episcopal Church in the town of Orangeburg is of recent organization, and their house of worship is comparatively new, indicating that the old church edifice, the still later erected chapel, and the former congregation have long since become en- tirely extinct.
"The existing Lutheran church and congregation in Orangeburg are of a still more recent date; both the organization and church edifice have no historical connection with the past, made up of material in membership who have become citizens of the place not many years ago."
It is evident, from an inspection of the Giessendan- ner record, that Rev. Mr. Giessendanner regular served the townships of Orangeburgh and Amelia, after his return from England, as Episcopal minister, and that he also beld services occasionally in Saxe-Gotha Township. In Saxe-Gotha he usually held services at the house of Mrs. Elizabeth Haig, afterwards Mrs. Elizabeth Mercier. From 1749 to 1756 the services for Amelia Township were held at the houses of Mrs. Mary Russell, William Martin, Moses Thomson, Capt. William Heatly. Ann and Charles Russell. In 1757 the services were held in a chapel, which had proba- bly just been built. and the late Mr. Lucas wrote: "I am under the impression that Amelia Chapel was in the neighborhood of the above persons' habitations for we see that no service was held in any of their
"He was here during a part of the time, as will be shown later.
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houses after the Chapel was built." It seems that after the erection of St. Matthew's Parish in 1765, and the subsequent employment, in 1766, of Rev. Paul Turquand as minister of the Parish, that this chapel went by the name of "the old church." (Minutes of the Vestry, 1767.) At a later date another chapel was built in Amelia Township# near Mr. Campbell's and still later another was built at "Bellville," the planta- tion of the Thomsons .;
The late Mr. John Lucas made extensive researches into the history of the old church and grave-yard above referred to by Dr. Bernheim, and as what he has written on the subject will be of interest to many, I will here give it:
"The original plan of Orangeburgt shows that the old grave-yard, now known as the village grave yard, and used as such by all denominations in common for both white and black without leave or hindrance, be- ing free to all, was at the time the original plat was made, then known as the church yard, and as such was so marked on the plat.
"This said old grave yard now in use and correspond- ing as to situation as per plat annexed is situated on the East side of the Bull Swamp Road, North of the street marked as Russell Street on plat, which is the
*"Agreed that the Revd. Mr. Turquand provide a Folio Bible & a Common Prayer Book for the use of the Chappel" .- Minutes of Ves- try, July 6, 1769.
1"Agreed that a chappel be built at Belvelle that the old church neer half way swamp be repaired Also the Chappel neer Campbells be repair'd that Subscriptions be made for each respectively and that service be perform'd in each alternately" .- Minutes of Vestry, April 17th, 1786.
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