USA > Virginia > Rockingham County > Rockingham County > A history of Rockingham County, Virginia > Part 20
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In July, 1871, a Christian church was organized 'in Day- ton, with 16 members, by Rev. D. A. Long. What the con- nection is between this organization and the present Church of Christ in Dayton is not known. The present church was dedicated July 15, 1883.3
The church in Harrisonburg has been opened more re- cently. The pastor of both churches is Rev. Geo. C. Minor, who lives in Harrisonburg, and who is an active worker in all departments of religious activity. One of the pioneer work- ers in Rockingham, as well as in Shenandoah and other coun- ties in Virginia, was Rev. J. D. Hamaker, who is still an active leader. His home is in Strasburg.
There are members of the Church of Christ at Lacey Springs, Keezletown, Elkton, and other places in the county, as well as in Harrisonburg and Dayton, the total number being about 150.
EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
Rockingham Parish in Virginia was organized some years prior to the breaking out of the American Revolution in 1776; the exact year is not known, and up to that time was under the charge of the Rev. Mr. Balmaine, with two houses of worship, one at Dayton, and the other close to the present Union Church near Cross Keys.
During the long weary years of that memorable struggle for American independence the parish seems to have declined, and after the close of the war both of the above mentioned houses of worship were neglected and allowed to go to ruin, and for more than sixty years there is no record of any reg- ularly organized religious work being done in the parish by
3. Itis assumed that the church dedicated in Dayton, July 15, 1883, by the Disciples of Christ was the same as that now known as the Church. of Christ.
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Episcopalians, although it is very probable that occasional services were held at or near Port Republic.
In 1850 an effort was made to revive the parish, and the Rev. James B. Goodwyn was placed in charge as minister; and after him the Rev. John C. Wheat, Vice-Principal of the Vir- ginia Female Institute at Staunton, Va., preached regularly in the parish at great cost of labor and inconvenience to himself.
In 1865, after the close of the Civil War, the parish was re-organized at Port Republic, Va., with the Rev. John C. Wheat still serving as minister, and on March 8, 1866, a meet- ing of the members of the parish and other contributors was held in Harrisonburg with Mr. John F. Lewis, one of the old vestry of Rockingham parish, presiding; when the following named gentlemen were elected as vestrymen; General Sam- uel H. Lewis, John F. Lewis, Samuel H. Lewis, Jr., Andrew Lewis, John R. Jones, Wm. H. Effinger, Frank Boylan, Joshua Wilton, Foxhall A. Dangerfield, Algernon S. Gray, Dr. George W. Kemper, Jr., and Edward H. Stevens. John F. Lewis of Port Republic and Andrew Lewis of Harrison- burg were elected wardens, and Wm. H. Effinger secretary and treasurer. At this meeting the resignation of Rev. John C. Wheat was accepted, and a resolution of thanks for his untiring efforts and Christian zeal in behalf of the Protestant Episcopal Church here was passed and directed to be com- municated by the secretary to Mr. Wheat. The next busi- ness in order being the choice of a rector, the Rev. Henry A. Wise (son of Henry A. Wise, ex-governor of Virginia) was called, and a notice in due form, signed by the wardens, was directed to be sent to the Bishop of the Diocese. Mr. Wise accepted the call and was duly installed as rector, holding services on alternate Sundays in Harrisonburg and Port Republic, the services in Harrisonburg being held in the second story of a frane building on Main Street just north of what was then known as the Old School Presbyterian Church. This frame building was then owned by Mr. Samuel Shack- lett, the lower floor being used as a wareroom. The upper
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story was called Shacklett's Hall, where services were held once a month on Sunday afternoons by the Old School Baptists.
In May, 1867, Mr. Wise resigned to become rector of Christ's Church, Baltimore, and the following October the Rev. Thomas Underwood Dudley, Jr. Deacon, afterwards Bishop of Kentucky, was sent by the Right Rev. John Johns, Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia, to minister during his diaconate. From October 1 to December 1, 1867, services were held on alternate Sundays by Mr. Dudley at the points where Mr. Wise, his predecessor, had previously officiated, till, owing to the severity of the weather, the services at Port Republic were discontinued and then held twice each Sunday at Harrisonburg, the vestry having in the meantime rented at $15.00 per month the brick church on North Main street formerly owned and used by the New School Presby- terians (Rev. T. D. Bell, Pastor). This church stood on the ground now occupied by the Post Office and U. S. Court House.
In March, 1868, a vacant lot on the northeast corner of Main and Bruce streets was purchased from Dr. Geo. K. Gilmer for one thousand dollars for the purpose of erecting thereon Emmanuel Protestant Episcopal Church.
In February, 1868, Rev. Dudley, at the request of the vestry, started on a tour through some of the Northern States soliciting funds for the new church building, and succeeded in procuring about $3500. At the same time subscription papers were circulated in the town and throughout the parish, by which means about $1500 was promised, and the ladies of the parish, ever ready and at all times doing their part and doing it well, had already raised some eight hundred dollars. With these several sums of money in hand and promised, the rector and vestry undertook to build the church, and on the 24th of June, 1868, the corner stone was laid with appropriate Masonic ceremonies by Rockingham Union Lodge No. 27 A. F. and A. M., Mr. Joseph T. Logan acting as Grand Master, on which occasion an appropriate and eloquent address was
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delivered by the Rev. James D. McCabe, D.D. On the same day the ladies of the congregation held a dinner and fair in the basement of the Methodist church on German Street, from which they realized the handsome sum of six hundred dollars.
Mr. Dudley having tendered his resignation, preached his last sermon on the last Sunday night in December, 1868, using the same text from which his first sermon was taken, viz: "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish"; and to the very great regret of his people removed to Baltimore, where he assumed charge as rector of Christ's Church in that city, as the successor to Rev. Henry A. Wise, deceased.
On the first Sunday in 1869, the Rev. John Cosby, having accepted the call of the vestry, preached his first sermon in the New School Presbyterian Church, and on February 7, 1869, he began to hold regular services in the basement of the new church and continued to use that room as a chapel until August 1, 1869, when the first service was held upstairs in the church proper.
The foregoing paragraphs have been copied from a valu- able paper, recently prepared, on the Episcopal Church in Rockingham, by Mr. J. Wilton, of Harrisonburg. The rec- tors at Harrisonburg since 1869, as recorded by Mr. Wilton, are the following:
Alexander W. Waddell, 1870-1875.
David Barr, 1875-1879.
T. Jervis Edwards, 1879-1881.
O. S. Bunting, 1881-1889.
W. T. Roberts, 1889-1892.
O. M. Yerger, 1893-1899.
W. J. Morton, 1900-1902.
Robert U. Brooking, 1903-1908.
Dallas Tucker, 1908-1909.
John L. Jackson, 1910-
Mr. Wilton refers to the old chapel at Dayton. On May 6, 1911, Mr. Joe K. Ruebush pointed out to me the site form- erly occupied by this chapel, agreeing with the following,
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copied from a letter written September 10, 1912, by Capt. J. A. Herring:
"My grandmother and grand-aunt told me a great deal about the history and people of the early days. [The Herrings were among the pioneers in the Dayton section.] There was an Episcopal chapel near the north end of the graveyard [north side of Dayton]. Under the English rule it was the established church. Parson Bellmain ministered to the people there. When the war of the Revolution came on he went as a chaplain to the army, and never returned. The old people said there was never any Episcopal service there after he left. I can remember the old building, but it was removed long ago."
. In East Rockingham at present there are at least four Episcopal churches or chapels: Sandy Bottom, St. Stephens, Rocky Bar, and Grace Memorial. These are in charge of the Rev. J. R. Ellis, who is also doing a splendid work in the adjacent sections of the Blue Ridge in connection with mis- sion schools. Mr. Ellis informs me that the services of the church in this section of the county have been kept up con- nectedly since colonial times.
A short distance southwest of Port Republic, on a beauti- ful situation overlooking the river plain and valley bordered with mountains, is Madison Hall, the birthplace of James Madison, first Episcopal bishop of Virginia. His father was John Madison, cousin of President Madison, and first clerk of Augusta County. His mother was a Miss Strother, whose sisters married Thomas Lewis and Gabriel Jones. He was born August 27, 1749, at Port Republic, and died March 5, 1812, at Williamsburg. He graduated at William and Mary in 1772; studied law; was admitted to the bar, but soon turned to theology and teaching. From 1777 to 1812-for 35 years- he was president of William and Mary College. He had at least three brothers, Thomas, Rowland, and George. Thomas, born in 1746, was a captain, and married Susanna,
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youngest sister of Patrick Henry. George was a governor of Kentucky. 4
The membership of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Rockingham in 1906 was reported as 163.
JEWISH CHURCH.
The first Jewish families that settled permanently in Rockingham County emigrated from Austria in 1859. Among them were Messrs. Leopold Wise and Herman Heller, who settled in Harrisonburg; Samuel Loewner, who settled in Dayton; and Jonas Heller, who located in Mt. Crawford.
There may have been Jewish settlers previous to those mentioned above, as the early court records of Rockingham County disclose a certain transaction in which it is expressly mentioned that one of the parties thereto was a Jew; but as to when and where they may have settled, we have no knowledge.
When the civil war broke out, Messrs. Albert and Her- man Wise, Emanuel Lowner and Jonas Heller enlisted in the Confederate army, serving under General Jackson. After the close of the civil war the Jewish community was increased by a number of emigrants from Germany and Austria, among whom were Messrs. B. Ney and Joseph Ney, Simon Oes- treicher, and William Loeb.
These few families met from time to time at the resi- dence of Leopold Wise on W. Market Street for divine services, which were conducted by Samuel Lowner, Adolph Wise, and Simon Oestreicher in accordance with the orthodox ritual. Later the Jewish community organized itself under the name of the Hebrew Friendship Congregation of Harri- sonburg, bought ground for a cemetery, and rented a room in the Liskey building, on W. Market Street, which was used
4. On Bishop Madison, Madison Hall, etc., see: Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, Vol. 4; Tyler's Williamsburg; Waddell's Annals of Augusta, pp. 112, 113; Cartmell's Shenandoah Valley Pioneers, p. 446; Thwaites and Kellogg's Dunmore's War, p. 280; Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 13, p. 360.
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Bishop James Madison (Page 255) From oil portrait in rooms of Virginia Historical Society, Photo by Cook
Richmond
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
for a temporary place of worship as well as a Sunday school for the young.
As the Congregation grew in numbers and became more prosperous, more desirable quarters were secured in the Sibert building on Main Street, the ladies began to take an active interest in the congregation by organizing themselves into an Auxiliary Society, and helping to establish a perma- nent choir, with the result that the services became more impressive and modern in spirit. The first class was con- firmed by Major Hart of Staunton, in the new place of wor- ship.
Thus were continued the activities of the Congregation for two decades, Messrs. Samuel Loewner, Adolph Wise, and Simon Oestreicher devoting their time and energy to promote the spiritual welfare of the Congregation.
In 1890 the Congregation began devising ways and means to erect a permanent House of Worship, and with that end in view, a lot was purchased on North Main Street, and a building committee was appointed, with Mr. B. Ney as chairman.
The members were enthusiastic over the new undertak- ing, and through the indefatigable labors of the building committee, in conjunction with all the members of the con- gregation, and the Ladies' Auxiliary Society, funds were re- alized from the proceeds of a fair given in Harrisonburg, to which the people of the different denominations responded liberally. Additional funds were raised by soliciting some of the prominent Jewish congregations of the East for contribu- tions to the worthy cause. When, in 1892, the Temple was dedicated by Dr. Shoanfarber of Baltimore, it was free and clear of debt. It was a gala occasion for the Jewish com- munity of Harrisonburg; the dedicatory services were at- tended by the Jewish people of Staunton and Charlottesville, and many of the prominent people of Harrisonburg partici- pated in the festivities.
The new Temple stimulated a keener interest in congre- gational life, yet the community was not large enough to be
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able to procure the services of a Rabbi; so Messrs. Adolph Wise and Simon Oestreicher continued to minister to the spiritual needs of the congregation, and it is principally due to the untiring efforts of these two gentlemen that the con- gregation continued its spiritual activities.
In 1910 the congregation deemed it advisable to procure the services of a Rabbi; accordingly Rev. J. Schvanenfeld of Baltimore was unanimously elected, and since then the congre- gation has started on its new career.
The religious status of the congregation had remained unchanged during four decades, from the time of its organ- ization; but in pursuance of the Rabbi's advice, the ritual used by all modern American Hebrew congregations was in- troduced; a new constitution and by-laws, similar to those in vogue in the prominent American congregations, were adopted. The entire congregational machinery was reorgan- ized with the result that the religious life of the congregation has been reawakened. The congregation is conducted by a Board of Managers consisting of Messrs. Adolph Wise, Presi- dent; Simon Oestreicher, Vice-President; Joseph Ney, Treas- urer; V. R. Slater, Secretary; B. Ney, Bernard Bloom, Abra- ham Miller, Charles Loewener, and Herman Wise. The President appoints the various committees to look after the material welfare of the congregation; the Rabbi looks after the spiritual welfare of the congregation by conducting services on Sabbaths and holidays; preaching to the old, and teaching the young.
The Ladies' Auxiliary Society is also active in com- mendable work by having a standing committee to look after the poor and the stranger, to whom financial aid and advice are given irrespective of race or creed. The Auxiliary also proves its usefulness in decorating the Temple on special occasions and providing the Sunday school children with en- tertainments.
The foregoing excellent account of the Jews in Rocking- ham was prepared for this work by Rabbi J. Schvanenfeld.
In 1877-8 Rabbi Sterne was with the congregation in
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Harrisonburg; and in 1883 Rabbi M. Strauss was called to conduct weekly services and teach a school. Neither of these remained long.
In 1906 the U. S. Census Bureau reported 20 Jews, heads of families, in Rockingham; and in 1910 a religious census of Harrisonburg showed a membership of 87 in the Jewish church.
LUTHERAN CHURCH.
Lutheran Churches in Rockingham (1912).
1. Rader's: Near Timberville; organized, by Lutherans and Reformed, as early as 1762; log house replaced in 1806; present church built in 1878-9; in hands of Lutherans since 1881.
On May 20, 1765, Adam Reider and Alex. Painter deeded 3 acres of land for a church to Peter Scholl, in behalf of the Presbyterian church, and to Michael Neice, in behalf of the Lutheran church. Abram Bird was witness. "Presbyterian" in this case is doubtless "Reformed." In 1872 an Act of Assembly was passed making the above deed valid to the Lutherans and Reformed.
2. Friedens: Organized perhaps as early as 1748; still held jointly by the Lutherans and Reformed; the Dinkles, Shanks, Wises, and Hoffmans were among the organizers.
3. McGaheysville: Peaked Mountain Church, built in 1769, and held jointly by the Lutherans and Reformed, stood at or near the site now occupied by the old union church. The latter is said to have been built about 1800 by Nicholas Leap, and to have been dedicated May 25, 1804, by Christian Streit and John Brown; used only by the Lutherans since 1885.
4. St. Peter's: Four miles north of Elkton; perhaps called in early times Lower Peaked Mountian Church; dedi- cated in June, 1777; remodeled in 1910.
5. Spader's: Near Pleasant Valley; an old church.
6. St. John's: Near Singer's Glen; present house dedi- cated in 1887.
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7. Harrisonburg: Built before the civil war; used as hospital, barracks, etc., during the war; rededicated in 1868: services conducted by Rev. J. I. Miller, assisted by Revs. Snyder, Holland, McClanahan, and Keller, of the Lutheran Church; A. P. Boude, of the Methodist Churh; and S. Funk, of the Baptist Church: Rev. G. W. Holland installed as pastor.
8. Bridgewater: Dates back to 1866 or before; present house dedicated in 1881.
9. Trinity: East of Melrose.
10. Edom: In 1871, a new church, replacing an old one, was dedicated at Edom for the use of the Lutherans, South- ern Methodists, and Presbyterians.
11. St. Paul: Two miles north of Tenth Legion.
In 1851 the Lutherans built the church in Dayton now owned by the Church of the Brethren. In Lake's Atlas (1885) a Lutheran church is located on the Back Road, three miles northeast of Cootes' Store. In the same atlas an "Old Dutch Church" is located at Paulington. This may have been Lutheran.
In 1891 Rev. J. P. Stirewalt organized a Lutheran con- gregation, 37 communicants, near Hupp P. O. This is identi- fied with St. Paul.
Many of the oldest settlers of Rockingham were Luther- ans or Reformed, and a number of the first churches were held jointly by these two denominations.
Rev. Geo. S. Klug (see pp. 46, 47) was perhaps the first Lutheran preacher to labor in what is now Rockingham County. Rev. Paul Henkel (1754-1825) doubtless did much work in Rockingham. The Henkel (Lutheran) Press, estab- lished at New Market, so near to Rockingham, in 1806, has had a potent and wide influence.
The eminent Joseph A. Seiss, born in Maryland, preached for a year or so in Rockingham about 1842. Two young men who heard him at Friedens and Cross Keys (Union Church) were Peter and Joseph I. Miller, who were born near Mt. Crawford Depot (as now named), the former September 18,
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1828, the latter June 2, 1831. Both, having conquered hard fortune in securing an education, entered the ministry in 1858. Both became distinguished as educators and preachers. Rev. J. I. Miller served churches in Clear Spring, Md., Shep- herdstown, W. Va., Staunton, and elsewhere. He was the pioneer in the field of higher education for women in the Lutheran Church in the South; founded and conducted schools for women at Staunton, Luray, and Buena Vista. He died February 26, 1912, full of years and honors. His brother, Rev. Peter Miller, having been a teacher and preacher for more than fifty years, is still about his Father's business among his people at Rio, W. Va.
The eminent Dr. C. Armand Miller, now of Charleston, S. C., is a son of Rev. J. I. Miller.
The Lutherans in Rockingham number between 600 and 700.5
MENNONITE CHURCH.
Mennonite Churches in Rockingham (1912).
1. Trissel's: Four miles west of Broadway; first house built in 1822; first ministers, Henry Rhodes, Henry Funk, Henry Shank.
2. Pike: First known as Moyers's; located two miles east of Dayton; house built in 1825; first ministers, Fred. Rhodes and Abram Nisewander.
3. Brenneman's: Two miles west of Edom; built 1826; first ministers, Michael Kauffman and Samuel Shank.
4. Weaver's: Two miles west of Harrisonburg; built in 1827; first called Burkholder's; first ministers, Peter Burk- holder, Martin Burkholder, and Samuel Coffman.
5. Bank: One mile north of Rushville; first ministers, David Rhodes and John Weaver.
5. In February and March, 1895, and February and March, 1897, ar- ticles appeared in the Rockingham Register dealing with the early history of Friedens Church. The published address of Gen. J. E. Roller, made October 25, 1897, at Hagerstown, Md., also presents interesting matter concerning it. The Shenandoah Valley, New Market, Va., of January 2, 1908, gives an account of St. John's Lutheran Church.
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6. Mt. Clinton: One mile west of Mt. Clinton; house built in 1874; first ministers, David Showalter, Jacob Driver, Jos. N. Driver.
7. Zion: Near Daphna Station; house. built in 1885; first minister, Samuel Shank.
8. Lindale: Near Edom; house built in 1899; first min- ister, Henry Wenger.
9. White Hall: House built in 1875.
Services are also conducted at Newdale, Dry River, Peak Schoolhouse, and Gospel Hill. The total membership in the county is about 600.
There were probably three Mennonites at Massanutten as early as 1730 (see pp. 36, 37). One of the three, Michael Kauffman, is likely the man who, as a minister of that name, settled later on Linville Creek. In 1748 the Moravian mis- sionaries found a number of Mennonites at Massanutten (see page 47). The Mennonites were among the earliest settlers, therefore, in what are now Rockingham and Page counties.
Up to about 1840 the Mennonite preaching and singing were exclusively in the German language. In or about 1816 Joseph Funk, of Mountain Valley (now Singer's Glen), a Mennonite, published a music book in German, entitled, "Choral-Music." It was printed in Harrisonburg, and was doubtless one of the first music books printed in Virginia. In 1832 Funk sent out the first edition of "Genuine Church Music," later famous under the title "Harmonia Sacra." In 1847 he opened at Mountain Valley what is said to have been the first Mennonite printing house in America. Ten years earlier he, with Peter Burkholder, had published a large volume on Mennonite history and doctrine.
Although not many of the early Mennonites in Rocking- ham favored higher education, it is an interesting fact that provision was made from the beginning at Brenneman's and Weaver's for the erection of a schoolhouse on the church lot.
In the Mennonite Church, as in all other churches, there have been occasional differences of opinion that have resulted in separate organizations. In Rockingham, about ten years
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ago, a part of the Mennonite church perfected a separate organization, and erected a church a short distance southeast of Rushville. This church is called Pleasant View, and represents what may be termed the Old Order. The house was built in 1902-3, and the membership numbers 90 or 100.6
METHODIST CHURCH.
Methodist Churches in Rockingham (1912).
1. Harrisonburg: Organized as early as 1788; church lot donated by Robert and Reuben Harrison in 1789; first church finished in 1794. The Methodist Mission at the north side of Harrisonburg was established in April, 1899.
2. Bridgewater: Organized prior to 1866, since a Meth- odist church was in Bridgewater in that year.
3. Dayton: Present church opened April, 1899; the or- ganization ante-dates the civil war.
4. Clover Hill: Church dedicated in November, 1886.
5. Spring Creek: Church dedicated June 14, 1885.
6. Rushville: Present church dedicated in December, 1896. The first church there was likely erected about 1858, since on March 3, 1858, an Act of Assembly was passed authorizing the trustees of Gospel Hill meeting house, on Muddy Creek (now Mt. Clinton), to sell the church for the benefit of the M. E. church to be erected within the Rushville circuit.
Churches 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 constitute the Bridgewater Circuit.
7. Mt. Crawford: Date of organization unknown. There was a union (or free) church in Mt. Crawford as early as 1835.
8. Fairview: Two miles southeast of Mt. Crawford. Churches 7 and 8 compose the Mt. Crawford Circuit.
6. For more particulars concerning the Mennonites in Virginia and elsewhere, the reader is referred to the following: A History of the Mennonite Conference of Virginia and its Work, by L. J. Heatwole, C. H. Brunk, and Christian Good; Hartzler and Kauffman's Mennonite Church History; C. H. Smith's Mennonites of America; the Rockingham Register, June 14, 1895, etc.
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9. Keezletown: A new Methodist church was being erected at Keezletown in 1869. In November, 1883, a Meth- odist church, likely the present one, was dedicated.
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