CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FROM DATE DUE lA^lrf^^ S7R '/-'^-' 1,, f mm fc-i *^ follows : For boards . . . ;^2 15 o The carter for hauling 030 For hauling lime .. . .. 039 The carpenter . .. . I130 For shingles .. . : .. . 026 For 17^ lb. nails, from Strohhauer o 14 7 For 12 lbs. more nails . . o 10 o For a stick of wood .oil For white-washing the schoolhouse , 010 Carrying the benches into the other house 010 For beer and rum during the work . . 088 For locksmith's work 071° £7 I 5 One-half of this £2 ^° ^}i The division in two parts of the costs shows that the Lutherans paid but one- half, and indicates that the Reformed paid the other half. It must have been poorly adapted for church purposes. It is alluded to in disparaging terms by all hands. In the Weekly Mercury, September 2, 1742, it is called " an old rotten house, which soon may fall to pieces." When Schlatter came, in 1746, he speaks of it as an old, small house built of boards, and as "the old, half-fallen church," for which a rent of £\ yearly was paid. Muhlenberg says it was formerly a butcher-shop. The Moravian account says it had been a carpenter shop. It belonged to Andrew Hamilton, Esq., until his death, which occurred about the beginning of 1742, when it passed into the ownership of his son-in-law, Ju.stice William Allen. lO Lutherans on Saturday, but when they approached the meet- ing-house, they saw to their surprise a crowd of people in the street, among them many members of both congregations. Ignorant of the cause of the commotion, they made inquiry and learned that it was due to the announcement that Count von Zinzendorf was to preach, having been invited by several Lutheran members, but that many of the Lutheran congrega- tion were opposed to his doing so. Boehm and his members, however, as it did not concern the Reformed, remained silent until several of the Lutheran party (among them elders) asked him what he had to say to this. He replied : " I think I have more information in regard to these things than you all, and hence will protest against any one saying that from the Re- formed side (or from me) consent was given to Count Zinzen- dorf to preach at the time or place of the Reformed side. To you Lutherans, we Reformed have nothing to enjoin. If you do anything against yourselves, we will have no part in what may grow out of it."* Nothing came of it, however ; the Count remained away, and preached that evening and also on the following day, Sunday, in his own house. Boehm was unjustly charged with being the cause of this disturbance. He was familiar with the standing of Count Zinzendorf in Europe, having read a work recently issued in opposition to Moravianism and the Count. He suspected that the Count's coming as a Lutheran preacher was a false pretense, and that at heart he was still a Moravian. Mr. Boehm's antipathy to the Moravians was exceedingly strong. The Lutheran congregation in Philadelphia was without a pastor, and they were anxious to have one ; but Mr. Boehm felt that Count Zinzendorf was not a legitimate Lutheran, and not the person they would choose if they were fully informed as to his antecedents; and he intimated this to them as plainly as the circumstances permitted. Considerable stir arose about the incident just narrated. It was the beginning of a series of misunderstandings. The *Boehm's Getrener Wamungs Brief, page 21. II worshippers in the joint church building were divided into three parties — the Zinzendorfian Lutherans, the anti-Zinzen- dorfian Lutherans and the Reformed. Shortly after this, May 19th, 1742, a considerable portion of the Lutheran congregation accepted Count Zinzendorf as their pastor; and as the Count purposed devoting a large por- tion of his time to developing the union movement in the in- terior and to missionary work among the Indians, an adjunct or assistant pastor, in the person of John Christopher Pyr- laeus, was also chosen. On the first of January, 1742, an agreement* had been made by which the Lutherans were to have the use of the church three-fourths of the time, and the Reformed one- fourth. , On Sunday, January loth, 1742, being the Luther- an's day, the Count preached for them. But before doing so *In the Budingische Saramlung, 1744, is found this interesting paper: Contract between the Reformed and Lutheran in Philadelphia concerning the church held jointly by them. To-day has been made an Agreement between both the German Congrega- tions, as follows, viz. : We here German Congregation Reformed gives up to the German Lutheran Congregation one Part of the House, which has been hired of Mr. Hamilton, for the common Use, and that with this Condition, that the said Lutheran Congrega- tion shall pay three Pounds out of four, which is the whole yearly Rent due for the said House to Mr. Hamilton. The Reformed Congregation on the other side, for their fourth Part of the House, shall pay one Pound. Since this Lease doth last yet 19 Months, therefore the said Reformed Congregation, will keep it in her own hands, that, if they should meet with a Minister who would preach to them ■twice in a Month, They, the Lutheran Congregation, should be obliged to resign their third Part of the Meeting- House to them again without the least Hesitation or money. To the Confirmation and Assurance of this Matter we made two writings of the same Tenor of which each Party has one. Dated Philadelphia the 1st of January 1742. Matthew Schutz, Jacob Friederic Klem, Leonard Herman, Philip Christopher Warner. The names signed to this agreement are those of the Lutheran representa- tives. The names of the Reformed parties were no noubt signed to the copy held by the Lutheran congregation. In August, 1744, when the lease terminated, the Lutherans went into their new brick church. December 6, 1747, the Reformed first worshipped in their new but unfinished church on Race street, below Fourth. 12 — for what reason it is not clear — he addressed a letter* to Mr. Boehm, asking whether he had an\' objections. To this *The Count sent the following letter by special messenger to Pa-tor Boehm, at his home in Whitpain. " My Dear Mr. Boehm : " The officers of the Lutheran denomination, in which I have been bom and educated, and on the basis of which I stand, in the service of our Church, have solicited me to preach in your church. I cannot well deny them in this, because, in Germany, up to within a few days of my embarking for this country, I had accepted similar invitations in many towns and places of the Lutheran reli^'ion, willingly preaching the Gospel everywhere, in accordance with good order. But because I know that you preach in the same church, and I am not inclined to the doctrine of an absolute reprobation, as a doctrine which, in my religion, is con- fessedly held as wholly and fundamentally erroneous, I have thought it proper to enquire of you whether you have a right to present aught against my preaching there, since I do not wish to burden any one, or inter.'ere with his rights ; as also on the other hand, I do not wish to see the rights of the evangelical officers diminished. Meanwhile, I would say that I have never yet entered a pulpit against the will of any man who held authority there; and, in this case, I 6nd the circumstances snch that it is my duty Srst to make enauir^- of Mr. Boehm; after which, I shall act as I find it proper before the Lord. " I remain yours ready to serve, " LiL.\viG vox Thurxsteix, "V. D. M. Eccl. >Ior. E. E. " Philadelphia 8-19, January ■41-1742. "An acknowledgment is necessary, and if Pastor Boehm is not at home, it is to be sent to him, so that if possible an answer may be received to-morrow evening. " The messenger will be paid in Philadelphia." The Count enjoyed a number of titles. In his public religions work in Pennsylvania he generally used that signed to the foregoing letter. This was the reply of Mr. Boehm : "The letter from Count Zinzendorf under date of Sta Tanuary, 1742, trans- mitted to me from Phladelphia through Michael Habn I have this day received, which is herewith certified to Mr. Hahn. The desired answer to its contents, namely, whether I have a right to present anything against the Count's preaching in the church, which is possessed by both our evangelical congr^ations, cannot, at this time, for reasons, be so immediately given as is desired. "I adhere, accordingly, to the words which, on the 26ih rf December, 1741, were spoken to the elders on the evangelical I^theran side ; at least to some of them. Thus : I think I have more information in r^ard to these things than von all, and hence will be understood as protesting, if any one should say that per- mission was given from the Reformed side, or fi-om me,- to Count Zinzendorf, to preach at the time and place belonging to us, the Reformed. To you who ar« Lutherans, we Reformed have nothing to enjoin on your own time. If you do anything against yourselves, we will have no part in what may grow out of it. Standmg on this ground, I am and remain, towards every sincere person, A friendly and submissive servant, JOH. Ph. Bcehm, Ref. Minister. " Phiiad. CotrsTi', Whitpain Township, Jan. 8. 1742." Boehm says he did not deem it necessary or advisable to answer so quickly ; but out of consideratioa for the messenger, who was a laborer, he penned the fore- going acknowledgmenL As regards the Count's letter he says : " I cannot think 13 Mr. Boehm replied in the same words he had used on the 26th of December in speaking to the Lutherans at the church in regard to the subject. A series of incidents occurred, both at Philadelphia and in the country, calculated to produce greater friction between Boehm and Zinzendorf.* The most serious encounter between the contending parties in the meeting house in Philadelphia, took place on Sunday, July 18, 1742, when assistant pastor Pyrlaeus was ejected from the building by two ruffians, incited by the pre- vailing embittered feeling. This created great excitement in the community, and one or more law suits grew out of it. that it was written from a sincere and worthy motive, but more likely in the hope to entrap me into an unconsidered answer, which might injure our Reformed church and bring dissension into it, that he might better accomplish his design." On Easter Monday, 1742, the Count desired to hold communion in the joint church in Philadelphia, but as that day was controlled by the Reformed congrega- tion Mr. Boehm refused permission. Boehm was curt in his refusal, according to his own words : " AIs es aber dahin kam, dass er ihnen den Ostermontag bis Jahrs, das Abendmahl in der Kirchen halten wolte (welches ich aber, weil es meine Zeit und Platz war, als ich darum von Pjrlteus, einem seiner Apostel ersucht worden, rund abgeschlagen, damit sie s'ich nicht auch der Reformirten ruhmen mochten)." On Sunday, May 30, 1742, Boehm says, the Count urged his people in Phila- delphia to rent the meeting-house for their use alone, and he offered to pay the one-quarter of the rent then paid by the Reformed, in order that Boehm might be prevented from preaching in it. *At Germantown, on December 31, 1741, the Count was invited to preach in the Reformed church, of which Mr. Boehm was pastor, but of course contrary to his wishes. The fifth conference of the leaders of the Zinzendorf movement was also held April 17-20, 1742, in this church. John Bechtel, a turner by trade, of Germantown, was a member of the Reformed congregation there, and for fifteen years past had occasionally preached in the church. Count Zinzendorf ordained Bechtel as a Reformed minister in the Church of God in the Spirit. On the sec- ond day of Easter (1742), Boehm says in his Warnungs Brief, Bechtel arranged to administer the communion to the Reformed in Germantown, and some re- ceived it from him ; and Bechtel announced that on Whit-Monday the Reformed of Germantown and vicinity would organize a congregation in the Reformed Church, and requested_ those who wished to become members to sign their names ; which seventeen or eighteen did. " Further, on Sunday (in April, 1742), at the Reformed church in German- town, at the evening hour'of prayer in the church. Bishop Nitschmann and Lud- wig (Zinzendorf) consecrated the turner, J. Bechtel, who for many years had preached here, to the office of inspector, overseer and teacher over the other Re- formed preachers." — Fresenius Nachrichten, Dritter Band. Frankfurt or Leipzig, 1748, p. 183. " Ludwig notified Pastor Boehm shortly after he should not allow himself to think it strange that Bechtel had been appointed inspector of the Reformed preachers ; he might put himself under his authority, etc. Mr. Boehm is said to have given a sharp answer." — lb. 193. Contradictory and biased statements appeared in print in rela- tion to this deplorable occurrence.* *Since 1733 the Lutheraas of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in most teach- ing tenns beseeched their church authorities in Germany to send a regular pastor, but because of the inal^ility of liie poor Pennsylvanians to provide a minbter comfortable support their wants had not been supplied. Count Zinzendorf repre- sented himself as a Lutheran minister. In spite of the undisgnised aversion of Boehm to Zinzendorf, the Lutherans chose the Count for their minister. Zinzen- dorf claimed that the call was unanimous; l^ut as it did not bear the signatures of the members, he was not justified in making his claim ; and subsequent events showed that be was mistaken. After Zinzendorf had preached several times to the Lutherans they became distrustful, and each of the Lutheran officers took away firom the church some article for safe keeping : one look a copper chalice, another the klirigenbeutel, another the alms-box, another the church register. .\ fterwards, one of the Lutheran wardens. Thomas Meyer (who as far back as February 28, 1735. had joined the other officers in an appeal to Prof. Franke, at Halle, for a minister ij)ut a lock on the meeting house. Boehm in dl-. blunt way says : "Diegen- ige aus der Lutherischen Gemeinde fwelche niemalen nichts mil ihm f Zinzendorf] zer thun haben wolten ; zu weiterem Xachdencken, und wurden samt den anderen gewahm, dass ein lamerer Betrag an ihnen verubet worden, and ihre .Sache nur eitel falsche List war, schlossen deswegen ihnen die Kirche zu, weil sie nicbt als Lu'.herische erfunden wurden." On the following .■Sunday, July 18, 1742, when the people came to church, they found the door was locked. Amessenger wassent to Thomas Meyer for the key, but he was not at home. The Lutheran adherents of Zinzindorf then forced an entrance by breaking the lock with a piece of iron and pincers. Mr. PvTlaeus, who was to preach ( the Count being in the interior on a mission to the Indians , entered the pulpit and began the services. Then a Lu- theran elder went to Mr. Pyrlaeus and admonished him to leave the house with the people. Mr. Pyrlaeus said : " You are no Lutherans ; you are going the wrong way." Foot young men then pulled PyTlaeus from the pulpit and dragged him out of the chnrch. Tlie Moravian official report, July 25, 1742, in Budingische .Sam Vol. p. &3, says : " M.tiea anterdem Goltesdienst kamen 4 Bose Buben in die Kirch, rieffen ; Schlagt den Hund todt; rissen den Prediger vcn der Canzel herunter, schleiilten ihn zur Kirche hinaus, stiessen ihn mil Tussen." There was a great tumult in the church ; the people trod upon each other, women screamed, and a crowd of spectators gathered. The lock-breakers were arrested. Count Zinzen- dorf, apon hearing of this aiiair, harried back from Tulpehocken. The following .■;aD:iay. Ju y 25, the Reformed were entitled to use the church, and it was crowded. Zinzendorf was present and, after the service was ended, spoke to the people present about the occurrence of the preceding -Sabbath, and announced his intention to in.a.atain the rights of his people at aU hazards. The next Sch- duy, August I, 1742, a-i the Lutherans were in the meeting-house ready to b^^ their devotions with singing, tae Count and his people came in. The Lutheran deacons eamestSy warned h'un to leave and not distiirb them, when he withdrew. Zinzendorf about this time began to realize that all the Lutherans were not on bis side, and that the Reformed could not alone be held accountable for the recent disturbances in Philadelphia; for in the PeImi^-lT^nia GazetU,oi Angnst 26, 1742, he publishes, over the sigaature of 'Lewis of Thomstein, ' one of his titles, a " memorandum," in which are these paragraphs : VIII. — That the Tnmnlt and Disturbance of the Publick Worship, and the Insroiis committed against Rererend J. C. Pyrlaeus on the l8th of July last were made by none but Calvinists. IX. — That if some Lutherans should be privately concerned in it (fiw possi- bly this is not to all of them an Action below them) yet they must be conscious of their having no Right in the Matter, since the Revemed of Thumstein bad not hezrd one of their Xames before the mentioned Fact. IS About this time appeared a German pamphlet, entitled Authentische Relation, giving the official proceedings of the On the 29th of December, 1742, the Count had still further modified his views as to the authors of the opposition to him in the old frame church on Arch street. On this day the Count and the Rev. Mr. Muhlenberg (wlio had meanwhile come to America and been rej^ularly accepted as pastor of the Lutheran congregation in Philadelphia, and who had succeeded in bringing back from Zin- zendurf to himself all the officers) had an interview, in which the Count spoke of those who formed Mr. Muhlenberg's congregation, in these words : *' These are not Lutherans, but rebels, disturbers of the peace ! And of such people you have become the head, and preach to them in the house from which they expelled my adjunct, Pyrlaeus." The Count's party did not occupy the union building after the affair of July 18. The Count built at his own expense a new church at the corner of Race street and Broad street, which was completed the latter part of the year, and which was thereafter known as the Moravian church. Before closing this narrative of the quarrel of July 18, the views of another authority are added. This is Secretary Peters, who wrote a leiter to the Proprie- taries on the 15th of January, 1743, in reference to the difference between the haughty nobleman and the humble pastor. Peters could not fathom the true char- acter of the triangular controversy going on amongst the German churchmen. He had so far mastered the subject as to call Zinzendorf's followers Moravians; he did not know, it seems, of such a people as the Reformed ; Pastor Boehm he described as the Lutheran minister; but of Pastor Muhlenberg he seems to have had no knowledge. His graphic picture of Pastor Boehm may be regarded as approaching correctness more nearly than his other statements, and on this ac- count only is this unreliable witness quoted. Secretary Peters writes : "There is a great quarrel between ye Lutherans and Moravians, chiefly on account of principles. The Count's party increasing considerably, the Lutheran minister, Philip Boehm, could not bear it. The Lutheran meeting-house is on a lot of Mr. Allen's, and by contract with the Lutherans, as I understand, ye Mora- vians were to use it every third Sunday. Philip Boem wanted to hinder them from this contract, and finding no other method would do, one Sunday morning, as Christopher Pyrlaeus was performing Divine service, a party of Lutheranes ap- peared at ye door, and one of them came in and told Pyrlaeus some people wanted to speak with him at ye door. He took no notice.. . . Ye Lutherans then came on with violence, and drove him and the Moravians out of the meeting- house, and locked ye doors. The Count got ye Lutherans indicted for a riot. . . At the'trial, ye Lutherans were acquitted. There is indeed a mortal aversion be- tween Boehm's congregation and ye Count's people. . . I tried to soften and accommodate ye differences between ye two parties, and thought I had some influence on Boehm ; but ye momenM mentioned it his eyes perfectly struck fire, and he declared with great passion he would as soon agree with ye devil as with ye Count. He is a hot, indiscreet man ; and after expatiating on the Christianity of his temper, I left him with abundance of contempt." Authorities used in the foregoing note : Boehm's Getreuer Warnungs Brief. Page 21. Spangenberg's Life of Count Zinzendorf. English Translation. London, 1838, Page 298. Unitas Fratrum (periodical), for December, 1870. Budingische Sammlung. Frensenius Nachrichten. Vol. 3., p. 205. Translation of Moravian Histor- ical Society. Dr. W. Germann's Henrich Melchior Muhlenberg. Selbstbiographie, 17 11- 1743. AUentown, Pa. : 1881. Page 139-141. Weekly Mercury, September 2, 1742. Dr. William J. Mann's Life and Times of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg. Philadelphia: 1887. Page 118. i6 several conferences — seven in number — held by Zinzendorf and his friends in the union movement. Boehm followed, under date of August 23, 1742, with a letter of warning — a pamphlet entitled Getreuer Warnungs Brief* — addressed to the Reformed congregations of Pennsyl- *The only known existing copv of this publicatinn is owned by Hon. Samuel W. Pennypacker, LL. D., of Philadelphia. It contains loo pages, small 8 vo. Its full title is : Getreuer Warnungs BRIEF an die Hochtentsche Evangelisch Re- formirten Gemeinden und alien deren Glieder in PENZVLVANIEX, zur getreuer Warechauung vor denen Lenthen, welche nnter den nahmen von HERRN- HUTHER bekandt se>Ti Umb sich vor derer Seelverderblichen and Gewissen- verwustenden Lehre zu huthen und wohl vorzusehen, damit sie nicht Durch den schein ihres euferlichen scheinheiligen Wesens, und selbst eiogebildeten Gerech- tigkeit und Heiligkeit, zu ihrer ^eelen ewigen scbaden, mogen verfuhrt werden. Xach dem Exempel eines Ehrwurdigen KIRCHEX-RATIIh von Amsterdam in Holland, Und am, vor dem Allmachtigen Gott-lragender Pflicht und Schuldigkeit halben, gesschrieben von mir Jon: Ph: Bohm, Hochteutschem Reform : Prediger der mir anvertrauten Gemeinden in Pensylvanien. Zu Philadelphia : Gedruckt bey A: Br.\DFORD, 1742. In the preface he says : " I doubt not I shall have small thanks from those who do not wish to see their unworthiness exposed for writing the following Let- ter of Warning. But my duties to God, and the everlasting well-being of the souls of the sheep entrusted to me by the great High Shepherd Jesus, is to me a largely- multiplied motive, to seek the favor and aifection of such persons as are under the in- fluence of the teachings of the Moravians, which are contrary to the Word of God and at variance with eternal truth ; the merciful God will for Jesns' sake preserve me ih>m them.*' The names of the elders and deacons of the named High German Reformed Congregation in Pennsylvania, 1 742, in the months of February and March, are given as follows : I Job; Dirk den Hengst, E. I Job: Donckel, E. Im Falctner — J Fridrich Reimer, E. Schwamp, | Joh: Jacob Kraos, E. I Joh: Ditrich Bucher, D. I Adam Roder, D. r Adam Myrer, E. ZuSchipbach, J 1^'^'' ^™f '' L.,, p- "^ ^ I Andreas Overbeck, E. L Henrich Wnhrmann, D. r Willem Dewees, E. Auf Weitmaige, J Christopher adnger, E. '^ 1 3licbael Clemi, D. L Philips Soberer, D. RudoMF Weilecken, E. Henrich Klemmar, E. Jacob Walter, E. Xiclas Ewig, E. j John Lndwi^ Seipel, D. [ Philip Burckharf, D. {Sebastian Graf, E. Fredrich Leibi, E. Henrich ^\ emer, D. In Philadelphia, 17 vania. He had been earnest and energetic in putting his church people on their guard against the disintegrating ten- dencies of the union movement, so far as the Reformed Church was concerned, having visited the several congregations and obtained the endorsement of the officers who stood steadfast, in the Churches at Falkner Swamp, Skippack, Whitemarsh, Philadelphia, Oley and Tulpehocken. The language employed in the pamphlet was vigorous and incisive. He criticized un- sparingly the acts of the conferences, exposed Zinzendorf's past history, denounced Moravianism, mourned the defection of Henry Antes, and upbraided Bechtel and the other Re- formed followers of Zinzendorf George Neisser, school master at Bethlehem, replied to Boehm's Warnungs Brief, in terms more passionate than po- lite.* Under date of May 19, 1743, Boehm issued a broadside.f directed particularly against Jacob Lischy, John Bechtel and Henry Antes, who had been ordained to the ministry as Re- formed members in the Church of God in the Spirit. He says, in this publication, "As regards Henry Antes, a few weeks since, in reply to the question put by a person : How can you call yourself Reformed, when you go with the Moravians and take communion with them ? He answered : Why how inquisitive you are ! Can I not on this account be f Henrich Meyer, E. I Henrich Zeller, E. T -p, , ., , Georg Unruh, E. In Dolpihacken, j j^^^^f^^ g^^^j,' ^ I Johannes Fohre, D. [^ Peter Schell, D. The book closes thus : So Billet und Wunschet von Hertzen, Job: Phi. Bohm, Paediger der ihme anvertrauten Hoebtentschen, Eo : Ref. ; Gemeinden in Pensylvanien. ' Auf Witpens Township, in Philadelphia County, den 23 Aug. 1742. *The title of Neisser's book is : Aufrichtige Nachricht ans Publicum uber eine von dem Hollondischen Pfarrer Job. Pbil. Bobmen, Lasterschrifft gegen die sogenannten Herrnhuter." f Judge Pennypacker has a copy — possibly, the only one extant. i8 Reformed ? I am Reformed, I am also Lutheran, I am also a Mennonite, a Christian is everything," etc. Mr. Boehm was deeply grieved by the course of Henry Antes. In the Palatinate he had known the pastor under whose instructions Henry Antes was brought into the Church of Christ. Antes was one of those who, in 1725, with his tears helped to persuade Boehm to assume the ministerial office. Boehm officiated, on the second of Februarj-, 1726, at the marriage of Henry Antes and Christina Elizabeth DeWees, at \\'hitemarsh. There was a warm intimacy between the pastor and parishioner, until about the year 1737, when the latter became acquainted with Spangenberg, the Moravian, and later through him with Zinzendorf "I qannot find words," sa\-3 Boehm in his Warnungs Brief, " to express my astonishment at Henr\- Antes, who several years since, for questionable reasons, severed his connection with our Re- formed congregation in Falkner's Swamp; with whom I spoke se%'eral times about necessary matters, but whose re- marks left me in strong hopes all the time that he would finally, through God's mercy, come back to the right path." And again, " He knows full well how our hearts were former- ly bound together in a cordial love for the divine truth of our Reformed teachings. . . . This love, for my part, I have not forgotten, and, although I have been deeply wounded by him, I shall never cease to beseech the Almightj- in my prayers to bring him, together with all the erring ones, through the power of the Holy Ghost back to the right" Boehm's trenchant pamphlet stemmed the tide of seces- sion from the Reformed Church. The congregations gathered courage, the wavering came back, and the membership again became firmly knit together. The unit\^ movement, under assaults from many sides, weakened. The ^Moravian influence was strong in it from the beginning; and gradually it became distinctly Moravian, and the individuals in it from the other denominations ceased to • • 19 claim to be representatives of the churches which they had forsaken. November 25, 1742, Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, sent by the Lutherans of Germany, arrived at Philadelphia, and before the end of the year had succeeded in collecting together most of the scattered fragments of the Lutheran congregation in Philadelphia, and gaining control. December 31, 1742, Zinzendorf delivered his farewell sermon in Philadelphia, and immediately thereafter he took his departure, sailing on the 9th of January, 1743, from New York for Europe. The storm was past. Pastor Boehm again performed his pastoral duties in peace. He was now old. Although the work was growing greater, he did not complain, but submis- sively performed his task. After five years more had elapsed help came. On the 6th of September, 1746, Rev. Michael Schlatter arrived at Philadelphia, having been sent by the Reformed Church authorities of Holland to superintend the work in Pennsylvania. On the following day he came out to Whitpain to visit the aged servant of the Lord. They con- ferred earnestly as to the state of the Church and its pressing needs. Readily, Pastor Boehm acquainted the young superintendent with all the details. Soon his tired shoulders were relieved of some of the burden. Schlatter himself assumed the care of the Philadelphia and Germantown congregations. In 1746 Rev. George Michael Weiss came back from New York State, became pastor of the Old Goshenhoppen, New Goshenhoppen and Great Swamp congregations, and was otherwise active in carrying forward the Church work. In 1748 Rev. John Philip Leydich came from Holland, and was placed, at the earnest request of Father Boehm, in charge of the Falkner Swamp and Providence (Trappe) congregations. Mr. Boehm continued to preach in the church bearing his name, and he consented, January 29th, 1749, to care for the Macungie and Egypt congregations. He was present and was Secretary at the formation of the Synod of the Ger- 20 man Reformed Church in Philadelphia on the 29th of Sep- tember, 1747, and for the year 1748-49 he was its President. Rev. John Philip Boehm died suddenly, during the night, on the 29th of April, 1749-* The day previous he held ser- vice preparatory to the celebration of the Holy Communion in the congregation at Egj'pt in the present Lehigh county. Mr. Schlatter at the time was away on missionary work. As no Reformed minister was at hand, Martin Kolb, a worthy neighbor and religious teacher of the Mennonite persuasion, was called in to preach his funeral sermon. Thus passed away in the fulness of years this true disciple of Christ In the midst of his work, while yet in the harness, he was called to his reward on high. The labors of John Philip Boehm extended over a period of nearly thirty years. His parish was Penns}-h'ania.. When he began, in 1720, the Indians were still numerous, having been little disturbed by the sprinkling of white settlers in these parts. To these children of the forest, the man of God going about — his mission a mystery to them — was a familiar figure. He was doing his work here seven years before W'eiser came *In Sanr's Germantown newspaper of May 16, 1749, is an accoant of his death in these words ; Am 29 Aprill in der Xacht ist der Herr Pfarrer Johann Philip Boehm gestor- ben ohne vorherige Kranckheti, den er hat den Tag Torher noch die Vorbereitong znm Nachtmahl gehaiteQ. Es hat sich so gefiiegt dass kein Reformirter Pfarrer zn haben war der ihm die Leich-Predigt gethan hsette ; so hatten sie den Martin Kolb einen Menisten Lehrer kommen lassen, der die Leich-Predigt gethan. Wan solches nnd deigleichen ohne Xoth gebrsenchlich and gemein wird, so wird aller partheyliche Neid und Wlederigkeit ein ende nehmen. Wie schoen wirds ein mahl sem wann nor ein Hirt ond nor eine Herde seyn wird ? Bis dahin Gednld. He was buried in the inside of the chnrcfa, then and now called after his name, in front of the polpit under the floor of the altar. The chorch at that time stood with the front door facing towards the sonthwest. %\"hen the chorch was remodelled, in 1870, a neat tablet was placed in the wall back of the pnlpit con- taining the following inscription : ** Sacred to the Memory of the Rev. John Philip Boehm, one of the early picHieeis of the Reformed Chorch, who came to this conntrr abont the year 1720. {Jones Detwiler, Rer. C. G. Fisher, H. C. Hoover." Dr. Harbaogh, in The Fathers of the German Reformed Chiu'ch, VoL I, page 289, says : On the 7th of May, Mr. Schlatter improved the occasion and honored his memory with a fdneral sermon, delivered in the church at German- town ; and he testifies that " his memory is cherished as blessed by many." 21 down from Schoharie to Tulpehocken ; thirteen years before John Casper Stoever organized the Lutheran Churches at Philadelphia, Trappe and New Hanover; fourteen years before the Schwenkfelders came, and twenty-two years before Muh- lenberg. At that time few lawful roads had been laid out for travel, and he had to thread his toilsome way on horseback through the deep forest, over hills and across streams, over rough and tortuous paths. At intervals of miles apart he would come upon the clearing made by the hardy settler, sheltered in a newly made log hut. At these rude firesides the pastor was a welcome guest. Here he comforted the afflicted and the home- sick ; and at their Sabbath gatherings he brought to them those Gospel blessings denied to them since they had left their Ger- man homes. These many years he baptized the children, catechised the youth, married the young and buried the old. The record of his pastoral work, could we read it, would tell a thrilling tale, and would throw a flood of light upon the family and general history of primitive Pennsylvania.* The marked traits of Father Boehm's character were sin- cere piety, unwavering courage and stern devotion to duty. His lines were cast amid stormy scenes. In his youth he had not received a liberal education, yet he was well equipped to cope with every issue as it came. His rugged nature was in touch with his environments. His stalwart services must be judged from the standpoint of his time. A noble exhibition of practical, self-denying Christianity was his readiness to give religious instruction, gratuitously, to the thousands of German settlers. When besought to become the minister of these poor, neglected Christian people, he calmly weighed his duty to God against the demands of eccle- siastical formalities, and boldly decided to do the Master's ■*Pastor Boehm carefully preserved his papers and correspondence, but they have been lost or destroyed. Rev. Henry Harbaugh made exhaustive but unsuc- cessful search for them about forty years ago. See biographical sketch of Rev. John Philip Boehm, in The Father of the German Reformed Church. By Rev. Henry Harbaugh, D. D. Lancaster, Pa., 1857. Vol. I, p. 290. 22 work in this far-away region. The Amsterdam Classis gave him a perfect vindication. In their letter to him, dated June 20, 1729, they wrote : " The call to the work of the ministry, made by the brethren in Pennsylvania, upon you, is judged lawful, because the congregation desired you and the ministry of the Word was so necessary. Wherefore you have done well to fulfill herein their earnest desire." Moreover, the Holland Fathers breathed this solemn benediction upon their co-laborer in the wilds of the New World, which must have inspired him as a message from Heaven and intensified a thousand-fold his resolution to work with all the power God's grace had vouchsafed to him : " Further, reverend brother, from our hearts we wish for all desirable blessings upon your person and work. The Father of light enlighten you by His Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that you also may enlighten others ! The God of strength gird you with all might that, like a hero round about Solomon's bed, you may be armed and expert against a cry in the night ! The God of all grace endue you with every holy ornament, and make you an example of the flock, in life and faith, in love and purity.'' During the eventful period which followed, without aid or encouragement, alone in a vast field, see the patience and dihgence with which he performed his high duties. When our Church was confronted with schism, how in- stantly he sprang to preserve its integrity. Fidelity to the Church and to God were the motives that ruled in him. Sel- fish considerations found no place in his heart. False breth- ren could not chill his zeal. Disparity of resources did not deter him. He met the peril single-handed. His fealty to his sacred trust was crowned with victory. The time has come for us to realize the magnitude of his work. The Reformed Church owes him an unacknowledged debt. His unquestioning faith and lofty courage made possi- 23 ble the Reformed Church of to-day. John PhiHp Boehm was the instrument of God that saved our Reformed Zion.* *Rev. John Philip Boehm and Anna Maria Sherer, his wife (daughter of Philip Sherer), had these children : Anthony William Boehm, Anna Maria Boehm, married Adam Moser; Sevina Boehm, Elizabeth Boehm, Maria Philippina Boehm, John Philip Boehm. In the records of Northampton county, Anthony William Boehm is described as the " eldest surviving son" of John Philip Boehm, whence it is inferred that one or more children died young. Rev. John Philip Boehm in addition to his pastoral duties, followed the call- ing of a farmer. He purchased lands at the low rates then prevailing, at several times and in several localities. He settled upon a farm ol two hundred acres in Whitpain township, Philadelphia (now Montgomery) county, and died there. We find regarding his land holdings that, March 22, 1735, John Philip Boehm, of Whitpain Gabriel Shuler, of Salford, and Ulrich Stephen (residence not given), bought 150 acres of land in Lower Salford township, in the Skippack region, where HarleysviUe now stands. July 13, 1 742, Mr. Boehm bought the two-third interests of Gabriel Shuler and Ulrich Stephen. April 9, 1745, John Philip Boehm and Anna Maria, his wife, sold 100 acres, and on December 28, 1745, they sold the remaining 50 acres. — History of Lower Salford township. By James Y. Heckler, HarleysviUe, Pa.: 1888. Page 4-6. September 9, 1736, John Philip Boehm acquired title to 200 acres of land in Whitpain township, at a cost of ;£'l65 13s. id. Upon this tract he lived, and here he died. Already in 1734, he was taxed and paid quit-rent on 200 acres in Whit- pain. February 5, 1740, the Proprietaries granted and confirmed to John Philip Boehm, 200 acres and six per cent, allowance for roads, on Saucon creek, Bucks (now Northampton) county; and on May 16, 1743, the same parties granted to him 103 acres and six per cent, allowance, in Lower Saucon township, same county. On the 30th day of September, 1747, John Philip Boehm and Anna Maria, his wife, conveyed these two tracts to their son, Anthony William Boehm. In temporal affairs, Pastor John Philip Boehm was prosperous. At his death he owned the homestead in Whitpain township, containing 200 acres. It was a valuable property, located in a desirable and thriving neighborhood, about fifteen miles from the city of Philadelphia, and provided with the improvements, stock and implements, found on the best plantations of the time. He died without making a will. Anna Maria Boehm, his widow, renounced her right to administer his estate on the 6th of May, 1749, and the same day letters of administration were granted to John Philip Boehm, of Whitpain township, clerk (son of the decedent), on whose bond were as sureties Michael Cleim, of Whit- pain township, inn-holder, and Daniel Bouton, baker, of Philadelphia. An inven- tory of his personal estate was made June 5, 1749, by John Jemison, Wm. Foulke and John Roberts, and was appraised at £423 10s. 7d. Among the items of his personal effects were : cash, ;^4I.I9.o; bonds and bills, ;^29.5.0; due on book ac- counts, ;^26.I0.I; 3 servants — 2 boys and I girl, ^^30.0.0; 2 distills and two coolers, ;^40.o.o; riding horse, saddle, bridle and whip, ;^io.o.o; 3 dozen small books, ;^i.o.o; 8 large books, ^/^i.o.o; 2 Bibles, ;^3.o.o. In the settlement, the administrator claims " allowance for Cash charged in the Inventory, it being the property of ye Elders of Skipack Meeting House and since paid to them, ^31.0.0.." Among the other credits claimed were payments to the following parties, whose names are frequently met in papers of that early period : To Golhort Armbrister . ;^i i o o To John Teobold End 336 To Christopher Saur CIO To Jacob Fisher . . o 16 10 To George Kastner 026 24 To Sophia Mayburry ... . . £'^ i6 lo To Jacob Arnt and Gabriel Sheuler and Peter Spycker . . . . 3 3° To Anthony Bame for Fnneral Chaises . 4 lo o The last item indicates that the elder son, Anthony William Boehm, lived on the ^^^litpain homestead at the time of the death and funeral of the aged pastor. Some disposition has been evinced to cast reflections upon the character of Boehm on account of the two stills inventoried among his effects. This is unjust. At that period a still was commonly found on a large farm, as is well known to those who are familiar with the matter. The administrator's account was settled February 27, 1755; ^^ widow receiv- ing, as her third, ;^I 30.0.0, and the five other heirs sums aggregating ;^2l8.8.IO. As stated, the Saucon lands passed into the ownership of his eldest 'son, Anthony William Boehm, in the lifetime of Pastor Boehm. The Whitpain planta- tion, by conveyances of the other heirs dated July I, 1749, and February 5, 1/55. became the property of the youngest son, John Philip Boehm. A settlement and adjustment of the estate between all the heirs is recorded, under date of January I, 1 75 1 , in the office of Recorder of Deeds of Philadelphia. In this instrument, John Philip Boehm, son of the decedent, agrees to maintain his grandfather, Philip Sherer. Among the credits, Anthony William Boehm, the oldest siuriving son of Rev. John Philip and -\nna Maria Boehm, received as his portion, by deed from his parents, on the 30th of September, 1747, two tracts of land in Bucks (now Northampton j county, Pennsylvania —that on saucon creek containing 200 acres, and that in Lower Saucon township containing 103 acres, both with six per cent, allowance, and subject to a quit-rent of a half-penny sterling per acre per annum. lie acquired, also, three tracts in Upper Saucon township, containing, respectively, 20^ acres, 38 acres 34 perches, and 68 acre 138 perches, all with six per cent, allowance. Warrants were issued December 21, 1749, and at other dates later for these Upper Saucon tracts, and were surveyed by land surveyor David Schultze, who delivered the surveys March 20, 1755, and patents were issued November 13, 1762. Upper Saucon township was first in Bucks county, next Northampton, and is now in Lehigh county. In 1761, Antony Boehm was assessed j^26.o.o in Upper Saucon tov.nship. -\11 these tracts he owned at his death, which occurred, in Upper Saucon township, about the beginning of 1766. Letters of administra- tion were granted to Hannah P. Boehm on May 10, 1766. His personal estate was inventoried at;f 133 I2s. 7d. ; among his effects were two Bibles, nine books, and one gun. His wife's name in a release dated February 4, 1755 is given as Phillis; and in the letters of administration as Hannah P. In the year 1767, Widow Boehm is ass^sed in Lower Saucon township for 40 acres clear land and 260 acres woodland. Anthony William and Phillis Boehm had one child — Philip Boehm. Philip Boehm, son of the foregoing, married Barbara . The names of their children were (among others) : Anthony Boehm, tanner ; Boehm, wife of Jacob Ochs ; Philip Boehm, who married a daughter of Peter Wasser. In 1767 and 176S, we find Philip Boehm, fanner, assessed for 80 acres clear land and 130 acres woodland, in Upper Saucon township, Northampton county. In 1774, his name appears in the same township, as a farmer, taxed for 100 acres clear and 150 acres woodland, and as having three children under 21. In 1779 he was an assistant collector for Lower Saucon township. In 1780, at the election held October 10, he was elected coroner of Northampton county. In 1782, his name appears in the Lower Saucon township tax list as having a tan-yard, 3 horses, 4 cows Euid 4 sheep. From 1775 to 1785, he is also described as an innkeeper in Lower Saucon township. This Philip Boehm, a grandson of the founder of the family in America, was actively engaged in furthering the cause of the colonies during the Revolutionary war. The following extracts from the public records bear evidence to this state- ment: 25 " The Council of Safety, Philadelphia, March 6, 1777, wrote to Gen. Washing- ton that Lieutenant Colonel Boehm of Colonel Geiger's Battalion of militia of Northampton county, now in camp, particularly requests that the militia might not be kept in service beyond their time, etc." — Penna. Archives. " On motion, agreed, that Philip Boehm be appointed Paymaster of the Militia of the County of Northampton." — Minutes Supreme Exectiiive Council^ Wednesday., August 2^^ ryj'] ; Colonial Records^ Vol. xL, page sjg. " Ordered, That Philip Boehm be appointed Coroner of Northampton County and commissioned accordingly." — October ig, lyyS, page ^qy. " Ordered, That the Secretary be directed to write to Philip Bcehm, Paymaster of Militia of the County of Northampton, and direct him to pay off the arrearages due to the militia, or give Council the reasons for his non-compliance." — March ", 1779, fig^ 7^8. "An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Philip Boehm, jun.. Pay- master of Militia in the County of Northampton, for the sum of Four Thousand Pounds to be charged to his account." — May ^, lyjg, page ybj. "An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Mr. Philip Boehm, Pay- master of the County of Northampton, for the sum of three thousand pounds, for paying the militia of said county, for which he is to account." — July 21, 177^; Vol. xii,page SS- "An application, in writing, from Philip Bcehm, paymaster of the Militia of the County of Northampton, requesting the sum of twenty-five hundred pounds to pay off the militia of that county, being read and considered." " Ordered, That Philip Bcehm be directed to lay before this Board an account of the payment of such monies as have been put into his hands for the purpose of paying the Militia of Northampton." — Ibid, page ^06 ; Saturday, Oct. 14, lySo. " Resolved, That Philip Boehm be appointed and commissioned to be Coroner of Northampton County " — February 4, lySo, page 24J. In the printed statement of the financial transactions of Northampton County during the time of the Revolutionary war appear somewhat in detail the accounts of moneys handled by Philip Boehm in the capacity of paymaster, and the supplies delivered to him while quartermaster of militia in i777-'79. By an agreement made March 30, 1797, his son-in-law, Jacob Ochs, was bound to support Philip Bcehm and his wife during their natural lives ; and in a conveyance of real estate under date of March 13, 1815, at which time Philip and Barbara Boehm, Jacob Geisinger assumed this obligation. Sevina Boshm, daughter of Rev. John Philip and Anna Maria Boehm, married Ludwig Bitting of Lower Milford township, Bucks (afterward Northampton, now Lehigh) county. Their children were Ludwig Bitting, Henry Bitting, Anthony Bitting, Philip Bitting, Peter Bitting. Anna Maria Bitting married Andraes Graber, of New Goshenhoppen ; Elizabethe Dorothea Bitting married Gabriel Klein, of New Goshenhoppen. Mary Catharine Bitting married, March 21, 1775, John Klein; Christina Bitting married J'ranz Leidig, son of Rev. John Philip Leydich, of Frederick township. Ludwig Bitting was a son of Henry and Anna Catharine Bitting, who, after providing themselves with a passport on the 24th of April, 1723, left Freinshein in the Palatinate, and came to America. Ludwig Bitting owned land, in 1734, in Hanover township. In 1734 ^^ was naturalized. In 1749, and until his death, he lived in Lower Milford township. In 1736— 1746 he was a member of the German Reformed congregation at Great Swamp. i758-'6o he represented Northampton County in the Assembly. In his will, dated September 25, 1771, he gives the name of his wife as Elizabeth, whence we infer that he had married a second time. He was born in 1703. and died about the 27th of December, 1775. Elizabeth Boehm, daughter of Rev. John Philip and Anna Maria Bcehm, married George Shamboh, weaver, of Upper Milford township, Bucks county. In 26 I740> a warrant for 230 acres of land in this township was issued to George Shamboh. Maria Philippina Boehm, youngest daughter of Rev. John Philip and Anna Mariah Boshm, married Cornelius Dewees, cooper. On the 26th of July, 1745. Cornelius Dewees, of Whitemarsh township, Philadelphia county, bought thirty acres on Skippack road for ;£'lo8.0.0. On the first of January, 175 1, Cornelius and Maria Philippina Boehm lived in Gloucester county. West New Jersey. John Philip Boehm, youngest son of Rev. John Philip and .\nna Maria Boehm, was married August 2, 1 753, by the pastor of the German Reformed church of Philadelphia, to Anna Mariah Yost (bom in Pennsylvania, May I, 1734), daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Yost, of Whitpain township. Their children were: I. Elizabeth Boehm, bom in September, 1757 ; buried November 24, 1 765 ; aged 8 years and 2 months. 2. Philip Boehm, bom Juiy 28, 1 761 ; buried November i, 1765. 3. Daniel Boehm, born March 14, 1764; died November 28, 1765. 4. Mary Boehm, married May 25, 1784, to William Peltz. 5. Philip Boehm, bora August 13, 1766. 6. Jacob Boehm, bora October 29, 1768; buried July 16, 1773. 7. Daniel Boehm, bora March i, 1771 ; married December 2, 1792, Catharine Peltz, daughter of William Peltz. b. Elizabeth Boehm, bora in March, 1778; buried October 30, 1788. John Philip Boehm, according to a settlement between the heirs, made the first of July, 1 749, became possessed of the homestead in Whitpain township, con- sisting of a plantation of two hundred acres of land, with the improvements. ( See Book G, Yol. 12, p. 450, o85ce Recorder of Deeds, Philadelphia.) Februar>- 6, 1759, he sold to Jacob Kurr 150 acres of the plantation, bounded by lanJs of William Thomas, John Lewis, Philip Dotterer, Peter DeHaven, the road leading to Philadelphia, other land of John Philip Boehm, John Johnson and Christian Holferts. About the year 1760, he moved to Philadelphia, and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He became a member of the German Reformed church, and at once be- came an oflice bearer. In 1 760, fi-ora .\pril 2d to June 29th, he reported the alms money received — £6^ 17s. 3^d. At the election held January 14, 1771, he was chosen to be an elder ; and he held the office of elder and trustee at intervals until 17S3. During the erection of the new church edifice — the second — from 1771 to 1774, he was active in pushing forward the work and in contributing and collect- ing funds. June 6, 1777, Philip Boehm was appointed a Justice of the Peace of the county of Philadelphia, with jurisdiction also over the city. During the Revolutionary war he rendered valuable service to the American cause, as the following extracts from the records show : "July 9, 1777, Philip Boehm and James Young, two of the justices of Phil- adelphia city, examined Thomas Patterson on suspicion of being inimical to American freedom." — Pa. Archizss^ Vol. I'i, p. 420. " Philip Boehm, Esq'r, attended the Council and represented that he had ac- cepted the Commission of the Peace for the County of Philadelphia, and the Com- mission appointing him one of the Justices of the City Court, from a desire to render hLs country the assistance which it was in his power to give during a time of difficulty ; but he now finds that his health is so greatly impaired as to render it impossible for him to discharge the duties thereof, and therefore he now resigns his said offices." — Minutes Supreme Executive Council, September jo, rjyS ; Colonial Records, Vol. xi, p. ^88. In 1778, Philip Boehm lived in a house on the west side of Secdnd street. He owned besides the house in which he lived, a house on the east side of Bread street (otherwise called Moravian alley). Both these houses were located between Mulberry (Arch) and Sassafiras (Race) streets. In l786-'88 he purchased extensively lands located in Westmoreland county and elsewhere, which had been donated by the State of Pennsylvania to the sol- diers engaged in the service of the United States during the Revolutionary war. 27 Being advanced in years, and often indisposed, he made his will on the 5th ot September, 1788. He died in Philadelphia and was buried in the Franklin Square graveyard of Race Street Reformed Church, on the 17th of September, 1790. He bequeathed ^^50 to his church, and named as his executors his wife, Mary, and his esteemed friends Jacob Schreiner, leather-dresser of the city of Philadelphia, and Seymour Hart, distiller of the Northetn Liberties. After his removal to Phil- adelphia he wrote his name, and was known as, Philip Bohm. Daniel Boehra, grandson of Pastor Bcehm, succeeded to the business of his father, Philip Bcehm. October 15, 1790, then a minor, he advertised that he would continue it at the same place, on Second street, nine doors above Race. From 1791 to 1802, Daniel Boehm was a grocer and merchant, at 96 North Second street. Philip Boehm, merchant, at 96 North Second street, appears in the city directory. In 1809 and '10 Daniel Boehm was grocer at 402 North Second street. From 1818 to 1821 he was engaged in manufacturing chocolate and mustard. March I, 1825, Daniel Boehm was still living. His children were: Philip Boehm; William Boehm; Eliza Boehm; Daniel Boehm. Philip Boehm, brother to Daniel Boehm, is described in the Philadelphia Directory for 1793, as a merchant, residing at 96 North Second street. He died before November 19, 1806.