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Archiver > PALANCAS > 1998-08 > 0901980557


From: "Nelson R. Sulouff" <>
Subject: Re: [PALANCAS-L] 18th century York, Lancaster & Adams county churches
Date: Sat, 01 Aug 1998 08:09:17 -0600


Richard H. Soard wrote:
>
> >Date: Sat, 01 Aug 1998 08:44:44 -0400
> >To: <>
> >From: "Richard H. Soard" <>
> >Subject: 18th century York, Lancaster & Adams county churches
> >
> >Dear PA/VA researchers,
> >
> >I am searching for info about the ancestors and descendants of Johan
> Heinrich SCHWERDT/SWORD and wife Anna Maria HERCHELRODT who were married
> 1755 in PA and may be my ggggg/grandparents. Several descendants of this
> couple married into the TAYLOR line in Washington and surrounding counties,
> VA in the early 1800's and this is the line that I descend from -- that is
> if I can prove the following info to be valid!
> >
> >In the late 1970's a TAYLOR descendant hired a "professional" to research
> the family line and an extensive history was developed citing GS microfilms
> as documentation to support the research. The microfilms referenced were
> indicated to have been made by the Mormans of church records of birth,
> death, and marriages in PA and VA during the mid to late 1700's.
> >
> >In my effort to confirm the documentation I find that several of the
> microfilms cited do not exist in Morman records and the others cited do not
> contain the churches or surnames referenced, so I am hoping that someone
> can help confirm that these churches existed:
> >
> >REFORMED LUTHERAN CHURCH, Moravian Congregation, York Co, PA -- GS
> Film#020371
> >Dates of records 1755-1762 referenced. This film exists but Church does
> not exist on film.
> >
> >CONEWAGO LUTHERAN CHURCH, Adams Co, PA -- GS Film #020349
> >Dates of records 1764-1769. This film exists but Church does not exist on
> film.
> >
> >TOM'S CREEK CHURCH, Moravian/Lutheran Congregation, Montgomery Co, VA, GS
> Film #1307939, Dates of records 1769-1794. This film # does not exist in
> Morman records.
> >
> >TOM'S CREEK LUTHERAN/MORAVIAN CHURCH, (Branch congregation of Ready
> Creek), Wythe/Smyth Co, VA -- GS Film#1307940. Dates of records 1791-1815.
> This film # does not exist in Morman records.
> >
> >Until I received this info a few months ago, I thought my heritage was
> Scots-Irish, so I a complete novice regarding German heritage, immigration
> routes, naming patterns, religion, etc. I have been told that it is very
> unlikely that Lutheran and Moravian faiths would worship in the same
> church. Also that the name "Reformed Lutheran" is a contradiction itself.
> CAN SOMEONE ASSIST ME.
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Richard Soard
> >
> >
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Dear Richard and all Rooters,

To give the researcher from the 1970s every benefit of doubt, it might
be said that the "professional" researched records of Lutheran
church(es), Reformed church(es), and Moravian congregation(s) and then
lumped his findings all together without annotating which records came
from which churches. There might be legitimate information in what he
collected and only misleading documentation about his sources.

>From my understanding of church history, I regret to tell you that at
least part of the reason the churches named above do not appear on the
LDS films is that such churches NEVER existed. I am quite certain there
never was a Reformed Lutheran church, and I do not believe there ever
was a Lutheran/Moravian or Moravian/Lutheran church. The most ludicrous
combination of all is the one you cite as REFORMED LUTHERAN CHURCH,
Moravian Congregation, York Co, PA!

Since the 16th Century, Lutheran congregations have followed the
teachings and practices of Luther from Germany, while Reformed
congregations have followed the teachings and practices of Zwingli and
Calvin from Switzerland. From early colonial times and continuing into
the early 20th Century, due to lack of resources and in a very
cooperative spirit, sometimes a Lutheran congregation and a Reformed
congregation would share expenses of building and maintaining facilities
for worship in common. The cooperative ventures were somtimes referred
to popularly as "union churches," but there never was a formal merger
for any church called a Union Church. In early times the typical pattern
was that a German Lutheran service of worship and the sacrament of the
altar would take place on one Sunday and the next Sunday a German
Reformed service and communion would take place. This pattern of
alternating worship services would of course depend upon the
availability of a Lutheran pastor and a Reformed pastor.

As regards "Lutheran/Moravian" churches, this is even more misleading
"information" from the "professional" researcher. In early colonial
times the Lutherans in America lacked ordained pastors and frequently
got together for "public worship" without a pastor. Count von Zinzendorf
brought a colony of German-speaking Moravians to America and they
developed missionary methods of trying to convert Lutherans to join
their ranks. There was considerable antagonism between the two groups
rather than cooperation as there was between Lutheran and Reformed
groups. Many Lutherans did go over to Moravian congregations and many
Lutherans went over to Church Of England (Episcopalian) congregations.
The threat to the continuation of Lutheran churches in America was very
grave due to lack of pastors. Finally in 1743 Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg
came to America and became known as the "savior" of Lutheranism in
America by organizing training to develop pastors and by organizing
Lutheran congregations into synods so they would be more efficient in
conducting the work of the church.

I find it lamentable that such muddled reporting of research has led you
and your family astray for so long, and I do hope you will be able to
help set the record straight.

Rev. Nelson R. Sulouff
(a Pennsylvania Lutheran, now retired in Arizona)

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