USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Memoirs of Milwaukee County : from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Milwaukee County, Volume I > Part 37
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Baltimore, he was ordained a deacon by Rt. Rev. Bishop Whittingham. A year later he was made a priest by Rt. Rev. Pinckney in St. Paul's church in Baltimore. Bishop Nicholson's diaconate was spent under the special guidance of Rev. Mr. Haughton at Hanover, N. H .; he then became assistant priest at St. Paul's church in Baltimore under Rev. J. S. B. Hodges, with whom he served four years. During the four years immediately following he had charge of his first parish, the Church of the Ascension, at Westminister, Md. In 1879 he was ten- dered and accepted a call to St. Mark's in Philadelphia and there re- mained for twelve years until his elevation to the episcopate. Bishop Nicholson in 1883 declined an election as bishop of Indiana. The degree of doctor of sacred theology was conferred upon him by the seminary at Nashotah in 1889 and subsequently he was made dean of that institution to succeed the Rev. Dr. Cole. Failing health necessi- tated the appointment of a coadjutor bishop to Bishop Nicholson and on Feb. 24, 1906, occurred the consecration of Rt. Rev. William Walter Webb as bishop coadjutor of the diocese. Upon the death of Bishop Nicholson Bishop Webb succeeded to the episcopate, and is still the incumbent of that office. At the present time there are nine Epis- copal churches in Milwaukee county, four organized missions and three unorganized missions. Beside the churches already mentioned there are the following with the dates of their organization: St. James, 1851 ; St. John's, 1847; St. Stephen's, 1891 ; St. Andrew's, 1898: St. Edmunds, 1884; St. Mark's, 1893; and St. Mark's of South Mil- waukee, 1878. The organized missions and the dates of formation are : Christ church, 1873; St. Luke's at Bay View, 1873: St. Peter's at West Allis, 1881 ; and the Church of the Nativity at North Milwau- kee, 1896. The unorganized missions are St. Cornelius at the National Soldiers' Home : St. Paul's in the Third Ward; and St. Margaret's in West Milwaukee. There are to-day some fourteen hundred com- municants of the Episcopal church in Milwaukee county.
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH.
The Lutheran church did not gain as early a foothold in Mil- waukee as some of the other denominations, but its growth has been as rapid as that of the other churches. The original Lutheran church was organized under the auspices of the Buffalo synod in 1845, there being at the time but two other Lutheran congregations in the territory. One of these was at Freistadt in Ozaukee county and the other at Kirchhayn, Washington county, and both were made up of Prussian immigrants. The Milwaukee society, which was called St. Paul's,
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was for a time served by the same pastor as the other two congrega- tions and services were first held in temporary quarters on East Water street near Division. Subsequently the congregation worshiped on West Water street and later on Fourth street, occupying such quarters as could be obtained. Just a year after its organization dissension arose in the ranks of the members over questions of church doctrine and gov- ernment and a portion of the congregation withdrew and by attaching itself to the Missouri synod organized Trinity church, a short review of which is given below. About 1855 a church building was erected on Fifth street between State and Prairie streets. Eleven years later under the pastorate of Rev. G. Wollaeger factional differences again split the congregation and part of the members withdrew and held services in a room in the old La Crosse depot. When a satisfactory settlement of the difficulties had been made the members returned to the Fifth street church and continued to worship there until 1870, when the edifice now occupied by St. Paul's congregation at the corner of Seventh and Galena streets was erected. Rev. Carl Gram, who was called to the pastorate in 1873, is still serving the congregation. Mr. Gram succeeded Rev. I. A. A. Grabau as the president of the Buffalo synod in 1879, and St. Paul's church is to-day the only Lutheran con- gregation in Milwaukee under the jurisdiction of that synod.
As before stated Trinity Lutheran church was organized as a result of disaffection in the membership ranks of St. Paul's. Most of the members were Prussian immigrants and upon the formation of the Missouri synod in 1847 Trinity became the parent church of that synod in Wisconsin. Until 1851 the congregation occupied a small frame edifice at the corner of Wells and Fourth streets and on Trinity Sunday, 1851, a new building was dedicated. In 1868 John Pritzlaff donated to the society a plat of ground at the corner of Ninth and Prairie streets on the condition that a church or school building should be built thereon. During the next year a school building was erected and the church moved from its old location to the newly acquired lot. Before many years had elapsed it became apparent that a more con- modious structure was necessary and on July 7, 1878, the cornerstone of the present church was laid with impressive ceremonies, the old building being removed to Concordia avenue where it is now occupied by the Holy Ghost congregation. The new Trinity church was dedi- cated in 1880. Since 1876 its pastor has been the Rev. Henry F. Sprengeler.
There are several Lutheran churches in the city whose organi- zation is the direct result of the growth of Trinity. In 1855 the in- crease in membership, especially from the south side of the city, of
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Trinity made it necessary that a church be organized there, and as a result St. Stephen's was established. The first meetings of that society were held in a frame building at the corner of Greenbush street and National avenue, but within two years a brick church and school building were erected at Grove and Mineral streets. Subsequently the congregation erected its present edifice at Scott and Grove streets. Rev. B. C. Sievers is the present efficient pastor of the society. St. Martin's church is the direct outgrowth of St. Stephen's and has always been located at the corner of Eleventh avenue and Orchard street. Rev. Gotthold Loeber has been its pastor for a number of years.
Immanuel church is also an outgrowth of Trinity, and had its inception in a mission started in 1866 by Rev. Frederick Lochner. Five years later it was incorporated as Immanuel church. The first church edifice was erected in 1866 on land donated by John Pritzlaff. Its present location is at Garfield avenue and Twelfth street and its pastor is the Rev. C. Dietz. Zion church, at North avenue and Twenty- first street, William Matthes, pastor, can credit its origin to the growth of Immanuel church. Zion grew apace and in 1895 gave birth to another congregation known as Nazareth church. The first location of the latter was at Lee and Twenty-fifth streets, but it is now housed at Twenty-fifth and Meinecke avenue. Rev. E. Albrecht has been its pastor ever since its formation.
Other churches belonging to the Missouri synod in Milwaukee are Bethany, organized in 1893, on Thirty-third street near Brown, Rev. Edward Sylvester, pastor; Bethlehem, at Cold Spring avenue and Twenty-fourth, organized in 1888, and of which Rev. John Schlerf has been pastor ever since its inception ; Emmaus, established in 1893, located at Twenty-third and Hadley streets, Rev. J. F. Rubel, pastor ; Holy Ghost, Concordia avenue and Sixth street, Rev. H. G. Schmidt, pastor ; and Ebenezer, established in 1894, on the west side of Thirtieth avenue near Scott street, of which Rev. Frank C. Geise is pastor.
While Grace church, which is now located at Broadway and Juneau avenue, was the first church organized under the auspices of the Wisconsin synod the oldest Milwaukee congregation in that synod to-day is St. John's. This latter society was organized as an inde- pendent body, and although the first pastor, Rev. William Dulitz, joined the Missouri synod the church did not follow. Rev. John Bading resigned as pastor of the church in 1908 after a continuous service of forty years. A brief review of his career appears in the biographical section of this work in the sketch of his son, Dr. G. A. Bading. St. John's church is located at the corner of Eighth avenue and Vliet street. Grace church was organized in 1849 by Rev. John
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Mulhaeuser, who came to Milwaukee as a missionary and was event- ually the originator and first president of the Wisconsin synod. The first church edifice erected by the society was dedicated in 1851. The pastorate is now filled by Rev. C. Gausewitz.
St. Mark's church was organized in 1875, and shortly after the organization had been effected a lot at the corner of Garfield and Island avenues was purchased from the St. . John's society. There was a school building on the property in which the first services were held. Since then a fine structure has been erected. The society's pastor is Rev. E. Dornfeld.
As early as 1860 the need of another German Lutheran church was felt on the south side. Members of St. John's and Grace churches organized in February of that year the society which eventually came to be known as St. Peter's. Worship was first held in the church be- longing to the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran society, but before the end of 1860 a small building suitable for church service was purchased from the Congregationalists. In the spring of the following year a lot was purchased at the corner of Third avenue and Scott street and the building of an edifice was immediately commenced. The presiding pastor is Rev. Adolph Baebenroth.
The preliminary steps to the formation of St. Matthew's church were taken at a meeting held at the home of William Knoelke in 1865. The Rev. John Muhlhaeuser preached the first sermon to the congre- gation and purchased for it the lots at Garfield avenue and Tenth street where the school buildings and church were erected. Rev. A. C. Bengler is the pastor in charge of the church.
St. Jacobus church was organized in 1873 by former members of the congregation of St. Peter's, the incorporation of the society occur- ring on Oct. 5. Rev. William Dammann was the first pastor of the , society and continued in charge until his death, when he was succeeded by his son-in-law, Rev. John Jenny, the present incumbent. The church is located at the corner of Forest Home and Eighth avenues.
The other Lutheran churches in Milwaukee county belonging to the Wisconsin synod are the Apostle, at Sycamore and Twenty-eight streets, of which Rev. Fred Graeber is pastor; Bethel, at Twenty- fourth and Vine streets, Rev. Otto J. R. Hoenecke, pastor ; Bethesda, at Eleventh and Chambers, Rev. H. F. Knuth, pastor; Christus, Greenfield and Eighteenth avenue, Rev. Henry Bergman; Jerusalem, Holton and Chambers streets, Rev. G. F. Harders ; St. Luke's, Kinnic- kinnic avenue and Dover street, Bendix P. Nommensen, pastor ; Salem, Cramer and Thomas streets, Rev. O. Hagedorn, pastor; and Gethsemane church at Layton Park.
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Of the English-speaking Lutheran churches in the city the English Church of the Redeemer is the oldest. Under the direction of Rev. W. K. Frick, the present pastor of the church, work was begun in the autumn of 1889. So successful was his work that on Jan. 5, 1890, the Church of the Redeemer was organized and on Sept. 14 of the same year Rev. William A. Passavant, Jr., laid the cornerstone of the church on the lot on Sixteenth street between Wells street and Grand avenue. Other English Lutheran churches are Mount Olive, organized in 1894, on Fourth street between Walnut and Sherman streets, of which Rev. William Dallman is pastor, and which was organized under the auspices of the Missouri synod; Church of the Ascension, at 306 Scott street, Rev. Gustave Stearns, pastor; Church of the Reformation, 3412 Lisbon avenue, Rev. W. K. Frick, pastor ; English Church of the Epiphany, 914 Third street, Rev. George Keller-Rubrecht, pastor; Hope English Lutheran, Thirty-fifth and Cherry streets, Rev. Ernest Ross; and Faith church, established 1907, Rev. H. C. Steinhof, pastor.
The largest of the Norwegian Lutheran churches is Our Saviour's at the corner of Scott street and Fourth avenue. This church was found- ed in 1858 by Rev. Mr. Thalberg. The present pastor, Rev. O. H. Lee, has served the church since 1881. Trinity Scandinavian church, on Fifth avenue near Orchard, of which Rev. Harry E. Olsen is pastor, is in flourishing condition. Mr. Olsen established an English Lutheran church, known as the Layton Park English church, at Layton Park in 1907, and also conducts a Norwegian Lutheran mission at South Milwaukee. The only other Norwegian Lutheran church in Mil- waukee is Emanuel on Scott street between Seventh and Eighth avenues.
Besides the Lutheran churches in Milwaukee already mentioned are Ephratha, at Concordia avenue and Second street, Rev. T. Schu- barth, pastor; First Swedish, at 490 Reed street, Rev. Albert S. Hamilton, pastor; Holy Cross, corner of Fond du Lac avenue and Brown street, Rev. John Strasen, pastor; and Saron, Ninth and Prairie streets, Rev. H. H. Ebert, pastor. There is also a service conducted for deaf mutes who have been organized into a congregation, known as the Emanuel Congregation of Deaf Mutes, and its place of worship is at 1711 Meinecke avenue. The report of the secretary of the Milwaukee school board for 1907 states that there are twenty-nine Lutheran schools in the city, employing ninety-nine teachers and having an enrollment of 5,627 pupils.
The Lutheran churches of Milwaukee are under the jurisdiction of five different synods. The Wisconsin and Missouri synods control
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a large majority, and the balance belong to the Hauge, Norwegian and United Church synods.
There are in Milwaukee two churches known as Free Lutheran societies, the Freie Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Gemeinde, at Vine and Twentieth streets, of which Rev. Johannes Dross is pastor, and the Norwegian Free Lutheran church at Second avenue and Madison street, of which Rev. D. C. Andersen is pastor. While the forms observed in the churches are purely Lutheran, the doctrine is said to be very similar to that of Congregationalism.
THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
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Methodism in Milwaukee had its beginning as early as 1835. Rev. John Clark, a member of the New York conference and one of the missionaries of the church, in his diary, recorded that he arrived in Milwaukee during one of his missionary journeys on Jan. 19, 1835, and was "kindly entertained at the house of Solomon Juneau." There is little doubt that he was the first minister of the Methodist faith to visit the settlement. In June of the same year the Rev. Mark Robin- son visited the citizens and preached the first Methodist sermon, and it was also probably the first religious service of any nature held in the settlement. In the autumn of 1835 Mr. Robinson was received into the Illinois conference and was assigned to the Milwaukee mission, which at the time extended over a vast territory. Acording to Methodist usage he formed, in 1836, a class for the purpose of organ- izing a church. In the same year Rev. John Clark was made presiding elder of the Chicago district which included all of eastern Wisconsin and the conference designated Rev. William S. Crissey as the pastor at Milwaukee. Services were held in the carpenter shop of W. A. and L. S. Kellogg, which stood on posts in the water at the corner of East Water and Huron streets. The first quarterly meeting of the church was held Jan. 8 and 9, 1837, the only people present being Messrs. Clark (who presided), Crissey and David Worthington. On July 22 of the same year at a meeting at the home of the pastor the society was legally organized according to the laws of the territory. Elah Dibble was chairman and W. A. Kellogg secretary of the meeting and the trustees elected were Elah Dibble, David Worthington, W. A. Kellogg, L. S. Kellogg, J. K. Lowry, Jared Thompson and Joseph E. Howe. The conference of 1837 assigned Rev. James R. Goodrich as pastor of the Milwaukee church. Mr. Goodrich's health failed before the year was out and Mr. Jared Thompson, a lay preacher of the church filled the pulpit for the balance of the year and during the year 1838,
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the financial difficulties of the time making it impossible for the mem- bers to support a clergyman. The conference of 1839 appointed Rev. Julius Field as presiding elder of the district and he soon secured for the Milwaukee charge the Rev. Daniel Brayton. The latter was succeeded by Rev. John Crummer, under whose pastorate the society built its first edifice on a lot donated by Morgan L. Martin, of Green Bay, on Broadway between Oncida and Biddle streets. The pastors succeeding Mr. Crummer, whose terms were for various periods, were the Revs. Silas Bolles, William H. Sampson, Abraham Hanson, W. M. D. Ryan, Francis M. Mills, and James E. Wilson. In the spring of 1844 the necessity of a larger church resulted in the erection, at the northwest corner of West Water and Spring streets, of the church which later became known as the Grand Avenue Methodist church. Succeeding Mr. Wilson came Rev. W. G. Miller, and it was during his pastorate that the growth of the congregation made necessary a branching out.
The above in brief is the early history of Methodism in Milwau- kee. Following the fortunes of this church it is learned that on Jan. 14, 1854, the edifice at the corner of West Water and Spring streets was destroyed by fire and the congregation purchased what had been the Spring Street Congregational church at the corner of Spring and Second streets. Again on July 4, 1861, the society again suffered the loss of its edifice by fire, and erected, in 1863, on the same site a busi- ness block with an audience room on the second floor where services were held. In the interim between 1861 and the completion of the new building, in 1864, services were held in a small hall over Ogden's car- riage repository. In 1869 the church block was sold and the property at the corner of Grand avenue and Fifth street was purchased. The new edifice erected by the congregation was dedicated on Oct. 8, 1871.
To avoid the enroachments of the business district the members of Grand avenue church determined to go farther out and property was purchased at the corner of Tenth street and Grand avenue. Upon this property was erected the fine new edifice which the church is now occupying. The present pastor of the congregation, which is the second largest in point of membership of the Methodist churches in the city, is Rev. G. A. Scott.
The need of a new church on the east side was felt by the Metho- clists of Milwaukee as early as 1851, but nothing was done toward carrying out the movement until in September. 1852. Rev. S. C. Thomas, then pastor of the Spring street congregation purchased from the Universalists the church which they had occupied on the corner of Broadway and Michigan streets, where later the Newhall House
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stood and subsequently after the disastrous fire in that hostelry, the present Insurance Building was erected. The building was removed to a lot previously purchased on Jackson street between Biddle and Martin and was there dedicated on Dec. 1, 1852, by Rev. A. Hanson. The conference on Sept. 9, 1853, made the church which had come to be known as Summerfield. Two years later the membership had in- creased to such an extent that it was thought advisable to build a larger church. With the help of the Spring street congregation the property at the northwest corner of Biddle and Van Buren streets was purchased and the building of a parsonage and church was begun at once. On April 4, 1858, the church was dedicated by President R. S. Foster, of Northwestern University. This building was later remod- eled, the lower floor being used for store purposes and the upper for church services.
Summerfield, like Grand avenue, began to feel the encroachment of the business district, and early in the years of the twentieth cen- tury an effort was started to erect a new church. This resulted in the dedication in 1905 of the edifice at the corner of Cass street and Juneau avenue. Rev. M. J. Trenery is the present pastor of the congregation. Trinity church, at Kinnickinnic and Clement avenues, had its inception in the fall of 1866 in the meetings held by John Bishop and Henry Ballster. The first service under the direction of a Meth- odist pastor was held during the following year and on April 26, 1868, an edifice erected on a lot, donated by the mill company, was dedicated. The present church building was erected in 1889, and Rev. W. A. Peterson is the incumbent of the pastorate. The present Wesley church, the largest in point of membership, is the continuance of the old Washington avenue church, which was organized by the Milwau- kee Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal church, in 1883. When the new church at the corner of Grand avenue and Twenty-fifth street was finished it became necessary to change the name because of the change of the location, and the church became known as Wesley. Its present pastor is Rev. Enoch Perry.
Asbury church is the outgrowth of a society organized as a class in 1847, consisting of nine members. Prior to this time the station was known as a part of the Root river circuit. The conference of 1848 recognized the class as a mission and Rev. Warren Oliver was ap- pointed to take charge of it. Meetings were held in a school-house and at the end of its first year the mission contained thirty-two members. At the conference held on July 3, 1851, the name of the mission was changed from Walker's Point to Reed street, and the following year, a more desirable location being secured at Virginia and Grove streets,
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the church building was again moved and the name again changed, this time to Grove street. The edifice was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1857. The lots on which the church had stood had not been purchased, but merely leased, and a member of the congregation secured for the church lots at the corner of First avenue and Park street, and a temporary structure erected thereon for church purposes. Sub- sequently a more permanent building was constructed, which was dedi- cated in 1858 free of debt. It was at this time that the church became known as Asbury. In 1863 a new brick veneer church, forty-two by seventy-four feet, was erected and the old church, remodeled, became the parsonage. In 1887 the church had outgrown its quarters and lots were secured at the corner of Third avenue and Washington street and the edifice which now houses the congregation was shortly after- ward erected. The present pastor of Asbury is Rev. E. D. Kohlstedt.
On Oct. 3, 1888, Sherman Street Methodist Episcopal church was dedicated by Rev. H. W. Bolton, and four years later was greatly enlarged. The church is located at the corner of Eleventh and Sher- man streets and its present pastor is Rev. C. W. Turner. Simpson church, at the corner of Scott street and Nineteenth avenue, whose present pastor is Rev. Henry Colman, D. D., was built and dedicated in 1888. Epworth church is the outgrowth of meetings held by Rev. J. E. Farmer in the north part of the west side and its organization was effected on Jan. 4, 1891, and the church was erected and dedicated in the same year. The Epworth church is located at Center and Fourth streets, and the pastor in charge of it is Rev. W. Bennett. Park Place church can trace its origin to the formation of the Oakland Avenue church. When the Farwell avenue congregation, which occu- pied the old battery building on Farwell avenue and had for its first pas- tor Rev. S. W. Naylor, now at the head of the department of theology of Lawrence University at Appleton, Wis., was disbanded, many mem- bers joined Park Place church. The present pastor of Park Place is Rev. H. C. Logan. Kingsley church, which for many years was situated at the corner of Twenty-ninth and Brown streets, has within the past year moved into a new edifice at Walnut and Thirty-third streets. The pastor, Rev. J. S. Davis, has been connected with the Methodist church in Milwaukee for many years.
There are to-day six German Methodist Episcopal churches in Milwaukee. Immanuel is situated on Center street between Richards street and Island avenue, and its pastor is the Rev. A. C. Keyser. The First German Methodist is situated at the corner of Prairie and Twenty-first streets, and its present pastor is Rev. Henry Lemcke ; the Second German Methodist is at Garfield avenue and Second street,
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and its pastor is Rev. W. J. Weber; the Third is at Mineral and Seventh avenue, with Rev. A. F. Fuerstenau pastor; the Fifth is located at the corner of Fifteenth and Wright with the Rev. Charles Hedler as its minister ; and Galena street church, at Twenty-ninth and Galena streets, Rev. J. Schott, pastor. There is also a colored con- gregation known as St. Mark's, whose place of worship is at the corner of Cedar and Fourth streets, and its pastor is the Rev. H. P. Jones.
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