Early Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in the World This article is one of nearly 500,000 scholarly works digitized and made freely available to everyone in the world by JSTOR. Known as the Early Journal Content, this set of works include research articles, news, letters, and other writings published in more than 200 of the oldest leading academic journals. The works date from the mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries. We encourage people to read and share the Early Journal Content openly and to tell others that this resource exists. People may post this content online or redistribute in any way for non-commercial purposes. Read more about Early Journal Content at http://about.jstor.org/participate-jstor/individuals/early- journal-content. JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. JSTOR helps people discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. A REGISTER OF MEMBERSOFTHE MORAVIAN CHURCH, AND OF PERSONS ATTACHED TO SAID CHURCH IN THIS COUNTRY AND ABROAD, BETWEEN 1727 AND 1754. TRANSCRIBED FROM A MS. IN THE HANDWRITING OP THE REV. ABRAHAM REINCKE, TO BE FOUND IN THE ARCHIVES OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH AT BETHLEHEM, PA. AND Illustratedwith Historical Annotations, BY W. С REICHEL. NAZARETH. 1873. contributionto theearly history of theMoravian Churchin thenorthern British Colonies of America,is based upon a recordof membersof its con- gregations,which the Rev. Abraham Reincke made, in the course of his ministry in this country,between the years 1744 and 1760. The record,though meagre, is an unusually interestingone, in as faras in its entiretyit acquaints us with the men and women,who, in various ways, wroughttogether in the beginningsof a religiousmovement, which, with remarkablesingleness of purpose,aimed at the extensionof Christ'skingdom upon earth. It carriesus back, in fact,to the very originof the Renewed Church of theUnited Brethren(better known in this coun- - tryas the Moravian Church) to that time,when among the Moravian and Bo- hemian refugeessettled in the village of Herrnhut,in Saxony, there was a blend- ing of spirits by which they wereknit togetherinto a brotherhoodand thereby strengthenedto enter upon a missionfor which they believed themselves to have been specially called. It was fromHerrnhut that the infantChurch sent out her firstevangeliste. Thence, too, her religious teacherswent forth,seeking, wheresoever they came, those who were in spiritual darkness or doubt or in bondage to sin, that they mightinstruct them in the way of salvation. From Saxony they passed into the other states of Germanyand the Continent; next into Great Britain, and then into the North American Colonies of the BritishCrown. The Province of Pennsylvania,which since 1718 .had been annually receiving large accessions to its population fromthe states of Germany,chiefly from the Rhineland, was, we are told, one of the firstforeign fields which arrested the attentionof the Moravians of Herrnhutas having a claim upon their Christian philanthropy. And it was, in fact,the necessitouscondition in spiritual thingsof the Pennsylvania Palatine, as much as theiieathenism of the North American 286 INTRODUCTION. Indianwhich induced the Moravians to send evangelistsand thencolonies into theNew World. Suchwas the beginningof the MoravianChurch in America* With the agentsin this transatlanticmovement inaugurated by the Brethren, and withthose who were brought under its influence, the majorpart of the reg- isterwhich constitutes the subject-matterof this paper is concerned.The spirit whichpervaded this movement, the policy and modeaccording to whichit was prosecuted,and itssuccess, are mattersof history. No farthercomment on either is necessary,save such as mayserve to elucidateterms employed occasionally by the recorder,in the rubricsof his severalenumerations, and allusionsmade by theeditor, in thecourse of his necessarilybrief historical introductions. As was intimatedabove, the early Moravians were deeply impressed with the beliefthat it was theirChurch's mission ¡to extendthe [Redeemer'skingdom. Hencethey not only obeyed the last injunction of theirDivine Master to his dis- ciplesliterally, as oftenas theysent out missionaries into thedark corners of the earth,but they also sought,wherever occasion offered, to preachand teachChrist in Christiancountries to thosewho were ignorant of him, or who, as theybelieved, failedto apprehendhim aright. No wonder,then, that on theirarrival in this countrythe condition of the religiously destitute Germans of this and the adjacent Provincesenlisted their sympathies. They found them without church organiza- tions,without places of worship in therural districts, and withouta statedminis- try;- themselvesbecome neglectful of, or indifferent tothe things of God, and their childrengrowing up in ignorance.These theynow visitedin the characterof evangelists,preaching the Gospel and administeringthe sacramentsto themin housesor in barns,and gatheringtheir children together in schools. At vsome pointsthey organized congregations aud then incorporated tbem with their Church, " at othersthey formed the attendants upon theirministry into Societies,"- con- tentto havethe members of theseadhere to the tenetsof Lutheror Calvinand to the churchesof theirbirth and education,provided such a coursewould only securethem willing hearers of the Wordof God. For ten yearsthis catholic work,on thepart of the Moravian Church, was carriedon with surprising energy, and whetherwe considerthe menwho engagedin it, the fieldin whichthey wrought,the difficultiesunder which they labored, the activitywhich they dis- - playedand thefaith by which they were actuated it willalways remain an inte- restingchapter in theearly annals of that Church in America. AbrahamReincke, a son of Peter Reincke,merchant, and Magdalene,m. n. Petersen,his wife,was bornori the 17thof April,1712, in Stockholm,Sweden. In his eighteenthyear, at theinstance of his motherwho designed her son for the Church,he was sentto Wollmirstadt,near Magdeburg,in Prussia,to pursuea courseof liberal studies under the directionof his uncle,Pastor Jacob Petersen, whowas a Lutheranclergyman in that place. In his house he remainedtwo INTRODUCTION. 287 years,and thenentered the gymnasium or high-schoolin Brandenburg,old town. Here,he tells us,he becamedeeply concerned about the welfareof his soul, havingbeen movedto a seriousconsideration of spiritualthings by the godly walkand conversationof theco-rector of the academy. In this frameof mind youngBeincke, in 1735,repaired to Jena. It was at the timeof a religiousre- vival amongthe studentsof thatthen world-famed University. Peter Boehler, fromFrankfort-on-the-Main, was one of these,and byhim the subjectof this noticewas counselledin his distress,and led eventuallyto unitewith a brother- hoodof youngdisciples of Christ,which included in its ranksmen who subse- quentlybecame shining lights in theMoravian Church. To thisbrotherhood be- longedChristian Renatus, the son of CountZinzendorf, after whom it was named "Christian'sEconomy." Accompanyingthis associationin its movements,in 1738,we findhim in Berlinengaged with several of his comradesin reportinga seriesof discourses*which the Count held in thatcapital, - and subsequently,a secondtime in Jena. In theautumn of the last mentioned year he was admitted tochurch fellowship with the Brethren, at thecastle of Marien born, in consequence ofwhich step he incurredthe sore and lasting displeasure of his father. Havingspent upwards of a yearin St. Petersburg,where he preachedthe Gospel and actedas tutorin thefamily of Baronvon Nolken, counsellor for the Swedish Legationin thatcity, he returnedto Marienbornin Juneof 1741. In December followinghe wassent to Englandand laboredin theGospel in Londonand York- shire. In 1744he returnedto theContinent, and in Julyof thatyear, at Herrn- dyk,Utrecht, married Susan Stockberg,from Sunmoer, Norway. This was pre- paratoryto his departureto theNew World, whither he had been called by the authoritiesof the Church of his adoption. In companywith Bishop Spangenberg, accordingly, he sailedfrom Amsterdam in theautumn of 1744,for New York,and arrivedat Bethlehemon the 9thof November.Of Mr. Reincke'scareer in theministry in thiscountry, we will state the followingfacts : Having itineratedin WestJersey among the descendants ofthe early Swedish settlers to whomhe preachedin theirnative tongue, he was, " in Novemberof 1745 settled at Nazareth,where he filledthe office of Ordinary" untilin May of1747. Thencehe removedto Philadelphia,preached in theMo- ravianchurch in thatcity, and fora secondtime itinerated in WestJersey and alongthe shores of Delaware bay. We findhim next in Lancaster,then at Beth- lehem,and in thesummer of 1751 a secondtime in Philadelphia. The following yearswere spent fey him in visitingthe rural congregations ofhis Church,during whichperiod he dedicateda houseof worship in thePennsylvania Minisinks and " * Des HerrnGrafen von Zinzendorf s einiger oeffentlichen Reden, welche im Jahr1738 vom Jan- uário bis zu Ende des Aprilsin Berlinan die FrauensPersonen daselbst gehalten worden:1 Leipsic und Altona1749. 288 INTRODUCTION. " also openeda door forthe Moravian Gospel ministryin The Oblong,"on the easternconfines of the Province