Schuylkill County PA Archives Church .....History of the Llewellyn, PA Methodist Church 1839-1939 W/Surname Index ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sharon Pinkerton Wayland spwpcw@verizon.net August 24, 2009, 4:05 pm SOURCE: Report written and delivered by the church Historian, MRS. JENNIE FAUST in December 1939 upon the occasion of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the "New Church Building" (1889) on Bunting Street in Llewellyn, Branch Twp., Pennsylvania. This six page document was preserved in its original envelope addressed to "Mrs. Emma Peiffer and Family" for over fifty years by Mrs. Nellie Mae (PEIFFER) PINKERTON until her death at the age of 101 on March 6, 1990. Nellie Pinkerton always referred affectionately to Mrs. FAUST, a lifelong resident and school teacher in Llewellyn, as "Miss Jennie" (GARLAND) her beloved and highly respected teacher. History of Llewellyn Methodist Church 1839-1939 In celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of our church building, we are also celebrating the one ­hundreth anniversary of Methodism in Llewellyn. In 1839 Ann Cockill, wife of Joseph Cockill, organized a Methodist congregation. The meeting house was the chapel, owned and used now by the Reformed Church for Sunday School. This building was erected on the northeast comer of two lots which were donated to the town by the land owners, namely Willing, Bunting and Shober, Philadelphia capitalists for a cemetery. The building was erected by the citizens for educational and religious purposes. School was held in the one room building during the week and any religious denomination had the privilege of worshiping there on Sunday, the only proviso being that they did not interfere with each other's time. Joseph Cockill, Henry Bressler and Philip Delcamp were the first trustees. After some time the Joseph Cockill family moved to Illinois, the Methodist church became a Union Church and finally ceased to exist. In 1871 the present Methodist church was organized by a few people who felt the need of a place in which to worship, nearer than Minersville, to which most of them went, when walking was good, for the automobile age had not yet arrived. The little band consisted of Baptists, Presbyterians, Congregationals, Quakers and two Methodists: Mrs. Aneline Wilcox and Mrs. Christiean Cockill, a sister-in-law of Ann Cockill, who had started the Methodist church 32 years before. The names of this little band were Ezra Cockill, Thomas Cockill, George Harris, John Harris, William Bush, Isabel Harris, Mary A. Cole, Margaret Thomas, Mary Harris, Mary Cockill, Mary Bush, Angeline J. Wilcox and Christiean Cockill, one of whose descendents, a grand­daughter, Mrs. Mary Emma Jones is still living here and a member of this church. This class, for that is what twelve members of the Methodist church were called in days gone by, became a part of a Branchdale, Swatara, Llewellyn circuit. Robert Morely, a local preacher was sent here as pastor by Rev. Robert Pattison, Presiding Elder of the West District of the Philadelphia Conference. The building in which the services were held had always been referred to as the "Old School House". Now it was changed and called the "Old Church". - - - End of Page 1- - - - It had not been used for school or church for a long while and since there were no available funds for its maintanance, it certainly was not a very inviting place and those who went there did not go to enjoy the comfort or elegance of their surroundings. The annual conference of 1872 assigned Richard Kains to the Branchdale, Swatara, Llewellyn circuit as pastor. On July 20th, 1872 the first quarterly conference was held at Llewellyn with the following members present: Presiding Elder: Rev. Robert Pattison Pastor: Rev. Richard Kains Members: Ezra Cockill, Thomas Cockill, George Harris, Christiean Cockill and Angeleine Wilcox from Llewellyn, John Timberly of Branchdale, William Brown of Swatara At this conference the pastor's salary was fixed at $306.36 for the circuit. Reverend Kains served the circuit three years. During his second year Branchdale church was built and the Paster's salary for the circuit was raised to $435.00. In 1875 C. W. Arnold was assigned to the circuit but only served three months. Rev John A. Cooper pastor of Tremont charge was instructed by Rev. C.F. Turner who was their Presiding Elder to take temporary charge of this circuit, which he did, preaching on Sunday afternoon at each of the churches alternately. During this year the Sunday Schools adopted the Berean Lesson Leaves. The Annual Conference of 1876 did not assign a pastor to this circuit and for nine years until 1885 it was considered a class of Minersville church, the pulpit being supplied on Sunday afternoon by the pastors of that church as follows: G.D. Carrow, H.H. Bodine, G.W. Lybreand, Richard Turner and W.J. Bawdin all of whom have entered their eternal rest. In 1885 Llewellyn was again united with Branchdale Swatara circuit with S.C. Carter preacher in charge. During his pastorate the church took on new life. Perhaps he garnered some of the seed which had been sown by some former pastor. He served Llewellyn one year and during that time twelve persons were added to the church, all of whom have gone into the "Great Beyond" except four. Two are living in Pottsville: - - - - - End of page 2 - - - - Mrs. Amelia Frederic and Mrs. Ida Boyer, one in Indiana - - Mrs. Lillian Hershey and Miss Emma Richards who is still here and a member of this church. In 1886 Rev. A.M. Strayhorn became pastor and served one year. In 1887 J.H. Deible came and served a few months, was transferred to Berrysburg. The place thus made vacant was supplied by G.W. Beatty who served one year. 1888 brought the church M.K. Zweizig who only remained four months. He was well beyond middle life and felt unable to do the work and resigned and the circuit went begging. In August of 1888 C.C. Clark, a young Baltimorean, was through a mutual friend, broughyt to the notice of Rev. J.F. Crouch the then Presiding Elder who appointed him to this circuit. All of the men mentioned served in the "Old Church". The name "Old School House" as well as its appearance having been changed. The old five by six foot pulpit had disappeared and smmaller and better looking one replaced it, a small organ, a wonderful help to the singers, a sofa and four pulpit chairs adorned the platform. These furnishings had been saved when a small church in Heckschersville had been burned down a short time before. The members of that church believed the fire was of incendiary origin and decided to not rebuild and offered the furnishings to Llewellyn church, through our Sunday School Superintendent, Thomas B. Thomas, providing we would give them enough money to repair their cemetery fence. The offer was gladly accepted and Mary Emma Cockill, a daughter of one of the founders of the church and Jennie Garland were drafted for the task. We felt the importance of our work, went out and got the money and the church got the furnishings. The old benches had been replaced by comfortable seats, shutters protected the windows, good coal-oil lamps adorned the walls and gave light for evening services. The annual house-cleaning of the church was an event in the town. The older women, armed with white-wash brushes and buckets of lime attacked the walls inside and outside, while the younger element, with a bucket of soap and water and elbow grease, made clean and sanitary the wood-work, windows and floor. In those days protracted meetings were held and people who were tired of sin and concerned about their soul's salvation went to the mourners bench and got - - - - - End of page 3 - - - - - through or at least were supposed to. Now evangelistic meetings are held, sinners are invited to the altar and are converted. The terms have changed but they cost the same and bring about the same results. In the early part of 1889 a goodly number was added to the church as a result of the revival and the church again took a stride forward. Your historian is the only one of that number here. We hope to meet them all in heaven. Immediately after the conference of 1889, a new church was decided on. Rev. C.C. Clark was returned as pastor. The P & R - C & I company generously donated the lot on which this church is built and gave us permission to get stone for the foundation and sand for plaster from its land and the use of an engine and trucks to convey the stone from the mountain. These favors were granted largely through the efforts of Mr. D.H. Wilcox and the pastor C.O. Clark. Soon after the lot had been obtained there was a suspension of work at the collieries, which seemed to increase the mountains of difficulties before us, but "it's an ill wind that blows no one any good" and soon the silver lining was discovered to the dark cloud, for the men not having much money, like Peter and John gave what they had, that is, their labor and the excavating getting stone, sand, etc. was accomplished at a very small cost and the church was built. For as in the time of Nehemiah, the people had a mind to work. The corner stone was laid June 2, and the church was dedicated December 8, 1889, free of debt. Ezra Cockill was the contractor and builder. The cost of the church and furnishings was $3,200. The first trustees of the new church were Thomas Cockill, J.P. Wilcox, D.H. Wilcox, John Terrill, Paul Boyer, George Miller and William Sherman. In 1890 Rev. George Dale became pastor and served one year. In 1891 Rev. J.N Carroll was sent to us as pastor. He served one and a half years. In 1892 Rev. M.G. Clayton came and filled the unexpired seat for three months of 1893. In 1893 Rev. Fox came and served until March 1895. In 1895 Rev. J.W. Fryer came and served three years. - - - - - End of page 4 - - - - - In 1898 Rev. N.P. Johnson came and served three years. During his pastorate the parsonage was built and a large number were added to the church. In 1901 Rev. G.W. Sheetz became pastor and served two years. A large number was again added to the church. In 1903 Rev. Francis Dowlin was sent here and served one year during which the belfry was built and bell purchased. In 1904 Rev. John Ellery became the pastor and served three years until 1907. In 1907 Rev. J.H. Illick came and served one year. In 1908 Rev. Willis Nickols came here and served two years. A large number was again added to the church. In 1910 Rev. Irvin Seitz came and served one year. In 1911 Rev. Francis Morrow served one month. In 1911 Rev. Hiram McVary followed and served two years. In 1913 Rev. A.M. Strayhorn was sent here, twenty-seven years after his first pastorate here and stayed two years. In 1915 Rev. James Hunt came and served three years. In 1918 Rev. Rineer came and served seven years. In 1925 Rev. Jacob Beaver came and served three years. In 1928 Rev. W.T. White came and served three years. In 1931 Rev. R.O. Lilley came and served two years. In 1933 Llewellyn and Pin Grove were joined as a circuit and Rev. Willis Lewis sent. He served two years. In 1935 Rev. Harold Koch came and served four years. During that time and through his efforts, the church at Newtown which had been closed for several years, all the members except three having died or moved to some other locality, was sold to be used as a dwelling house. The pews and pulpit furniture were given to this church. The money received for the building and also that received for the antique sofa and chairs belonging to this church of which we had been so thankful for forty-seven years before, was used to redecorate this room. In 1939 Rev. F.G. Mauger was sent to us. We pray that each member will hold up his hands, as the hands of Moses were held up in the Wilderness, so that at some future anniversary some other historian may be able to report a bountiful harvest. We believe that each of the men who labored here realized that he was a co-worker with God in his vineyard and endeavored to do his best. - - - - - End of page 5 - - - - - Some had the satisfaction and blessing of seeing many gathered into the church, while others have seen few additions. God alone knows why. Possibly some sowed, others watered and others reaped. God alone can give the increase. We are apt to measure the worth by the results, but in that great day when the final account is made up God will reward as he deserves. His judgment is just. All of the original members have left us and we trust are enjoying that blessed abode that Jesus went to prepare for his believing children. Mrs. Wilcox was the last to leave us. She departed this life six years ago triumphant in faith. Of the thirty pastors who served this circuit in its fifty years, half of them are still alive and about their Fathers business. Some have retired, some have gone into other churches. Death and removals to other localities have so depleted our ranks until now our membership is smaller that it was twenty years ago. Even so, we are not discouraged for those who leave here usually unite with some other church in the place to which they go and while it is our loss, it is a gain to some other congregation. Only on that great day when we meet our Maker face to face will we know how much or how little good the church here has done. The members are the church so that the verdict will come to each of us individually. If we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who is the pattern for us all, we will surely hear the welcome salutation. "Well done good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joys of thy Lord." Though we are few in number, we are part of the 8,000,000 Methodists. Jennie Garland Faust Historian - - - - - End of page 6 - - - - - SURNAME INDEX Containing names of early Llewellyn residents and Methodist Clergy "History of the Llewellyn Church" by Mrs. Jennie (GARLAND) FAUST NAME Page C.W. Arnold 2 W.J. Bawdin 2 G.W. Beatty 3 Rev. Jacob Beaver 5 H.H. Bodine 2 Ida Boyer 2 Paul Boyer 4 Henry Bressler 1 William Brown 2 ______Bunting 1 Mary Bush 1 William Bush 2 J.N. Carroll 4 G.D. Carrow 2 S.C. Carter 2 C.C. Clark 3,4 M.G. Clayton 4 Ann Cockill 1 Christiean Cockill 1 Ezra Cockill 1,2,4 Joseph Cockill 1 Mary Cockill 1 Mary Emma Cockill 3 Thomas Cockill 1,2,4 Mary A. Cole 1 John A. Cooper 2 J.F. Crouch 3 George Dale 4 Philip Delcamp 1 Rev. Francis Dowlin 5 J.H. Dreible 3 Rev. John Ellery 5 Jennie Faust 6 Rev. Fox 4 Amelia Frederic 3 Rev. J.W. Fryer 4 Jennie Garland 3 George Harris 1,2 Isabel Harris 1 John Harris 1 Mary Harris 1 Lillian Hershey 3 Rev. James Hunt 5 NAME PAGE Rev. J.H. Illick 5 Rev. N.P. Johnson 5 Mary Emma Jones 1 Richard Kains 2 Rev. Harold Koch 5 Rev. Willis Lewis 5 Rev. R.O. Lilley 5 G.W. Lybreand 2 Rev. Hiram McVary 5 Rev. F.G. Mauger 5 George Miller 4 Robert Morely 1 Rev. Francis Morrow 5 Rev. Willis Nickols 5 Rev. Robert Pattison 1,2 Emma Peiffer Documentation Matter Nellie M. Peiffer Documentation Matter Nellie M. Pinkerton Documentation Matter Rev. Rineer 5 Emma Richards 3 Rev. Irvin Seitz 5 Rev. G.W. Sheetz 5 William Sherman 4 (Samuel L.) Shober 1 Rev. A.M. Strayhorn 3,5 John Terrill 4 Margaret Thomas 1 Thomas B. Thomas 3 John Timberly 2 C.F. Turner 2 Richard Turner 2 Rev. W.T. White 5 Angeline J. Wilcox 1,2 D.H. Wilcox 4 J.P. Wilcox 4 ______Willing 1 M.K. Zweizig 3 SOURCE: Report written and delivered by the church historian, MRS. JENNIE FAUST in December 1939 upon the occasion of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the "New Church Building" (1889) on Bunting Street in Llewellyn, Pennsylvania. This six page document was preserved in its' original envelope addressed to "Mrs. Emma Peiffer and Family" for over fifty years by Mrs. Nellie Mae (PEIFFER) PINKERTON until her death at the age of 101 on March 6, 1990. Nellie Pinkerton always referred affectionately to Mrs. FAUST, a lifelong resident and school teacher in Llewellyn as "Miss Jennie" (GARLAND) her beloved and highly respected teacher. A Brief Look at the Author, Mrs. Jennie Garland Faust through the Federal Census of Branch Twp., PA "Miss Jennie's" Parents: 1870 Federal Census: Village of Llewellyn, Branch Township, Schuylkill County John GARLAND, 32 Coal Miner Born in Ireland Jane, wife, 39 Born in Wales Mary, daughter, 9 Born in Pennsylvania (Mary Jennie Garland) 1880 Federal Census: Village of Llewellyn, Branch Township, Schuylkill County, PA John GARLAND, 42, Broom maker Jane, 39 Mary J. , 19, School Teacher (Mary Jennie) 1900 Federal Census: Village of Llewellyn, Branch Township, Schuylkill County, PA John GARLAND, 62 Jane, 57 1910 Federal Census: Village of Llewellyn, Branch Township, Schuylkill County, PA "Bunting Street" John GARLAND, 72 Jane, 69 "Miss Jennie" married Daniel FAUST around 1890 1880 Federal Census: Branch Township, Schuylkill County, PA Jacob F. FAUST, 57, Farmer Magdalena, 55 Daniel, 26 Cabinet Maker David, 24 Telephone Operator Elizabeth, 21 Carrie, 16 1910 Federal Census: Village of Llewellyn, Branch Township, Schuylkill County, PA Daniel F. FAUST, 56 Carpenter Jennie, 49 1920 Federal Census: Village of Llewellyn, Branch Township, Schuylkill County, PA Daniel FAUST, 66 Jenn, 59 Jane GARLAND, 78 Widowed, Immigration 1842, Naturalization 1850 1930 Federal Census: Village of Llewellyn, Branch Township, Schuylkill County, PA Jennie FAUST , 69 Jane GARLAND, 88 Jane GARLAND died in April of 1939 (The year of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the "New" Llewellyn Methodist Church building on Bunting Street, Llewellyn, Branch Twp., PA) Death date of Jennie FAUST unknown Death date of Daniel FAUST unknown Additional Comments: Note: Harold L. Pinkerton, the youngest son of Nellie Peiffer Pinkerton made the "original" Faust document available for Transcription, August 20, 2009. NOTE: From Dr. Sharon P. Wayland, August 24, 2009 The "original" 1939 document was typed on 8 ˝ by 11 inch paper. This copy was transcribed from a carbon copy which had yellowed with age. It had been folded to fit into a business envelope that measures 4 1/8 by 9 inches. The envelope had never been sealed. "Mrs. Emma Peiffer + Family" and below "History of Methodist Church Llewellyn was written in ink on the front of the envelope which is worn at the edges and has damage at the right top corner. The second and third page are very difficult to read. They appear to be more faded than pages 1, 4,5 and 6. Page four had two inked corrections "Nehemiah (not Veasinnah), and $3200 (not $32.00) It also had Thomas Cockill and J.P. Wilcox in black ink as additions to the listing of the first trustees of the church. These inked notations appear to have been made by the author, Mrs. Jennie Faust, prior to her oral presentation to those gathered for the 50th Celebration Ceremony of the Llewellyn Methodist Church (on Bunting Street) in 1939. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 20.6 Kb