Peter Family History & Genealogy

Lutheranism In Perry County, Ohio. 379



he was to live and to make it a center of Lutheranism for years

to follow.

The Peter Whitmore was of Swiss descent and had been

a soldier of the Revolutionary War.

These three families, Binckley, Overmeyer and Whitmore,

formed the nucleus about which Perry County Lutheranism was

to collect. The families were large and in themselves would

make a respectable sized congregation. Nor would they wait

long until steps were taken to provide themselves with the preach-

ing of the Word. But even a short period would seem long

to these zealous folk who were without their customary church

services. Tradition tells us that the neighbors would gather to-

gether on Sundays when the lessons for the day were read, to-

gether with the appropriate prayers and songs. Nor would we

be trespassing on the truth if we made the statement that these

pious laymen would take turns in reading from a book of sermons

which undoubtedly some of them possessed.

The Spring 1803, the year Ohio became a state, brought to

our Perry Countians their first Lutheran pastor in the person

of Rev. Eierman, (or Euerman), who came from Pennsylvania

and spent several weeks visiting the Lutheran families which

were now rapidly increasing. His coming was certainly long to

be remembered. This forest preacher, riding down the Zane

trail, alone, with his books in his saddle-bags, inquired at the

occasional houses if they knew of any German settlers! Some-

times he overtook the slow-moving emigrant van as it painfully

made its way across the steep hills of eastern Ohio or struggled

with the flood in crossing the stream. Often he found brethren

of his own faith and so he halted with them, shared their frugal

meals or partook of their hospitality at their night encampment.

Here in these "first temples" beneath the mighty trees, with the

wild beasts glaring upon them from their coverts with glassy

eyes, this Man of God, standing by the camp-fire, raised his

hands toward heaven and invoked the blessings of the Most High

upon that people as it took up its new life in this western land.

And in the hush that falls after the benediction, there would

come into the souls of that little company, that peace whic
380 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

"passeth all understanding," but which no one knows except he

who has been in close communion with the Father of all.

We know not at whose pioneer hut this preacher was first

entertained, but we can well believe that it must have been in

the humble abode of Father Overmeyer, for his house was quite

near the "trail." We hope we are not deviating too much from

the historian's field if we indulge our imaginations to the extent

of visioning that first visit. How the good home frau busied

herself by putting on a clean cap and kerchief; how the children

were given an extra scrubbing even if it was in the middle of

the week and incidentally reminded of their manners by telling

them that children were to be seen and not heard; how the larder

was drawn upon for little extras in honor of the parson; how

the master put on the same suit which he had worn to church

on Sundays in Northumberland County; and how the older chil-

dren were sent along the winding wood-paths to the neighbors,

some living four or five miles away, to inform them that a min-

ister of their own Faith had come and to invite them to the Over-

meyer home for the evening.

We know well how the hours were spent; there was sing-

ing and prayer and reading from the Word, and much of the

conversation related to the desire of the people that the reverend

visitor remain for a short period in their midst, baptizing the

new-born babes and preaching for them as often as possible.

The following Sunday would be the appointed day.

In the meantime, they would carry the news over on

Jonathan's Creek and to the shores of the Great Swamp and

down the hills of Rush Creek, that a goodly congregation might

be on hand. Then they sang another song and together repeated

"Vater Unser," bade each other "Gute Nacht" and the men tak-

ing the long cat-tails, gathered in the lowlands and soaked in

bear's grease, for torches, took the various paths homeward.

The intervening days must have dragged themselves along

very slowly. But at last Sunday came, and with it along the

forest lanes came the Binckleys, Poormans, Pughs, Parkinsons,

Whitmores, Anspachs, Shriders, Bowmans, Humbergers, Neals,

Zartmans, Emricks, Fishers, Ridenours, Swinehearts, Cooper-

riders, Mechlings, Rousculps, and all the rest of them.