COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES StatioH or Cirtuil
Memberj
Bmton circuit 33S Berwick tu tio n ................................•. 1.091 West Berw ick station .................................................... 148 Budcbom circuit ............................................................... 136 Cauwissa station ............................................................. 304 Centraba station ............................................................... t8$ Coa)-ngham circuit ............
- 30
[>anvilTc station— St. P a u l 's ^ Danville station— T rin ity ................................................. 313 B ysbu rg cireuil .............................................................. 313 Espy— U m e R idge c ir c u it ................................................. 306 lamison C ity circuit
- 51
Jonestown o rcu it ........... 177 M ifflinville circuit ............................................................. 240 M illville circuit ................................................................. 333 Orangeville circuit ........................................................... 368 Roaring Creek circuit ...................................................... 179 Rohrsburg circuit ............................................................. 106 W ashingtonville circuit ..................................................... 80 RKFUKMKD AND i.u TH K itA N M o st o f th e G e r m a n im m ig r a n ts t o th is section w e r e m e m b e rs o f e it h e r th e L u t h e r a n o r R e f o r m e d C h u rch es, a n d th e y b r o u g h t (h e ir religious b o o k s w it h th e m . T h e s e th e y r e a d and d iscu ssed c o n s ta n tly , in th e e f f o r t t o p r e ser'c th e ir r e lig io u s c o n v ic tio n s , h o p in g w h e n the thn e w a s p r o p it io u s t o b e a b le t o h a v e th e benefits o f t h e m in is tra tio n o f le a d e r s o f t h e ir sects. T h e y w e r e n o t lo n g w ith o u t th e .service o f th e ir p a s to r s . A m o n g th e firs t o f th e L u t h cran m is s io n a r ie s w h o c a m e t o th is s ec tio n w ere R e v s . S e e le y , S h a r r e tts , P H tt, P a u ls , K r a mcr and B a u gh c^ ', w h o o r g a n iz e d ch u rch es— ^ *795 a t C a t a w is s a ; 1805 in B r ia r c r e e k ; 1808 in l ^ u s t ; 1809 in M ifR in ; i 8 i o in H e m l o c k ; and 1812 in O r a n g e to w n s h ip s , fn 1886 t h e Lutherans h a d e ig h te e n ch u rch es in C o lu m b ia county a n d te n in M o n t o u r c o u n ty . T h e d e n o m in a tio n a l lin e s b e tw e e n th e L u t h crans a n d th e a d h e re n ts o f th e R c f o r m c t l Church w e r e n o t v e r y s t r ic tly r e g a r d e d in pkm ecr t im e s , th e fir s t ch u rc h e s h u ilt b y th e German s e t t le r s b e in g u sed b y b o th d e n o m in a tions. a lt e r n a te ly , a ll th e p e o p le u su a lly a tte n d mg both s e r v ic e s . T h i s cu sto m o f h a v in g union ch u rc h e s h as c o n tin u e d u n til th e p re s e n t tim e in a lm o s t e v e r y in stan ce, th e o c c a s io n a l «c e p iio n 5 d u e t o lo c a l d ir a g rc c m c tits . T h e sch ism in th e L u t h e r a n C h u rc h h as a b o u t ^ a ly d iv id e d th e .d e n o m in a tio n in th ese t w o counties, bu t t h e r e is a la ck o f th e r a n c o r b e tween th e m e m b e r s s o m e tim e s m e t w it h in other p a rts o f th e S ta te . T h e l r s t m in is te r o f th e R e f o r m e d a u r c h in this s e c tio n w a s R e v . J a c o b D ie ffe n b a c h . H e ca m e t o B lo o m s b u r g in 1815, w h e n h e was in th e p r im e o f l i f e , a n d p re a c h e d in th a t town as w e ll a s in M a h o n in g , C a ta w is s a . B r ia r -
F d lM fio n J ii.ooo 68,000 10,300 6.000 21.S00 8,000 I7.ooo 33.500 37.500 19.050 3.000 9.000 8.000 6,500 15.75® I3,8oo R.600 7,000 3.900
61 Pajtor H . W . Newm an J. H . A k e J. E . Beard G eorge Martin R. H . Stine Charles W . Bryner H . E. Crow c . H. W itn u n Alexander Scott T . F . Ripple Edmund J. Symons I. N. Diehl Philip Thomas I. W . M cAlarney w illia m Faus A rie l R. Turner John H. Greenwatt W illiam Shannon L . A . Rcmlcy
c r c c k , M iflH ii a n d o c c a s io n a lly F is h in g c r e e k to w n s h ip s . H i s m is s io n a ry la b o rs c.xtcn ded a ll o v e r b o th C o lu m b ia a n d M o n t o u r co u n ties, a n d th r o u g h h im th e ch u rch w a s p la c e d o n a fir m basis. I n 1822 h e r e m o v e d t o E s p y a n d c o n tin u e d th e r e t o p re a c h u n til h is d e a th in 1824. H e d e v o t e d h im s e lf s o c o m p le te ly t o th e w o r k o f th e ch u rc h th a t h e a c q u ir e d co n su m p tio n a n d b r o u g h t t o a n u n tim e ly c lo s e a c a r e e r w h o s e im p o r ta n c e t o th e c o m m u n ity w a s ju s t b c m n n in g t o g e t a p p r e c ia b le resu lts, H e w a s a fin e s in g e r , a n d h e p re a c h e d ex> c lt is iv e ly in th e G e r m a n la n g u a g e, I n 1829 R e v . D a n ie l S . T o b ia s t o o k c h a is e o f th e B lo o m s b u r g c o n g r e g a tio n , a n d in 1 8 ^ h e w a s .assisted b y R e v . H e n r y F u n k , w h o h eld serv'ices in th e E n g lis h la n g u a g e . In 1854 R e v . W . G o o d r ic h su cce ed ed th e m , s e r v in g hi.s p e o p le f o r h a l f a c e n tu ry . A t th e c lo s e o f h is m in is t r y th e c h a r g e c o n s isted o f s ix c o n g r c g a tio n s , a n d b y h is a d v ic e th e O r a n g e v ille c h a is e w a s fo r m e d , c o n s is tin g o f (h e O r a n g e v ille , Z io n a n d S t. J a m e s c o n g r e g a tio n s , w h ile (h e r e m a in d e r in c lu d e d th e B lo o m s b u r g , H e l l e r a n d C a ta w is s a ch u rch es. I n t8 8 6 th e r e w e r e t w e l v e R e f o r m e d c h u rc h e s in C o lu m b ia c o u n ty a n d th r e e in M o n t o u r c o u n ty . In m o st in sta n c e s th e c o n g r e g a tio n s w e r e c o o p e r a t in g ^ i t h th e L u th e r a n s in th e u se o f a s in g le ch u rc h b u ild in g . T h i s i$ al50 th e ca$e in $onie jn s ia n c c s a t th e p resen t lim e , a lth o u g h in th e ^ , i , e d e n o m in a tio n s a r e s e p a ra te d , i i? i_ • *i r •T J " i 9 U ll«c S u s q u e h a n iia is th e d iv id in g lin e W p m m g Cla.ssis irxd E a s t S u s < l«ch a n n a C la s s is , b o th o f w h ic h ta k e in p a rts c o u n tie s o f C o lu m b ia a n d M o n to u r . T h e r e a r e s ix te e n ch u rc h e s o f th e R e f o r m e d d e n o m in a tio n in th e t w o co u n tie s , d e ta ils o f w h ic h a r c g iv e n in th e f o l l o w i n g t a b ic :
