CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Cornell University Library BV4070 .H32 1867 Memorial volume of the semi-centennial a olin 3 1924 029 355 033 .. 'it*.j^:. r^.\ '^^ Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://archive.org/details/cu31924029355033 I— I /^^/^i-^^^ ^ ■z^r MEMORIAL VOLUME OF TUK SEMI-CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF \i\ f etnittavji, UELD AUGUST 21, 1866. ALBANY JOEL MUNSELL, 1867. CONTENTS. Page. Introduction, by the Rev. Charles A, Smith, D.D., 1 Historical Address, by the Rev. H. N. Pohlmau, D.D., ? Poem, by the Rev. William Hull, 42 Biography of the Rev. E. L. Hazelius, D.D., by the Rev. Charles A. Smith, D.D., 48 Biography of the Rev. George B. jMiller, D.D., by Mrs. Henri- etta Hiller, 71 Hartwick and its Surroundings, by the Rev. Charles A. Smith, D.D., 81 Golden AYedding of the Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Miller, 99 Poems on the Golden Wedding, 100, 104 Indian Deeds to the Rev. J. C. Hartwick, 108, 118 License to purchase Land of Indians, 110 Petition of Hartwick for License to purchase 24,000 acres,. . . . 112 Affida\it of Sir Wm. Johnson concerning Hartwick's Purchase, 113 Report of Committeee on Renewal of License to purchase Lands, 116 Petition of the Rev. J. C. Hartwick and others for a Patent, 121, 134 Return of a Survey of 21,500 acres of Land, 123 Hartwiclv s Letter to Sir Wm. Johnson, 124 Hartwick's Letter to MohaAvks of Canajoharie, 127 Petition of the Indians to King George II, 129 Colonial Patent to Hartwick and others, 1761, 137 Letters to Jeremiah Van Rensselaer in relation to the Death of the Rev. J. C. Hartwick, 148, 149 Church Record in relation to the Burial of Hartwick, 150 Last Will and Testament of the Rev. J. C. Hartwick, 154 Articles of Agreement between the Curators of the Hartwick Seminary and the Trustees of the Lutheran Church in Albany, 171 Schedule of Property of Hartwick Seminary, 1801, 177 Act directing the Incorporation of the Hartwick Seminaiy,. ... 179 Act to enable the Trustees of Hartwick Seminary to sell and convey Real Estate, 181 Schedule of Property in 1810, 182 Schedule of Property in 1817, 185 Faculty of Hartwick Seminary, 189 Note explanatory and apologetic, 190 Index, 191 ILLUSTRATIONS. Hartwiok Seminary, improved, Frontispiece. Portrait of tlie Rev. Dr. E. L. Hazelius, 48 Portrait of the Rev. Dr. George B. Miller, 71 Residence of J. D. Husbands, Esq., 89 Diagram of the Chapel at HartAvick, 91 Hartwiek Seminaiy, before it was remodeled, 94 House of the Rev. Dr. IMiller, 95 Fac simile of Signature of Governor George Clinton, Ill Indian Totems, 119, 120 Fac simile of Signature of Sir "William Johnson, 121 Fac simile of the TaV)lct in the Lutheran Ebenezer Church in Albany, to the Memory of the Rev. J. C. Haitwick, 153 INTRODUCTION. This volume originated at the meeting of the Alumni Association of Hartwick Seminary, held August the 21st, 1866, during the semi-centennial anniversary. Many of the alumni assenabled to recall the past, and exchange congratulations upon the present condition and future prospects of alma mater. At the close of the address of Dr. Crounse, of Guilderland, before the Philophronean society, on the subject, '^Man — physi- cal, intellectual and moral,^' the Alumni Association was called to order by its president, Rev. Henry l!^. Pohlman, D.D. In his own hearty, genial way, he said at once, " Come, brethren of the Alumni, we want to hear from you all. Don't wait, get up and tell us how you feel." After a moment's pause, ad- dressing J. D. Husbands, of Rochester, N. T., he said : " Come here by me, brother Husbands, and talk to us." Mr. Husbands, under strong emotion, spoke in substance as follows : " The learned brother who has just addressed this audience, has instructed us on the whole physiological condition of man. Confining myself within narrower limits, I shall speak only of that one faculty of the human mind we call memory. I see before me the loved associates of my boy-life. I came to this chapel along the old path, in sight of the broad, bright fields 2 INTRODI'CTION. I trod and saw, when we, the old boys now, were not much in debt to time. I passed the house where my honored parents Uved, and my father died. I looked upon the faces of some of his esteemed neighbors and friends, and we grasped each others hands, and our hearts were with our hands. Others of those good neighbors have gone to the better world, where the living dwell, and death never enters. Busy, grateful memory brings them all about me now — precious friends, the living and the dead ! " Among the glorified spirits of the just made perfect, who of us can forget or would forget the sainted Dr. E. L. Hazelius ? With what paternal solicitude his great heart and scholastic mind bore with our irregu- larities, taught our young intellects, and pointed us to that Saviour in whose presence he now assuredly is. Wayward as some of us have been, his counsels have done much to mold our characters, and lead us in the better way. His hallowed influence is indestructible. It lives in us who survive, and, reproduced from gene- ration to 2:eneration, shall difl:use blessing's all along; the track of time. I saw his portrait to-da}^ with ear inclined, as his always was, to catch the recital of our lessons, and our joys and sorrows too, and it seems to me he is now bending a listening ear in his celestial abode, to accept our gratitude and veneration. Happy is it that the works of such an one do follow him. " Boy-life seems to be mine again, as I look on these dear familiar faces, and yet, in this presence, the fact ^^dll not conceal itself that, since we were boys, a gene- ration has arisen who knew not Joseph. I come here that you, who knew me in school-days, may call me Joseph. These young gentlemen will some day know what that implies, but not now. You, youno; ovntle- INTRODUCTION. 6 men, are about to enter on the untried struggles of real life. ITot merely the forty centuries of the pyramids look down on your achievements, but the eternity of the past and the future bids you live worthy of the high vocation to which your training has called you. Feli- citate yourselves that the mantle of our ascended Elijah^ has fallen upon your Elisha,^ and taking up your line of march from such scholastic heights, your ascent should ever be heavenward, as here you have been heaven-directed. Some of you go to preach the gospel of the Prince of peace and life — the noblest and holiest calling on the earth. Be valiant soldiers of the cross, never forgetting that the banner of your alma mater and your Prince, over you, is love. " To-day, Mr. President, we celebrate the half-century life of our honored ahiia mater. She is famous, fair and fifty, with no gray hair, or spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. Some of her sons are here to-day, to offer her the homage of grateful and gratified filial devotion. Clustering memories swell their hearts toward her. God has blessed her in multitudes of her children. Think of a single soul won to Christ by the ministry of one of her sons, and follow that soul in its increasing and ascending rapture and glory, till imagination falters and is lost in the incomprehensibility of the ' eternal weight of glory,' and tell me if human speech can exaggerate the magnitude of her mission. Multiply these trophies of redeeming love by the number of her sons, and this product by the results of their labors for the Risen Crucified, and where is the limit to her majestic influence and destiny? From the full fountains of her maternal bosom, streams of beneficence have issued to ^I)j'. ILizcliiis. Hiev. Dr. Miller. 4 INTRODUCTION. gladden and illumine many hearts and many lands. Often do we, in the jostlings of life, turn our weary heads to thee, mother dear, and find thy gentle, quiet, holy love a balm to soothe and restore. Faithful ever, under all circumstances of shade and sunshine, to thy vows to Christ, I believe stores of special blessings are in reserve for thee! We, the Alumni, come to-day with reverential greeting. We love thee, because thou first lovedst us. We honor thee, that with royal munificence thou hast scattered smiles and blessings, and that culture, refinement, literature and religious instruction have been thy gifts to men. " This, sir, is a blessed reunion. May it not be a foretaste of the heavenly companionship ? It is to me as the wayside fiowers the traveler gathers in some sweet spot of calm repose, whose tints of beauty are photographed on the heart, and whose fragrance is an unforgotten odor. But I have occupied your time beyond any thing I had intended. My heart was too full to say less, and the inspiration of the occasion loads me to say, in conclusion, that my heart infolds you all in its warmest embraces. No spectator here could fail to observe the love we bear each to all, and all to each, and to say, 'Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity ! ' So may it ever be with us and our children, and our children's children." Rev. Dr. Strobel said: " We have listened with affec- tionate interest to the words of Joseph, but words are evanescent and die. In order permanently to record and preserve what we do here, and the history of this institution and her benign mission, we propose that a memorial volume be prepared and published." Dr. Strobe] then proceeded to state in an able and lucid address the nature, value and Uvse of such a record. INTRODUCTION. 5 J. D. Husbands submitted tbat words sucli as we speak to each other here, could never die ; but earnestly- advocated the preparation of the book suggested by Dr. Strobel. Eev. Dr. Goertner made a brilliant and effective speech in its favor. The president then called on Rev. Philip Wieting for his views ; who, in his own peculiar and significant way, gave to the enterprise the full weight of his influence. After earnest and eloquent remarks by Rev. George ]^eff, Rev. J. Selmser, and others, it was Resolved^ That a memorial volume in commemora- tion of the semi-centennial anniversary of the Alumni Association of Hartwick Seminary be prepared and published, under the supervision of an editing com- mittee, consisting of Rev. Henry IST. Pohlman. D.D., Rev. Charles A. Smith, D.D., Hon. Joseph D. Hus- bands, and Rev. R. Adelberg. The committee present the volume itself as their report of the manner in which they have discharged their duty. The service might have been confided, perhaps, to abler hands; but not to more willing hearts. Whilst we thank those who have aided us in this labor of love, by valuable contributions of the pen, it is proper to add that the typographical beauty and accuracy of the volume are due to the liberal taste and cultivated skill of Joel Munsell, Esq., well known in literary circles for the ardor with which he pursues historic investigation, and for the encouragement he holds out to every attempt that promises to rescue from oblivion such records of past events as ought to be perpetuated. SEMI-CENTENNIAL §imwm*;siaiij af Pavtwklt ^^miimtij. HISTORICAL ADDRESS, BY REV. irENRY N. POHLMAl^, D.D., OF ALBANY, N. Y. Wten some great deed has been accomplished for God and for humanity, some wonderful discovery or marvellous invention made, whose results are not limited to the age in which they originated, but ex- tended to remotest generations, or when — a not less noble work — the foundation of an institution of learn- ing has been laid, whose influence, whether confined within narrow limits, or widely spread abroad, shall endure to all eternity, it is natural to inquire, what manner of man was this doer, this inventor, this founder? Where was he born, and how was he reared ? "What influences combined to mold his cha- racter ? What were his habits and his deeds ? What was the manner of his life and what his death ? So when we come to-day, to this our alma mater to celebrate her fiftieth birthday, our thoughts naturally revert to him whose name she bears, and whose noblest monu- ment she is, and we crave to be informed as to who and what manner of man he was, nor will we be satisfied until the minutest particulars are spread before us. 8 HISTORICAL ADDRESS. and we learn all that is to be known of his life and character. To gratify this laudable craving is the object of the present address. But in the very outset I am con- strained to bespeak your indulgence, as much of the information we have to impart consists in not very eloquent details drawn fi^om the musty records of the past, and I, therefore, greatly fear that I shall give you more than you crave to hear, and may severely try your patience. Of John Christopher Hartwick, the founder of the seminary whose semi-centennial anniversary we cele- brate to-day, but little has hitherto been known ; and that little derived fi^om local tradition rather than from the positive testimony of official records. But I am happy to state that there has lately been discovered a number of important letters and documents which throw new light upon his history, and enable me to correct many errors, and to speak with more certainty concerning the character and doings of this very remark- able man, ^vho, notwithstanding his idiosyncrasies — and they were many — must nevertheless be acknow- ledged as a successful pioneer in the great work of establishing and giving permanence to the Evangelical Lutheran church, in these then western wilds. If a tombstone may be regarded as an official docu- ment, the tablet which covers his mortal remains in the chancel of the church of which I am pastor, fur- nishes an authentic record of his birth and of his decease; the one occurring on the 6th of January, 1714, and the other on the 16th of July, 1796, from which it appears that for four-score and two and a half years he was a stranger and a pilgrim on the earth • and it is added, as significant of his experience in the HISTORICAL ADDRESS. 9 days of the years of his pilgrimage, on the same tablet, in the usual style of mortuary literature, and in the noble language which he loved : " Man's Hfe in its appointed Hmit Is seventy, is eighty years; But care and grief and anguish dim it However joyous it appears. The winged moments swiftly flee And bear us to eternity/'^ " To lie like an epitaph" has passed into a proverb, and even tombstones are not always reliable in their record ; for this, we have reason to believe, sent the weary pilgrim to his rest at least twenty>four hours before his allotted time ; as we have positive testimony that he died at twelve o'clock meridian on the 1 7ih July 1796, which in that year fell upon a Sunday. But this was the fault not of the stone, but of the man who cut it, and is a venial error compared to the one committed by the veritable historian of an adjoin- ing township, who, in what he calls his ^' condensed history of Cooperstown," so far from shortening Hart- wick's life by a single day, adds to it four years of days, and then represents him as " shuffling oft' his mortal coil," and going to his great account with the guilt of self-murder on his soul. For he gravely asserts that " John Christopher Hart- wick, the proprietor of a patent for a considerable tract of land in this vicinity, committed suicide with a razor in June, 1800." It may be added, however, in pallia- tion of the erudite historian's error, that there is an obscure tradition that one Christianus Hartwick did ^ For a fac simile of the tomb stone see appendix. 2 10 IIISTORK^AL ADDEESS. commit suicide about the period mentioned, but whether with a razor or a pistol is uncertain. Of the early life and education of Hartwick, and his preparation for the ministry, we have no authentic record. But we know tliat he was well versed in what are usuallv called the dead languages; and had that thorough knowlc'dge of theoh)gical lore which the universities of his native land know so well how to impart, and Avhich her ecclesiastical authorities are so cai'cful to require, before they permit a candidate to enter into holv orders. And we ourselves can bear testimonv to tlie correctness of his diction ; for we have seen in the records of the Lutheran church at Frederick, ^laryland, specimens of his bold chiro- grapliy in Latin whieli incontestiblj^ prove that he was as familiar with that language as with his own. It is said — I know not on what authority — that he came to this country in early life, in the capacity of cliaplain to a German regiment, in the service of Eng- land, The first authentic account we have of his career in this country, outside of this autobiography, is to be found in the Hallische NachricMcn.^ from which it appears that in 1748 he was pastor of the Evangehcal Lutheran Zion's church, ISTew Germantown, Hunter- don Co., and of St. IJaul's church, Pluckaniin, Somer- set Co., ]^. J. In the same year he took part in the inauo-uration of the first Lutheran Synod in Pliiladel- 12 HISTORICAL ADDRESS. phia, and preached the sermon at the ordhiation of the Eev Mr. Knrtz from the words, Ezeldel in, 18, " His blood will I require at thine hand,'^ inforcing the awful responsihilitv which rests upon the preachers of the o'ospcl. But lie was not ahvays equally discrimi- natino' in the selection <>f his texts ; for in after years — I have it upon the testimony of one who was present on the occasion — when called upon to preach the ser- mon at the dedication of the Old Swamp church, corner of Wilham and Frankfort streets, I^ew York — the ehureh, by the bye, where our venerable professor of theology and myself were ordained, I do not care to remember hoA\' many years ago — he chose the follow- ino; singular passage from the Song of Solomon, viii, 8 : ''We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts, what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for.'' A text highly appro- priate, T opine, at the dedication of a Baptist meeting house, where they do not usually care to inquire what provision is necessary' for the nutriment of children, but not so well fitted for a ehureh, one of whose cardinal principles is the early initiation of babes and sucklings into the nursery of Christ, and the constant feeding them with the sincere milk of the word. Immediately after the adj<.)urnment of the synod in 1748, ILirtwick, by the adviee of his friends, accepted of a call as minister of the cono^resfation in the city of jISTcav York. '' It was supposed that he mio-ht succeed in adjusting the diifieulties which had Ion*'- existed among the people there, and restore harmony and good feeling. The congregation at the time consisted of Hollanders, Germans and French, and the representatives of these respective countries desired that the serviees of the sanctuary should be pertormed HISTORICAL ADDRESS. 13 in their own vernacular tongues. Each party wa*s too weak to estabUsh a separate organization, and it was not an easy task to obtain a clergyman qualified to do justice to himself and the people, in three different languages." As might be expected, therefore, '' Mr. Hartwick's efforts to unite the discordant elements proved unsuccessful. The congregation continued distracted, and there was no prospect of a recon- ciliation. The various interests were unwillino; to make any compromise, and a church so much divided could not prosper. Finding his position uncom- fortable, and his efforts to establish peace unavail- ing, he soon resigned the charge, and removed to Ehinebeck, IT. Y., having been invited to minister to several congregations in Dutchess and Ulster coun- ties." In this wide field extending from I>rewburg on the south, to East and West Camp, and Ancram on the north, he labored for a time with zeal and fidelity, endeavoring to diffuse the knowledge of the gospel not only by the preached word, but by the printed page; for among his papers I find a list of subscribers to whom he furnished copies of Arndt's Wahres Christenihum, besides other standard works. It may also be men- tioned to his honor that he set himself, at that early period, to build a church at Ancram ; but, although a considerable sum was subscribed for this purpose, the project failed, and it was not until nearly a hundred years afterwards that the work was finally accomplished. From this promising beginning it might be supposed that here Hartwick had at last found his appropriate sphere of labor; but here also he encountered his accustomed diflB.culties, and was called to pass through various trials which time will not permit me to enu- merate, but which are recorded at length by Dr. Mulh- 14 HISTORICAL ADDRESS. enburg in The Nachnchim. Suffice it to say, that he was ao-ain set adrift, like our great progenitor; The world before him where to choose. Indeed, such were his c institutional peculiarities, and numerous c^ccentricities, that he might well expect difficulties eA'erjwhere, and say of himself, with the o-reat apostle to the Gentiles, wherever he went, though not in the same sense, nor for the same cause : '' And now behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, savins;, that honds and afflietions abide me.'* It was about this period that Hartwick first became acquainted with the natives, who then roamed upon our borders; and particularly with the sachems of the powerful nation of the Mohawks, belonging to the upper castle of Canadschoharie, who frequently came into the settlement for the pur[)Oses of barter and trade. From the natural restlessness of his character, and fondness for ehaim'e, he soon became stronHy attracted towards them, and familiar with them. Indeed, the attraction seemed to be mutual, for he undoubtedly exer- cised a powerful influence over them. This is evident from the fact that they conveyed to him bv deed a large and valua])le tract of their lands. This deed, dated the 2:>d of May, 1750, and duly signed, sealed and delivered is still extant among his papers; and reeites that '' in consideration of one hundred pounds currency paid to them by the liev. John C. Hartwick they have bargained and sold to said Hartwick a certain tract of land on the south side of the Mohawk between Schoharie and Gherrj^ valley along a certain small creek, containing nine miles in length, and four miles HISTORICAL ADDRESS. 15 m breadth. But notwithstanding there is a receipt on the back of this document acknowledging the payment of the hundred pounds, it is certain that Mr. Hartwick never realized any benefit from the investment ; doubt- less because it was not made in accordance with the law regulating the purchase of lands from the Indians, passed by his majesty's council on the 2d of December, 1736, which required a license for that purpose to be first had and obtained. But though this attempt failed, Hartwick was not to be balked in his determination to become an exten- sive land owner; and, a year or two later, while the French war was raging, it occurred to his versatile mind, ever ready to do good in his own peculiar fashion, that ^ the only way in which this country could be permanently protected from the depredations of the enemy, was by its speecl}^ settlement; and, as this could not be accomplished under its original proprie- tors, he, in conjunction with some ten or eleven others, most of whom lent him their names for the purpose, petitioned the government to grant him the required permission for one year, to purchase twenty-four thousand acres of land fi'om the Indians. This petition, dated the 13th of ]^Iay, 1752, was granted on the 16th of November following. But it was not until the 29th of May, 1754, and after several additional petitions for the extension of the time had been presented, that the purchase was made and a deed given. By this deed — a curiosity in itself — "Abraham Peterson, Wilhehn Darg-hi-o-res and Hen- drick Sa-rig-ho-ana native Indians, and sole and abso- lute proprietors of Conjohare, convey to John C. Hard wick, for, and in consideration of one hundred pounds currency or two hundred and fifty dollars, a 16 HISTORICAL ADDRESS. tract of land on the south side of the Mohawks river, bounded as follows : Beginning on the west side of the Susquehanna river at the northerly bounds of a j)atent granted to Arend Bradt, Volkert Van Vechten and others, and running from thence up the said river six miles to a young lime tree standing near said river marked H. V., 1754, and extending in breadth from the said river into the woods six miles." This curious document bears the signatures, or rather marks, of the above named proprietors, followed by rude outlines of a bear, a wolf and a turtle by way of seal, and to make assurance doubly sure, is signed in addition by two other Petersons, Hendrick and Paulus; and the following euphonious names, Mcholaus Ca-rig-hia- plat-ti. Brand Rog-his-di-cha, Abraham Ro-se-6n-daw, and Ruth Dar-og-hi-6n-ka. On the 17th of July, 1755, a return of the survey of this tract was made, when it was found to contain only iwcniu-fme thousand, Jive lamdred acres, with the following description of boundaries, which as it is short, and may be interesting to the present inhabit- ants of the township, I subjoin : " Beginning in the northwesterly bounds of a certain tract of land granted by letters patent to Volkert Oothout, John De-Witt and others, where the river issuing out of the lake called Otsego, crosses the aforesaid northwesterly bounds of the aforesaid tract of land granted to Volkert Oothout and others, and runs thence west four hundred and eighty chains; then north four hundred and eighty chains; then east four hundred and eighty chains, to the said river issuing out of the said Lake Otsego. Then along the west side of the said river, as it runs, to the place where this tract of laud first beii^an." HISTORICAL ADDRESS. 17 But now came the tug of war : all the preliminaries had been complied with — license to purchase had been given — the purchase made, the deed executed and the survey completed ; but all this would be of no avail, unless letters patent could be obtained from his majesty to give the right of possession, and many officials stood in the way; for in those days, as in the present, red tape was predominant . and " How not to do it " the rule, rather than the exception. To overcome this difficulty, Hartwick set himself with a wisdom and energy, which considering his lamentable want of executive ability in ecclesiastical affairs, can be regarded as little short of miraculous. Taking advantage of the fears of Sir William Johnson for the safety of the northern frontier, after the battle of Fort George, in which Williams, the founder of Williams College, Mass., and Hendrik, the famous Mohawk warrior were slain ; he prepared a petition to his majesty George 11, to be signed by the Indians of Canadjoharie, proposing a plan for the settlement of the difficulty, which, while it would secure peace upon the border, would inure greatly to his own advantage. This petition was conveyed to the Indians in a letter of condolence for the loss of their famous warrior Hendrik, dated January 15th, 1756, and concludes with the following significant sugges- tion : '' Lastly, my brethren, let my tears be wiped off, for the death of my brother Henry, by a letter to great King George, which I beseech you to sub- scribe in my behalf, lest I might lose the fruit of so many 3'ears^ toil, trouble and charges. And I assure you, as soon as the Lord shall enable me, you shall not find me ungrateful. And as I- have not been unmindful hitherto, but remembered 3 18 HISTORICAL ADDRESS. yoii at the throne of grace, so shall I in all time to come." He also wrote to Sir "William Johnson, pro- posing the same plan, and endeavoring to secure his influence. "If your honor,'^ he writes, "approves of my scheme, and promoteth a subscription of the Indians to the inclosed petition, I shall, God willing, undertake a voyage to England, and promote the scheme with all my might." The following extract from the petition referred to, entitled : " The humble address of the chiefs and others of the Mohawk Indians of Canadschohary, to the great sachem of the British nation, George 11," unfolds the suggested plan, and fully justifies my comment, that while the defense of the country was its ostensible object, John C. TIartwick was the person most to be benefited. "■ By long experience we know," said they, " that the guai'ding the provinces of your majesty against the encroachments and insults of a foreign enemy, by means depending on an assembly, the members whereof for the greatest part live remote from them, is a very precarious and inefl:ectual method; and, therefore, we huml)]y take upon us to propose another, viz : " That your majesty might be i)leased to grant to such persons, as are willing and able to settle and cultivate — and to whom we should be inclined to sell — tracts of Jand sufiicient to erect towns and forts thereon ; under the restrictions and conditions, to settle thereon in to\\'ns, and not in so scattered a manner as is done in other parts of the counti'v, to fortifv, o-arrison and defend such towns, to settle and maintain ministers of the gospel and schoolmasters, both for themselves, and the Indians living about them, and to free such towns and precincts from all other public taxes HISTORICAL ADDRESS. 19 expenses and troubles wherein they should not be particularly concerned. ^' And whereas we find John Christopher Hartwick minister of the gospel inclined, and conceive him able to promote the kingdom of Christ, and that of your majesty; therefore, after he had obtained your majesty's license to purchase, we have sold him in your majesty's name a tract of laud, the remotest that hath been purchased yet. And whereas, both by rea- son of the great distance from market, and because of the nearness of the enemy's country, and the adjoining wilderness ; the people that would undertake to settle it, must labor under great hardships and difficulties, arising from the above mentioned circumstances easily to be conceived, and too tedious to mention to your majesty; and whereas the far greater part of the tract of land aforesaid is not improvable, and what is so, is much interrupted by hills, so that the good can not be separated from the bad without putting the undertaker to unsupportable charges ; the land must either remain waste to the detriment of your majesty's interests because it cannot make good the charges and fees of surveying and patenting which are great, or bring up the quit rent which is now higher than that which is paid for good, conveniently and safely situated land ; or, an exemption must be granted. " For these reasons, and from such considerations as these, as also from the confidence we put in the grace and favor which your majesty hath always been wont to bestow upon us; we have taken upon us to intercede with your majesty in behalf of the aforementioned John Christopher Hartwick, humbly praying your majesty to grant to the said John Christopher Hartwick the tract of land sold to him by us, and more particularly 20 HISTORICAL ADDRESS. described in the deeds of conveyance, and returns of the surveyor, on such easy terms as to your majesty in your grace and wisdom shall seem most fit and expedient for the intents and purposes aforementioned, which we forl:)ear mentioning at large, being confident your majesty's wisdom will from this hint easily infer them." Whether this petition ever reached his majesty, is extremely problematical; at least we know that Mr. Ilartwick did not go to England to present it in person ; and it is reasonable to conckide from the time that elapsed before the granting of the patent, that he failed in his well laid scheme; for it was not until the 2'2d of April, 17G1, that he succeeded in obtaining the long expected boon. Meanwhile, he did not pass his days in listless inacti- vity, for we hear of him everywhere, wandering hither and thither, with characteristic restlessness, and with no certain dwelling place; but nevertheless always endcavorino; to minister to the necessities of his coun- trvmen and to feed them with the bread and the water of life. Now, we find him serving the congregation at Trappe for six months; and then for three Sundays in the German Reformed church at Philadelphia, on his own responsibility inviting those to hear him preach who were standing idle in the Market-place. In 1762, we find him at Frederick, Maryland ; where the con- gregation ottered him a call, and entered into a formal eontract obligating themselves to give him an adequate support; but even while having the call under consi- dcn-ation, he capriciously leaves them for a time, per- suaded that another people had a stronger claim upon his services. In 1768, we find him again at Frederick taking spiritual oversight of the congregation, but it is only for the space of eight months, when he journeys HISTORICAL ADDRESS. 21 into Virginia, and assumes the charge of the churches at Winchester and its vicinity in the valley of the Shenandoah. In 1774, he is pastor of the scattered Lutherans in Boston, Mass., and in July of the same year he is holding forth in "Waldoborough near Great Bay, on the sterile coast of what is now the state of Maine. But it is impossible, at this late day, to trace him in all his w^anderings. Suffice it to say, that while he was a good and conscientious man, and faithful to his convictions of duty, his unfortunate peculiarities interfered with his usefulness, and prevented his remaining for any considerable period a pastor any- where ; and, besides, it seemed as if the spirit of the wandering Jew had taken full possession of him, for in no case, did obligations, however strong, bind him to the same people, longer than six months, or at most a year. It may be as well to mention in this connection that Hartwick was as averse to matrimonial, as to ecclesiastical ties. Indeed, unless all tradition is at fault, and shamefully belies him, he was a most determined hater of the female sex. It was not an uncommon thing for him, if he saw that he was about to meet a woman in the road, to cross over, or even to leap a fence in order to avoid her. It is said that, on one occasion, when he was disturbed in preaching by the presence of a dog, he exclaimed with much earnestness, that they had better keep their dogs and children at home, and it would not be much matter, if they kept their women there too. I was told by a former resident of this valley — some of whose descendants I see before me to-day — that when this country had only begun to be inhabited — and he was amoncr the first to brins; hither his household o-ods — 22 HISTORICAL ADDRESS. he was surprised one evening by a visit from tis eccentric landlord.^ My informant was then a young man, and he and his wife occupied a log hut, in which there was only one bedroom, and one bed. Their only sleeping accommodations they very cheerfully gave up to their clerical guest, and stretched them- selves out on the iloor before the kitchen fire. In the course of the night the wife awoke, and found that the weather had become much colder, and it instantly occurred to her that the occupant of her bed might not have a sufficient quantity of clothing over him. Her concern for his comfort led her to arise, and go silently into his room, and spread upon his bed a part of her own very simple wardrobe. But such a thing was not to be done by a woman, and yet escape the observation of such a woman-hater. ISTo sooner hay a Tnend:)er of the doc- triind de[)artment, at an hour when all members of tlie eommunity may, as they ought, attend morning and evening prayei's." (I. In the sixth, among various other legacies he berpieaths 50 acres to for waiting upon him and cai"efully exeeuti ng his commands, but provides that if he should di(^ under age or run :i\vay from his guai'dian or turn a reprobate, which (iod forl)id, this land shouhl be given to Wilhani Chanent in Jee sirni)le for two dolhirs aii acre. 7. The seven tj) codicil i)rovides for the government of the institution, and H. Th(^ eighth and hist, already I'efeiTed to, recom- luends ministers of diifereut denominiitions — whom 1k^ does not specify — to draw up ii scriptural or Uible catechism, wher(.dn all the essential ([uestions of the (Uiristian religion are answered and (yhristian doctrines contained, avoi