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History of the Hebron Church, Madison County, Virginia 1717-1907
PREFACE
This little volume is the
result of investigations begun in 1904, in order to write a short sketch
of the Hebron congregation for publication in The Lutheran Visitor. The
article appeared, July 27, 1905. Many mistakes are to be found in it. I
pursued my investigations: the more I learned, the greater became my
desire to preserve in permanent form, for my people and the church at
large, the facts concerning this the oldest Lutheran congregation in the
South.
Many difficulties have had to be me, owing to the lack of
early records. Mistakes may be expected, especially in the early history
which is very misty and hard to clear up. There were missing links which
I could not find. However, I have done my best with the material at
hand, trusting that wherein I have failed the future historian will
succeed.
I have gone as far as possible to original sources for
information. But I have been compelled to use translations from the
Hallische Nachrichten and other German works. In addition to a number of
foot-notes, I give the principal sources from which the material for
this work has been gleaned. They are the Church Records, namely,
Treasurer's Reports 1733 and 1734, 1799 to 1807, and 1840 to 1853;
Subscription Book of Rev. Stoever, 1735-1739; Baptismal Register from
1750 to 1825; Register of Communicants from 1775 to 1812; Church Books
from 1861 to 1907; Records of Spottsylvania, Orange, Culpeper and
Madison Counties; Records of the Land Office, Richmond; Documentary
History of the Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania, 1898;
Journal of the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, 1903, Vol.
II., Nos. 1, 2, 3, pp. 1-17, 98-110, 140-150; Virginia Magazine of
History and Biography, Richmond;-- [Moravian Diaries of Travel Through
Virginia, Vol. XI., (1903-4), No. 2, pp. 113-131; No. 3, pp. 225-242;
No. 4, pp. 370-393; Vol. XII., (1904-5), No. 1, pp. 55-82; No. 2, pp.
134-153; No. 3, pp. 271-284; Early Westward Movement of Virginia, Vol.
XII., (1904-5), No. 4, p. 350 f.; Vol XIII., (1905-6), No. 4, pp.
362-373; The Germans in Madison County, Virginia, Vol. XIV., (1906-7),
No. 2, pp. 136-170]; History of the Lutheran Church in Pennsylvania,
Vol. I., by Rev. T. E. Schmauk, D. D., Philadelphia, 1903; Hebron
Luteran Congregation in Madison County, Virginia, a series of articles
prepared by Dr. Beale M. Schmucker and published in The Lutheran
Visitor, Newberry, S. C., April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 1886; The Lutheran
Church in Virginia, 1776-1876, by Rev. D. M. Gilbert, D. D.; Minutes of
the Virginia Synod, 1829-1906; Obituaries and Sketches of Pastors kindly
furnished by friends.
I am indebted to many brethren and friends
for valuable help, to whom I wish to return publicly my sincere thanks.
The reader must remember that the first Lutherans settled in Essex
County; that from 1720-1734, they were in Spottsylvania County, though
in the meantime they had moved to the Robinson River; and that Orange
was formed from a part of Spottsylvania in 1734; Culpeper from Orange in
1748; and Madison from Culpeper in 1792. The congregation has been
located respectively in the last four and the church in the last three
counties.
The engravings added at considerable cost, it is hoped,
will make the work more valuable.
I have added Appendices I. and
II., giving respectively a short sketch of Mt. Nebo Lutheran church at
Rochelle and copies of documents obtained from the public record office,
London, England.
With the hope that it may awaken, among our
people, a deeper interest in the history of their church, increase their
love for it, and arouse them to make greater efforts to transmit to
their posterity the priceless heritage they have received from their
German ancestors, this volume is sent forth on its mission.
May
the Lord bless this feeble effort to the good of His church and the
glory of his name.
Madison, Va., August 1, 1907.
CONTENTS
Chapter I.
German Lutheran Colonists Near Germanna, Virginia.
1717-1725.
The Germans--First Lutherans in the Territory of the
United States--Oldest Lutheran Church Built and Still Used by
Lutherans--Settlement of the First Permanent Lutheran Colony in
Virginia--German Reformed Colony at Germanna in 1714--Names of Lutheran
Colonists--Whence Came They and Why?-- Another Colony or Colonies--Life
Near Germanna--Lutherans Sued by Col. Spottswood--Petition--Mr.
Zollikoffer Sent to Germany--Rev. Anthony Jacob Henkel--No Church at or
Near Germanna.
Pages 1-9
Chapter II.
The Removal and
Settlement of the German Lutheran Colonists on the Robinson River and
White Oak Run. 1725-1733.
All did not Move at Once--Time of
Removal--First Religious Services--Character of the Settlers--Two Men
Sent to Germany--First House of Worship--First Germans to Patent
Lands--Date of the Organization of the Congregation--Oldest Pieces of
the Communion Service--The Name Hebron--Did the German Reformed Worship
in Hebron Church?
Pages 10-19
Chapter III.
The First
Pastor, Rev. John Caspar Stoever, and His Work in Holland and Germany.
1733-1739.
His Early Life--Ordination--Spiritual Condition of his
People-- The "Glebe' Bought and First Parsonage Built-- Did Rev. Stoever
Establish a School?--Need of a Church and Commissioners Sent to
Europe--Petition of Germans and Court Order--Collectors in England,
Holland, and Germany--Old Subscription Book--Results of Work in
Europe--Last Pieces of the Communion Service--Rev. Stoever's
Narrative--Studied at Darmstadt--Return Voyage--Stoever's Will--Death at
Sea--"Augustine" Stoever
Pages 20-30
Chapter IV.
The Church
Built and the Congregation Permanently Established Under Rev. George
Samuel Klug. 1739-1764.
His Life Before Coming to Virginia--Second
Farm Bought--Church Built--Slaves Bought--School-house Built and School
Established--Moravian Missionaries Visit the Neighborhood of the
Church--Pastor Klug's Visit to Pennsylvania--His Death--Buried Under
Church
Pages 31-38
Chapter V.
Revs. John Schwarbach and
Jacob Frank--Rev. Paul Henkel as Supply (?) 1764-1785.
Rev.
Schwarbach's Work in Pennsylvania and his Coming to Virginia--Letter to
the Ministerium of Pennsylvania in 1768 -- Letter from the Deacons of
the Church00Last Account of Rev. Schwarbach at Synod--Extent of his
Parish--His Work as Pastor--Ministry of Rev. Frank--Re-established
School--Introduced Constitution--Built New Parsonage--Condition of
Congregation--A Vacancy and Pastoral Services--Rev. Paul Henkel as
Supply (?)
Pages 39-47
Chapter VI.
Pastorates of Revs.
William Carpenter and Michael Meyerhoeffer. 1787-1821.
Rev.
Carpenter's Early Life and Preparation for the Ministry--The Annex to
the Church Built and the Deed to the Church Lot Made--The Pipe Organ
Purchased--School Continued--Rev. Carpenter Preaches in English--Teaches
Daniel Flohr--Real Estate of the Church Increased--His Character, Work,
Death--Rev. Meyerhoeffer Pastor--Preaches in English and German--More
Land Bought--His Work Successful--Rev. Jacob Crigler--Gown Worn in
Pulpit
Pages 48-57
Chapter VII.
Pastorates of Revs. John
Kehler, William Scull, Thomas W. Miller, and Samuel Allenbaugh.
1821-1849.
Rev. Kehler's Work in the Pastorate--Taught School--Rev.
Scull--No Records of his Work--First Sunday-school on Record--Church
Land Sold--Slaves Still Owned--Rev. Thomas W. Miller--Slaves Sold or
Died--Work of the Congregation and of the Synod Discouraging -- Rev.
Samuel Allenbaugh--Church Very Weak--Meeting at the Hoffman
Chapel--Synod held in Hebron Church--Dr. Schmucker's Visit
Pages
58-68
Chapter VIII.
Pastorates of Revs. Alonzo P. Ludden, W.S.
Bowman, D.D., and Levi Keller. 1850-1867
A Period of
Growth--Successful Meetings Held by Rev.
Ludden--Sunday-school--Prayer-meeting--The Church Repaired--Rev. S.W.
Harkey's Visit to Collect Money--Rev. D. Harbaugh Collected Money for
Hebron Church in Kentucky--Church Lands Sold--Rev. W.S. Bowman,
Pastor--Rev. Daniel Bittle Given Money for Roanoke College--Rev. Keller,
Pastor--Wafer-box Carried Away During the Civil War
Pages 69-79
Chapter IX.
Pastorates of Revs. R.C. Holland, D.D., Wright G.
Campbell, and George H Beckley. 1868-1885.
Rev. Holland, Pastor--Rev.
B.C.Wayman--The "Glebe" Sold--Second Parsonage Farm Bought --Chancel Put
in Church--Effort to Have a Church Cemetery--Resolution to Collect Money
for Church Purposes--Spiritual Condition of Congregation--Rev. W. G.
Campbell--Money for Church in Richmond--Barn Burned--Rev. G. H. Beckley,
Pastor--Church Repaired--Rev. J.W. Strickler
Pages 80-88
Chapter X.
Pastorates of Revs. Jacob S. Moser, Bachman S. Brown, and
J.A. Flickinger. 1885-1895.
Rev. J.S. Moser, Pastor--Second Parsonage
Farm Sold--Present Parsonage Bought--Taxes Returned--Meeting of the
Virginia Synod--Rev. B. S. Brown's Pastorate--Rev. J.A. Flickinger's
Pastorate and the Establishment of Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church
Pages
89-96
Chapter XI.
Pastorates of Revs. C.B. Miller and W.P.
Huddle. 1895-1907
Rev. C.B. Miller's Pastorate and Work--Rev J.F.
Crigler--Effort to Establish a Cemetery--Rev W.P. Huddle's
Pastorate--Sixth Meeting of Virginia Synod Held in the Church--Cemetery
Established--Church Funds--Conclusion
Pages 97-104
Pastors of
the Church
Page 105
Meetings of the Virginia Synod held in
Hebron Church
Page 106
Synodical Connections of the Church
Page 106
Appendix I
Page 107
Appendix II
Page 110
History of the Hebron Church, Madison County,
Virginia 1717-1907
Chapter 1.
The
German Lutheran Colonists near Germanna, Virginia. 1717-1725.
The
Germans have had no small part in the settlement, growth, and
development of this country. Their influence has been a considerable
factor in determining its social, political, and religious life. While
the English, in point of time, preceded them as colonists, yet they have
equaled them in patient endurance, heroic endeavor, and in loyalty to
their adopted country. They have filled prominent positions in church
and state. They have contributed their part in developing the resources,
creating the wealth, and insuring the general prosperity of this great
nation. German blood flows today in the veins of a large per cent. of
our citizens. We have only to hear their names spoken to recognize their
German origin.
A large part of the early German colonists, as
well as those German immigrants who arrived in more recent years, were
of the Lutheran faith. But the first representatives of the Lutheran
Church in the territory of the United States are not to be found among
the Germans, but among the Dutch colonists from Holland who settled at
New Amsterdam, now New York City, near the close of the first quarter of
the seventeenth century. Closely following them, came the Swedes who
settled along the Delaware River and built their churches. Then came the
Germans in small numbers, toward the close of the seventeenth century.
In the next fifty years great nnumbers had flocked to our shores,
settling in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, &c. Among
the colonies that sailed for Pennsylvania, ther was one, small in
numbers, poor in material wealth, but rich in faith, which, after a
disastrous voyage, was cast by the hand of Providence upon the shores of
Virginia, where it took root, grew, and became the first permanent
Lutheran settlement in the State.
Other colonists of the same
faith followed a few years later. Together, they established Hebron
church a few miles east of the Blue Ridge, in the valley of the Robinson
River and White Oak Run, in what is now Madison County. For years it has
been known as the "Old Dutch Church." This however is a misnomer, for it
was the Germans and not the Dutch who built and worshiped in it. It has
stood successively in three counties, Orange, Culpeper, and Madison. And
today after a lapse of 167 years it still stands as a monument to the
piety, industry, and persistent efforts of these German Lutherans to
establish a church of their fathers in the new world. The congregation
is known to have been in continued existence for at least a hundred and
seventy-four years, and is the oldest of the Lutheran faith in Virginia
and in the South. The original part of the building is the oldest
Lutheran church built, still used and owned by Lutherans in the United
States. It is older than the Trappe church near Philadelphia. The "Old
Swedes church" (1699) at Wilmington Delaware and the Gloria Dei(1700) at
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are both older, and were built by Lutherans;
but they have long been in the possession of the Episcopalians. The
history, therefore, of this church building and congregation should be
of much interest to Germans and especially to Lutherans.
It was
in the year 1717 that a little band of German Lutheran emigrants [1]
left the shores of the Fatherland, and set sail with the hope of finding
a better country in the wilds of Pennsylvania. Their vessel stopped at
London. There the captain of the ship was imprisoned for debt for
several weeks. By this delay, part of the ship's provisions were
consumed. What remained was insufficient to meet the demands of the
passengers and many died of hunger. The reset never reached their
intended destination. For after a trying and disastrous voyage in which
they were driven southward by a storm, twenty families, consisting of
about eighty persons, were landed on the Virginia coast-- strangers in a
strange land--where they were sold by the captain of the vessel to pay
the cost of their transportation. Governor Alexander Spottswood advanced
the money, and they became his indentured servants. They were settled by
him on the south side of the Rappahannock (Rapidan) River, near [2]
Germanna, about twenty miles above Fredericksburg, where he had
established three years before German Reformed colony [3] from
Nassau-Siegen, consisting of twelve families of forty-two persons.
The names of eight of them are known [3 1/2] They are Christopher
Zimmerman, Matthew (Michael) Smith, Michael Cook, Andrew Kerker, Henry
Snyder, Christopher Pavlur or Parlur (later known as Beller, Barler, and
Barlow), Hans Herren Burger (John Harnsburger) and John Motz. The other
twelve are probably Conrad Amburger, Balthaser Blankenbeker, Nicholas
Blankenbeker, Matthias Blankenbeker, Michael Clore, George Sheible,
George Mayer, Michael Kaifer, Michael Holt, George Utz, Zerichias
Fleshman and Andrew Ballenger. The twelve [4] last named, together with
Nicholas Yager, John Broyles, Philip Paulitz, Henry Snyder, Michael
Smith, Michael Cook, were being sued [5] in the court of Spottsylvania
County in 1724 for money which Col. Spottswood claimed was still due him
for their transportation. Three of them make the oath that they came
into this country in 1717. It might be concluded that the eighteen sued
came the same year. If this is so, the number of families must have been
at least twenty four, for five of those known to have been of the 1717
colony had settled for their passage money and the name of George Long
would have to be included.
The particular localities in Germany
from which they came have not been determined positively. Efforts are
now being made to solve the problem which we hope will prove successful.
From the naturalization papers of Nicholas Yager and his son Adam, we
are informed that the former was a native of Hesse and that the latter
was born near Dusseldorf in the Dukedom of Neuburg, Empire of Germany.
Now both Nicholas Yager and his son may have come with the first colony,
but the evidence seems to put their arrival a year later. In the
Moravian Diaries, [6] it is said that most of the colonists living in
the neighborhood of Hebron church in 1748, came from Wurtemburg. This
may be true, but at that time there were about eighty families. The
first colonists were in the minority, and hence the statement may or may
not be evidence as to the province from which they came. Rev. John
Caspar Stoever's account of the Hebron congregation, as well as a report
printed at Weimar a few years later, states that they came from Alsace,
the Palatinate, and neighboring districts. It seems certain, therefore,
that they did not all come from the same province in Germany. The above
statements are indefinite, it is true, but they embody all the
information we have been able to get.
The cause of their
emigration to this country is found in these words, "on account of the
then well known severe persecutions." Not being able to determine the
provinces from which they came, the conditions under which they lived,
civil and religious, can be described only in a general way. At the
close of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries,
deplorable conditions prevailed in Germany. The hardships and sufferings
of the masses of the people were almost too great for endurance. The
wars of Louis XIV and that of the Spanish Succession had well nigh
exhausted Germany and especially those provinces along the Rhine. In
addition to the effects of the war, the extravagance, cruelty, and
despotism of the rulers, the contentions that existed between the
different confessions of religion, followed by intolerance and
persecution-- all these more or less were felt throughout Germany, --so
that the lot of her citizens became exceedingly hard to bear. The
general misery became so great that many Protestants--especially from
the upper provinces of the Rhine-- emigrated to America rather than
continue to live under such conditions. Among those who emigrated from
Germany we find the colony of 1717.
Another Lutheran colony (and
it may be colonies), consisting of forty families, arrived between 1717
and 1720. These also had to pay the cost of their transportation to
Virginia by serving the English. And though they were scattered during
their servitude, when they became free most of them must have settled in
the neighborhood of their countrymen. There is some evidence of a colony
in 1718. Although January seems to have been an unusual month for
vessels to arrive, yet Frederic Cobler [7] makes oath that he came into
this country in this month and year. If his statement is true, others
also must have arrived that year. With him we would put Nicholas Yager,
Philip Paulitz, John Broyles (1), Jacob Broyles, and George Long [7
1/2]. All these may have arrived a year earlier or later. There is
positive evidence of a colony in Nov., 1719. The following persons [8]
made oath that they came into this country the above named month and
year: John Blowers, Meredith Helms, Godfrey Ridge, John Bell, Thomas
Jackman, Joseph Right, and John Broyles (2).
The first colonists,
after their arrival in the wilderness near Germanna, went earnestly to
work to build rude huts, establish new homes, and provide a living for
themselves and families. It is said of them, as it is of the German
Reformed colonists, that they supported themselves in all quietness by
agriculture and cattle raising. According to tradition they were
employed in Governor Spottswood's iron mines. This, it seems certain, is
true. Those familiar with the management of blast furnaces in which
charcoal is the fuel used, will doubtless believe with us that they were
employed part of the time in the manufacture of iron and also raised a
few cattle and farmed on a small scale. BUt it seems that they did not
prosper and that their lot was a sad and bitter one. They were boor, and
it was with difficulty that they could get the necessaries of life. They
had not only to provide for their families, but also to return by
service or money their transportation charges. The hardships,
temptations, and struggles through which they passed could not be
written even if we have full data. They could get no lands of their own
and set up no permanent homes. If their complaint was just they received
hard treatement at the hands of Col. Spottswood. Rev. John Caspar
Stoever says that they underwent great hardships during their first
eight years. In 1724, they were having trouble-- a number of them had
been sued in the court of Spottsylvania County. And these suits were
pending for several months.
Tradition says that they at length
became disgusted with the poverty of the soil and their hard life in the
mines, and determined to leave the Governor's lands and secure land of
their own. This determination to leave, no doubt, caused him to
institute proceedings against them, as he wished to retain them in his
service. On April 23, 1724, Zerichias Fleshman and George Utz laid a
petition [9] before the Colonial Council at Williamsburg in behalf of
themselves and fourteen other high-Germans then living near Germanna, in
which they complain that Col. Spottswood had unjustly sued them in the
court of Spottsylvania County for the non-performance of a certain
agreement pretended to have been entered into with him in consideration
of money advanced them upon their transportation into the colony. They
claimed that they had performed and were ready to perform any agreement
made with him. He, they said, had refused to give them a copy of the
agreement for which they had asked; hence they, having been already
sued, applied to the Colonial Council in order to secure justice. An
attorney, Mr. Henry Conyers was allowed them to conduct their defense.
As far as we have been able to ascertain, the suits against three of
them were dismissed: that against a fourth was dismissed by the
plaintiff, upon the consent of the defendant to pay the fees of the
clerk and sheriff. We have found no records of how the others were
finally settled.
What provision, it may be asked, had these
Lutherans to supply their spiritual needs, during these eight years?
Rev. Henry Haeger, the German Reformed minister who had a congregation
at Germanna and preached in the block-house, served his own people and
the Lutherans "in common." But after his removal to Fauquier County
about 1721, they had no minister as far as known. In the absence of
proof, we think it can safely be said that they had services in their
homes conducted by one or more of their number. These would consist of
song, prayer, scripture reading, exhortation and reading a sermon or
selection from some devotional work.
Some writers have claimed
that Rev. Gerhard Henkel was at one time pastor of this colony. Of this,
we have found no evidence we consider credible. The claim may be true.
But in all the references we have seen there are found statements that
cannot be true. Hence we must believe that while he may have visited and
preached for the people, he was not their pastor. Rev. John Caspar
Stoever ought to have known, and he says that he himself was the first
pastor and that for sixteen years they had been without public worship
and a pastor. Sixteen years date back to 1717.
The German
Reformed and Lutheran colonists [10] sent Mr. Christopher Zollikoffer of
St. Gall in Switzerland, as their agent to Germany to secure an
assistant minister to Rev. Mr. Haeger and to collect funds to establish
a church and school. He carried with him to England a petition which was
laid before the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts,
October 2, 1719. In it, they asked the Society for the support of a
minister. The result of this petition which was not acted upon till
March 18, 1721, was that the Society refused to grant their request, but
agreed to give them 25 copies of the Common Prayer in the German
language. Mr. Zollikoffer collected money and books in Germany and
returned about the fall of 1720. How the funds were used and what became
of the German Prayer Books, we have not learned.
Did the
Lutherans have a church in the place of their first settlement? There is
no evidence that they had. This is true of both the Lutherans and the
German Reformed. Certainly there was none in 1719. It is true, there
existed the German Parish of St. George [11] from 1717 to about 1720.
This included an area extending five miles on each side of the town of
Germanna. Whether the Lutherans were included in this area or not, we do
not know, for the exact locality of their settlement has not been
determined. In all probability they were. The General Assembly [12] of
Virginia created the Episcopal Parish of St. George in 1720, when
Spottsylvania became a county. An appropriation of 500 pounds was made
for building a church, courthouse, &c. This church afterward built by
Col. Spottswood was not a Lutheran, but an Episcopal church of the
Parish of St. George.
[1] Acta-Historico-Ecclesiastica, Vol.
III., p. 1094, Weimar, 1738. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography,
Vol. XIV., No. 2, p. 153.
[2] The Lutheran colony did not settle
at but near Germanna. In 1732, Col. Byrd saw there a baker's dozen of
ruinous tenements where so many German families had lived. Both colonies
had moved; the German Reformed to Fauquier, the Lutheran to Madison
County. If the Lutherans had lived at Germanna, there would have been
more houses.
[3] In April, 1714, this colony was settled at
Germanna on the south side of the Rapidan River in the Northeast corner
of what is now Orange (then Essex) County, about twenty-five miles above
Fredericksburg. Their names were John Kemper, Jacob Holtzclaw, John
Spillman, John Martin, John and Herman Fishback, John Hoffman, Joseph
Cuntz (Coons), Jacob Rickart (Rector), Dillman Weaver, Milchert
(Melchior) Brumback, and Peter Hitt (Will Book A. Spottsylvania C.H.,
Va., pp. 69, 73, 74.) It is stated positively that this colony was
German Reformed. Some Lutheran writers have claimed that it was
Lutheran. This is certainly a mistake, as we know from having looked up
the records at Spottsylvania and Orange Counties, and also the Land
Books at Richmond, Va. We do not hesitate to say they were not
Lutherans. And even if they were, they certainly did not assist in the
founding of the Lutheran church on the Robinson River. John Hoffman and
Jacob Holtzclaw of this colony did patent lands near the church not
earlier than Sept., 1728. The former resided in Madison County, and is
known to have been a Presbyterian (Calvinist) or German Reformed; the
latter as far as we can ascertain lived and died in Fauquier County.
Certainly, he was a resident of that county as late as 1747 (D. Book,
Orange Co., No. 11, p. 83) Some of the descendants of these colonists
became members of Hebron church in later years, but they were not among
its founders. The Reformed colony left Germanna about 1721 and located
at Germantown in Fauquier County. Rev. Henry Haeger, their pastor, went
with them to their new settlement where he continued his work and where
he died in 1737. For a full history of this colony, see Journal of the
Presbyterian Historical Society, Vol. II., Nos. 1, 2, 3, and the Kemper
Genealogy by Willis M Kemper.
[3 1/2] Court Order Book,
1720-1730, pp. 89, 107, 108. Spottsylvania Co., Va.
[4] Will Book
A, Spottsylvania Co., p. 87.
[5] Virginia Magazine of History and
Biography, Vol. XII., pp. 350, 351.
[6] Virginia Magazine of
History and Biography, Vol. XII., p. 230.
[7] Will Book A,
Spottsylvania County, p. 69.
[7 1/2] Court Order Book
Spottsylvania County, 1724-1730, pp. 142, 352. Also Will Book A,
Spottsylvania County, p. 69.
[8] Will Book A, Spottsylvania
County, pp. 68, 69.
[9] Va. Mag. of Hist. and Biog., Vol XII.,
pp. 350, 351.
[10] Perry's collections, p. 247 f. Journal of the
Presbyterian Historical Society, Vol. II., No 2., pp. 105, 107.
[11] Journal of the Presbyterian Historical Society, Vol. II., No. 2, p.
99.
[12] Hening's Statutes, Vol. IV., p. 78.
[13] Present
State of Virginia, p. 59.
History of the Hebron Church,
Madison County, Virginia 1717-1907
Chapter II.
The Removal and Settlement of the German Lutheran Colonists on the
Robinson River and White Oak Run. 1725-1733.
The poverty of these
Germans, their hard lives as indentured servants, their desire to
possess lands of their own and finally trouble with Col. Spottswood,
impelled them to leave the settlement near Germanna and try their
fortunes farther west where better lands could be obtained at little or
no cost and where they could make better provisions for themselves and
families. They sought out and found a better country on the banks of the
Robinson River and White Oak Run, in Madison (then Spottsylvania)
County, near the eastern base of the Blue Ridge. They moved up the
Rapidan River, crossing it according to tradition below Madison Mills at
the old German ford, and settled on both sides of the Robinson River and
White Oak Run. With the church as a center, a radius of about eight
miles would include the territory they occupied.
The place of
their new settlement is described as being at "Smith's Island." The
evidence as to its location we consider conclusive, though no island is
now to be found. White Oak Run was first called "Island Run," because
there was an island near its mouth. It bears this name in the first
patents granted the settlers. A few years later the name was dropped and
White Oak Run takes its place, though for years afterward the "Island
line" was referred to and was well known. As early as August 5, 1729,
there was an island in the first fork of the White Oak Run. It was
situated east of the church between the foot-hill and the run. The
hillock rising above the bottom lands and covered with trees and bushes
was certainly part of it, for the tradition is still preserved that it
was called "the little island." It is not now, but it may have been then
in the first fork of the White Oak Run. During a freshet in 1906, we
could trace plainly the outline of a island in the first fork a hundred
yards higher up the run. The church and island being only about a
stone's throw from each other were the center of this settlement.
"Smith's Island" and the one in the first fork of the White Oak Run are
undoubtedly the same.
All the colonists did not move at the same
time. Tradition has still preserved thirteen surnames which are said to
be those of the first settlers. They are Aylor, Blankenbeker, Carpenter
(Zimmerman), Crigler, Finks, Hoffman, Clore, Yager, Utz, Wayland,
Souther, Crisler, and Weaver. We doubt very much the correctness of all
these names. Some of them are undoubtedly correct, while it seems
certain that others did not arrive until a few years later. The first
colonists were soon reinforced by others; some from the old settlement,
others from the surrounding neighborhood when the time of their
servitude to the English had expired. New immigrants also arrived,
coming by way of Pennsylvania, till in eight years their number had
increased to about three hundred.
The time of the removal of the
first Germans to Madison County cannot now be fixed positively. It
certainly was not earlier than April 23, 1724, for they were then living
near Germanna; it certainly was not later than June 24, 1726, for then
the first lands were patented. The Germans to whom Rev. Hugh Jones [13]
refers as having already moved further up in 1724, were undoubtedly
those of the 1714 colony. From certain court orders [14] found at
Spottsylvania Court House, giving these Germans the privilege of making
roads--the one to clear a road from the ferry at Germanna to Smith's
Island up the Rapidan--the other 'to lay out and make the most
convenient way for ye Germans' Mountain Road,' Mr. Charles E. Kemper of
Washington, D.C., in an article, "Early Westward Movement of Virginia,"
concludes that it was probably in 1726. But it seems probable to us that
they were already at "Smith's Island," July 6, 1725, when leave was
granted them to make a road; for early pioneers usually made settlement
first and roads afterward. Our conclusion is that it was in the spring
being sued by Col. Spottswood. Five, (Christopher Zimmerman, Christopher
Parlur [Barler], John Motz, John Harnsburger, and Andrew Kerker) had
already settled for their transportation and as early as the first of
September, 1724, the suits[15] against four of them (Andrew Ballenger,
Michael Holt, George Utz, and Michael Clore) had been dismissed, and in
all probability nearly all of them had been decided by the end of the
year. They were then free to leave their first settlement and secure
lands of their own. Beside, the eight years of affliction, through which
the founders of Hebron Church on the Robinson River passed, of which
Rev. Stoever speaks, must have been while they lived near Germanna. His
statement, together with the other evidence, fixes the year almost
positively. It is reasonable to suppose that when they were free from
the service of Col. Spottswood and had settled on lands of their own,
they would be enabled to make better provision for themselves and
families. Eight years, counting from 1717, puts them in Madison County
in 1725.
This colony, transplanted to more congenial soil on the
western border of the county, became for the time the advance guard of
civilization westward. There was no white settlement between them and
the Pacific Ocean. The vast wilderness surrounded them, and settlements
of Indians are said to have existed at a distance of about forty miles.
But they lived on friendly terms with their red-faced neighbors. In
their excursions, they sometimes camped nearby, visited the settlers,
and even allowed themselves to be coaxed into their homes where they
received much kindness. The tradition is still preserved that from the
old church, the smoke of their camp-fires near Haywood could be seen;
and that guards were placed around the church to protect the worshipers
against an unexpected attack.
Their first work, according to
tradition, was to build a fort and stockade on the north side of the
Robinson River, about a mile from the church, on what is now known as
the Thornton Utz place[16] near the residence of Mr. Samuel N. Banks.
The fort was used as a protection against hostile Indians and also as a
place of worship. Here the first religious services, which must have
been conducted by a layman, are said to have been held.
What has
been said of other German immigrants is certainly true of these. They
were "a hardy, industrious, and honest people." And their descendants
still show the same characteristics. They were also a religious people.
They brought with them "their Bibles, hymn-books, and a few devotional
works." And though settled in a strange land and denied the privilege of
having the Gospel preached among them, they did not forget to worship
the God of their fathers. Their persistent efforts to have a pastor
among them and their sacrifices made to secure and support their first
one, show how deeply religious they were and how ardently they desired
to have their children reared in the faith of the Gospel.
Used to
toil, they went earnestly to work, building their rude huts, clearing
the forests, and cultivating the soil. Soon from the top of the Blue
Ridge, "the eye of the Indian as it swept the range of this beautiful
valley, saw the luxuriant woods here and there dotted with fields and
the smoke curling gracefully among the branches of the trees as it
ascended from the white man's hut. The sound of the woodman's axe and
saw and the cheerful voices of children, gave life to the scene and bore
to the ear of the savage unmistakable proof that the tide of
civilization rolling westward would soon sweep him from the soil that
sepulchred the ashes of a long ancestry."
Settled in their humble
homes and their immediate wants supplied their next step was to build a
house of worship. Since the removal of Rev. Haeger from Germanna in
1721, they had had, so far as known, no minister to break to them and
their children the bread of life. Their need was great. So anxious were
they to have a pastor that in 1725 they sent two of their number to
Germany for this purpose. Whether this was before or after their
settlement in Madison County is uncertain, but we know their efforts
were not successful. They returned but brought no minister with them.
This was a sore disappointment to these anxious, waiting people. They
had hoped and prayed and waited for their return and for the success of
their mission.
It must have been during the absence of these
commissioners that "The German chapel" was built. That such a house
existed is proven by two facts. First, Michael Cook was clerk or reader
in "the German chapel" during part at least of the time that Rev.
Stoever was absent in Europe. Second, in 1760, Lord Fairfax made a grant
[17] of land to John Carpenter, in which one line of the survey is
described as meeting George Utz's line at the place where "the German
chapel stood." Within the bounds of this grant which called for 1245
acres was included the land formerly patented by Andrew Kerker. We have
had this grant plotted, and the conclusion is that the chapel stood on
the same lot as the present church. The reference shows that it had
already been torn down. The church lot must have been given by Andrew
Kerker, though no deed for it appears till 1790. This house certainly
was built of logs. No description of it remains but that given of the
first house of worship, built in Kentucky by their descendants, would
fit it very well. "It was a cabin church [18] in reality, built of
unhewn logs. The roof and door were made of clapboards. The floor was
laid with puncheons and the seats were made of saplings. An opening was
made at each end by sawing out a few logs for windows. These were always
open, that is, without sash or lights. They had neither stove nor
fireplace in it and yet met for worship during the winter." The date of
its erection can safely be put as early as 1726, for Mr. F. J. Crigler,
one of the oldest members now living, tells us he was always told by the
old people of his family that services were held in a house on the same
lot and near the present church as early as 1726. Though while building
this chapel they had no pastor, they were making efforts to secure one,
they believed their efforts would be successful and the house would be
ready at his coming. There is no reasonable doubt about their having had
religious services of some kind. The fact that Michael Cook was clerk or
reader [19] in this same chapel some years later, proves that there
certainly was one among them competent to hold religious worship and
strongly argues that he or some other lay-member did during this period.
It would be of much interest if we could give the names of all the
founders of this church. But this cannot now be done as only part of
them are known. We give the names of twenty-two German settlers [20] who
first patented lands on the Robinson River and White Oak Run, June 24,
1726. They are Zerichias Fleshman, Henry Snyder, John and Michael Tower,
or Tomer (doubtless Tanner or Turner), Matthias Blankenbeker, Nicholas
Blankenbeker, Belthaser Blankenbeker, John Prial (Broyles), George Utz,
George Sheible, Nicholas Yager, Christopher Zimmerman, Michael Smith,
Jacob Crigler, Michael Clore, Michael Cook, George Mayer, George
Woodroof, Matthias Beller, Michael Kaifer, William Cimberman
(Carpenter), and Michael Holt. Two days later, John Motz and John
Harnsburger of the 1717 colony patented lands. These certainly were
Germans; and nearly, if not all, were Lutherans and among the founders
of "the German Lutheran congregation" in Madison County.
September 28, 1728, the following persons [21] patented lands: Michael
Holt, William Carpenter [22], John Rouse, John Thomas, Christopher
Zimmerman, Jacob Broyles, Thomas Wayland, George Woods, Michael and John
Clawse, Cyracus and Peter Fleshman, Frederic Cobler, Robert Tanner,
Michael Wilhoit, Andrew Kerker, George Mayer, Thomas Farmer, Matthias
Costler (Crisler), Thomas Wright, &c. Nearly All of these must have been
Germans, and as far as can be ascertained of the Lutheran faith. John
Hoffman and Jacob Holtzclaw of the first colony at Germanna also
patented lands near the Robinson River, the latter September 27, 1728,
the former September 28, 1729. But as we have stated before they are
known not to have been Lutherans. Of the five belonging to the 1717
colony not sued by Col. Spottswood and of the eighteen sued by him we
have traced all to the neighborhood of Hebron church by patents and
deeds except one, Andrew Ballenger, and we have found Edward Ballenger
as the owner of property on the south side of Deep Run [22 1/2] in 1733.
There are also others who patented lands a few years later. Among them
we find George Lang (Long), September 17, 1731; Pattas Blankenbeker,
March 28, 1732; John Michael Stolts, April 11, 1732; Conrad Amburger,
John Carpenter, and Joseph Bloodworth, June 20, 1734; Jacob Manspoil and
Andrew Garr, October 3, 1734 &c. As no church records covering this
period can be found the names of the members cannot be determined.
However a number of those just named are known to have been Lutherans
and among the founders of this congregation.
The date of the
organization cannot be determined positively. It is certain that an
organized congregation existed as early as January 1, 1733, as is to be
seen from the Treasurer's report for that year. It was during this
period that the oldest pieces of the communion service were given the
church. They are one large paten, on which is an engraving made by hand
of the institution of the Lord's Supper, two patens each with an
engraving of Christ on the cross and a baptismal bowl-- all made of
pewter. These bear the inscription, "A gift from Thomas Giffin, London,
May 13, 1727." There are also two flagons, made of the same material, on
which are inscribed the words, "A gift from Thomas Giffin, London Hall
Street, London, October 21, 1729." A wafer box, doubtless of one of the
dates named, was carried off during the Civil War by a Federal Soldier.
How they came into the possession of the congregation is not known.
Tradition and history as far as we can ascertain are both silent. It
seems very probable to us that they were secured by the two
commissioners sent to Europe, either through the Society for Propagating
the Gospel in Foreign Parts or the German Lutheran Ministers in London.
Now the earliest date on this service strongly argues the existence of a
congregation. And the fact that the two commissioners had the power to
engage the services of a pastor, shows that there must have existed an
organization of some kind from which they derived their authority to
act. This carries us back to 1725, the year of their settlement at
"Smith's Island." We have found no positive evidence of a German
Lutheran congregation near Germanna, though one probably existed. But as
many of the founders of the church belonged to the colony of 1717, we
may very appropriately date the beginning of the congregation from that
year. And this agrees with Rev. Stoever's statements in his published
report of 1737. The organization must have been effected by the members
themselves. Congregations in those early days were often formed in this
way and existed for years without a pastor. As an example, Hopeful
church in Boone County, Kentucky, was organized by Lutherans from Hebron
in 1806, and existed eight years without a pastor. During these years
"services were kept up regularly, unless providentially hindered, every
Sabbath."
The name Hebron does not appear for years after the
church had been founded. It is simply spoken of as "the German
congregation." In the history of the Hopeful church, Boone County,
Kentucky, which was composed chiefly of emigrants from the Hebron
church, the author, Mr. H. A. Rattermann, editor of the Dutch Pioneer,
refers to the diary [22 1/4] of Rev. Gerhard Henkel, in which he speaks
of a church erected in the beginning by these Germans and called die
Hoffmungs-volle Kirche (the church of Good Hope). That the chapel first
built was named Hopeful we consider very probable because of the name
given the new organization in Kentucky. The child would naturally take
the first name of the parent. Of this however we can find no evidence.
We know that after the building of the church and the establishment of
the congregation upon a solid basis it was called by its present name,
Hebron.
"The old church in Madison County," says Rev. H. Max
Lentz, [23] "was composed of Lutherans and German Reformed members." We
have been able to get no positive evidence either to substantiate or
deny the statement. It was customary in those days for Lutherans and
German Reformed to unite in erecting houses of worship for the use of
both. And as some of the Germans on the Robinson River are known to have
been German Reformed and to have afterward built the Hoffman chapel
about two miles distant, it is probable that the statement is true. But
we must say that no tradition is preserved that they both worshiped in
Hebron church.
[13] Present State of Virginia, p. 59.
[14]
Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XIII., No. 4, p. 365f
[15] Will Book A, p. 87, and Court Order Book, 1724-1730, p. 9.
Spottsylvania County, Virginia.
[16] Patented by George Utz.
[17] Land Office, Richmond, Va., Vol. K, p. 155.
[18] A
History of Hopeful Church, Sermon, by Rev. D. Harbaugh, 1854, p. 7.
[19] Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XIV., No. 2,
p. 166.
[20] Land Book, Richmond, Va., No. 12, pp. 474-483.
[21] Land Books, Richmond, Va., No. 12, from p. 300 to No. 14, p.
113
[22] This was the "Glebe farm."
[22 1/2] A tributary
from the north which flows into the Robinson River, a mile below the
church, at Russel's Ford
[22 1/4] Mr. George C. Henkel, M. D.,
Farmersville, Ohio, who is said to have in his possession the diary of
Rev. Gerhard Henkel, wrote the author March 7, 1906, that he had no such
book and never had.
[23] History of the Lutheran Churches in
Boone County, Ky., p. 16.
History of the Hebron Church, Madison County, Virginia
1717-1907
CHAPTER III
The First Pastor, John
Caspar Stoever, and his Work in Holland and Germany. 1733-1739.
After repeated attempts on the part of the congregation to secure the
services of a minister, success at length crowned their efforts, and
Rev. John Caspar Stoever became their first pastor in the spring of
1733. He had a son named John Caspar, [24] who was also a minister and
who did successful work in Pennsylvania for many years.
John
Caspar Stoever, [25] the elder, was born at Frankenberg, in Hesse, in
1685. "His father Dietrich Stoever conducted a mercantile establishment.
His mother Magdalena was the daughter of Andrew Eberwein, pastor at
Frankenberg. One of his baptismal sponsors was John Christian Eberwein,
pastor and head teacher in the Pedagogium at Giessen, which position was
held for a long time after by a relative of the Stoevers, John Philip
Fresenius, one of the most prominent and the warmest friend of the
Lutheran church in America. Already in youthful years Stoever was a
teacher at Amweiler on the eastern slope of the Hartz mountains, and
received from there good testimonials of his descent and his character,
which were prepared for him by the elders of the congregation. Here he
had also attended to the playing of the organ and probably engaged in
the study of theology. In the year 1728, he sailed with ninety Palatines
on the ship Good-will, David Crocket, master, of Rotterdam, leaving Deal
on the 15th of June, and landed in Philadelphia on the 11th of
September."
Where he passed the years between his arrival in
Pennsylvania and the beginning of his ministry in Virginia is not
positively known. [26] He seems to have labored in and around
Philadelphia or to have returned to Europe. We can find no evidence of
his being in Virginia prior to 1733. The congregation had sent to
Pennsylvania to inquire about a pastor. This inquiry may have resulted
in his coming to Virginia. He received a call from the Hebron church.
Afterward, in company with Mr. George Scheible, he traveled to
Pennsylvania, where in 1733 he was ordained by Rev. John Christian
Schulze who was the only regularly ordained clergyman south of New York
to whom he could apply. His ordination must have taken place in the
spring, for he administered communion to the people for the first time,
the second Sunday after Trinity. He says that the most kind God sought
him out as an unworthy servany for their teacher and pastor after
previous calling and ordination.
The spiritual condition of these
Germans must have been deplorable when he began his ministry among them.
For sixteen years they had been without the services of a Lutheran
pastor. They were scattered and like sheep without a shepherd. They had
passed through great sufferings and privations. They had known what it
was to suffer need, both in temporal and spiritual things, since their
coming to Virginia. But during the last eight years their material
prospects had brightened, and they were now very well supplied with
temporal things. They grew their food supplies and cultivated tobacco
which they exchanged for their necessary clothing. Still what spiritual
destitution must have existed during those years without a pastor to
teach their children, preach the word, administer the sacraments,
comfort the sick and dying, and bury the dead! No wonder the ministry of
this godly man brought joy to their hearts. He found them shepherdless,
and the great desire of his heart was to tend this flock of which God
had made him overseer. His coming was God's answer to their continued
prayers and persistent efforts, and it brought them comfort, hope, help
in the time of need.
He informs us that he was the first pastor
of this church, that at the time of entrance upon the duties of his
office or soon after, the number of souls was three hundred, that he
began service of public worship among them, teaching and administering
the sacraments as God gave him ability, and that he contented himself
with a yearly salary of 3000 pounds of tobacco--about forty dollars--
which his parishioners paid in addition to taxes for the support of the
English church.
With the coming of a pastor there arose the need
of a parsonage. The same year a farm of 193 acrers, more or less, was
bought of Mr. William Carpenter. This farm is still known as the
"Glebe." A parsonage or "Glebe-haus" was built on it by the beginning of
the fall of 1734. The deed [27] still in possession of the church and
preserved in the clerk's office of Madison County, was made December 3,
1733, to Michael Cook and Michael Smith, wardens and trustees of the
German church and people inhabiting in the fork of the Rappahannock
River, in St. Mark's Parish, in the county of Spottsylvania, for a glebe
for the use of the minister of the said German people and his successors
forever. It was signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of John
Waller, Robert Turner, Edward Broughton, James King, and William
Henderson. The consideration named in the deed was five shillings lawful
money of Virginia. For years it has been said that this farm was a gift.
But after we discovered at Orange Court House in the summer of 1906, the
treasurer's report [28] of the congregation for 1733 and 1734, we know
that it was bought. This report shows that it was paid for in full, and
that the price must have been several pounds.
Rev. Stoever was
deeply interested in the education of his people and in the
establishment of a school for the instruction of the young. Did he
establish a school while pastor? It has been said that he did, but we
can find no evidence to substantiate the statement. We know he conceived
the idea of a school, gathered money for that purpose, but it seems
certain that its actual establishment was the work of his successor. Of
this we will have something to say in the next chapter.
The time
he passed in Virginia, as pastor of Hebron, was short-- only about a
year and a half. But in that time he did much for his people and laid
the foundation for the future growth and prosperity of the church. A new
house of worship was badly needed. The chapel in which he preached had
become too small for the growing congregation and unsuitable for church
purposes. The means of his people were limited. After paying their
pastor's salary and taxes for the support of the established church,
they felt that the burden of building was too great for them to bear
alone. What should they do? It was finally decided to ask help of their
brethren across the seas. Accordingly, in the fall of 1734, the pastor,
Michael Smith an elder, and Michael Holt a member of the congregation
were sent to Europe to solicit funds to aid in building a church,
establishing a school, and supporting an assistant pastor.
These
Germans, before starting their commissioners on their mission across the
sea, were anxious to have a reccomendation from the Governor of the
province. But as he did not know their poverty and need of help, they
laid a petition before the court of Spottsylvania County and the court
certified truth of what they affirmed. As we have never seen this court
order in print [29] we give it in full.
"Order Book 1730 to 1738
page 337.
"On the petition of Michael Holt, Michael Smith, &
Michael Clore in behalf of themselves and ye rest of the Germans, seated
by the great Mountains on the Robinson River in this County, setting
forth that they have a Minister, (Ye Rev. Augustine Stover) who they
accomodate, pay and satisfy his salery at y'r own charge, and have
already purchased a Glebe & built a house for the use of Y'e S'd
Minister. And also that they are building a Church for Y'e congregation,
but being of low circumstances (& obliged to pay levies in the Parish
where they live) and not being able to go through the charge, are
sending home to Germany y'e Rev. Augustine Stover, Michael Holt, &
Michael Smith in order to get some relief & assistance toward Y'e
building of said Church & maintenance of y'e s'd Minister.
"Humbly desiring this Court to recomend the same to his Hon. The
Governor in order that they might get a certificate of him to testifie
the truth thereof; is granted and ordered that ye same be certified
according to petition.
"At a Court held for Spotsylvania County
on Tuesday September 3rd 1734. A copy; Teste: T. A. Harris clerk."
With this certificate from the court they applied to Governor Gooch,
who certified[30] to the truth of what they had already done, their need
of help, and also that his written testimonial was given, that full
credence might be given the commissioners in Germany in all their
endeavors and undertakings. The seal of the colony was affixed. Signed
by William Gooch, September 18, 1734.
Thus recommended the
collectors went first to England where they were kindly received by the
German Lutheran ministers in London: Rev. Frederick Michael Ziegenhagen,
court chaplain; Rev. Henry Alard Butjenter, court preacher at the German
court chapel of St. James; Rev. D. Henry Walther Gerdes and Rev. Henry
Werner Palm, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Savoy. Here
they received not only a good contribution but also a letter of
recommendation from them to Holland and Germany. No records are
preserved of any gifts received or subscriptions taken up in England.
From England they proceeded to Holland where they began their
collections in Amsterdam about the first of August, 1735. They then
passed into Germany and took up the work at Oldenburg. From thence
continuing their course in a northeastern direction they passed through
Bremen and Hamburg, meeting with much success; thence on to Lubec, and
on to Kolberg where they received $146. The amount collected to this
time was $1460. From Kolberg they passed on through Koslin, Stolp,
Lauenburg to Danzig, where we find them June 11, 1736, and where they
remained about two months. Here Michael Holt left them and returned by
way of London to Virginia. In Elbing, a city of Polish Prussia, about
fifty miles southeast of Danzig, a candidate of theology, Mr. George
Samuel Klug, was found and engaged as an assistant pastor to Rev.
Stoever. Though it is said that Mr. Klug, immediately after his
ordination, proceeded from Danzig to England and from there to Virginia,
in company of Michael Smith, yet Rev. Stoever's will shows that this was
a mistake. If he was accompanied by either, and it seems that he was, it
was Michael Holt. From Danzig, the two traveled by way of Elbing,
Marienberg, and Thorn to Konigsberg (Nov. 15, 1736). They then returned
southward, passing through Neu-Brandenburg (Jan. 31, 1737), Luneburg and
Hanover to Leipsie (July 24). They afterward visited Altenburg, Weimar,
Eisenach, Eisfield, Coburg, Strassburg, and other cities. We have not
named all, but enough to indicate the route taken and something of the
extent of their travels. The last name that appears is
Frankford-on-the-Main, November 25, 1737. Money was collected and
forwarded by draft to London.
We will now speak of the old
subscription book which Rev. Stoever carried through Holland and Germany
and which we have before us as we write. We had parts of it read by the
late Rev. Paul Menzel, D. D., of Richmond, Virginia. The notes taken at
the time have been used and also passages of a description given of it
by Rev. W. G. Campbell while pastor.
"This old book of
subscriptions is not only interesting, but is valuable as a link in the
chain of evidence connecting the Germanna colony (colony near Germanna)
with the German Lutheran settlement in Madison County. It is a volume of
179 pages and is bound in parchment." The first three pages have been
lost. Five languages are used. The first few pages are written in Dutch,
the body of the book in German. There are some statements written in
French and in Latin; signatures in Latin and only two subscriptions in
English. "A staunch friend in Lubec signs himself 'An admirer of the
promoving of Christianity, especially of ye Evangelical Lutheran Faith
in Foreign parts.' There are many warm words of cheer expressed in
German, but nothing so fervent as the exclamation of an English speaking
friend who had little else to give but a hearty, 'God bless ye Lutheran
church in Virginia.'"
"It covers a period of time from August 11,
1735, to May 20, 1739, and contains a history of the money received with
names of donors in autograph." Page 178 gives a statement of money
forwarded from different places to John Caspar Stoever, with a note
written between the lines, stating the fact that he died at sea and also
the sum of the collections recorded which was at 7841 rix-dollars, [31]
and the remainder, after all expenses of collecting had been pair, which
was 4265 rix-dollars. We will give a translation of the last page in the
next chapter.
"It is now kept in the fireproof vault of the
clerk's office of Madison County, and is the property of the church,
having been safely preserved through the vicissitudes" of a hundred and
seventy-two years.
"It is a quaint old book, a perusal of whose
time-stained pages calls up a thousand misty fancies of the men whose
fingers penned these words that are yet legible and which have long
since become ashes and dust."
This book does not contain all the
subscriptions taken. There were "collection books, as well as other
documents not found in the collection books," and especially a small
Hamburg almanac in which were entered many large and small sums in the
Latin language, all of which belonged to the receipts. [32] But only the
one book remains.
The total value of all collections [33] is said
to have been nearly three thousand pounds, between fourteen and fifteen
thousand dollars. One-third was paid the collectors for their travelling
expenses and as a compensation for their services; the other two-thirds
were turned over to the congregation and used in building the church,
purchasing a farm, and black slaves to work it, from the proceeds of
which the pastors were to get their salaries.
There were also
collected a number of theological books for Mr. Stoever and a valuable
library of standard works for the congregation. A number received from
book-dealers at Leipsic and Strassburg were exchanged at frankfort for
two hundred Frankfort hand-books which they had bound for use. Others
given at Strassburg were exchanged for hymn-books printed in large type
for use in public worship. At Plymouth, England, they bought one hundred
pieces of cut-glass for the windows of the church and three hundred
pounts of putty to hold them in the frames, at a cost of about
one-hundred and twenty five dollars.
A silver cup and a small
plate were secured to complete the communion service. These and the
silver cup and small plate collected for the congregation as referred to
by Rev. Stoever in his will are no doubt the same. The goblet is
beautifully polished and seems originally to have been lined with gold.
It has a brighter appearance than the older pieces of the service,
having been made at a later date and by a different workman. The plate,
five and a half inches in diameter, is made of the same material. They
were gifts from Mr. Furgen Stollen. Lubec, Germany. The following is the
inscription on the cup: I Corinther, cap. II, vers. 25. Dieser kelch ist
dass Neue Testament in meinem Blut solches thiet so offt ihrs Trinchet
zu meinem Gedecht-nis Lubeck 28 Marty A-1737. Fur Ehre Gottes und
gebrauch Dei Christlich Evangelischen Lutherischen Gemeine der
Landt-chafft Virginien in America ist von Herrn Furgen Stollen Kauff und
Handelsman diesen Kelch als ein kleines Geschenck Verchret worden mit
dem Hertzlichen wunsche dass alle durch den warhren Glauben and Christum
Jesum Zuihrer seclen Heyl und seeligkeit darans mogen getranket werden.
Gottes wort und Christi Lehr Vergehet nun und Nimmermehr."
The
translation reads, I. Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 25. This cup is the
New Testament in my blood; this do as oft as ye drink it in remembrance
of me. Lubec, March 28, 1737, for the honor of God and the use of the
Christian Evangelical Lutheran congregation of the country of Virginia
in America, this cup has been presented by Mr. Furgen Stollen, merchant
and tradesman, with the heartfelt wish that all, by the true faith in
Christ Jesus, may be refreshed by drinking out of it to their soul's
bliss and salvation. God's word and Christ's doctrine will never, never
perish.
This service has been kept for years in a wooden chest
which shows plainly the marks of age. it is of that period when hinges
and the nails which held them in place were made in the blacksmith shop.
It came in all probablility from Germany, and may have been the very one
of which Rev. Stoever speaks in his will as having been in a shipwreck.
A round box, decayed and worm eaten, whose top has long since
disappeared, serves as a receptacle for the goblet and plate, into which
they fit nicely and in which they made their voyage across the sea.
The old service is highly prized, not for its intrinsic value, but
as a gift and for its age. It is the oldest in the Lutheran church in
the South.
Mr. Stoever had published, while in Germany, a
pamphlet of four pages in quarto giving a short account of the origin
and history of this congregation. A copy is now in the library of the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The title is, "A short account [34]
of a German Lutheran congregation in American Virginia, located on the
extreme boundary of the County of Spottsylvania, by John Caspar Stoever,
the first preacher of the congregation, Hanover, printed by L. C.
Holwein." The title covers the first page, the narrative the other
three.
At Darmstadt, he studied theology diligently for about six
months, to better prepare himself for his work of preaching. He made his
home with his distinguished relative, the Rev. John Philip Fresenius,
who became his teacher and who was for many years deeply interested in
the spiritual welfare of his countrymen in America. Fresenius "has left
on record a tribute to his earnestness, devout spirit, and faithful
attempt at a comparatively advanced age to prepare himself fully for
ministerial work."
Early in 1739, he and Michael Smith started on
their return voyage to Virginia. At sea he became critically ill, and
realizing that his end was near he made his will [35] which was
witnessed by Michael Smith, William Missing, and John Ebert. Rev John
Caspar Stoever Jr., his son, minister in Canastoken, was made his
executor. This will was proven in Philadelphia, March 20, 1739, and is
recorded there, and a translation of it in the clerk's office of Orange
County, Virginia. His death at sea was noted in the subscription book.
Hebron church was thus deprived of the services of this godly man who
had done so much for the Germans during the time he was with them as
pastor and also while absent in Germany collecting the money with which
the church was permanently established. To him the congregation will
ever be deeply indebted.
He was often referred to as "Augustine"
Stoever. This name appears in the court order given at Fredericksburg in
1734, also in Governor Gooch's recommendation and frequently in the
subscription book. He was certainly called by both names. We do not know
why, but we do know that he signed his name in his printed history and
in his will John Caspar Stoever; and the same name is written in the
treasurer's report of the church 1733 and 1734, and also in the
subscription book. Certain it is that "Augustine" and John Caspar
Stoever were one and the same man.
[24] John Caspar Stoever, Jr.,
was born December 21, 1707 in the Duchy of Berg. His father was a native
of Hesse and his mother's name was Gertrude. He received his literary
and theological education in Germany. He came to America with his father
in 1728, landing in Philadelphia, September 11. He was ordained by Rev.
John Christian Schulze, April 8, 1733, in a barn at the Trappe (New
Providence), where the Providence congregation worshiped. He organized
many congregations in eastern Pennsylvania, and ministered to many
already organized; also made mission tours into Virginia, preaching,
baptizing and marrying. He died at Lebanon, Pa., May 13, 1779.
[25] Halle Reports, Vol. I., p. 563, and A History of the Lutheran
Church in Pennsylvania by Rev. T. E. Schmauk, p. 245, note 291.
[26] Va. Mag. Of Hist. and Biog., Vol. XIV., No. 2, p. 145 and note 6.
[27] See chancery causes ended September 1890. E.D. Fray, &c.,
versus Trustees of the Lutheran Church. Also recorded in Deed Book B,
Spottsylvania Co., Va., pp. 487, 488.
[28] Will Book A, p. 54.
[29] Court Order Book 1730 to 1738 Spottsylvania Co., p. 337.
[30] Acta Histor. Eccles., Vol Iii., p. 1096. Also Va. Mag. of Hist.
and Biog., Vol. XIV., No. 2, pp. 154-155.
[31] The rix-dollar was
a silver coin of Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and other countries,
varying in value in different places from 60 cents to $1.08. Worth now
about 75 cents.
[32] Va. Mag. of Hist. and Biog., Vol. XIV., No.
2, p. 160.
[33] Hallische Nachrichten, Series No. 2, p. 288.
[34] For a translation of this pamphlet, see Va. Mag. of Hist. and
Biog., Vol. XIV., No. 2, p. 147 f.
[35] Will Book F, pp. 126-128,
Philadelphia, Pa. For English translation, see Will Book, No. 1, Orange
County, Virginia, pp. 84-89. The date of the translation at Orange
should be 1739 instead of 1738.
History of the Hebron
Church, Madison County, Virginia 1717-1907
CHAPTER IV
THE CHURCH BUILT AND THE CONGREGATION PERMANENTLY ESTABLISHED UNDER
REV. GEORGE
SAMUEL KLUG. 1739-1764
Though God buries his
workmen, he still carries forward his work. Rev. George
Samuel Klug
became Rev. Stoever's successor. Little is known of his life in
Europe and little information exists as to his protracted labors as the
second
pastor of the congregation. He was born at Elbing, Polish
Prussia, about the
beginning of the eighteenth century, and studied
theology at Helmstedt under
Abbot Mosheim. In 1736, through the
advice of Rev. Daniel Rittersdorf, pastor
primarius of the church of
St. Mary and Senior of the Ministerium at Elbing, he
was induced to
accept a call which the commissioners of the church then in
Germany
were authorized to extend him, to become assistant pastor[36] to Rev.
Stoever in Virginia. After examination before the Lutheran Ministerium
of
Danzic, he was by their authority publicly ordained in the
principal church of
St. Mary, August 30, 1736, and a testimonial was
given him by the Evangelical
Ministerium there.
Soon after his
ordination he started to London on his way to Virginia, to enter
upon
his duties as assistant pastor, while Mr. Stoever continued in the work
of
collecting money in Germany. He arrived in London in January,
1737, bearing
recommendations and letters to Dr. Ziegenhagen from
Rev. Stoever who had
furnished him money for his travelling expenses.
He lodged with Rev. Mr. Palm.
Here he remained about two years. The
reason for his long stay in London is not
positively known, but it
seems to have been caused by some trouble between him
and Rev.
Stoever. The latter, in his will, shows clearly that Mr. Klug had been
engaged through the suggestions of Michael Holt to the Ministerium at
Danzig.
Prof. W.J. Hinke, D.D. offers the explanation of the
difficulty between them:
"Mr. Klug[37] was secured by the
machinations of Michael Holt, who thereby tried
to supplant Mr.
Stoever. I infer that he made false representations to the
ministers
at Danzig, and on the strength of them Mr. Klug was engaged. When
Stoever heard of it he was at first very angry, but finally submitted to
the
inevitable, and gave him money to travel to London. That Mr. Klug
was not on the
best of terms with Stoever seems to be implied in the
attitude of Dr.
Ziegenhagen towards Stoever, in the continued silence
of Klug, refusing to
answer Stoever's letters, and in the absence of
any reference to him when the
older Stoever advises his son about the
future of the congregation."
He left London some time after
September 28, 1738, for he carried a letter
bearing that date from
Dr. Ziegenhagen to the congregation at Philadelphia. He
is known to
have been in Virginia, May 20, 1739. This was the year of his
arrival, according to Rev. Brunnholtz.[38]
At once he entered
upon his ministerial duties, gathering his scattered flock
and
preaching in the German chapel. The two commissioners had returned. They
and
the church officers were called together at the home of Michael
Smith, May 20,
1739, the subscription lists were looked over and
found correct, and the funds
collected and due were turned over to
the congregation. We give a translation of
the last page of the old
subscription book. It was made by the late Rev. Paul
Menzel, D.D., of
Richmond, Va. "The accounts of this collection books were
looked over
and found correct at Michael Smith's house in Orange County,
Virginia, by me as pastor of the Virginia Evangelical congregation, in
the
presence of the vestrymen and elders of the congregation in the
year 1739, May
11, 12 old calendar; and the money due the
congregation was paid out in gold to
it. God grant that it may be
used to His honor and to the edification of the
members of the
congregation.
This is the wish of George Samuel Klug, born in
Elbing, Polish Prussia, at
present minister of the divine Word with
this congregation. Orange County, A.
D., 1739, May 20."
On the
21st of July following, a farm[39] of 685 acres of land was bought of
Mr.
Thomas Farmer, for five shillings sterling and deeded to Michael
Clore and
George Utz, trustees for the German Congregation. This is
the farm so often
spoken of as having been bought with money secured
in Germany. It was located at
the Great Mountains in the Great Fork
of the Rappahannock River in the northern
part of Madison County,
near the Champlane farm. It was patented by Mr. Farmer
in 1734, and
with additional lands was repatented by the church in 1794.
The
work of building the church began soon after his arrival. To build such
a
house was no small undertaking in those days. It required much
labor and time to
fell the trees, hew the logs for the strong
framework, saw the weatherboarding
and ceiling with whipsawas, rive,
shave, and joint the shingles, and make all
the nails in the
blacksmith shop. But perseverance overcomes all difficulties,
and at
length the heavy timebers were ready. the framework reared, and the work
completed in 1740, as the date on the great girder shows.
It was
a frame structure, rectangular in form, fifty feet long by twenty-six
wide by thirty high, with a small vestry room, nine by thirteen feet,
attached
to the north side just back of the pulpit. There was a door
at each end and
doubtless one on the south side. A gallery to which a
stairway led extended
across each end. The pulpit, as the custom was
at that day, was goblet shape,
set up high against the side of the
house, and was reached by steps. The roof
was really self-supporting,
but the walls were further braced by a great girder
laid across the
plates midway between the ends. The interior was ceiled, the
overhead
ceiling being curved. The weather boarding was sawed to a feather edge,
and all the nails used inside and out were shopmade. Every piece of work
about
it shows that these sturdy Lutheran pioneers built to endure.
The year the church was completed, the congregation addressed a
letter[40] of
thanks to all their benefactors, high and low, in and
outside of Germany. It was
dated, Orange County in America, August
29, 1740, and signed in the name of the
congregation accepting the
unaltered Augsburg Confession. George Samuel Klug,
pastor, Michael
Cook, Michael Smith, Michael Holt, Michael Clore, George Utz.
Strange as it may now seem, negro slaves were bought by the
congregation,
between 1739 and 1743, to work the church lands. "This
is one of the rare cases
wiherein Germans departed from their dislike
of the institution of slavery."
This institution was then recognized
and sanctioned by law, and some of them had
their own slaves. It was
not considered wrong by many Christians to buy, sell,
or own them. As
the institution existed in the colony the congregation took
advantage
of it, and the purchase was made with money obtained in Europe. Pastor
Klug was himself a slave owner. The inventory [41] of his property,
taken after
his death, shows that he had six in his possession. The
year of the purchase by
the congregatioin and number are not known.
Neither do we know the number owned
at any one time, except in 1743
when there were seven, and in 1748 when there
were nine. The number
has been put at thirty and as high as sixty. But these
figures are
certainly too high. A conservative estimate, we think, would be from
twelve to fifteen at most. The average price of a slave in 1740 was
about twenty
pounds. Estimating the number first bought at nine (and
this is quite likely)
the cost would have been a hundred and eighty
pounds or about nine hundred dollars.
The pastor and congregation
were carrying out Rev. Stoever's purpose which was
to buy twelve and
use them in clearing and farming the church lands, and thus
provide a
salary for himself and an assistant pastor without burdening the
church members. He also though that by treating them well and by
instructing
them in the Word of God that they might become Christians
and much good be done
them and others in this way. And we know that
in later years some of them were
communicant members of the church.
Some time after the church was completed, a good and substantial
school-house
was built and a congregational school was started-- the
first German school of
its kind in the South. It is known to have
been in operation as early as 1748--
how much earlier, we know not.
The idea of the school and the provision made for
the means to
establish it were Rev. Stoever's but the actual establishment of it
was the work of Rev. Klug. Some of our members still speak of the old
house. It
was a frame building about sixteen by thirty feet and
divided into two rooms.
This school was not kept up regularly, yet it
appears at intervals for more than
a century. The school now known as
Warwick Academy, one mile from the church,
conducted by Prof. John D.
Fray, A.M., had its beginning in a little house on
the church lot, a
short distance from the site of Rev. Klug's school-house. The
instruction given in this first school comprised, it is said, religion,
reading,
writing, and arithmetic.
From 1743 to 1753, Moravian
missionaries, in their travels, visited the
neighborhood of Hebron
church several times. If they tried to win converts from
among his
people, they did not succeed well. From their diaries [42] we have
gathered some facts about the congregation and its pastor. It seems
certain that
Pastor Klug visited and preached for the Germans in the
regions now comprising
Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah, and Frederick
Counties. In 1747, he was visiting
and preaching on the Shenandoah
River twice a year. His parish at Hebron, the
following year,
consisted of about eighty families within a circle of a few
miles.
The congregation at that time (1748) had a beautiful church and
school-house and parsonage with several hundred acres of land and seven
slaves
to work it. The pastor's salary, November 25, 1743, was eight
hundred pounds of
tobacco.
"In or about 1746, the
vagabond[43], Carl Rudolph, visited Madison County before
going to
Frederick, Maryland, and gave trouble for a time" to both pastor and
people.
In June, 1749, Pastor Klug visited some of the Lutheran
ministers in
Pennsylvania and spent two weeks with them. How
comforting it must have been to
him, who stood as the only
representative of his church in Virginia, to come
into contact and
association with the ministerial brethren of his own faith! Dr.
Muhlenberg says,[44] "He complained that he stood so entirely alone in
that
large and extensive country, as most of the inhabitants are
English, and was
without the opportunity of being cheered and edified
by his German colleagues in
office." We are not surprised at his
loneliness and desire for fellowship with
ministers of the same faith
and the same language. Rev. Peter Brunnholtz refers
to the same visit
in a letter[45] of July 3, 1749: "When we had returned from
Lancaster
we had a visit from Pastor Klug, of Virginia, three hundred and thirty
miles from here, who went there ten years ago. He desired to see our
arrangements and become acquainted with us. We received him kindly. He
left
rather quietly and pleased." He adds the prayer, "God grant that
the journey may
be a blessing to him."
"In 1754, Mr.
Muhlenberg says[46]: 'We have recently received discouraging
accounts
from there,' but he does not say of what nature. In an unprinted letter
of Mr. Muhlenberg, dated September 12, 1753, found in one of his
manuscript
books, after mentioning some circumstances out of the
history of the
congregation and the provision for pastor's support,
he says, 'His Reverence
Pastor Klug can live there and wait on his
office peacably and comfortably.
Whether any great hunger for the
Word of God and of books manifested itself
then, I cannot say with
certainty, but I have heard from some one (si fabula
vera est) that
some years ago they burned a pile of treatises. We had the honor
several years since to see Pastor Klug here in Pennsylvania and were
astonished
at his hearty and vigorous bodily constitution. May our
gracious and almighty
God strengthen our brother and fellow laborer,
especially as to his soul, make
him his chosen instrument and voice
in the Virginia desert, especially as he
appears to have such robust,
bodily strength and so healthy a spleen.'" Dr.
Muhlenberg's language
shows plainly that he did not have the highest opinion of
his
Christian zeal and spiritual earnestness in discharging the duties of
his
high office.
He had some trouble with his people, the
exact nature of which does not appear,
because he did not keep within
proper bounds in regard to things indifferent,
and ran into extremes;
but he lived on good terms with the clergy of the
Episcopal church.
No records of his work are to be found, except in the baptismal
register of the
church and then only for fourteen years. During that
time, he baptized only
about sixty infants, so far as we can
ascertain. No doubt the list is incomplete
and does not properly
represent the number.
He is spoken of as a man of ordinary
ability, open to conviction, and orthodox
in doctrine. He was not a
Pietist, nor over-zealous in the work of the Master.
Having a salary
provided without effort in his part, without contact with
ministers
of his own church, and with many and great difficulties to meet in his
work, it is not a matter of surprise that we are led to the conclusion
that
during his long pastorate the church did not greatly prosper.
After twenty-five years of service, he went to his reward about the
beginning of
1764. This we know from the records of Culpeper County.
He was alive March 7,
1763, and appeared at court as one of the
witnesses[48] of Peter Clore's will.
An inventory[49] of his property
was presented in court, May 17, 1764, and
ordered to be recorded. He
must have been dead only a short while. His body was
laid to rest in
front of the chancel under the church. Though he had his faults
and
had some trouble with his people, he must have been held in high esteem.
His
widow Susanna, whose maiden name does not appear and who in later
years married
Jacob Meadley, was given the use of the parsonage for
seven years after his
death. He had a son who was educated in an
English academy and studied theology.
He traveled to England and
returned with regular orders. The following persons
married daughters
of Rev. Klug: Godfrey Yager, Michael Broil, Matthias Broil and
William Lutspeck. His descendants could be found in the county after
many years.
[36] Va. Mag. of Hist. and Biog., Vol. XIV., No. 2,
p. 156.
[37] Va. Mag. of Hist. and Biog., Vol XIV., No. 2, p. 158.
[38] Hallische Nachrichten Series, No. 2, p. 402.
[39] Deed Book 3,
pp. 298-300, Orange Co., Va.
[40] Va. Mag. of Hist. and Biog., Vol.
XIV., No. 2, p. 168.
[41] Deed Book A, p. 367, Culpeper Co., Va.
[42] Va. Mag. of Hist. and Biog., Vols XI., XII.
[43] Hebron Church,
Article III., Lutheran Visitor, April 15, 1886, by Dr.
Schmucker.
[44] Hallische Nachrichten, Series No. 2, p. 288.
[45] Hallische
Nachrichten, Series No. 2, p. 402.
[46] Hallische Nachrichten, p.
656; and Hebron Church, Article III., Lutheran
Visitor, April 15,
1886, by Dr. Schmucker.
[48] Will Book A, Culpeper Co., p. 310.
[49] Will Book A, Culpeper Co., p. 367.
Additional
Comments:
Note: There really was no footnote numbered 47 in the
original book. They just
skipped the number.
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