Wayne-Medina-Lorain County OhArchives Church Records.....St. Michaels Congregation
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Linda Simons lsimons8@suddenlink.net June 4, 2007, 12:40 am

The History of St. Michael's Congregation (date unknown)
St. Michael's Congregation was organized by the Rev. George Henry Weygandt, 
some time around 1830. The Rev. Weygandt was born May 2, 1779 in Northampton 
County, Pa. In May 1790, his father and family emigrated to Washington county, 
Pa.  Around 1806 he started preaching and the study of theology. He had three 
sisters-Mary, Susannah and Ann, Mary married her first cousin, Jacob Frase; 
Susannah married his first cousin, Henry Frase, a brother to Jacob. Ann 
married Jacob Younker. Jacob and Henry Frase had a brother John who married 
Eve Catherine Lash. These four families came to Chippawa Township around 1820, 
each buying 160 acres of land from the government while James Monroe was 
President. These four families were Lutherans and I am sure they held worship 
services in their homes, along with their German Reformed neighbors.  The 
doctrine and creeds of these two denominations were very much the same, and I 
think they took turns as to which home was to be used for services.  In this 
date and time, the early 1800's ministers were few and far between, and I am 
sure the Frases, Younkers, and other Weygandts in the vicinity urged or maybe 
begged the Rev. Weygandt to come to Wayne County, Ohio to be their minister 
and organizer.
The Rev. Weygandt came to Wayne County around 1823 and organized the Fox Run 
Congregation. On February 13, 1830, Valentine Ault and Jacob Frase, trustees 
of said congregation, purchased 2 acres of land from Philip 7 Hannah (Crites) 
Sickman, for the purpose of meeting and schooling.  The first church building 
was made o logs and might have been built some time before the ground was 
bought, as there were burials in the joint cemetery as early as 1825 and maybe 
even before. Some time later the name was changed to St. Michael’s 
Congregation and the Lutherans and Reformed people worshiped together each 
Sunday. This was not the Lutherans one Sunday and Reformed the next Sunday as 
most histories say. Proof of this is the fact that the council was made of men 
from both the Lutherans and Reformed members.  Singers were also selected from 
both sides.
The Rev. Weygandt went on to organize other congregations in Doylestown, Canal 
Fulton, Manchester, the High Church, Grill Church (located on old 21), in 
Canaan and the Wooster area. Most of these congregations were made up of 
Lutherans and Reformed members. The Rev. J. W. Hamm, a Reformed minister, also 
served the St. Michael congregation and I find that he too was a circuit 
riding pastor. He and the Rev. Weygandt probably took turns in serving these 
people in the rite of baptisms, Holy Communion, marriages, and funerals. The 
Rev. hamm performed 58 marriages in Baughman Township-many of them Lutheran 
Reformed Here are a few: May 26, 1842 Joseph Gindlesperger & Anne Frase, March 
15, 1843 Henry Frase & Mary Etling, June 28, 1849 George Harsh & Catherine 
Sickman, March 28, 1850 John Frase & Anna Etling, February 2, 1844 Martin 
Weygandt & Catherine Ginglesperger, January 19,1860 Henry Weygandt & Mary J. 
Frase, July 6, 1843 Israel Baughman & Anna Weygandt, March 9, 1854 Henry Geis 
& Catherine Lutz; Anna Weygandt was the daughter of Rev. Weygandt. Also in 
these early years some of the members were married by Andrew Ault or Peter 
Frase, who were Justices of the Peace. So this leads one to believe that there 
were Sundays these people worshiped without a pastor present-- singing hymns, 
bible reading, and maybe a sermonette by one of the trustees.
In later years the log structure was replaced by a frame building. The exact 
year is not known,  The earliest minutes of the annual meetings available 
start in 1841. They often mention the constitution they had at that time. It 
seems the greatest point of contention at that time was about having some of 
the sermons preached in English instead of German.

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