The Moravians in North Carolina. An Authentic History

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THE MORAVIANS

NORTH CAROLINA. AN AUTHENTIC

Rev.

HISTORY.

levin T.^REICHEL, OP SALESf, N.

SALEM, 0.

A.

N.

C.

C:

KEEHLN.

PHILADELPHIA: J.

B.

LIPPINCOTT AND CO. 1851.

A^^O^

CONTENTS

IV

CONTENTS.

18. List of Ministers

and other brethren

PAGE in

the

SERVICE OF the PROVINCE IN GENERAL, AND

OF the Salem Congregation in particular 19. Ministers of 20.

the Country Congregations

.

The Brethren's Unity

165 1G9

172

APPENDIX. 179

1.

First Settlers

2.

Churches and Public Buildings

3.

Houses built

4.

Additions and Notes

in

Salem

.

.

.

191

196

200

THE

MORAVIANS

K

NORTH CAROLINA.

I.

NOETH CAROLINA

IN

1752.

In 1749 the British Pariiament passed an act by which the TJnitas Fratrum, or Unity of the Brethren,

was acknowledged as a Protestant

Episcopal Church. of

all

By

this act the free exercise

their rights as a church

was secured to the

Moravian Brethren throughout Great Britain and all

her colonies, a privilege which they did not

then fully enjoy in any other European kingdom,

and which

is

still

denied to the church in certain

other countries, even to the present day.

During the protracted deliberations of the Parliament, which lasted from February 20th to

2

«

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA,

14

June

6th,

and by means of many public documents

collected in a folio

volume as Acta Unitatis

Fret-

trum in Anglia, the attention of members of the Parliament, and other repeatedly drawn

men

of high standing,

was

to the Moravians, both as a

The

church organization and as a social body. testimony which Thomas Penn,

proprietor of

Pennsylvania, had given them in 1141, when the first

act of Parliament

was granted

in their be-

was abundantly confirmed, that they had

half,

conducted themselves as a sober, quiet, and gious people, and had in their settlements

beneficial to the

Hence make

made many improvements

which eventually would prove

whole colony of Pennsylvania.

seemed desirable to induce them to

it

settlements in other countries also, and in-

vitations

and

in greater for

reli-

ofi'ers

of various kinds soon

Some

want of means and men.

referring to

Nova

entertained at

Argyle,

of these,

Scotia and Maryland, were not

all.

Another one of the Duke of

who wished a

in Scotland, led to

O'Neil

came

numbers than could be complied with,

no

settlement of .the Brethren results

;

another of Lord

led, in It 64, to the settlement of

Grace-

NORTH CAROLINA IN in Ireland.

hill,

15

IT 52.

But, for the present, the most

acceptable offer seemed that of

Lord

President of the Privy Council,

owner of a very large

Granville,

who was

tract of land in

Carolina, of which he offered

the

North

Count Zinzendorf

100,000 acres on very reasonable terms.

At

a conference of the Brethren, held in Lind-

say-house,

London, November 29th,

resolved to accept this

offer.

1*751, it

The leading idea

of Count Zinzendorf was the following sired that his Brethren

was

:

He

de-

might not only have an

opportunity to be of spiritual benefit to such persons as in process of time might settle in their neighborhood, as well as to gain access to

various tribes of Indians, such as the Cherokees,

the Catawbas, the Creeks, and the Chickasaws,

but his main object was to acquire the possession of a larger tract of land

might

live undisturbed,

cluding this

all

where the Moravians

having the liberty of ex-

strangers from their settlements.

purpose

it

was resolved not to make the

good quality of the land the principal to

buy

rather

For

object,

nor

detached parcels of the best land, but to

select

an undivided tract of about

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

16

100,000 acres.

In the centre of this territory of

the Brethren a town was to be laid out, contain-

ing the choir-houses for single brethren, single sisters,

and widows, the educational

and mercantile establishments.

institutions,

In this central

place were also to be located a preparatory school for ministers

and missionaries, and the directing

boards for the outward and spiritual the Brethren in this their

of

own and independent

Besides this one town, the rest of the

country. territory

affairs

was

to be parcelled out to farmers be-

According

longing to the Brethren's Church.

to an old plan in our possession, the little capital

of this

new Moravian country was

to be built in

a circular form, the eight-cornered church to form the centre, to be surrounded, in a large

circle,

six choir-houses, an apothecary-shop, and a

ravian inn ings were

(

by

Mo-

Gemein Logis), between which build-

to

radiate

eight

streets,

each with

twenty town-lots, to be interspersed with gardens and rows of shade-trees in double

circles.

This was the plan made in London by Count

Zinzendorf and other Brethren, to Carolina was terra incognita

whom North

— an utterly unknown

NORTH CAROLINA IX It 52. country.

IT

In order to select a tract suitable for

the intended settlement, Brother Spangenberg,

American

who was

well acquainted with

was sent

in IT 52 to reconnoitre the

country and

own judgment.

But before

act according to his

we accompany him on

this journey,

we

alfairs,

will

add

a few words concernino:

THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONDITION OF NORTH CAROLINA IN 1752. North Carolina may justly be called the Old North

State, containing within its

spot on which the for in

first

July, 1584,

borders the

Anglo-Saxon ever landed;

two ships

fitted

out by Sir

Walter Raleigh, and commanded by Philip Amidas and Arthur Barlow, dropped their anchors

on the sandy beach of Roanoke Island (now Currituck County,

Xorth Carolina), and the land

was formally taken possession of

in the

name

of

''Elizabeth of England, as rightful queen and princess of the same." in

It

was called Virginia,

honor of the virgin queen. 2*

The

first settle-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

18

ment on Roanoke

Island, attempted in 1585,

soon after abandoned, and no permanent

ment established there

was

settle-

until 1653.

Before this occurred, however, various parts of the present State of North Carolina had been

explored by the settlers of Yirginia, and here

and there might be found,

in the midst of friendly

Indians, small clearings of the white man,

had

who

fled the religious persecution of his native

country or the tyranny of a colonial governor.

In 1663, King Charles tent of

March

IT.

granted, by a pa-

24th, a part of Virginia, viz., "all

the country between the Atlantic and Pacific

Oceans, between 31 and 36 parallels of latitude," in his

men.

honor to be called Carolina, to eight noble-

These eight proprietors were

Edward, Earl of Clarendon George, Duke of Albemarle William, Earl of Craven

John, Lord Berkeley;

Anthony, Lord

A^shley

Sir

George Carteret

Sir

John Colleton

Sir William Berkeley.

;

;

NORTH CAROLINA IN

1*752.

19

These proprietors for a long time appointed the governors, by

whom

times well, sometimes

the colonies were some-

managed, but

ill

con-

still

tinued to increase in numbers and to expand in

By

cultivated lands.

Granville, son of Sir in .1696, the

the influence of

Lord

George Carteret, who died

General Assembly passed a law in

n04, by which

the

Church of England was

acknowledged as the established church of the colony, and received privileges which were de-

nied to all dissenters.

This intolerant law pro-

duced frequent tumults among the people. the beginning of the next century a

In

new element

was introduced into the colony by the

and

arrival

settlement of a considerable number of Germans

and Swiss. their

Of the 30,000 Germans who had

own country

Far West, about 18,000 eventually North Carolina. pher,

left

to seek their fortunes in the

About

settled

in

the same time, Christo-

Baron de Graffenreid, received a grant of

10,000 acres of land on the Neuse and Cape

Fear Rivers, and

settled there a

Swiss emigrants, by

whom

Berne was founded.

The

the

body

of 1,500

town of

seat of

New

government

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

20

was

at that time in

Edenton, called so in l'r20 in

honor of Governor Eden. In 1125 the boundary-line was run between

North Carolina and Virginia, and

1^38 the

in

southern borders were more clearly defined, the

people of South Carolina having already in It 19 revolted from the feudal sway of the lord proprietors,

and expelled

their governor.

the extent of this colony

Westward

was as yet quite unde-

fined.

Both on account

of the rebellion of the South

Carolinians, and also on account of the comparatively small revenues to be derived

from these

transatlantic estates, the lord proprietors accept-

ed the proposals of the home government, and in

1129 surrendered their claims to the crown,

receiving in return the ling each.

sum

of 2,500

pounds

ster-

Only John, Lord Carteret, Baron of

Harnes, afterwards Earl of Granville, concluded to retain his eighth part, which was laid off for

him

in 1143, adjoining Virginia.

doubtful whether

It is rather

Lord Granville ever

fully

un-

derstood the extent of his American possessions,

which were bounded on the north by the Yir-

NORTH CAROLINA IN 1152.

21

ginia line, on the east by the Atlantic, on the

south by a line in latitude 35° lantic to the Pacific

34" from

the At-

Ocean, and on the west by

the Pacific.

The number in

of inhabitants of

North Carolina

1Y29 scarcely amounted to 10,000, mostly

scat-

tered along the coast, in the three counties of

Albemarle, Bath, and Clarendon.

The immense

territory of

Lord

for the

Granville was most part an uninhabited and utterly un-

known

wilderness.

In

1U6

Granville County

was formed, and Anson County

in 1149, which two counties contained the greater part of Lord

Granville's vast possessions.

In 1*753

Rowan

County was formed from parts of Anson County, and comprehended most of the western part of the present States of :N'orth Carolina and Tennessee, covering the valley of the

Yadkin, and

extending to or even beyond the Mississippi.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

22

11.

WACHOVIA. Bishop Spangenberg having accepted the appointment of selecting

in the trackless wilcls of

western Carolina a tract of land of sufficient extent for the purposes intended, left Bethlehem, in

He

Pennsylvania, on the 25th of August, 1152.

was accompanied by the brethren, Henry Antes,

Timothy Horsefield, Joseph

Loesch, and John Merk,

all

Miller,

Herman

on horseback.

In

Edenton, where they arrived September 10th, they were joined by Mr. Churton, the surveyorgeneral and agent of

Lord

rected their course to the

Granville.

They

di-

Catawba River, which

they reached by the end of October, after great hardships.

They had

suffered

more or

fevers, especially Br. Horsefield, left at

less

who had

from

to be

the last house they met, under the charge

WACHOVIA. of Br. Miller.

23

Br. Spangenberg and his three

companions, the surveyor, and two hunters, were

now

end of

at the

all

civilization, but,

provided

with bread for fourteen days, they manfully entered the

forest wilderness,

scarcely,

however,

anticipating that they would be wandering about

here nearly fourteen weeks.

It

would be im-

possible to give an exact account of their wan-

derings in these trackless mountain regions of

western Carolina.

Suffice it to say that

about

eight weeks were spent in the wilderness, on the

Catawba River, the heads of the

New

River, the

Mulberry Fields (Vilkes), and the mountains, fruitless

in

attempts to make a suitable selection;

for all the tracts

which they surveyed proved too

small for their intended purpose.

winter had set in

;

Meanwhile

their supply of provisions,

though used very sparingly, was entirely consumed, and they had to rely on the exertions of the two huntsmen

But even roving

they,

though well accustomed to the

forest-life,

was not as

who had accompanied them. became discouraged.

plentiful as

Game

might be expected, and

the pasture for the horses became more scarce.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

24

After three clays of fasting, two deer were whicli revived their

sliot,

strength and courage.

Fol-

lowing their compass eastward, they reached the river

Yadkin by the end of December, and

lingly accepted the offer of

some white

to spend a few days under their

pitable roof.

what they had been

seeking for too far westward in vain

—a

tract of rolling woodland, well watered, v/ell

December of the

settlers

humble but hos-

In their neighborhood, and by their

direction, they found at last

parently

wil-

larger

and ap-

adapted for their plans. 2tth, lt52, at the southwest corner

Wachovia

tract, the

surveyors commenced,

The

and continued to January 13th, 1Y53.

tract,

surveyed in fourteen parcels, contained "73,037 acres.

Br.

Spangenberg and

his

companions

having returned to Pennsylvania, Mr. Churton subsequently surveyed

five

other parcels, amount-

ing with the other to 98,985 acres. tract was called Wachovia, or

The whole

Wachau

—the Aue

(meadow-land) along the Wach (the principal creek) bearing some resemblance, on account of its

watercourses and meadow-lands, to a valley

WACHOVIA. in

25

Austria of the same name, which formerly was

in possession of the

On August

Zinzendorf family.

Tth, 1153,

John, Earl of Granville,

the proprietor, conveyed, according to the desire

of Zinzendorf, by nineteen deeds, the tract, lying in the forks of

Creek,

Rowan

title

Gargalee or

of this

Muddy

County, to James Hutton, of Lon-

don, secretary of the Unitas Fratrum, or United Brethren.

By of

dividing and subdividing the large county

Rowan,

this tract has

Rowan, IttO 1848

been successively in

in Surry, 1*789 in Stokes,

and since

in Forsythe County.

The purchase

of

Wachovia coinciding

in time

with the great financial embarrassments of the

Brethren in England, precluded the possibility of their

paying the purchase-money.

In order to

obviate this difficulty, and because the American

Brethren were yet too poor to take the responsibility

upon themselves

alone,

it

was resolved to

form a land company, with the view of opening subscriptions

among

the members and friends of

the Brethren, in order to obtain funds for the

3

MORAVIANS In north CAROLINA.

26

payment

of the land, the discharge of the annual

quitrent, the expenses of the first settlement, the

transportation of colonists from Pennsylvania and

Europe, &c.

The

subscribers were to be reim-

bursed for their advances by receiving tracts of land in Wachovia, containing each 2,000 acres,

provided they further bound themselves to contribute, 'pro rata, to the five

wants of the colony for

years from the time of

its

establishment.

It

was expected that the enhanced price of the land would eventually repay the

On December

18th,

outlays.

1753, Br, Spangenberg

and Cornelius van Laer

in

Holland were ap-

pointed directors of this company. Subscribers were obtained, though not as

many

had been anticipated, and the purchase was

as

effected.

for the

The

centre of the tract was reserved

Moravian settlements, and the whole plan

gradually carried out in

its

be shown in the sequel.

W.

main

For

features, as will

this purpose, F.

de Marshall came to reside in North Caro-

lina in lt68, as attorney of J, Hutton.

In ltt9,

Fy^ed. Will, de

Marshall, the adminis-

trator of the estates of the Unity in

Wachovia,

;

—

WACHOVIA. became the

27

legal proprietor of all the lands of

North Carolina, James Hutton

the Brethren in

having by deed conveyed Wachovia to Marshall. This transfer occurred during the revolutionary war, and fears being entertained that by the confiscation act of title tlie

alien,

General Assembly of North Carolina in 1782

revested in F. forever, the in

North Carolina (HIT) the legal

might be invalidated, Hutton being an

W.

Marshall, his heirs and assigns

Wachovia

tract

and

all

other lands

North Carolina which had been acquired by

the Brethren.

After the death of F.

W.

Marshall, in 1802,

the following Brethren held the ofSce of administrator of the

Unity Estates

in

Wachovia

Christian Lewis Benzien, 1802

:

— 1811

Lewis D. de Schweinitz, 1812—1821

;

Theodore Schultz, 1821—1844; Charles F. Kluge, 1844—1853.

His

successor,

Emile A. de Schweinitz,

present administrator.

is

the

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

28

III.

FIRST SETTLEMENT AT BETHA-

BAR A.— 1753. The

necessary preparations for forming a set-

tlement in the distant forest wilds of the South

having been completed, a company of twelve single Brethren set

out from Bethlehem, Pa.,

October 8th, 1^53.^

'

Zuvor wurden

sie

durcli Pr. Petrus (P. Bohler)

der Gemeine segnend empfolilen,

gerufen

und ihneu dabei

:

" Willst

du kleine Kreuzes Caravane

Wirklicli sclion von liinnen Nacli

dem

dir

In den Nord von Caroline Willst dii dorten audi das Seel'

und

zieli'n,

bestimmten richt'gen Plane, ?

Land

erfreuen,

Glieder williglicli lierleilieu,

zu-

— FIRST SETTLEMENT AT BETflABARA

Among

these

Bernhard

we mention

Adam

Gruhe,

— 1753.

actively

who was

Germany

the

He

in 1740,

and variously employed

nia, and, after his return

29

especially

minister of the infant settlement.

ceived ordination in

:

in

first

had

re-

had been

Pennsylva-

from Carolina, served

there again as minister of different congregations till

1792.

He

died in 1808, at the advanced age

As

of ninety-two years and nine months.

late

as 1806, he expressed, in a letter to the father of

the writer, the great interest which he took in the affairs of the

Wachovia

On

settlements.

ninetieth birthday he ventured

to

his

walk from

Bethlehem to Nazareth, a distance of ten miles,

and a few days

after returned

on

foot.

Jacob Lbsch^ the great-grandfather of the Lash family of Forsythe County, born in the State of

Ihm zu bauen

eine Stadt,

Nach dem Grundrisz, den

Nun

er hat

so benadige dicli der Vater" u.

s.

?

w.

Nach dem Kelch der Danksagung wurde ilmen der Kuss des Friedens

ertheilt, dass sie fiihlen

konnten

"Die Herzen der Gemeine sind wahrhaftig mit ihnen."

3*

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

30

New was

York, where

had arrived

in It 10,

management and

superin-

his father

intrusted with the

tendence of the colony in .

He

its

temporal

affairs.

returned to Pennsylvania in 1169, and died

in 1182.

Hems Martin birth, arrived in

KalherlaJin,

Bethlehem

a

Norwegian by

in September,

having

lived for several years in Herrnhaag, and cheerfully

accepted the appointment of surgeon and

medical adviser to the

first settlers.

He

died in

1759.

The other nine Brethren were farmers and mechanics, mostly immigrants from Europe.

They were accompanied by the Brethren Nathaniel Seidel and Joseph Haberland, from Beth-

lehem, and Gottlob Konigsdorfer, visit in

who was on a

Pennsylvania from the European congre-

gations.

Their route led through the western part of Virginia. ried with

In a wagon with six horses they car-

them various

articles

needed on a long

journey over roads seldom travelled.

To provide

food for their horses, some of their number would

go to the

different farms,

sometimes ten miles

off

31 their road,

paying

and help to thresh the

its full value.

to unload,

and carry a portion of the load over

the mountains. fore this

oats, besides

Not unfrequently they had

Sometimes the night

task was accomplished,

company became

separated,

set in be-

and thus the

some passing the

night in the wagon, others sleeping under their tent.

They generally prepared

their frugal

mor-

ning meal at three o'clock, and started by the

dawn

of day, after their regular morning prayer.

Travelling by Winchester and Augusta Court-

House,^ Ya., a small tow^n of twenty houses in the mountains, after crossing the Blue Ridge at

Evan's Gap, and passing the Upper Sauratown, they arrived on the 13th of

November on the

northern line of North Carolina.

On

Saturday,

the l*Jtk of November, at three o'clock P. M.,

they reached the spot where stands to this day the town of Bethahara,

now commonly

Old Town ; thankful to the Lord for

called

his gracious

help and protection vouchsafed unto them during

'

Now

Staunton.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

32

.

and toilsome journey of nearly

their long

six

weeks.

Here they found

shelter in a small cabin, built

and previously inhabited by a German of the

name

Though

this cabin

room

fording fer, in

Hans Wagner, but then unoccupied.

of

was very small, scarcely

for all to sleep in (Br.

af-

Konigsdor-

hammock, being suspended over the

his

heads of the others),

still,

they were thankful for

even this scanty shelter, and resolved to remain

The

here for the present.

daily

word

of the

church, appointed for the day, seemed very ap-

propriate

:

I

know where thou

the admonition. ning,

Be ye

when keeping

of one mind.

their

'

opened

Br. G. Konigsdorfer tlie

following verse "

Wir

it

tlie

evening meeting

:

Carolin'sclien Lande,

zum

they

was a wilderness

Mit einer led'gen Briiderzalil,

Die Er

ii.

In the eve-

lialten Ankunftsliebesmalil

Im

Rev.

first love-feast,^

were forcibly reminded that

with

dwellest,

To which was added

13, even in a desert place.

Pilgerstande

FIRST SETTLEMENT AT BETIIABARA

— 1753.

{ein iv'dster Ort), for they heard the wolves

33

howl-

ing round about their cabin.

The next rest to the

day, being Sunday,

weary pilgrims

;

was a

real day of

but on the following

day they cheerfully went to work, some sharpening their axes and preparing their hoes, others

beginning to construct a bakeoven, one exploring the country to find a mill where they might

buy some

corn,

&c.,

whilst

the three clerical

Brethren (X. Seidel, Konigsdorfer, and Grube)

were busy in the house, preparing a kind of garret with

rough boards, where they could store

their goods.

Perceiving that the country was very thinly inhabited,

and that they could not

for provisions for

rely

on others

any length of time, they imme-

diately set about clearing

some land

;

eight acres

having been selected for that purpose on the

GezaMt hat unter Seinem Volk, Die alle Welt

durclizieliet,

Als wie die grosse Zeugenvolk,

Die Niemand, als Er, siehet."

Diary of Bethabara, 1753.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

34

on the days following the clearing was

19th,

effected

and the ploughing done, so that on the

4th of December Br. J. Losch was able to sow the

first

wheat

Four days

in this hitherto uncultivated soil.

after their arrival,

November

21st,

tho Brethren celebrated the Lord's supper, on

which solemn occasion the Saviour manifested his presence in their midst so their faith

notwithstanding the prospect of difiQculties

graciously, that

and hope were greatly strengthened,

many

trials

their labors.

Difficulties of various kinds

not wanting.

The Brethren N.

dorfer,

and

awaiting them in the prosecution of

Haberland, and Lisher having

for Pennsylvania,

December

were

Seidel, Konigs-

19tli,

left

them

the remain-

ing eleven Brethren made preparations for the

coming winter. salt

One was despatched

to bring

from Virginia, a distance of forty miles

another went to the for winter use;

Dan River

to

;

buy oxen

while several took a two days'

journey to the Yadkin, to buy flour and corn.

They

occasionally supplied themselves with game,

such as the deer and wild turkey, and not unfrequently the present of a bear w^as received

FIRST SETTLEMENT AT

— 1753.

trapped,

aud wolves and panthers

On Janu-

were often heard close by at night. ary

1st,

1754,

35

Beaver, though scarce, were

from a neighbor.

sometimes

BETHABARA

their

little

cabin

caught

tire,

which was providentially discovered, and extin-

A week

guished before much damage was done. later,

one of their number was nearly killed by a

falling

limb whilst felling a tree.

room

The

great-

was the want of house-

est difficulty, however,

which scarcely

in their small cabin,

sufficed

them, and proved quite too small when travellers

wished to stay over night

;

those

who were

inva-

lids

being attracted by the medical and surgical

skill

of Br. Kalberlahn, which

demand

in

was soon

in

great

the whole neighborhood, even to a

Money being

distance of sixty miles.

scarce in

the country, the Moravian doctor was paid in

provisions of various kinds, or live stock, which materially assisted

keeping.

Their

them

tailor,

in their general house-

Br. Peterson, was also

soon brought into requisition by the wants of the scattered settlers,

who

tute of clothing, were

still

as their original stock

hitherto,

if

not desti-

in considerable straits,

was nearly exhausted, and

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

36

the use of the needle and the loom not yet intro-

duced among them.

One

young man by the name

of

day, for instance, a

John Williams,

living

seven miles distant, brought several deerskins, instead of linsey woollen, for his needful nether-

garments.

In order to be able to afford their

visitors better

was

accommodations, a second cabin

erected, with a shed of split rails

and posts

The

to serve as general sleeping apartments.

garden was laid out and fenced

through the woods.

and roads cut

in,

Thus passed the

first

winter

of the Moravians in North Carolina.

In April, 1^54, quite unexpectedly, in com-

pany with John Lisher (who returned from Pennsylvania), Br.

John Jacob Fries arrived, being

successor of Br. Grube,

North.

Br. Fries,

who was

recalled to the

who was born

in

Denmark,

where, previous to his emigration, he had ciated as an assistant minister,

ofii-

and was known

an accomplished scholar, especially

in the

as

He-

brew language, was nevertheless a very humble servant of the Lord, ready to do the meanest service for his Brethren,

and peculiarly adapted

for such a station in the wilderness.

He

often

FIRST SETTLEMENT AT BETIIABARA

— 1T53.

37

referred to that time which he spent in this patriarchal

housekeeping, amidst

many

toils

and

great privations, as the happiest period of his life.

Utterly averse to

all

formality, he pre-

ferred to be a free servant of the Lord, instead

of accepting any permanent appointment. assisted in preaching

and teaching whenever and

wherever he thought he could be most

He

even unto his eightieth year.

One day a

lie

useful,

died in 1793.

stranger arrived, embraced the Bre-

thren most affectionately, and said that he also

was a Brother and a servant of the Lord, Charles "Wesley by name.

about the truth of

Br.

Fries

had

his

doubts

this story, and, after listening

for a while to his religious professions, advised

him

in future rather to

make horses and cows

the subject of his conversation, which would suit

him

better,

and do

scarcely gone,

less

when a

harm

to others.

He had

friend of the Brethren,

from the Yadkin, came to inquire how tender had been received by them

;

this pre-

confirming

what Br. Fries had suspected, that he loved whisky more than his Saviour. In September, Bishop P. Bohler arrived, ac4

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

38

companied by Br. Hoger.

name

During

his stay, the

of Bethahara (house of passage,

ment

still

;

keeping

John

new

28, 2 Sam. xix. 19) was given to the

i.

settle-

in view, at a future day, the

founding of a more central settlement, although it

was

resolved, for the present, to continue their

About

present improvements.

time more

this

detailed surveys of the different parts of

via were made, and on that occasion

Wacho-

names were

given to the numerous watercourses, by which

some of them are was

still

known.

called Dorothea, in

the great Lick

zendorf;

The Cargel Creek

honor of Countess Zin-

Fork was

called '3o-

hanna, Grave Fork was called Benigna, and the

whole tract

in cultivation received the

name

Christiansburg, as most of the settlers had

from Christiansbrun,

of

come

in Pennsylvania.

Their number was increased, on October 26th,

by the

arrival

Christensen, of a mill. ral

of seven Brethren,

who was

A

led

by Br.

to superintend the erection

few days after their arrival a gene-

muster of the militia took place.

By

act of

Parliament, the Brethren were exempt from military duty, and their not participating caused the

FIRST SETTLEMENT AT

ill-will

BETHABARA

— 1753.

39

of their neighbors to be manifested in

various ways.

In order to vex the Brethren,

the piece of meadow-land, just sown with grass,

was selected and used

for

military

exercises,

which compelled the Brethren to repeat their

work upon the land, and even seed from Pennsylvania.

to procure

Some

of the horses

became frightened, and were not recovered a week

after.

new

until

The Brethren meanwhile con-

tinued their daily labor, and found opportunities to

sell

market

The

different articles,

and thus to create a

for themselves.

necessity of erecting a suitable building

having become more urgent by the arrival of these seven Brethren from Pennsylvania, on the

26th of November, 1754, the corner-stone of the first

house erected by them in North Carolina

was

laid with

due solemnity, thus providing

a habitation where these Brethren,

all

for

being un-

married, might live together in Christian fellowship.

On

the 11th of

March

this building (a

log house) was dedicated, during a

visit of

Bi-

shop David Nitschman and Christ. Thomas Benzien,

and soon

after the

Brethren moved into

it.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

40

It appearing desirable, according to the then

existing customary division of the country, to

have the

of

district

Wachovia formed

into

separate parish (for a separate county the

a

num-

ber of inhabitants was too small), Br. Christ.

Thomas

Benzien, secretary of the Wachovia

Company, went

to

act of Assembly,

New

by which

this district

clared a separate parish, by the

Parish, which

name was

In the course of

Land

Berne and obtained an

name

was de-

of

Dobbs

retained until the year

this year (1*755) the

number

of inhabitants was increased by the arrival* of

twenty-three single Brethren and seven married couples,

among whom was

the

missionary

first

spiritual guide.

among

Clir.

Heinr. Ranch,

the Indians, as their

In the mean time the building

of a grist-mill had been commenced, as well as a

dwelling and meeting-house, the corner-stone of

which was

laid

on October 25th.

Both buildings were

n56,

finished in the course of

the former proving of great advantage,

not only to the inhabitants of the place, but to the whole neighborhood, both then, and subse-

FIRST SETTLEMENT AT

BETHABARA

moved

ary,

and

born

in

the

here,

May

Bethabara, and

name

of

new building

into the

on

11th, the in

Christian Seidel as

first

in

Krause.

In August,

and introduced Br.

German

minister of Betha-

Hofman had

the especial

charge of the single Brethren, in Br.

C.

who had returned

David Bishop

special care of souls

The number by new

arrivals

Fries's

to Pennsylvania.

H. Ranch being appointed missionary

maica, Br. and Sr.

was

visit,

bara, while Br. Gottloh

place,

Febru-

child

holy baptism received

Anna Johanna

Bishop M. Hehl paid a

41

The seven married

quently in times of scarcity. couples

— 1753.

among

of colonists

Br.

for Ja-

assisted in the

the married people.

was further increased

from Pennsylvania, amounting at

the close of 1156 to sixty-five persons (eighteen

married people, forty-four single Brethren, one boy, and two infants).

Thus, the in the forest

first difficulties

of a

new

settlement

having been overcome, more pros-

perous times could reasonably be expected.

4*

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

42

lY.

INDIAN WAH.— BETHANIA. 1759.

The

prospects of the colony were

favoralDle

for several years disturbed

of the Indian

War.

war generally

by the breaking out called the

Old French

This commenced in the northern colonies

in It 55,

and

also affected the Brethren, ten Bre-

thren and Sisters being murdered on the Mahony,

November

Gradually

24th, 1^55.

to the south.

In 11 bQ

fortify the

new

palisades,

whence

Dutch Fort.

it

it

spread more

was found expedient

settlement by surrounding it

The

similar manner.

it

to

with

was commonly called the

mill

These

was also

fortified

fortifications,

in

a

rude and

imperfect as they no doubt were, soon became

very important

Many

fugitives,

for

the

whole

neighborhood.

even from distant parts of Yir-

INDIAN WAR. ginia, there

—BETIIANIA —

1

43

750.

found a place of refuge and a tempo-

rary home, and at the same time an opportunity to hear the

word of

eternal

life.

Some

of these

afterwards entered into a more close connection

with the Brethren. danger.

As

yet there was no real

Occasional detached companies of Che-

rokee warriors, as also several bodies of Creek

and Catawba Indians, passed through the ment, or encamped near the

mill.

settle-

Receiving

plenty to eat, they behaved very well, and gave

Sometimes they were

no cause for complaint.

accompanied by British them.

At

officers,

who paid

other times, coming alone,

for

with a

passport of the English government, they were freely received

and hospitably entertained (the

government of North Carolina afterwards remuIn consequence, Be-

nerating the Moravians).

thabara became a noted place as the

"Dutch Fort, where

and much bread." from Bethlehem on a cial interest in

Br. Ettwein, visit in

the Indians,

good people

who had come

1158, took an espe-

them, and asked a company of

sixty warriors whether they

of our

among

there are

would

young people should come

like it if

some

to their coun-

MORAVIANS

44

IN

NORTH CAROLINA.

try to learn their language

plied that they

In

HSt

it, it

re-

would be

and 1^58 more than

hundred Indians passed through the

ment

settle-

at various times.

With Br. Ettwein, Bethabara the

which they

to

would be proud of

a very good thing. five

;

first

in July,

Br. Jacoh Rogers arrived in

n58, having been appointed

He

English minister of Dobbs Parish.

was a deacon of the Episcopal Church, had come to this country in 1152,

and served as Moravian

minister in Philadelphia and

Wachovia

till

New

York, and

in

1162, when he returned to Eng-

land.

In consequence of the war, a famine prevailed in parts of

North Carolina and the adjacent

tricts of Virginia,

dis-

and many people resorted

to

Bethabara (some even coming the distance of one hundred miles) to purchase

flour.

The Bre-

thren having, with the assistance of those

had

who

found a place of refuge with them, cleared

an additional sixty acres of land, were thereby enabled to supply them at the usual price; while, at the

same time, they omitted no opportunity to

point out to them the necessity of providing for

INDIAN

WAR

—BETIIANIA. — 1759.

45

the wants of tbeir souls, and seeking to obtain

the bread of

Some

life.

had become concerned

of these refugees,

who

for the salvation of their

souls under the preaching of the Gospel, applied

To accommo-

for permission to join the church.

date them, as well as others of the older settlers,

who would have

preferred their

own housekeep-

ing to the general family economy, the establish-

ment of a new settlement was resolved upon.

With a view

to

find

a suitable location, Br.

Spangenberg, who had arrived on an visitation,

June

3,

lt59, with

several

official

others,

went to the so-called "Walnut Bottom," about three miles northwest of Bethabara,

and

there,

on the 12th of June, selected the spot on which

was to be formed.

Thirty town-

tracts of bottom-land

were at once

the settlement lots

and two

surveyed and marked as a

number of

off

by Br. Renter, as well

acres of upland for gardens

orchards, and about

two thousand acres

for the use of this congregation, to

name It

and

set apart

which the

of Bethania was given.

was resolved that eight married couples of

the Bethabara congregation should form the nu-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

46

new

cleus of this

settlement,

and should be sup-

ported for a year, until their houses could be built

and some land brought into

The names

of these

lower part of the

who

first settlers,

village,

cultivation. built the

were

Gottfried Grabs,

John Beroth,

Balthasar Hege,

Adam

Charles Opiz,

Michael Ranke,

Christopher Schmidt,

They began

felling trees

Kramer,

Henry

Biefifel.

on July 10th, on the

15th the lots were distributed by

lot,

and on the

18th Br. Grabs with his wife occupied the cabin erected there

;

word on that day

evil, for

thou art with me,

being, I will fear no

Ps. xxiii., which proved a to

first

the daily

word

of

them amidst the horrors of a

much comfort cruel war,

and

the consequent necessity of being on the alert

both day and night. Besides these Brethren, eight neighbors were

allowed for the present to occupy a number of lots in

the upper part of the

new

settlement.

These were Martin Houser, and

his

two married

George and Michael Houser

;

sons,

INDIAN WAR.

—EETIIANIA. — 1^59.

47

Henry Spocnbauer; John Strup

;

Philip Shaus;

Frederick Shore, a widower, and his son,

_

Henry Shore. In 1760, Br. D. Bishop moved to Bethania, to

keep the daily meetings.

About

the time

commenced, and

when the new settlement was

all

was bustle and

activity in

Walnut Bottom, an alarming

sickness

broke out in Bethabara, which proved

fatal in

the Black

many

cases.

their eternal

In quick succession were called to

home,

English minister

;

Sr.

Mary Rogers,

Sr.

Maria C.

wife of the

Seidel,

and her

husband, Christ. Gottfried Seidel, the German minister, only forty-one years old

Kalberlahn, the doctor;

and

Hans Martin

;

five

Brethren and one married Sister

other single

—mostly

sickness of only three or four days.

more were very also,

ill,

after a

Fourteen

expecting their departure

and twenty had a

less serious attack of the

There were but nineteen who en-

same

fever.

tirely

escaped this epidemic.

had been one of the

first

As

their physician

who

departed, Br.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

48

Spangenberg became not only the

spiritual,

but

also the medical adviser of bis Brethren.

In Br. Seidel's stead, John Ettivein^ who had returned to Pennsylvania, was recalled to via.

Accompanied by

Wacho-

his wife, they accomplished

the long and tedious journey on horseback.

ing the

Br. Ettwein suffered

trip,

Dur-

much from a

For the space of nine

severe attack of fever.

upon the

days he was daily compelled to

lie

ground

consciousness

five

or six hours, losing

from the severity of the

was

fever,

all

Sr.

also sick for several months,

Spangenberg which obliged

her husband to remain longer than he had intended.

the very

This was very fortunate, as he proved

man

to advise

in the real difficulties

and

direct his Brethren

and dangers of the Indian

war, which recommenced in October, It 59.

The Cherokees and Creeks having war against

all

declared

the white people, and murdered

seven persons near Fort Loudon, the North Carolina militia

was ordered to assemble

bury, in November,

exempt from land,

n59.

in Salis-

The Brethren being

military service, remained on their

and Br. Losch received a commission as

INDIAN WAR. captain of the

"

—RETIIANIA. — IT

40

59.

Dutch Fort" and governor of

the watches in Bethabara and Cethania. daily,

either

Almost

Spangenberg or Br. Ettwein,

]3r.

accompanied by some Brethren, went to Bethania,

one going and remaining there, the others re-

"On

turning.

one occasion," Br. Ettwein relates

"when

(probal)ly in March, 1760),

early in the

morning the tracks of Indians had been observed, the accompanying Brethren w^ere rather fearful,

because we generally rode quite slowly, and were talking

among themselves how

Spangenberg ride

they might

When

faster.

they came to

the dense woods, where the most danger

be apprehended, Spangenberg said

know how

to ride; let

he set off at

came

me

lead.' "

:

was to

'You don't

Saying which,

speed, never stopping

full

make

till

they

There Spangenberg remained,

to Bethania.

whilst he returned to Bethabara, but was treated

with

less

ceremony.

companions said can

;

;

'

"'It

we must

Spangenberg has

we were racing day 5

is

also

not yet

safe,'

ride as fast as

done so

after day."

It

;'

my we

and thus

was subse-

MOHAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

50

quently proved that

tliis

precaution, as well as

the orders of Br. Spangenberg to have the churchbell

rung every morning at dawn of day, was not Often in the morning the traces of In-

needless.

dians were found quite near the houses, and

it

was afterwards ascertained, through some who had been prisoners among the Indians, that one hundred and

fifty

for nearly six

of their warriors

weeks about

nia, whilst a smaller

had encamped

six miles

from Betha-

camp was only

three miles

Several times they \vere on the point

distant.

when

of attacking the Fort of the Dutch, but

they came near they heard the big that they had been discovered.

bell,

a sign

Their design of

taking prisoners between the old and new town

had

been unsuccessful

also

pressed

it,

and rode

;

" for," as they ex-

"the Dutchers had

like the devil."

big, fat horses,

Thus, under the kind

providence of God, no assault was made upon either of the

two settlements

;

but

still

a

strict

watch was kept by day and night, the new burying-ground,

which was cleared in December,

1757 (being situated on the top of a very high

— INDIAN WAR.

—BETHANIA. — 1T59.

51

proving a very convenient place for this

hill),

purpose.*

'

Hence called the Gutherg.

The following hymn was composed by for the

watchman, March

" Die Loosung hiess Urn's

Da

Hause

fall'n

Gott's

27, 17G0

Sie liielten

'

:

Br. Ettwein

:

"Wacht

audi in der Nacht.'

mir die Liturgi ein

Die Briider, die bestellet sein Zii

wachen

Und auch

um

uns in Bethabara

die draussen in Bethania.

" Ich wiinsche Jedem, der da wach't

Um die Gemein', bei

Tag und Nacht,

Ein klares Aug', ein

leises Ohr,

Ein muthiges Herz, wenn was

Und

kommt

vor,

dass eines der starken Engelein

Mag immer mit " So wird,

ilim auf

wenn auch

dem

Posten seiu.

des Satans Heer

Der Wilden zehnmal starker war',

Und Satan kame Zu

selber mit

attaquiren unsere

Doch unser

Hiitt',

Hiiuflein in der

Ruh' nicht

Dieweilen wir in Jesu Reich gehoren.

Sturen,

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

52

During

this time, a

man wounded by

the In-

dians arrived in Bethabara, with two arrows in his body.

He had

still

started out, accompanied

by two others, to obtain provisions from some of the neighbors, but suddenly they found them-

surrounded by Indians, who, after

selves

charging their guns without with bows and arrows.

were

killed

effect,

dis-

attacked them

His two companions

upon the spot; he

himself, however,

escaped, and, though thus wounded, reached and

forded the Yadkin River, but, meeting Indians

on the opposite after losing his

side, recrossed the stream, and,

way and wandering about twenty-

four hours in the woods, he arrived at the Dutch Fort, where Br.

Lash extracted the arrows, one

of which had nearly pierced

A

him through.

Baptist preacher, John Thomas, was killed

near Abbot's Creek by the Indians. "

Wenn

Gott nur

immer mit uns

So kann uns keines Feindes

Noch Zorn und

Wir konnen Denn

Und

Maclit

saiift

mid

liier

In a short

ist,

List,

etwas tliun,

selig riili'n

;

seine starken Helden lialten Waclit

unsere Briider geben treulich aclit."

INDIAN WAR.

—BETIIANIA — 1759.

53

space of time no less than fifteen persons were

murdered

A

fall

in the

of

neighborhood.

snow

finally to retire,

in

March caused

enemy

whereby quiet was restored, so

that the blessed season for

Saviour's

the

sufferings,

commemorating the

death,

and

resurrection

proved a time of rich spiritual enjoyment.

On

Easter-Sunday a company of Orange County riflemen,

sixty persons,

arrived,

and requested

German preaching was

Br. Spangenberg, as the

just closed, to preach again for them, in the lish

Eng-

language, with which request he cheerfully

complied, selecting Acts

36 for his

ii.

text.

The

whole company, having laid down their arms before the house, listened with

awe and

attention to

the fatherly admonition of the venerable Bishop,

whose words seemed to make a deep impression on many.

On

April 2Tth, Br. Spangenberg finished his

labors in Wachovia, and returned again to Pennsylvania.

He

left for

Europe

in 1762,

where he

served the Brethren's Unity as an active and influential

member

of the Unity's Elders' Confer-

ence, nearly thirty years.

5*

lie died in Berthels-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

54 dorf, in

Saxony, September 18tb, 1192, at the

advanced age of

eiglity-eiglit years.

In n61, the war with the Indians was brouo-ht to a close.

The South Carolina

militia

having

entered, near Fort Prince George, the country of

the Cherokees east of the mountains, burnt about eight hundred houses, and laid waste thirteen

hundred acres of Indian-corn, the Indians were forced to sue for peace, while, at the same time, the transmontane

Cherokees were subdued by

the Yirginians.

The

North Carolina

troops,

latter

were assisted by

and supplied with large

quantities of flour from the Bethabara mill.

Peace being

fully restored,

year (1762) a company of Sisters

arrived

in

fifteen

the following

Brethren and

from Pennsylvania, by way of

Wilmington, among

whom were

the

Brethren

John Michael Graff (died 1^82 as Bishop) and

Abraham

de

Gammern, both appointed

in this settlement.

small organ, the

first in this

at that time little

known

a bell for Bethania. married,

to offices

They brought with them a place, an instrument

in the colony,

and also

In July, eight couples were

among them L. G.

Bachhoff, minister of

INDIAN WAR. Betliania.

—BETIIANIA. — 1750.

55

Br. Ettwein undertook a long mis-

sionary journey as far as Charleston, preaching

and holding meetings wherever opportunity

of-

fered.

At

the close of the year the congregation of

Bethabara numbered seventy-five, and Bethania seventy-two souls.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

58

Y.

FEEDEIC WILLIAM DE MAESHALL. In 1163, Br. Marshall was appointed Q^conomius of Wachovia,

i, e.

temporal and outward these

new

superintendent of

all

the

Brethren in

affairs of the

settlements, which office he retained

until his death in 1802.

As

he has certainly acted the most conspicu-

ous part in the

affairs of

Wachovia, and may be

called the founder of Salem, a short biographical

sketch

His

may

with propriety find

father,

its

place here.

George Rudolph Marshall, of Ilerrn

Grosserstaedt, was an officer in the

Having

lost his right

arm

in

Saxon army.

Poland, and thereby

disabled for active service, he became

commander

of the garrison of Stolpen, and afterwards of the fortress Konigstein.

In the former town, Stol-

FREDRIC WILLIAM DE MARSHALL.

5T

pen, near Dresden, Freclr. \Yill. de Marshall was lie and bis tbree

born, February 5tb, 1121.

brotbers received a christian, but at the same

time a very strict military education, by which be in early years

was prepared

and acquired those

for

many hardships,

traits of punctuality

and me-

thodical order which were essential qualifications for his future usefulness. Ilis parents

were desirous that he should enter

the military service, or

King

of the

fill

of Saxony.

bad selected him

some

office at the

But the King

of

Kings

for his service as a soldier of

the cross, and a champion of the truth, as

Christ Jesus.

court

By means

of a pious tutor,

it is

in

named

Bretschneider, he was not only led to seek the

Lord, but also became acquainted with the Brethren at Herrnhut.

This acquaintance was cul-

tivated and strengthened

made

by a

visit

which he

to that place whilst a student at the Uni-

versity

of Leipzig.

At

the

latter

place

he

attended a meeting held by Count Zinzendorf, in

which he

felt

the inward conviction that he

would serve the Lord for

in

the Brethren's church,

which purpose he studied the English Ian-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

58

At

guage.

the

invitation

especial

came

Zinzendorf, he

to

Herrnhaag

of

Count

in 1139,

and

soon after became a member of the Brethren's

From

congregation.

voted tion,

Lord

all his

this time

and proved himself a for

According to

in

faithful servant of the

upwards of sixty-two his

own

thirty-one years in the fifteen

forward he de-

talents to the church of his adop-

years.

he spent

calculation,

German

congregations,

England, one and a half in Holland

and Prussia, thirty-two and a half America, and

months

fifteen

Concerning the

in

North

at sea.

earlier part of his activity in

Germany and England,

it will

sufBce to say that

preaching the Gospel, attending conferences and synods, and superintending the erection of large

buildings

{e. g.

Lindsay-house in London), fully

occupied his time, and often tasked his strength to the utmost.

He

negotiations with

took an active part in the

the

British

which reference was made

Parliament,

to

at the beginning of

our narrative.

In

1^50 he married Hedwig Elizabeth de

Schweinitz,

who proved a

faithful

and

efficient

FREDRIC TVILLIAM DE MARSHALL. helpmate, and departed Ibis eldest daughter,

Hans

life

59

in It 05.

Maria Theresa, married,

His

in 17 1 7,

Christian Alexander de Schweinitz, the

grandfather both of the present administrator of the Unity's possessions in Pennsylvania, E.

A.

Friiauff,

and

in

North Carolina, E. A. dc

Schweinitz.

After the death of Count Zinzendorf, with

whom

he had been in the most intimate con-

nection,

and

for years

in

became a member of the

daily intercourse, he

first

Directorial JBoard

of the Unity, and, as such, in IT 61, visited Pennsylvania, to assist in dissolving the family eco-

nomy

existing in

Bethlehem and Nazareth, and

afterwards to superintend the settlement of the central

town on the Wachovia

layed by the

tract.

Being de-

second Indian war of 1763, he

could not venture to travel south before the of 1764.

fall

After returning to Europe, he in 1768

removed with

his family to Bethabara.

In 1775 he attended the General Synod of the church, held at Barby, in Saxony, where he was detained, on account of the revolutionary war,

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

60

until 1719,

when be succeeded

York, and afterwards Salem, There he remained,

and self-denying,

in reaching

New-

in safety.

active, energetic, faithful,

in the service of his

Lord and

Master, to the day of his departure, which took place February 11, 1802, six days after he had finished the eighty-first year of his pilgrimage on earth.

The 14th

of February

thirty-seven years site for the

—the

before, he

town of Salem

—the

thirty-three years before, he

bara with his wife in the

day on which,

had selected the same on which,

had reached Betha-

—was the day of

his interment

shady grove of Salem's ''acre of God."

SALEM.

— 17

Gl

GG.

yr.

SALEM.— 1T6G. Br. Marshall had been appointed director of the secular affairs in Wachovia, and Br. Ettwein

remove

his assistant until he himself could

South.

It

Board

ral

to the

had been recommended by the Geneof the

Unity that the place

for the

central settlement, Avhich, by direction of the late

Count Zinzendorf, previous to

May, 1760, was

his departure in

to be called Salem, should be

determined upon as soon as possible. in

Therefore,

1765, during the temporary presence of Br.

Marshall and John Frommelt, a spot was selected

which seemed suitable for the intended purpose.

The

situation

was nearly

central,

between the

Middle Fork, or Wach, the Brushy Fork, or Lick, and the Petersbach.

The

daily

word on

that day, February 14th, was very encouraging 6

:

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

62

Let Thine eyes be opened towards

this

house

night and day, even toward the place of which

Thou

hast said,

My name

shall

be there.

1

Kings

29.

viii.

Meanwhile the number of inhabitants had been increased by

new

from Europe.

arrivals

from Pennsylvania and

In 1164 two companies arrived

from Pennsylvania, the

first

consisting of eight

adult persons, the second of twelve youths, led

by Br. Lawrence Bagge, who succeeded Br. Hoff-

man

as spiritual guide of the single Brethren.

In January, 1766, the

first

company

direct from

Europe, consisting of one married couple and eight single Brethren, arrived, by ton.

Four

way

of Charles-

of these and four residents of Betha-

bara removed on the 19th of February to a log house^ erected in the woods, for which the

'

This log house

is

still

first

standing, though consider-

ably enlarged, and used as a potter-shop. In June, 1766, the corner-stone was laid for the

family house, which was finished in August. zel

first

Br. Prae-

put up his loom there, and Charles Holder com-

menced the saddlery

business.

This house

is

still

— SALEM.— ITGG. tree

63

had been cut clown on January

following

clay,

Gth.

On

the

the 20th of February, Br. Renter

surveyed the ridge, and laid out the sciuare of the future settlers

town of

The names

Salera.

of the

first

were

Gotfried Praezel, from Europe.

Niels Peterson,

Jens Schmidt,

John Birkhead, George Holder, from Bethabara.

Jacob

Steiner,

Michael Ziegler,

"

"

"

"

Melchior Rasp,

Going

to their solitary hut in the woods, they

were so fortunate as to

kill

two

deer, part of

The

which Br. Peterson prepared for dinner. first

dwelling-house was

finished in August.

In October and November of the same year

standing,

and may

easily be recognized

by

its

dilapi-

dated appearance.

A

two-story building,

commenced

in the

same

year,

and finished the nest, served as a meeting-house 1771.

till

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

64

two companies arrived from Pennsylvania, the consisting of eight youths, four single Bre-

first

thren,

and one widower, the

ters or girls,

who now Parish.

latter of sixteen Sis-

accompanied by Br. Bichard Utley,

Dobbs

entered as English minister of

Previous to this arrival, Br. M. Schropp

had entered upon

his duties as warden, Br.

Gammern having been

called to his eternal

A.

v.

home

the year before.

Br. Ettwein,

time to

many

who had continued from

visit in

time to

South Carolina, and embraced

opportunities for preaching the Gospel in

Broad

the vicinity of the Congaree, Saluda, and

Kivers, after serving the

Lord

capacities for seven years,

faithfully in various

now

returned to Penn-

sylvania, having been appointed a

General Conference at Bethlehem.

member

At

of the

the close

of the year Bethabara contained one hundred and

twenty-two inhabitants, and Bethania,

eighty-

seven.

After the death of Br. M. Schropp, in September, 11Q1, the Brn. Graff, Utley, L. Bagge,

and

J.

Loesch formed a Diaconsis Conference,

and managed the secular

affairs of the three set-

SALEM.— 1766. tlcracnts

till

65

Br. Marshall arrived, ia 1168, ac-

companied by Trangott Bagge, merchant, and several other Brethren from Europe.*

now

Br. Marshall the duties -of his

entered permanently upon

office,

and under

his energetic

administration of affairs the work of the

'

One

new

In 1770 four single Brethren arrived from Europe. of these,

outward

John Klein, appointed

affairs of

to superintend the

the congregation of Salem as warden,

whilst on a journey to Cross Creek (now Fayetteville),

was drowned in attempting

to ford Little River.

body was afterwards recovered and brought

Two

to

His

Salem.

others, T. Nissen (afterwards minister in Fried-

land) and A. Brosing, experienced a remarkable preservation of their lives.

Returning in a wagon from

Salisbury, they found that the ferry-boat, on

they hoped to cross the

The driver resolved not to do

so, as

scarcely entered,

river,

to ford the river,

though warned

the water was very deep.

when

which

had been taken away.

the horses

They had

commenced swim-

ming, and the wagon rolled over twice.

The driver

and three horses were drowned, but the two Brethren succeeded in gaining a footing on the top of the wagon,

and remained in

this perilous situation for

until they were rescued

by a canoe.

two hours,

66

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

settlers

progressed rapidly.

Tiersch arrived as the

Salem congregation.

first

In

Htl

Br.

Paul

minister of the future

He was

soon after followed

by the Brethren John Lorez and Christian Gregor, from

Germany, accompanied by Br. Ettwein,

from Bethlehem.

These Brethren, with Br. H.

C. A. de Schweinitz, from Bethlehem, had been

commissioned by the General Board of the Unity to visit the congregations in

During made.

this visit several

important changes were

The superintendence

Wachovia, hitherto vested in

North America.

of the

in the

affairs

of

General Board

Bethlehem, was transferred to a separate Board

of Directors constituted for this province, consisting of the Brethren Marshall, Graff, Tiersch,

and

TJtley

;

and the system of common house-

keeping, hitherto maintained in Bethabara, and partly in Salem, was relinquished.

In 1712 a

separation of the two congregations took place,

the majority of the inhabitants of Bethabara re-

moving

to Salem,

of trade and

which novf became the centre

commerce

in

Wachovia.

By

these

measures the original design of establishing one principal central congregation was carried out,

;;

;

;;;

—

: ;

;

;

SALEM.— 17 GG. nineteen years after the arrival of the

BY first

Bre-

thren in Wachovia.

At

the close of 1712 the congregation of Sa-

lem contained thirty-eight married Brethren and Sisters,

two widows, forty-three single Brethren

and youths, twenty-two single Sisters and

and

fifteen

persons in

Among as

children

W.

all.

in

Salem

:

Marshall, director of outward affairs

Kev. P. Tiersch, minister; Pvev.

R. Utley, warden

;

Pan. Schnepf;

Matthew IMiksch

;

George Holder Jacob Meyer Jacob Steiner Traugott Bagge, merchant

John Henry Herbst Charles Holder

Yalentihe Beck Philip

girls,

hundred and twenty

the married people were the following,

first settlers

F.

— one

Meyer

Chr. Gottl. Pveuter

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

68

Jacob Bonn, physician J.

;

G. Stockburger;

Gottfried Aust.

In 1T73 Br. Graff moved from Bethabara to Salem.

In June he had been consecrated a

bishop of the Brethren's church in Bethlehem,

by the Bishops M. Hehl and N.

Seidel,

and

in

October he ordained the Brethren L. G. Bachhof and J.

J.

Ernst deacons of the Brethren's

church, the latter being appointed minister of

Bethania, and the former minister of the

congregation of Friedberg.

new

FKIEDBERG.

— In

69

2.

yii.

FHIEDBERG.— 1772. In August, 1154, not quite a year arrival of the first

Moravian

after the

settlers in

Wacho-

via,

Adam

tlie

southern line of the land of the Brethren.

Spach^ settled about three miles from

In September (19th) he visited Bethabara for the

first

nearest his

time, to

become acquainted with

German neighbors, and

house to Bethabara.

At

his

cut a road from

a second

visit, in

December, he requested the Brethren from time to time to

send one of their number to hold

meetings in his house

'

Adam

came

Spach,

in 1754 to

nine children. is still

bom

;

but, for various reasons,

in 1720, in Pfaifenhofen, Alsace,

North Carolina

;

died in 1801, leaving

His daughter, Johanna, born in 1766,

living at Salem.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

*rO

this request could not

time.

During the

first

be complied with at that alarms of the Indian war,

he and his wife were among those who took refuge in the Dutch Fort.

At

his oft-repeated

Br. Bachhof visited 26th,

man

and urgent

Adam

n58, and preached

solicitations,

Spach on November

in his house, eight Ger-

families having assembled there for the pur-

pose.

The commencement was thus made, and

preaching at this place continued at intervals, the

number

of hearers gradually increasing,

at one time considerably rival of

some

augmented by the

and ar-

families from Pennsylvania, pre-

viously in connection with the congregations at

Heidelberg and York, who now settled

in this

neighborhood.

A them

meeting-house would have been built by at once,

if

they could have received any

promise or assurance of receiving a stationed minister.

Thus matters remained

until

1706,

when, in answer to their petition, they received the promise that a minister should be stationed

among them, which caused them

to prepare im-

mediately for the building of a meeting-house.

— FRIEDBERG.

— 1112.

During the preparations of Frey

died,

and was buried

tlie

Tl building, Peter

in the present Fried-

berg burying-ground.

The house being crated the same on

Br. Utley conse-

finished,

March

those

lltli,

who

1160, and kept

a love-feast for

all

members

new congregation.

of the

become

desired to

On

the 12th

he preached publicly, and baptized two children, viz.,

Joseph Frey and John Walk.

They now had

stated service every four weeks,

and very soon fourteen married couples pledged themselves to the support of a resident minister.

Their names were Valentine Frey,

John

Nicol. Boeckel,

Christian Frey,

Fred. Boeckel, _

Peter Frey,

Jacob Graeter,

George Frey,

Martin Walk,

George Ilartman,

Peter Yolts,

Adam

Adam

Ilartman,

John Mueller,

On February

Spach,

Christian Stauber. 18th, 1770, Br. L. G.

Bachhof

was introduced as their minister by the Brethren Graff and Utley.

In January, 1772, this society was formally

12

^lOllAVIANS IN

constituted

a,

NORTH CAROLINA.

INIor.ivian l>retlivcirs

by the name of Friedherg Avliich,

(hill

CongTcgaiion, of peace), in

besides the preaching of the Cospel and

other means of grace, the sacraments were henceforth regularly administered, the first comraunioii

being held January Hth,

l'[t2.

In nC)8 (February 19th) the corner-stone was laid for a larger church,

May

12th, ItSS,

which was consecrated

and served

till

182t, when the

present church was finished and solemnly dedicated.

FRIEDLAND.— 1180.

13

YIII.

FRIEDL AND.— 1780. In nC9, quite unexpectedly, lies

arrived from

Broad Bay,

six in

German Maine.

fami-

They

originally belonged to a larger company of emi-

grants from the

Palatinate

and Wurtemberg,

who, about the year 1138 or 39 had landed near

Broad Bay and the Muscongus River, province of Maine.

There they had

founded the town of Waldoboro',

in the

settled,

and

so called in

honor of the principal original proprietor of the soil.

General Waldo.

They were

Protestants,

either Lutherans or German Reformed, but

for

a long while destitute of the means of grace. Since 1162, Br.

George Soelh, who, before he

entered the church of the Brethren, had been a

Lutheran pastor time to time. 1

in

Denmark,

visited

them from

Thus they became acquainted

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

^4

with the Brethren, and soon began to build a meeting-house,

a view of retaining

with

But

Soelle there as their resident minister.

there were legal difficulties concerning their

and they could not enjoy

deeds,

liberty, they resolved,

suggestion,

to

emigrate

to

North

their intentions, for them.

Carolina.

by way of Wilmington,

wayworn, and many of them the Brethren

religious

coast of Yir-

November, n69, on the Wachovia

As

as

title

according to Br. Soelle's

Having been shipwrecked on the ginia, they arrived,

full

Br.

in

ill

in

tract, poor,

health.

had not been apprized of

no preparations had been made

Some found

a temporary

home

in

Bethabara, others in Salem, where some new houses were yet unoccupied.

In the following

year they were joined by another company of eight families, with

Not wishing

'

The

Soelle

arrived."^

last survivor of these first settlers, Elizabeth

Ilein, late Vogler,

at the

whom. Br.

to remain in Salem, they resolved

died near Friedland, April 7th, 1855,

advanced age of eighty-five years and three

months.

— FRIEDLAND.

— IT

commence a settlement

to

nine

lots,

to them,

own on

of their

Wachovia

southeast corner of the

tS

80.

tract,

the

where

of two hundred acres each, were sold

and

the centre being

thirty acres in

reserved for a meeting-house and school purposes.

In 1T71 nine houses were finished and

occupied, and the settlement received the

name

of Friedland (land of peace).

In February, 1772, the corner-stone was laid of the house destined for church poses.

and school pur-

This house was consecrated to the wor-

ship of the

Lord on the 18th

of February, 1775,

and Br. Tycho Xissen was introduced as minister.

in

The names

of the

members of

this society

connection with the Brethren's church were

John Peter and Elizabeth Kroehn, Michael and Catharine Rominger, Christopher Philip and Barbara Yogler,

Melchior and Jacobina Schneider, Frederick and Salonn Kuenzel,

Michael and Elizabeth

Seiz,

Jacob and Barbara Rominger, Frederick and

Anna Maria

Jacob and Maro-aret Hein,

Miller,

16

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA. Peter and Elizabeth Schneider,

John and Catharine Lanius, Peter and Elizabeth Fiedler,

George Frederick and Gertrude Hahn, Jacob and Elizabeth Ried. In September, 1Y80, this society, which had

meanwhile increased to forty persons, received a regular constitution as a congregation in

communion with the Brethren's church.

fall

HOPE.

— 1780.

11

IX.

HOPE.— 1780. As gers

early as the year 1T58, the Brethren

Ro-

and Ettwein had kept meetings on the

southwestern borders of Wachovia, having been invited there by Christopher Elrod and

Douthit,

who

John

had enjoyed the protection and

hospitality of the Brethren whilst fugitives to

the

"Dutch Fort" during the Indian war.

repeatedly into a

more

expressed their

desire

of

close fellowship with the

They

entering

Moravian

Brethren, and soon attached themselves to the

congregation at Friedberg.

But

as this

was an

entirely

German congre-

gation, they desired to have an English Brother

residing in their midst.

After some years, their

numbers increased by the

arrival of several En-g-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

T8

from Carrol's Manor,

lish families

in Marjlancl,

where Br. Joseph Powell had preached the Gospel to

them

for

some

years.

by others a year or two

These were followed

later, all settling in the

southwest corner of the Wachovia the

Muddy

Creek.

tract,

For the time they

near

partici-

pated in the enjoyment of the means of grace at the neighboring congregation of Friedberg, the

Brethren Utley and Soelle attending to the English part of the

congregation.

In 1775 the building of a meeting-house at

Hope was commenced, but not completed

until

the spring of 1780.

On

the 28th of March, 1780, the house was

solemnly dedicated to the worship of God, and Br.

John Christian

little

Fritz placed in charge of the

flock of Christ,

August

which was, on the 28th of

following, fully constituted a congrega-

tion of the Brethren's church.

On

this day, the

28th of August, 1780, two married couples,

viz.,

John and Mary Padgett, and Benjamin and Mary Chitty, were

added to the congregation

the 24th of September the

first

children,

;

and on William

Pettycord and Elizabeth Ellrod, were baptized.

HorE.— ItSO.

TO

The holy communion was administered first

for the

time on October 14th, to eight communi-

cants.

The burial-ground ing the same year.

at

Hope was

laid out dur-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

80

X.

EEVOLUTIONAEY WAR. The Moravian

Church, as a body, has always

endeavored to abstain from any participation in the political

movements of the

to which the

Lord

in

diiferent countries

providence has led

his

Without prescribing anything

them.

respect to the individual

leaving

it

this

members of the church,

to every one to cherish monarchical or

republican sentiments, to be unbiased litical

in

views, the church

and

all

its

in his

po-

governing

bodies have ever acknowledged and acted upon the plain Gospel principle of submitting themselves to every ordinance of sake, 1 Peter

ii.

men

for the Lord's

13; and, as faithful and loyal

subjects, conscientiously to

obey the laws of the

land in which the Lord has placed them, and to love and honor their rulers and governors.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

81

Being conscientiously averse to bearing arms and taking oaths,

tliey

—

in the earlier times of

the renewed Brethren's church

—would never

sort to violent measures for redressing their

re-

own

grievances, nor participate in any measures of this

kind adopted by others.

They

therefore endeavored everywhere to

ply with the apostolic exhortation, that, all,

supplications, prayers, intercessions,

ing of thanks be made for

all

honesty.

1

Tim.

ii.

life,

and giv-

in

all

we may

lead a

godliness and

1, 2.

Moreover, in {jreat Britain and

all

the English

colonies they received important privileges

the act of Parliament of 1149. enacted,

"That from and

24th day of

June, 1149, every person being a

name

by

was then

It

after the

said Protestant Episcopal Church,

the

of

men, for kings and

for all that are in authority, that

quiet and peaceable

com-

first

member

of

known by

of Unitas Fratrum, or the United

Brethren, and which church was formerly settled in

Moravia and Bohemia, and are now

in

Prussia, Poland, Silesia, Lusatia, Germany, the

United Provinces, and also

in

His Majesty's

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

82

dominions,

who

be required upon any

shall

lawful occasion to take an oath in any case

where by law an oath shall, instead of

to

make

is

or shall be required,

the usual form, be permitted

his or her

solemn affirmation or de-

claration in these words following:

do declare,

in the presence of

A. B.,

'I,

Almighty God,

the witness of the truth of what I say.'

Which

said solemn affirmation or declaration shall be

adjudged and taken, and

is

hereby enacted

and declared to be of the same force and to

all

intents

and purposes,

justice or other places is

effect,

in all courts of

where by law an oath

or shall be required within the

kingdom

Great Britain and Ireland, and also

in all

of

and

every of His Majesty's colonies and dominions in America, as if such person

had taken an

oath in the usual form."

Furthermore

it

was enacted, "That every mem-

ber of the said church or congregation, resid-

ing in any of His Majesty's colonies in rica,

who

shall at

Ame-

any time after the said 24th

day of June, 1749, be summoned to bear arms or do military service in any of His Majesty's

REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

83"

said colouies or provinces of America, shall,

on

application to the governor or com-

bis

mander-in-chief of the said colony or province,

whom

or to such officer or person by

son shall have been

summoned

such per-

or required to

serve or be mustered, be discharged from such

personal service

:

Provided, That such person,

so desiring to be discharged from such per-

sonal service, contribute and pay such

money in

as shall be rated

lieu

sum

sum

of

and assessed on him

of such personal service, so as such

shall

be rated, assessed, and levied, and

be in such proportion as sessed, levied,

is

usually rated, as*

and paid by other persons

ing in the same colony or province,

by reason of age,

resid-

who

are

sex, or other infirmity un-

able to do personal service, and

who

are pos-

sessed of estates of the same nature as the

persons desiring such discharge."

Further

it

was enacted that

should be extended only to those

this

privilege

who could

pro-

cure a certificate, signed by a bishop or pastor,

proving their church-membership.

Now, when

in

^768, by the many acts of op-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

84

pression on the part of Governor Try on, the

" Regulators" were formed,

associations of the

the Moravians in North Carolina took no part

whatever

in

movements, either

these

or

for

Hence

against the governor, or the Regulators.

they were looked upon with a suspicious eye by

both parties. clared.

Many

In

ITH

civil

war was

fully de-

deserted their plantations to join

the army, which was collecting near

New

Garden,

Guilford County, to fight against the governor,

and publicly declared that the Moravians, and those

who had not

all

assisted them, should after

harvest give the half of their produce to those

who had done was insinuated

the fighting. to the

At

the same time

it

governor that the Brethren

secretly supported the Regulators.

On May

16th a battle was fought on the road

leading from Hillsborough to Salisbury,

five

miles

west of the Great Alamance River, the forces of the Regulators being about two thousand men,

those

of the

governor eleven hundred.

The

action lasted about two hours, and resulted in

the total defeat of the Regulators.

On

his

march westward, th% governor reached

REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Betliabara on

June

4tb,

and encamped there

with his army several days.

dred horses enjoyed the hirge fifty-acre

About

three hun-

crop of grass in the

fine

meadow,

85

for which,

however, the

Brethren were paid.

The Brethren

refrained, for conscience sake,

from taking any active part in the struggle for independence.

But, at the samq time, they were

perfectly willing to bear their part of the bur-

den imposed by the troubles of the war on the land of their adoption.

In the beginning of ITYG some from these parts joined the

(now

Fayetteville) to

who had come

at Cross

this time

Governor Josiah

some wagons from

Moravian settlements were sent

Creek

for salt.

Creek

oppose the Highlanders,

to the support of

During

Martin. the

army collecting

Being seen

to

Cross

there, the report

spread that, under the pretence of bringing

was salt,

munitions of war had been carried up the country,

and secreted

Thereupon,

in the

Moravian settlements.

after the battle of

Moore's Creek, in

which the Tory army was defeated, the Committee of Safety, at Salisbury, sent a commis8

86

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

sion, consisting of seven officers

and

sixty

men,

Febru-

to investigate the trutli of the report.

ary 14th and 15th the three Moravian towns

were

visited,

and the

officers

had abundant op-

portunity of convincing themselves of the perfectly peaceful character of the inhabitants.

Brethren, on their part, gave them

The

a written

declaration that they would submit to

re-

all

quirements of the existing government of the province, but should not meddle in any

the political

movements

way with

of the country.

The

commissioners, on their part, gave them a certificate that the

rumors referred to above were

ungrounded, and that no one should molest the Moravians.

Soon

after.

to appear before the

Bishop Graff was cited

Committee of Safety,

in

Salisbury, to answer for an intercepted package

from Europe; which, however, contained nothing of a political nature, but only the regular ac-

counts of other Moravian settlements.

In

im

the Brethren were required to take

part in the military service.

They

objected,

from conscientious motives, declaring again that they should not refuse any tax or contribution

REVOLUTIONARY WAR. laid

8T

upon them by the existing government.

This tax was a heavy burden, especially as the price of provisions

was very high, corn and

at eight shillings,

salt

at six

selling

pounds tea

shillings per bushel.

But

so-called " Test

more trying was the

still

Act," of nV5, requiring of every one an oath of fealty to the

Government of the United

and connected with

King George.

it

States,

an oath of abjuration to

In case of refusal, expatriation

and confiscation of property was threatened.

On

this account, the Brothers T.

Blum were

sent in

August with a

State Assembly which held

its

Bagge and

petition to the

sessions at Hills-

borough, by which, however, only so much was obtained, that the enforcement of this act should

be postponed

till

was sent to Bethlehem thren there, at a loss cially

who were

how

A

the following year.

to act.

Brother

to consult with the Bre-

in the

same

difficulties

and

Meanwhile many, espe-

the younger portion of the Moravians,

voluntarily took the State oath, whilst the

and most

Some

influential

of

members refused

older

to do so.

the neighbors, believing

that

the

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

88

Moravians would surely be driven from the country,

began to enter

different parcels of their lands,

supposing that no lawful deeds were in existence

and even the town plots of Salem and Bethlehem,

two

as also the

mills,

were entered by some specu-

Con-

lating neighbors at the rate of 50 shillings,

That there was

tinental money, for 100 acres.

considerable danger of the Moravians losing the of their land there

title

no doubt, especially as

is

the transfer of the legal title from of London, to Fred. citizen of

W.

James Hutton,

Marshall, a naturalized

North Carolina, had taken place

the passage of the Confiscation

Act

of

after

North

Carolina in 1111, and the legal proprietors were, at that time, absent in

But

the

Europe.

wisdom of

this

founded by the simple

faith

When the Wachovia

God.

world

is

of the

often con-

children of

land had been bought

from Lord Granville, Count Zinzendorf, against the advice of learned

on

it,

men

of the town, insisted

that the nineteen original deeds should be

given to J. Hutton "in trust for the Frafrum,^^ which deed of trust

now

that the Confiscation

made

it

Unitas

apparent

Act could not

well, in

REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

89

right and equity, be extended to the

Moravian

lands. Still,

was a time of perplexity and great

it

anxiety for those Brethren, who, in the absence of Brother Marshall, had the

outward

affairs

management

of the church.

of the

Meanwhile,

was a matter of great thankfulness that a to the

tion sent

handed

in

State Assembly in

it

peti-

Halifax,

by the Brethren Praezel and C. Hecke-

welder, in January, 1179, was favorably received,

and the resolution was passed:

"that

if

the

Moravians would render the prescribed affirmation of fealty to this

and the other United States

of America, they should remain

in the

undis-

turbed possession of their property, also be ex-

empt from

all

military service, but instead of

it

pay a twofold tax."

According

to this decision, all the Brethren,

who had not

yet taken the Test Oath, by their

solemn affirmation before

Justice Dobson, de-

clared their fealty to the United States, and re-

ceived certificates to that

To aggravate

effect.

their troubles, the seasons

were

unpropitious, the price of provisions increased,

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

90

whilst the value of the paper currency was re-

duced to only four pence

and peaches

for the dollar.

froze in the bud,

Apples

and the wheat was

greatly injured by mildew, and the corn crop in

some

Salt was sold at

localities totally failed.

eighty shillings Continental money, or forty lings, specie, per bushel; iron at

per pound.

Besides

this,

shil-

sixteen pence

the smallpox spread in

Salem, brought there by a company of cavalry of the Pulaski Legion, which had remained there

No

for several days.

suffered from this

less

than forty persons

disease, of

whom, however,

only two died.

In the

fall

of the year. Brother Marshall ar-

rived, having been detained in

war

since lYt5,

Europe by the

and was followed

spring of

in

1^80 by Bishop J. F. Reichel, who was sent by the General

of the Unity on an official

Board

Moravian congregations

visitation of all the

North America.

By

his judicious councils

fatherly admonitions, the

difficulties

in

and

which had

arisen here, as well as in the congregations at

the North from conflicting political views, were

gradually overcome

;

and be

it

said, in

honor of

•

REVOLUTIONARY WAR. tlie

German

Brotlier,

by

cal country, that

state of affairs,

brought up

his clear perception of the

in reconciling

many whose in

them

in a monarclii-

and sound judgment, he succeeded

had

left

91

much

conscientious scruples

perplexity.

His labors were signally blessed by the Lord, and the harmony was restored, which tial

to

During Brother Reichel's

is

so essen-

Christian community.

the welfare of a

the monthly con-

visit,

ference of the ministers of the country congregations

was instituted

at Salem, Sept. 15th, 1*180,

which has been continued ever

and Hope received their

since.

Friedland

organization

full

as

Congregations of the Brethren.

Of

the incidents of the revolutionary war, the

following interesting particulars have been preserved, which, in their details, prove sufficiently

that our fathers conscientiously refrained from

any participation whatever in In June,

1*780,

it.

more than a thousand Tories

assembled in the neighborhood of the Moravian settlements, committing

To oppose them,

many

acts of violence.

the militia was collected every-

where, which scoured the country, taking horses.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

92 rifles,

and provisions

at

tlieir

Moravian settlements were while,

The

pleasure.

Mean-

often visited.

3000 Continental troops had assembled at

Cross Creek, and were joined by tOOO

For

march against the English.

militia, to

their support,

supplies from the newly gathered

were

v.iieat

ordered, which, in Salem and neighborhood, were collected

by an

officer

and

sixty men.

Wagons

and horses were also taken, to convey the the army.

flour to

In the disastrous battle of Camden,

which General Gates was totally defeated,

in

some of our wagons and horses were

lost,

of

which six belonged to the Brethren of Bethania. In August, several hundred men of the

A^ir-

giiria militia, as

scouting parties were quartered

at Bethabara.

The

military possession of the

place lasted three weeks, causing great scarcity of provisions and suffering to the Brethren.

On a

visit

for

Sept. loth, Brother Fritz received at

of sixteen horsemen,

Hope

who were provided

by him.

In October, a party of 500 militia made Bethania their head-quarters. ers,

anion q;

whom

Soon

after,

300 prison-

were 50 En^-lish taken near

REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

93

King's Mountain, were brought and kept there nineteen days, until tlie

all

provisions to be found in

place were consumed.

n81,the Brethren had abundant cause

lu

appreciating the truth of the promise

of

lie shall

:

deliver thee in six troubles; yea in seven there shall

no

evil

touch thee. Job

months of the

in the first

war came nearer and nearer settlements,

the

still

Wachovia

January

no actual

to the

hostilities

of

Moravian

occurred on

Tract.

tth,

22 men, 40 horses, and 2 baggage

wagons of General Greene's tered in

For when,

v. 19.

year, the theatre

division were quar-

Salem, and remained there

till

February

4th.

January 12th, a committee of four Brethren

was appointed, to care

whom

for the military affairs,

by

a barrack was erected at some distance

from the town, where a military store was kept for tal,

some time.

This military store, and a hospi-

which had been erected

moved on February

5th, the

in

Salem, were re-

Friedberg and Be-

thania Brethren furnishing wagons.

On

the

same

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

94

encamped near Be-

day, General Pickens's corps

thabara.

February Yth and

8tli,

several

hundred men of

Wilkes County (N. C.) and of Georgia

militia

passed through Salem.

On

the

9th of February, the

British

army

under Lord Cornwallis encamped in Bethania,

and passed the next day through Salem and the Friedland settlement, which proved a rather ex-

Bethania alone losing 23 horses, 30

pensive

visit,

head of

cattle,

and

all

their poultry.

Soon

after

the Wilkes County militia paid a second visit to

Salem and Bethabara. In November, 63 members of the Assembly, with the newly elected governor, Alexander Martin,

of Guildford County, spent several weeks in

Salem

for the

purpose of holding, their session,

which, however, failed for want of a quorum.

In January, 1182, this the

members

of the

visit

was repeated, and

Assembly had abundant op-

portunity of making themselves fully acquainted

with the religious and social state of the Moravian settlements.

This

was important

for

the

Brethren,

and

REVOLUTIONARY WAR. proved of advantage from

tlie

in obtaining

95

an especial Act

Legislature of North Carolina assem-

bled at Ilillsboro', by which F.

W.

Marshall was

duly acknowledged as the proprietor of the chovia Tract, and

all

Wa-

the lands which had been

acquired by the Brethren in North Carolina.

Brother Traugott Bagge was elected member of the Assembly, auditor,

and

justice

of

the

peace.

In this year the faithful pastor of the Salem congregation, Brother J.

M.

Grafl",

the

first bi-

shop ever residing in any of the Southern States, departed this

life.

In 1783, the solemn thanksgiving day for the restoration of peace, was celebrated on July 4th

with great joy and gladness of heart, and with especial gratitude to the

Lord

for all his mercies

and providential preservations during these

try-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

96

XT.

HALF A CENTURY.— 1803. Early tlie

cry of

in the fire

morning of January

and

HSl,

disturbed the peaceful slumbers of

the inhabitants of Salem. flames,

31st,

inmates.

the

The tavern was Brother and

in

Sister

Meyer, with their children, and Brother Holland

had barely time

to escape.

The kitchen

build-

ing was destroyed, but the stables and other out buildings were saved.

The timber and other

building materials, which had been prepared for the erection, during this year, of a building for

a " Single Sister's House," were

now used

for

the re-construction of the tavern, and the erection of the sister's house deferred until the follow-

ing year.

In September,

1*784, Br. Jolin

Daniel Kohler

arrived from Europe, as minister of the congre-

gation at Salem.

He

was accompanied from

HALF A CENTURY.

by Brother Simon

Pa.,

Litiz,

— 1803.

9T

Peter,

who took

charge of the congregation at Friedberg. In company with Brother Kohler from Europe

were also Brother and Sister John and Benigna de Watteville,

Board

who were deputed by

of the Unity to pay an

the General

official visit to all

They

the American congregations.

sailed from

the Texel (Holland), September 2Tth, 1183, and arrived off

Sandy Hook

tinuation of all

in

November, but a con-

severe northwest storms, rendered

their attempts to land at

New York

fruitless,

so that they finally resolved, in January following, to sail to the

February,

West

Indies.

n84, they stranded on

On a

the

cliff

Hth

of

near the

Island Barbuda, which they reached in boats with difficulty.

The governor

and entertained them

of the island assisted

kindly.

From Barbuda

they proceeded to Antigua, and thence to Philadelphia and Bethlehem, which place was reached

June

2d.

After having visited gations.

Bishop

and arrived he remained 9

in

all

the northern congre-

Watteville proceeded to the south

Salem October 23d, 1785, where

till

April 26th,

1*786.

During

his

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

98 stay, a

Board of Directors

for this province

was

recognized, and called the Provincial Elders' Conference,

consisting

of

the

Kohler, Praezel, and

Board resolved

Brethren

to erect

at

Marshall,

This directing

Benzien.

Bethlehem, a new

church building, in connection with a dwelling

The

for the minister.

site

thereof having been

determined upon, the corner-stone was laid on April 8th,

The Lord's

1*185.

nied this undertaking

notwithstanding

blessing accompa-

in such a

apparent

the

manner, that,

insufficiency

of

means, through the active Christian zeal of the people, this church-building

was ready

secration before the close of the year,

dedication to

taking place

the worship of

November

word of the church Hosts:

My

cities

:

the

26th, 1788.

Thus

for con-

its

solemn

Triune

God

The

daily

saith the

Lord of

through prosperity shall yet

be spread abroad, afforded promise of his aid

and blessing

in

days to come.

A

large

num-

ber from the other congregations were present

on the occasion, participating

in the blessing,

attending the various meetings during the day.

On

the

following

Sunday,

tlie

30th, the

first

HALF A CENTURY. public preacliing was hold

— 1803. in

the

Brother Kohler delivering the

90

new

first

church,

sermon

in

the German, and Brother Fritz, assistant minister in

guage.

Bethabara, preaching

Many

the whole

of

in the

English lan-

the neighbors were

present,

number being about GOO, whose

at-

tention during service, and subsequent declarations indicated that the Spirit of

God had borne

testimony to the word of the cross.

The General Synod

of the Brethren's Unity,

held at Herrnhut, Germany, in 1V89, which Br.

Benzien attended as delegate of the Wachovia Conferences, resolved upon the establishment of

a Moravian

congregation in

South Carolina.

This was to be undertaken in compliance with

one of the many invitations which, since the close of the war,

had been extended to the Brethren

to increase the sphere of their usefulness.

Hon. Henry Laurens, formerly President gress,

and one of the commissioners

The

of Confor

the

United States at the peace of Paris, had long been well acquainted with the Brethren at Salem.

Whilst visiting

in

Bethlehem, Pa,, during

the war, he held friendly intercourse with Bishop

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

100

Ettwein, and proposed to him an establishment of the Brethren in

South Carolina,

for

which

purpose he made both verbal and written promises to convey to them, by deed of

gift,

two

thousand acres of land in the district of NinetySix.

This

embraced the northwestern part

district

of the State of South Carolina, deriving

from a military

fort built in

its

about ninety-six miles from Orangeburg. its site

name

the Indian wars,

On

now^ stands Cambridge, in Abbeville Dis-

trict.

To comply

with the direction of the General

Synod, the Brethren Marshall and Benzien undertook a journey to this then wdld and unsettled region in first

November and December, 1190.

visited

Mr. Laurens

at his

They

rice-plantation

on the Cooper Eiver, nine miles from Monk's Corner in

;

then his partner, John Lewis Gervais,

Charleston, by whose assistance they were

conveyed to the agent in Abbeville District,

Major Bowie.

After a

difficult

journey through

swamps and over almost impassable reached, on

December

roads, they

10th, the wilds of

Long

HALF A CENTURY.

— 1803.

101

Cane Creek and Reedy Branch, where Major

Bowie

assisted

them

in selecting,

from the

five

thousand acres belonging to Mr. Laurens, a tract of

two thousand acres which seemed well

adapted for a settlement, distant about twentyfive

miles from the

season

was already

Savannah

lliver.

advanced,

far

As

the

survey

the

could not at the time be made.

They thereupon

returned home. Major Bowie

promising them

that as soon as practicable he would have the

survey completed.

Before this was accomplished,

however, Mr. Laurens died will

and testament

his

all

;

and as by

his last

property was be-

queathed to a grandchild, without any provision being made therein for the proposed grant and settlement, the whole plan

On May first

to be

Salem was

31st, 1^91,

President of the United

Washington, then on a tin,

had

visit to

among

visited

States,

by the George

Alexander Mar-

Governor of North Carolina.

ington spent a day

abandoned.

Gen. Wash-

the Moravians, visiting

the houses of the single Brethren and single Sisters,

and

church.

in the

evening attending service

The President seemed 9*

in the

to take an espe-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

102 cial

water-works by which the

interest in the

town was supplied with water.

The following address was presented on June

1st

" J(9 the President of

"Happy

to

him

visit

from

:

United States:

tlie

in sharing the

honor of a

the illustrious President of the

Union

to

the

Southern States, the Brethren of Wachovia humbly beg leave,

upon

this joyful occasion, to ex-

press their highest esteem, duty, and affection for the great patriot of this country.

"Deeply impressed to the great

bounded

as

we

are with gratitude

Author of our being

mercies,

we cannot but

for his un-

particularly

acknowledge His gracious providence over the temporal and political prosperity of the country, in

the peace whereof

we do

find

peace,

and

wherein none can take a warmer interest than ourselves, in particular

the same

son in so in

when we consider

Lord who preserved your precious

that per-

many imminent dangers has made you

a conspicuous manner an instrument in his

hands to forward that happy constitution,

to-

HALF A CENTURY. getlier

— 1803.

103

with those improvements whereby our

United States begin to

over which you

flourish,

preside with the applause of a thankful nation.

"Whenever,

therefore,

we

solicit the

protec-

tion of the Father of Mercies over this favored

we cannot but

country,

fervently implore

kindness for your preservation, which

is

His

so inti-

mately connected therewith.

''May

this gracious

your valuable

life

Lord vouchsafe

to prolong

as a further blessing

and an

ornament of the constitution, that by your worthy example the regard for religion be increased,

and the improvements of

society encou-

civil

raged.

"The though

settlements

of the

small, will always

contribute as

much

as in

United Brethren,

make them

lies to

and improvement of the United the particular parts they live

their study to

it

the peace

States,

in,

and

all

joining their

ardent prayers to the best wishes of this whole continent that your personal as well as domestic

happiness

may abound, and

may crown your

a series of successes

labors for the prosperity of our

times and an example to future ages, until the

104:

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

glorious reward of a faithful servant shall be

your portion. " Signed, in behalf of the

United Brethren

in

Wachovia,

"FREDERICK WILLIAM MARSHALL, "JOHN DANIEL KOHLER, "CHRISTIAN LEWIS BENZIEN. "Salem,

the 1st

To which

of June, 1791."

the President of the United States

was pleased to return the following answer

^^To the United Bretlireii of Wachovia

" Gentlemen respectful

:

I

am

:

greatly indebted to your

and affectionate expression of personal

regard, and I

am

not less obliged by the patri-

otic sentiment contained in

"From

:

your address.

a society whose governing principles

are industry and the love of order

much may be

expected towards the improvement and prosperity of the country in which their settlements are formed, and experience authorizes the belief

that

much

will

be obtained.

" Thanking you

with grateful sincerity for

HALF A CENTURY.

— 1803.

105

your prayers in ray bebalf, I desire to assure

you of my best wishes

for

your social and indi-

vidual happiness.

WASHINGTON."

"G.

Before the close of the century, during the latter half of

State,

this

which the Brethren had settled in erection

the

new and

of a

larger

church for the increasing central congregation of

Salem became necessary. laid

June

1st,

The corner-stone was

1T98, with appropriate ceremonies.

Br. Marshall superintended the erection of this building, and

had the pleasure of witnessing

On November

completion in 1800. it

was solemnly consecrated

Almighty God

;

to

its

9th, 1800,

the worship of

the Brethren Benzien, from Sa-

lem,

and Simon Peter, of Bethania,

upon

this occasion.

Br. Kohler,

officiating

who had during

the space of sixteen years officiated as pastor of the Salem congregation, and since 1790 as bishop of the

Brethren's church, was prevented from

participating

on

this

joyful

occasion,

having

already set out on his journey to Europe, to

attend

the

General

Synod

of

the

church

at

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

106

Hcrnibut,

in

Germany,

1801.

in

On

the loth

November, an important memorial day of the

of

church, the holy

communion was

time administered in the

municants of

all

new

for

the

first

church, the com-

the neighboring congregations

having assembled for the purpose.

At

the

Reicliel,

Synod of 1801, Br.

General

then

minister

in

C.

G.

and

Pa.,

IS^azareth,

principal of the Boys' Boarding- School at Nazareth Hall, was appointed Br. Kohler's successor.

He

was consecrated a bishop of the Brethren's

church by Bishop Ettwein, and arrived

May

31st,

this life in

1802.

Br:

in

Salem

Marshall had departed

February of the same year.

Shortly

before his death he wrote a long letter to Br. Beichel, containing minute directions in refer-

ence to his journey, the provisions and other needful preparations for

"camping out," &c.

interesting document, showing

that

fifty

;

an

years

ago a journey to or from Pennsylvania was a greater undertaking than a voyage across the

Atlantic in our days. Br. Reichel entered of the

upon

his duties as pastor

Salem congregation on June

6th, 1802,

HALF A CENTURY. and served at the

fuitlifullj till

— 1803.

107

April, 1811.

lie

was

same time president of the General Direct-

ing Board, in which were associated with him the Brethren Benzien (Br. Marshall's successor as proprietor estates)

and administrator of the "Wachovia

and Simon Peter (minister of Betha-

bara).

In the year 1803, since the arrival

fifty

years having elapsed

and settlement of the Brethren

at Bethabara, in this State, the event

was

brated by a solemn jubilee, held on the

November first

at Salem.

cele-

Hth

of

All the members of this

congregation, with their children, were in-

vited to repair to Salem, and the same invitation

was extended to the adult members of the conFriedberg, Friedland,

gregations at Bethania,

and Hope.

Contrary to expectation, the wea-

ther on this day proved unusually pleasant for

the lateness of season, so that a large

were able to attend. nine o'clock A.

M.

in

number

These met at half-past the handsomely decorated

church, uniting in rendering thanks and praises to that unchangeably gracious

whose mercies had never

God and

failed

Saviour

throughout the

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

108

Deeply bowed down before

half century past.

Him, who had indeed done great things

and

for them,

and rejoicing broke

the voice of gladness

their hearts united in covenanting

forth,

anew with

the Lord, and with each other, to be and to re-

main His

faithful

At

people.

the love-feast,

held in the course of the day (of which upwards of five hundred

and

sixty person partook), the

aged Br. John Beroth, of Bethania, one of the

two survivors of the twelve Brethren who com-

menced Bethabara

years before, was present,

fifty

together with his wife

;

Br. Grube, then eighty-

eight years of age, had sent from Pennsylvania,

where he then resided, a congratulatory ode composed by him for the occasion, which we insert in full

:_ BR. GRUBE'S

1.

Du

liebe

HYMN.

Wacliauer Gemein'

Ich stimm' lieut' in dein Loblied ein.

Das du zu deinem

Jiibelfest

Frohlich

dem Herrn

Fiir alles

was Er hat an

erscliallen

liisst,

dir getlian

Seitdem die ersten Briider kamen an.

;

HALF A CENTURY. 2.

war audi mit

Icli

Und

Da

freu'

derselb'geii

dem

Wabl,

Land',

eine kleine Hiitte stand,

Den Einzug

Und 3.

109

in ihrer Zahl,

mich noch

wir zwolf Briider auf

Wo

— 1803.

laielten, voller

Dankbarkeit,

war'n beisamm'n in Lieb' und Einigkeit.

Es war uns freilich alles neu,

Und mangelte uns mancherlei Wir waren aber

Und

nicht verlegen,

hofften auf des Heilands Segen

Man hijrte, denn ein Jedes war Von keinem auch die mind'ste 4.

Zur Arbeit musst'

Um

ein Stiick

man

Klage nicht.

sicb gleicb riibr'n,

Land zur Saat zu

Die Kost d^bei war

;

vergniigt.

freilicli

clearn;

scbmal,

Allein wir batten keine Wahl,

Als Hominy war unser tiiglich Brodt,

5.

Und

wir genossen's mit

Wir

gin gen

Aucb

aus,

Dank gegen

Gott.

wohl zu manchen Tagen

um

etwas zu erjagen

Allein das scblug uns

;

immer feH

;

Bekamen denn zum Welscbkornmebl Doch

ein'ge Kiirb'se, so war's sclion

LTnd wir behielten

10

und

immer guten Muth.

gut,

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

110 G.

Pcnn audi an

cliesem wiisten Ort

Erquickto uns des Heilands Wort

Wir weideten ims immer

Und unser Erwies

Und

7.

"blut'ger

sicli

liatte

uns

d'ran,

Sclimerzensmann

selir freundlicli

und

voll Huld,

mit uns Kindern viel Geduld.

Er selbst wusst' uns' audi zu bedcckcn In mandierlei Gefalir

und Sdirecken.

Bei'm Biiumefellen sdiien einnial Ein Bruder unserer kleinen Zahl

8.

Durdi einen Ast

tudtlidi verletzt zu sein

Dodi konnt' man

siclx

Als ich ein lialbes Jalir gewest Bei'n Briidern,

ward idi abgeloSt

Durdi unseren

sel'gen Bruder Fries,

Der sidi

Und

sicli

als ein

Mann

Gott's bowies,

zu allem williglich gab

Und wenn's audi nur

9.

;

bald seiner Besserung freu'n.

lier,

die Ruli' zu liiiten war'.

So wurde der Anfang gemadit.

Man hat's damals wolil nicht gedadit Was unser Herr in fiinfzig Jaliren, Darunter manclie scliwere waren,

Zu Seinem Lob und Er

Preis docli liat bcreit't.

sei dafiir gelobt in

Ewigkeit

;

HALF A CENTURY.

!

Ill

803.

1

nun besonders heut'

10. Icli wiinsclie

Dass unser Heiland

Dass jede

—

!

Seel'

hiitt'

die Freud',

auf diesem Land'

Reclit innig wiird'

mit Ihm bekannt

moclite Jedes ganz fur Ihn gedeih'n

So wird Er sich, und wir mit

11. Gott

Ihm uns

freu'n.

gebe dass der ganze Sinn

Nur immer Auf Seine Der uns

Jesum

geh' auf

Martcr, Blut

liim,

und Tod,

aus aller Noth,

erlust

Und

dass die Hcrzen bleiben abgekebrt

Von

allem,

12. Mit Jesu

was zur Welt, zum

Segen geht denn

Rccbt

frob, ein Jed's

Er

Eucb

sei

Fleiscli geliort.

fort,

an seinen

Ort.

alien innig nab',

Ibr mog't sein dorten oder da.

Ja Er erbcbe die durcbgrab'ne

Uber Eucb

Within

all'

dem Wacbauer Land'

years there were baptized l,35t

fifty

children of the

auf

Hand

members

of the six congregations,

43 adults, and about 1,300 children of friends

and neighbors

;

G66 persons were buried at the

different burial-grounds.

112

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

The whole number

of church-members

and

children at the close of the half century presents the following

SUMMARY.

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY.

— 1804.

113

XIL

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY. 1804.

The

year 1804 was distinguished in our pro-

vince by the

commencement

Academy, which has

since

of the

Salem Female

become well known

in

the Southern States of the Union, and has flourished

more than

now one kept

fifty

years.

This institution,

of the oldest in the Southern States,

in grateful

remembrance by many Christian

mothers who here received their

first

and lasting

impressions of eternal truths, and have had the satisfaction of seeing their daughters

and grand-

daughters educated at the same place, and according to the same Christian principles.

For the

sake of the juvenile scholars of this institution,

we have endeavored, with its

the kind assistance of

present principal, to collect

10*

all

the dates re-

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

114

ferring to the outer history of this institution. Still

more important and more

instructive

would

be the inner history thereof, embracing the experiences

made by

young

ladies

the hi:ndreds of

who have been

its

girls

little

and

inmates, and of

the influence which their education in the Mora-

vian boarding-school has had upon their afterlife

on

earth,

and upon their dying hour would be

trace their inner history

in

impossible, and we, therefore, leave

mer

may

pupils, into fall,

whose hands

but to

to the for-

this historical sketch

want from

to supply this

it

;

most cases

their

own

per-

sonal recollections, feeling confident that they

could do

own

it

more completely and more

satisfaction than

we

carefully collected notes,

the outer history will,

can.

to their

The following

though referring only to

we

trust,

not prove unin-

teresting.

Before the close of the last century, the wish

had often been expressed by strangers,

when seeing

visiting friends

and

the educational advan-

tages of the youth of this small Moravian town, that their children might be permitted to partici-

pate in them, and there were

among

the

members

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY.

— 1804.

of the Salem congregation not a few,

dered

it

consi-

their Christian duty to serve their friends

and at the same time to

in the Southern States,

work

who

115

heavenly Master's cause by raising

in their

the standard of female education.

These petitions became more urgent, and the plan received a more definite expression, after

Bishop Reichel, the founder, and

for seventeen

years principal of Nazareth Hall, ^ had

president of the the directing

Board

tions at the South.

to be the

become the

Wachovia Provincial Conference, of the

Moravian congrega-

The main

difficulties

want of a suitable house

purposes, and an adequate

number

for

seemed school

of well quali-

Brother Reichel's daugh-

fied

female teachers.

ter,

educated in the Bethlehem Female Academy,

assisted

by M.

had given little

full

S.

Meinung and

E. Praezel,

who

satisfaction in the day-school for

girls, sufficed for

the older girls

J.

the present, and

among

who had received private lessons

from Brother C. Th. Pfohl, there also were some

who could be

»

calculated

upon

as suitable assist-

History of Nazareth Hall, from 1755 to 1855, p. 29.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

116

Taking

ants for the future.

this into consi-

all

deration, the Conference resolved, October 31st,

1802, to give to Brother Samuel G. Kramsch^

Hope,

minister of the English congregation at

who, as well as his in

wife,

had served

as teachers

boarding-schools, and were well acquainted

with their details, the appointment of commencing a female boarding-school at Salem.

On October

6th, 1803, the corner-stone for the

building to be erected on the square between the

"congregation house" and with appropriate

sister's

house was laid

Bishop

ceremonies,

Reichel

conducting the religious exercises both in the meeting-hall and out-doors, in the

German

lan-

guage.

In a copper case

—inserted

into

the corner-

stone, at the northwest corner of the building

the following inscription was deposited in the

German and English languages: In

tlie

name

of God,

the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in the year after the birth of our

Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

one thousand eicht hundred and three,

— 1804.

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY..

117

on the sixth day of October, in the twenty-seventh year

of

tlie

Independence of the United States of America,

when Thomas

Jeflferson

was President

of

them,

in the fiftieth year after the settling of the first

members

of the United Brethren in

of the Cliurch

North Carolina and

the beginning of building Bethabara, in the thirty-eighth year

since the beginning of building Salem,

the foundation-stone of this house for a

BOARDING SCHOOL

was

laid in a solemn

of Girls

manner,

in the presence of the whole Congregation,

with fervent Prayer to our Lord, that

by the

School, to be established in this House

His

name may be

glorified,

His kingdom of Grace be enlarged in this Country

and the Salvation of those,

who

of Souls

shall be educated therein, be promoted.

The daily word

avas

:

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts xvi. 31.

A

dying, risen Jesus,

Seen by the eye of

At once from danger

And

faith,

frees us,

saves the soul from death.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

118

The doctrimal text

He had done no mouth.

his

violence, neither

:

was any deceit in

Is. liii. 9.

May

our mind and whole hehaviour

Bear resemblance to our Saviour

And

his sanctifying merit

Hallow body,

Among some corner-stone

is

soul,

and

spirit.

other papers preserved iu

also a

list

of all the

little

the girls

belonging to the Salem congregation under 12 years of age.

tending school.

They were 42

Of

in

this

become teachers

academy, and one of them

day,

at-

these 42 girls and infants,

12 have, in the course of time, in the

number, 23

is

teaching to

and well remembers how she and her

companions were standing by and watching

fa-

ther Reichel, Benzien and

Kramsch, each

strike three times with

a mallet the stone in

in turn,

which the copper case was inclosed, where also her name was recorded,-

how Brother

standing upon the corner-stone,

Reichel,

implored

the

blessing from on high upon the building under-

taken in the name of the Lord for the promotion of

His glory and the

spiritual

and eternal

well-

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY.

many immortal

being of

— 1804.

119

Among

souls.

the

strangers attending these impressive ceremonies

was a gentleman from Georgia with daughter,

who two

his little

years after entered as the

first

pupil from that State.

Before the house could be finished, on

May

16th, 1804, four pupils were brought from Hills-

borough, and, for the present, received in some

rooms of the " Congregation-house," temporarily

arranged for

the

Misses Elizabeth Strudwick,

Mary

Kirkland, and

Halifax,

Anna

Ann and

Philips.

Anna and

others came,

These were,

purpose.

Soon

Felicia

Norfleet from

from Fayetteville, and Re-

Steirs

becca Carter from Caswell Count}^, State.

To

ber and

Mary

these were added

former, Mrs. latter,

The (Mrs.

Anna

all

from

this

Pauline Sho-

Steiner from Salem, of which the

Herman,

Mrs. Dencke, first

Elizabeth after four

teachers,

Seidel),

is still

still

living here,

and the

teaches in the academy.

Sophia Dorothea Reichel

Maria Salome Meinung (Mrs.

Ebbeke), and Johanna Elizab.

Praezel (Mrs.

Meinung), are

two former

still

living,

the

Bethlehem, Pa., and the latter in Salem.

in

MORAVIANS IN NORTH t!AROLINA.

120

The new bouse having been

finished in a year

and nine months, the 16th of July, 1805, was apart as the day of

its

solemn consecration.

set

The

boarders, village girls, and the ministers of the different congregations

having assembled at one

o'clock in the prayer-hall of the congregation-

house, a procession was formed by the scholars,

headed by the clergy, and followed by the teach-

When

ers.

leaving the house, a choir of trom-

bones performed a solemn tune, and, entering the

new

house, another choir of trombones received

them

in a similar

manner.

The whole company

assembled in the sleeping-hall (being the largest

room

in the house), in

two large

semicircles, the

pupils all being dressed in white, and the musical choir,

accompanied by a pianoforte and other

struments, sang Peace be to this habitation, Peace to every soul therein

;

Peace which flows from Christ's salvation, Peace, the seal of cancelled sin

Peace that speaks

its

Peace to earthly minds

Peace divine, that

Here erect

its

;

heavenly giver,

unknown

lasts forever,

glorious throne.

in-

—

;

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY.

To which

— 1804.

121

assembled there responded

all

This habitation,

And Fill

all

who dwell

therein,

with salvation

may

0,

in each be seen

True grace

And

lovely childlikeness.

After a fervent dedicatory prayer by Br. Reichel, a love-feast

was

held, according to the well-

known and time-honored custom in

of the Brethren,

which also participated some strangers from

Camden,

S.

C, who on

two daughters, the lina,

first

that day brought their

pupils from South Caro-

which, next to our

own

State, has sent the

most scholars to our academy.

The and

Sr.

living),

first

inmates of the new house were Br.

Kramsch and

their

two daughters

(still

twenty boarders, and four teachers. After

the usual evening meeting of the congregation, the

scholars

assembled

once more before the

house, surrounded by the whole congregation, to offer

hymns

of thanksgiving, praise, and prayer.

In 1806 the 11

first

printed circular was issued,

122

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

containing the

"Terms and Conditions

Boarding-School for Female Education

N. C," from which

it

of

in

tlie

Salem,

appears that the age of

admittance was between eight and twelve years,

and the age of pils at school.

fifteen

The

terminated the stay of pu-

yearly expenses were calcu-

lated at about $160; entrance-money, $5.

The branches taught were

:

Reading

;

gram-

mar; writing; arithmetic; history; geography; German, branches

if :

desired

;

plain needlework.

Extra

Music, drawing, and ornamental nee-

dlework.

In 1806, Br. Sam. G. Kramsch was succeeded

by Br. Abraham G.

Steiner,

who

presided over the institution as principal.

The number of

for ten years

its

inspector or

scholars increasing,

a third room had to be arranged in 180t, and a fourth in 1811

;

when a new building was

erected, as the dwelling-house for the principal

and

his family,

and thus some room gained

academy building. sufficient,

in the

This, however, not proving

a number of boarders had to lodge in

private families, which was continued for some

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY. years, until,

— 1804.

by additions to the old building,

more house-room could be gained. seventy-four of the pupils were

ill

no

case,

however, proving

In 1814,

of the measles,

which then was extensively prevalent in

123

in the place,

fatal.

In 1816, Br. Steiner was compelled, by the failure of his health, to

Br. G. Benjamin

resign his charge, and

Reichel, son of

Bishop

lleichel,

entered as the third principal, and served the institution faithfully

1833.

During

his

till

his

death, in December,

term an addition was made to

the academy building in 1824, containing, besides

some school-rooms, a chapel, which was solemnly consecrated on September 24th, and gave rise to the so-called "chapel festival," which no doubt

many

scholars

remember

lasting spiritual blessings.

of

as a time of rich

and

In 1826 the number

room companies had increased

to six, repre-

senting six of the Southern States of the Union.

A

few years later the number had considerably

decreased, partly owing to the great

money

pres-

sure at the South, the erection of other boardingschools,

and the

failing health of the principal.

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

124

Br. Iveichel breathed

last

liis

December

20th,

1833, having beeu shice 1816 inspector of the

academy, and since 1829 also pastor of the Salem congregation.

In 1834, Br. nia,

was appointed principal of the academy, and the station for ten years.

filled

the

Jacohson, minister at Betha-

J. C.

During

number of boarders again

his time

increased,

reached in 1838 one hundred and eighty, structed

by nineteen

teachers.

and in-

To make more

house-room, a new chapel was built in 1835, and gradually one

room

after the other taken pos-

session of in the old " congregation-house," until in

1841, after a

and a

new chapel

minister's dwelling

whole house, with

for the congregation

had been

built,

the

premises, was appropriated

its

to the purposes of the school.

In 1844, Br. Jacobson accepted an appoint-

ment

as principal

Boys

at

of the Boarding- School for

Nazareth Hall, Pa., and Br. Charles A.

Blech entered as the

He

fifth

was succeeded,

Emil A.

in

principal.

December, 1848, by Br.

de Schweinitz as the sixth, and in Feb-

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY. ruary, 1853,

known will

by

his

brother,

— 1804.

tlie

125

present well-

principal, Br. Robert de Schweinitz.

It

hardly be necessary to say anything abont

the present state of this institution, so extensively

and so favorably known

and so

States,

August

we

9th, 1854,

will

pupils.

But, for

mention two dates,

viz.,

on which day the corner-stone

academy

of the neiu

Southera

patronized by the daughters

fully

and granddaughters of former future reference,

in the

huilding^

was

laid with ap-

propriate religious ceremonies, and

March

1856, on which day the beginning was

24th,

made

of

removing from the old to the new house. As the old building required extensive repairs, all the scholars,

of the

216

new

in

number, lived within the walls

building, besides which about 75 day

scholars attended the school.

'

see

For a description of the new academy building,

Appendix

— Public Buildings. 11*

126

The

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA. following

is

a

list

of the

RESIDENT TEACHERS OF THE SALEM FEMALE

ACADEMY; including the teachers of the village

girls' school,

with the time of their service.

Those marked

thus (f ) have since departed this

life.

Italics are still in service.

Those

in

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY.

— 1804.

121

128

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

SALEM FEMALE ACADEMY.

— 1804.

129

MORAVIANS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

130

w g 'ke, John, born in 1750 in Nazareth, Pa.

;

died in

1823 in Bethania. Hamilton, Horatio, born in 1756 in Frederick Co., Maryland

;

came

to

North Carolina in 1775

;

died

in 1840 in Hope.

Hartman, George Fred., born in 1724 in Palatinate;

came

to

North Carolina in 1755

died in

;

1788 in Friedberg.

Hauser, Martin, born in 1696 in Miimpolgard, Switzerland

;

came

to

North Carolina in 1753

;

died

in 1761 in Bethania.

Hege, John Balthasar, born in 1714 in "Wurtemberg

came

to

North Carolina in 1757

died in

;

1785 in Bethania. Heix, John Jacob, born in 1713 in Dilleburg,

Germany

;

died in 1795 in Friedland. Heix, John, born in 1749 near Dilleburg,

Germany

died in 1806 in Bethabara. Herbst, John Henry, born in 1727 in Hanover

;

came

to

North Carolina in 1762; died in 1821 in Salem.

;

184

APPENDIX.

HcEHN, Marcus, born in 1719 in Zweibriicken,

came

to Nortli Carolina in

Germany;

1774

died in

;

1797 in Friedberg. Holder, Greorge, born in 1729 in Oley, Pa. Nortli Carolina in 1755

;

came

;

to

died in 1804 in

Bethabara.

Holland, John, born in 1743 in

came

Cliesliire,

to Nortli Carolina in

1773

England; ;

died in

1811 in Salem.

Kapp, John Jacob, born in 1729 in Switzerland

came

;

to Nortli Carolina in 1754; died in 1807 in •

Betbabara.

KoRNER, Joseph, born in 1769 in Black Forest, Germa-

ny

;

died in 1830 in Friedland.

Krause, Matthew, born in 1720 in Upper

many

;

came

to

Silesia, Ger-

North Carolina in 1755

died in 1762 in Bethabara. Kr(en, Peter, born in 1722 in Eichfeld, Franconia

;

died

in 1798 in Friedland.

Keehln, Christian David, born in 1793 in Niesky, Ger-

many KiiNZEL,

;

came

to

North Carolina in 1818.

John Fred., born in 1737 in Konigsbach, Ger-

many

;

died in 1802 in Friedland.

Lagenour, Jacob Fred., born in 1751 in Duiiach, Ger-

many

;

died in 1843 in Friedland.

Lehman, John Christian, born in 1770 in Lnsatia, Ger-

many.

;

185

APPENDIX. Leinbach, Lewis, born iu 1743 in Oley, Pa. Nortli Carolina in 1765

came

;

to

died in 1800 in

;

Betliabara.

Leinbach, Frederick,

bom

in 1737 in Oley, Pa.

;

died in

1821 in Salem. Lick, Martin, born in 1726 in to

Neuwied, Germany

North Carolina in 1758

;

;

came

died in 1760 in

Bethabara.

LoEsn (Lasli), John Jacob, N. Y.

;

came

bom

in 1722 in Scbobarie,

to Nortli Carolina

died in 1782 in Hope, N.

in 1753

J.

Mack, Jacob, born in 1753 in Reading, Pa.

died in

;

1836 in Davidson County.

Meinung, Charles Lewis,

came

to

bom

in 1743 in Oley, Pa.

;

North Carolina in 1771; died in

1817 in Salem. MlicKE, John, born in 1749 near Philadelphia

died in

;

1807 in Bethabara. MiiLLER; Jacob, born in 1721 in Zweibriicken, Germa-

ny

;

died in 1798 in Bethania.

Moss, Henry, born in 1751 in Maryland

Carolina in 1775

;

;

came

to

North

died in 1822 in Fried-

berg.

Noll, Jacob, born in 1740 near Philadelphia

;

died in

1811 in Bethabara. NoTHixo, Matthew, born in 1756 in Halifax; died in 1807 in Salem.

16*

;

APPENDIX.

18G

Oehman, John Gottfried, born in 1781 in Weissenstein, Livonia, Russia

came

;

to North. Carolina in

1819. Opiz, Charles, born in 1719 in Silesia, to

North Carolina in 1755

Germany

came

;

died in 1763 in

;

Bethania.

Padget, John, born in 1723 in Charles County, Mary-

land

came

;

to

North Carolina in 1775

died

;

in 1811 in Hope.

Padget, Thomas, born in 1752 in Carrol's Manor, Mary-

land

came

;

to

North Carolina in 1775

;

died

in 1831.

Petersen, Carsten, born in 1776 near Flensburg, Den-

mark

;

came

North Carolina in 1806.

to

Peddicoart, William Barton, born in 1739 in Prince George's County, Maryland Carolina in 1775

;

;

came

Pfaff, Peter, born in 1727 in Palatinate,

came

to

to

North

died in 1807 in Hope.

North Carolina in 1771

Germany ;

died in

1804 in Bethania. Philipps,

John Samuel, born in 1776 in Pennsylvania.

Ranke, John, born in 1737 in Lancaster County, Pa.

came

to

North Carolina in 1754

;

;

died in

1798 in Bethabara. Reich, John Christoph, born in 1763 in Berks County,

Pa.

;

died in 1824 in Salem.

;;

APPENDIX.

IST

Reich, Matthew, born in 1764 in Berks County, Pa.

;

died in 1829 in Salem. Reich, Jacob, born in 1770 in Orange County, N. C.

;

died in 1827 in Friedberg.

Reuz (Rights), John, born in 1752 in Bethlehem, Pa.

came

North Carolina in 1764

to

;

died in

1810 in Salem. RiED, Jacob,

bom

in 1735 in

Baden Durlach; came

to

North Carolina in 1770, from Broad Bay,

Maine

;

died in 1819 in Friedland.

RoMiNGER, David, born in 1716 in Wurtemberg to

in 1769

;

died in 1777 in Bethabara.

RoMiNGEE, Michael, born in 1709 in Wurtemberg to

came

;

North Carolina, from Broad Bay, Maine,

;

came

North Carolina, from Broad Bay, in 1770

;

died in 1803 in Friedland.

RoTHKOCK, Philip, born in 1746 in York County

,

- a-

;

died in 1825 in Friedberg.

RoTHROCK, Peter, born in 1746 in York County, Pa. died in 1829 in Friedberg.

RoTHKOCK, Jacob, born in 1770 in York County, Pa.

;

died in 1807 in Friedberg.

ScHAFFNER, John, to

bom

in 1773 in Switzerland

North Carolina in 1818

;

;

came

died in 1854 in

Salem. ScHAUB, John Fred., born in 1717 in Switzerland

;

came

APPENDIX.

188 to

North Carolina in 1755

died in 1801 in

;

Betliania.

Schneider, Melchior, born in 1717 in Durlacli, Ger-

many

;

came

to

North Carolina, from Broad

Bay, Maine, in 1770

;

died in 1790 in Fried-

land.

Schorr, Henry, born in 1735 in Switzerland

North Carolina in 1756

;

came

to

died in 1819 in

;

Betliania.

ScHULz, John, born in 1703 in Basle, Switzerland to

North Carolina in 1769

;

came

died in 1788 in

;

Betliania.

ScHUJiAN, Fred. Henry, born in 1777 in Gnadau, Ger-

many Seiz,

;

came

to

North Carolina in 1808.

John Michael, born in 1737 to

in

Wurtemberg came ;

Broad Bay, Maine, in 1759, and

Carolina in 1770

;

North

to

died in 1817 in Friedland.

Senseman, John Henry, born in 1786 in Heidelberg, Pa.

;

died in 1854 in Salem.

Shober, Gottlieb, born in 1756 in Bethlehem, Pa. to North Carolina in 1768

;

;

came

died in 1838 in

Salem. Spach,

Adam, born to

in 1720 in Alsace,

North Carolina in 1756

;

Germany

;

came

died in 1801 in

Friedberg.

Spoenhauer, John Henry, born in 1716 in Switzerland

;

;

APPENDIX, came

to

189

North Carolina in 1755

;

died in

1788 in Bethania. Stauber, Paul Christian, born in 1726 in Frankfurt,

Germany

;

came

to

North Carolina in 1767

;

died in 1793 in Bethania.

Wurtem-

Stockburger, John George, born in 1731 in berg

;

came

to

North Carolina in 1766

;

died

in 1803 in Salem. Stolz, Caspar, born in 1753 in Pennsylvania

;

died in

1834 in Bethania. Strup, John Francis, born in 1716 in Nassau,

came

to

Germany

;

North Carolina in 1766; died in

1782 in Bethabara. Strup, John, born in 1719 in Lauffelfingen,

came

to

Germany

North Carolina in 1760

;

died in

1789 in Bethania. Tesch, Henry, born in 1733 in Palatinate

North Carolina in 1771

;

came

;

to

died in 1804 in

Friedberg.

Traxson, Philip, born in 1724 in Palatinate

;

came

to

North Carolina in 1762; died in 1792 in Bethania. ViERLiNG, Samuel Benjamin, born in 1765 in Rudolstadt, Silesia,

lina in 1790

;

Germany came ;

to

North Caro-

died in 1817 in Salem.

Vogler, Philip Christopher, born in 1725 in Palatinate

;

;;

APPENDIX,

190 came

to

North Carolina, from Broad Bay,

Maine, in 1770

died in 1790 in Betliania.

;

Germany

VoLZ, Peter, born in 1726 in Alsace, to

North Carolina in 1768

;

came

;

died in 1806 in

Friedberg.

"Wageman, Andrew, born in 1758 in South Carolina

came

to

North Carolina in 1766; died in

1779 in Salem.

Wernek, Christian Andrew, born County, N. C.

;

in 1768 in

Wesnek, Matthew, born in 1730 in berg

came

;

Randolph

died in 1814 in Betliania. Stuttgart,

Wurtem-

North Carolina in 1772

to

died in 1806 in Friedberg.

Winkler, Christian, born

in 1766 in Switzerland

to North Carolina in 1807

;

;

came

died in 1839 in

Salem. Zevely,

Van Naman, born came

to

in 1780 in North Carolina

Salem in 1798.

Zimmerman, Christian, born in 1726 in Nassau, Ger-

many

;

came

to

North Carolina in 1758

died in 1793 in Friedberg.

;

191

APPENDIX.

No. II.

CHURCHES AND OTHER PUBLIC BUILDINGS. Salem. First meeting liall in Congregation

House conse-

crated 13th Nov. 1771.

The house removed in 1854

new academy Church

of

to

make room

for

the

building.

Salem consecrated 9th Nov.

1800

1841

Chapel built in

Old academy finished Boys' school-house Single sister's house

Brethren's house

.... .... .

1805

.

.

.

.

.

.1786

1794

1769

Bethabaka. First

meeting house, consecrated 1st Feb. 175G. 26th Nov. 1788.

Present church,

Bethania. First meeting house,

23d June, 1771. 22d Oct. 1806.

Present church

Friedland. First meeting house.

Second

"

18th Feb. 1775. 31st Oct. 1847.

Friedberg. First

"

Second

"

Third

"

"

11th March, 1769. 12th March, 1788.

"

28th July, 1827.

APPENDIX.

192 Hope meeting

liouse, consecrated

28th Marcli, 1780.

Philadelphia meeting house, " "

"

Macedonia

NEW ACADEMY For future of

reference,

we

25th May, 1856.

BUILDINGS.

insert here a full description

the New Female Academy

pared

31st Oct. 1851.

"

at Salem,

for the " Iloravian,^' vol.

i.

4,

the

which was preofficial

organ of

the American Moravian Church. "

The new house occupies the

site of

and parsonage (formerly called the

the old church '

Congregation

House'), immediately joining the original school building.

"The dimensions front

by 52

of the main building are 100 feet

feet deep,

with a wing at the north 70|

south 77 by 44 feet. north wing,

is

feet

and another one

at the

The main building, as well

as the

in length and 34| feet in depth,

four stories on the front,

and

(on account of the descent of the ground)

at the rear five stories,

including the basement.

The

of pressed brick, expressly

manufactured for our build-

ing, angl are

fronts of the houses are

probably some of the

first

of the

kind made

in our State.

"

The

feet in

front is

ornamented by a large Doric

length and 13 feet in width.

It

portico,

50

has four Doric

columns, with two pilasters resting against the house.

The height

of the whole, including bases, columns,

and

APPENDIX. entablatures,

103

between 30 and 40

is

feet

— the cornice of

the entablature extending three feet above the

windows.

the- third story

The whole

is

sills

of

built strictly

in accordance with the classical Doric order of archi-

The columns

tecture.

are of brick, stuccoed with hy-

draulic cement in imitation of

brown sandstone, as

also the rest of the portico, excepting the bases steps,

which are

"The

of

and

tion is formed

is

above

"

The

covered with

this,

feet in height.

front eleva-

and second

of

In the centre, there

a pediment of over

by about eighteen first

The

tin.

and crowned by a very heavy cornice

blockwork, over six

of base,

granite.

roof oi the house has but one inclination, from

front to rear,

rises

hewn

is

and

fifty feet in

length

feet elevation.

stories of the

main house

are

divided into eighteen dwelling and school rooms, with smaller side rooms attached to each. are fitted

up with small

closets,

These side rooms

wardrobes, &c.

All

the rooms are lined, to a height of three feet from the floor,

with panel-work, grained in imitation of walnut.

Passages of 12 feet wide extend through the whole length of the house in each story, and wide, staircases

run up on both ends

ment first

of the

to the fourth story. floor,

into

main house, from the baseThe entrance-hall, on the

which the large front door opens,

is

about 20 feet square, connecting with the main passage

by an

elliptical

17

archway of about 20

feet span.

On

the

APPENDIX.

194

south end the passage connects by a closed and covered

way with "

the old buildings.

The whole

third floor forms

one dormitory.

This

is

a very large room, extending over the entire house from wall to wall, without any partitions, the ceiling and fourth floor being supported

by a colonnade

of sixteen

pillars.

" ^\\e fourth story is divided into ten

the front being

fine

and

;

those on

Those on the rear are

and music rooms.

classes

rooms

intended for smaller

airy,

roughly finished, and only intended

for

trunk and

store rooms. "

The

north wing

is

divided into a large number of

rooms, to be used for various purposes. the second story of this wing '

is

The whole

sick-rooms,' with every convenience attached.

this

wing there

is

also a covered

ing directly into our church,

of

devoted to the so-called

From

and closed way, lead-

and by

this passage our

scholars can enter the church under cover at all times. "

The whole

up by wash' '

rear part of the basement story

or

'

dressing-rooms.'

is

taken

There are eighteen

such wash-rooms, each being furnished with three

Through

tionary basins. water, both hot

and

cold, is

cocks over each basin. thei-e are

baths.

a

all

sta-

these apartments the

conducted in pipes, with

In addition to these rooms

number of bath-rooms, with tub and shower

The head

of water

is

obtained from large water

195

APPENDIX.

tanks, located in the building at the end of the north

The supply

wing.

and spring

of water is procured

at the foot of the hill

up

ing stands, being driven

to

an elevation of some 140

by forcing-pumps, which

feet

power.

from a well

upon which the build-

are

worked by water-

Tlie hot water is generated in a large circulat-

ing boiler, located in the cellar of the front house.

This boiler was in

Auburn,

made

New

expressly for our establishment

York.

" There are porches of 12 feet width, extending along

the rear of the house, two stories high on the

main

house, and three on the north wing. *'

We have introduced

tilation

a very complete system of ven-

trunk ventilators run up from the lower ing above the roof.

With

these

ferent rooms are connected

"

The

lower

Four main

throughout the whole building.

south

wing

floor of

this

is

extend-

main trunks, the

not yet quite completed.

wing

dif-

by branches.

The

will contain a dining-room,

large

enough

floor,

whicbwill be supported by iron

to seat

floor,

some 250 persons.

On

the second

pillars,

our chapel

will be located."

R. DE. S.

APPENDIX,

196

No. III.

HOUSES BUILT IN SALEM. 1706—1816. 1786. Feb.,

first

house,

at present, Schaffner's shop.

owned by

Ang., second house, **

Fries.

third house, two-story building, since re-

moved,

site of Fries's store.

Contained

'*

Sixth

"

meeting-hall.

inhabited by

17G7. Fourth house, Fifth

first

W.

Leibech.

inhabited by Hughes.

owned by inhabited by

1768. Pottery,

Blacksmith-shop,

J.

Ebert.

Chitty.

at present, L. Belo.

Single Brethren's house. 1769. Single Brethren's house, finished in part, at present, widows' house.

Tannery,

at present, Brietz.

1770. Congregation-house, finished in 1771,

removed

in

1854.

Seventh house, 1771.

House

at present, Fischer. at present, Belo's store.

for skins,

Tavern, burnt in 1784, rebuilt in 1784, at present, Buttner.

Vogler.

1772. Renter's house,

°'

1774. Store of congregation,

" E. A. Vogler.

Triebel's house,

rebuilt in 1756.

J.

W.

H. Hall.

APPENDIX.

ISY

1775. Family house.

1783. Family house, afterwards widows' house, since

removed,

at present,

bank

building.

1785. Single Sisters' house.

3

786.

Family house,

at present, Shober's.

Family house,

formerly Huesler's.

Addition to Brethren's house. 1787. Family house,

1788.

"

"

"

"

at present, Thos. Boner.

inhabited by Mitchel. "

"

Banner.

at present, N. Vogler.

1789. Fulling-mill, 1791. Family house,

at present.

Boner

& Crist's

store.

1794. Boys' school-house. 1797. House for

warden

of congregation, S. Stotz, at present, S. Th. Pfohl.

C. Vogler's house,

1800. Dr. Vierling's house,

Bakery,

"

R. Crist.

"

land-office.

"

Winkler.

1803. Girls' school-house.

Market-house on the square. Corpse-house. 1805. SchriJter's house,

at present, Fulkerson.

1810. Inspector's house.

1814. Eberhardt's house. C. Schulz's

"

1815. Chr. Reich (copper-smith).

at present, Schajafner.

APPENDIX.

198 The above

list

is

not quite complete, for in 1816

there were counted, besides the church, the congrega-

and two choir-houses, thirty-

tion-house, the two school

six family houses in Salem, probably including those

built in that year

by A.

Steiner, Foltz,

and Hagen.

new

In the following years, not all the

seem the

to

have been recorded

list is

incomplete, but

buildings

in the Memorabilia still

;

hence

not without local in-

terest.

1817—1851. 1817. Senseman.

1819. Addition to the Sisters' house, on the south.

John Vogler and Sam. Schulz. 1820.

Thomas Wohlfahrt, Charles Levering, and Henry

1821.

New

Herbst. grist-mill near

Salem.

1822. H. Lienbach, Schaffner, S. Lick, 1823. A. Steiner, Jr.

and Ackerman.

Cistern in the square.

1824. Philip Reich, Traug. Lienbach, Sam. Schulz. 1826. Three

1827.

1828. One 1829.

new

Two new "

new "

houses.

houses.

Printing-office.

house.

"

1831. L. Eberhardt, Denke, and Jos. Stauber. 1832.

Timothy Vogler.

1834. Jos. Stauber.

— APPENDIX.

199

1839. Clewell and Sussdorf. 1840.

Wm.

18-41.

Kramer, F. Fries, Beitel, A. Fishel, second story

Houser, Theopli. Vierling, Clias. Cooper.

on Jac. Blum's for

Bishop

store, chapel, minister's liouse

Van

Vleck, corpse-house.

1842. Theod. Schultz, H. Meinung, A. Steiner, H. ler,

1843.

John Chitty, Traug.

Wink-

Cliittj.

David Blum.

1844. Joshua Boner,

D. Siewers, F. C. Meinung

J.

;

con-

cert hall.

1847.

Edwin

1848.

Edwin Meinung

Beitel;

bank building. ;

Fries, factory building.

1849. Antoinette Blum, Ed. Belo

;

hall of

Young Men's

Missionary Society and Sons of Temperance the former in 1856 occupied by the post-office. 1851.

Wm.

F. Schulz.

— APPENDIX.

200

No. lY.

ADDITIONS AND NOTES. 1753.

The following are the names

who

ren,

arrived as

of the nine Breth-

first settlers

:

John Beroth, farmer, from the Susquehanna, Pa.

John

Lisher,' farmer.

Herman

Loesh, miller,

from Pennsylvania.

Jacob Lung, gardener, from Wurtemberg. Christopher Merkle, baker. Erich Ingebresten, carpenter, from Norway.

Henry Feldhausen, carpenter and hunter.

Hans Peterson, Jacob

Pfeil,

1757.

Among

17G0.

Two

tailor

from Denmark.

shoemaker, from Wurtemberg.

those coming to the Bethabara mill, are

mentioned Mr. Shephard and Mr. Banner. hives of bees were brought from Tar River,

120 miles, which increased very fast sequence, in the

many

made

;

in con-

their appearance

fall.

In December,

made

bears

immense quantities of wild pigeons

their appearance

nearly a month.

and roosted near by for

When

together, at night,

they covered only a small tract of woods, but

were clustered so thick upon the trees as to break down the largest limbs by their weight.

The noise made by them

camp

in

coming

to their

at night, as well as the fluttering, &c.

APPENDIX.

201

during the night, and thus breaking up in the

morning, was heard at a considerable distance.

The spot was marked 1761.

for

many

years.

Jan. very cold, and thick ice on'the mill-pond,

strong enough to drag heavy logs over

it

to

the saw-mill. 1763.

In Bethabara and Bethania wells were dug, and

the

first

pumps introduced into this

part of the

country. 1765.

John Leinbach, with his family of seven

No. 1767.

1,

chil-

and bought

dren, arrived from Oley, Pa.,

lot

the so-called "Lineback tract."

The County Court in Salisbury gave permits

for

three public roads, one leading from Salem to

the Townfork and

Dan

River, another to Be-

Creek and the Cape Fear Road, and the

lo's

third southward to the Uwharee. 1769.

Great abundance of wild grapes

;

nineteen hogs-

heads of wine were made in the three

settle-

ments. 1770.

Abundance of

of caterpillars,

which destroyed much

the grass and grain.

The place

for the

burial-ground of Salem was cleared and fenced in.

Roads opened

to

Salisbury and Cross

Creek. 1771.

Much harm done also

18

many

to the

com by

bears in the woods.

the squirrels,

APPENDIX.

S02 .1772.

A

2758

bell of

vania

;

from Pennsyl-

lbs. weiglit arrived

tbe largest in the neigbborbood

used in Salem

for

was

;

meetings, and also served

for tbe town-clock, to

announce tbe bours.

In Oct., Br. Beelitscber finisbed an organ of two

Trombones bad been pro-

stops for Salem.

cured from Europe in 1765.

A

road was laid out from Salem to tbe Sballow Ford, wbicb opened communication witb Doutbid's settlement

;

an old road

to Belo's

Creek

was re-opened. 1778.

Dobb's Parisb abolisbed by law of religious

waterworks 1780.

Coffee tbree

no distinction

;

denominations bencefortb. ;

erected

sbillings

by

J.

Salem

Krause.

per pound

;

sugar four

sbillings.

smallpox in Salem.

1781.

First inoculation of

1784.

One bundred and one persons

in

measles, only one cbild died

mer

;

severe fresbets

;

many

;

Salem bad tbe very bot

sum

sick of fever

and

sore tbroats.

1785.

Fire engines for Salem brought from Europe.

1786.

Wbile digging tbe

cellar for addition to tbe Bre-

tbrens' bouse, Br. A. Kremser killed

by tbe

was covered and

falling ground.

1787.

Introduction of ligbtning-rods in Salem.

1789.

In Betbabara, English preaching every fourth

Sunday.

APPENDIX. 1791.

208

Paper-mill near Salem finished

;

town clock in

Salem. 1792.

Fourteen persons died in Salem in February and

March

of

an epidemic

scarlet rash.

The mail from Halifax

Salisbury passes

to

through Salem once in two weeks

:

G. Shoher,

postmaster.

A

double row of sycamores was planted from the tavern to the bridge on the beach

;

still

noble

trees.

1795.

1796.

Great freshet

;

the lower part of the mill under

water.

Wlieat cost six shillings, corn four

shillings

—double price.

Great freshet in January. riding to the mill,

1797.

Preaching places at the

and

at

Will.

Hall, whilst

was drowned.

Muddy

Creek, ten miles,

Beaver Dam, thirteen miles from Sa-

lem. 1799.

Br.

Van Zevely worked

man, of

Litiz, at

a year with Br. Bach-

the organ of the Salem church,

building the outer organ case. 1802.

Eighty persons in Salem inoculated with the

1803.

One hundred and twenty-five persons

cowpox. in

Salem

sick of the measles. 1806.

The town-clock improved by Eberhard the quarters.

to strike

APPENDIX.

20i

Charles P. Bagge built a storehouse on the road to Friedlaud, the first

house in Charlestown or

Waughtoivn. 1811.

March.

Consecration of Rippel's church

cu-

;

pola and bell on Bethabara church. 1814.

One hundred and twenty persons

in

Salem sick

with the measles. 1815.

Mill on the

Brushy Fork.

Wool-carding machinery of Br. Zevely, the

first

in this State.

1817.

Great abundance of peaches and apples.

1828.

Improvements in the water-works

1831.

By legislative

of Salem.

enactment, the freedom from mili-

tary service rescinded, which

was formerly

granted to the Moravians.

Salem volunteer company.

July 4th. 1832.

New

1833.

Aug. 28th.

fire

engine from Philadelphia.

Very destructive hail-storm

;

about

four thousand window-panes broken.

1837.

Salem cotton factory commenced operations

in

fall.

1840.

Woollen factory

1846.

Union meetings in Liberty or Burchrentown.

1849.

of P. Fries.

Emigration to Iowa. Fifty-one acres of Salem land sold to the county of Porsythe, for $5 per acre, for the

ty-town of Winston.

new coun-

— APPENDIX. 1850. Aug. 25th. Great freshet

;

;

205

bridge over the Middle

Fork destroyed. Court-house in Winston finished. 1854.

Plank-road

from

Fayetteville

church in Salem repaired

to

Bethauia

third gallery for

;

boarders of academy. 1857.

Jan. 18th. Severe snow-storm and intense cold

no mail from the North

for

Separation of town and church

and

;

nearly two weeks. officers in

Salem,

election of the first municipal officers,

January 5th.

At the commencement of the year 1857, the governing Boards in the various departments (both

and

State) in

Salem were composed as follows

Rev. L. T. Reichel, Pres't, Rev. G. F. Bahnson,

) I

E. A. de Schweinitz,

Church :

Provincial Board.

J

Rev. G. F. Bahnson, Minister at Salem. S. Til. Pfohl,

Warden

of Congregation.

E. A. de Schweinitz, Administrator of Land-Office.

Rev. R. de Schweinitz, Principal of Salem Female Aca-

demy. Rev. L. T. Reichel,

"l

'^^^^^^^ °^ ^^^'''^ ^^^^^^^

Rev. G. F. Bahnson, E. A.

de Schweinitz,

Academy. J

APPENDIX.

206

E. A. de Schweinitz, Pres't, S.

Th.

"

Pfolil, Secretary,

H. Leinbach,

Board of Overseers of

Fr. Fries,

E. A. Vogler,

j-

tlie

Congregation and

Church Property.

C. Cooper, T. F. Keehln,

W.

Petersen,

Rev. G. F. Bahnson, President of Salem Boys' School. S.

Th. Pfohl,

1

Fr. Fries, }

Committee

of

Salem Boys' School.

E. A. Vogler, L. Belo,

Charles Brietz, Mayor. R. L. Patterson,

"]

F. Fries,

A. Butner, J.

R. Crist,

[

Town Commissioners.

E. Belo, I

T. F. Keehln, S.

Mickey,

J

THE END.

9

66