THE LUTHERANS—SCHWERDFEGER, MYERS, WEANT.
Among the early ministers of religion who attended to the spiritual interests of the pioneers, were several of the Lutheran Church. Of this denomination, there was a considerable number in the County of Dundas, chiefly Dutch. There were also a community of them in Ernesttown, and another in Marysburgh. The first church built in Upper Canada, east of Kingston, perhaps the next after the one built at Tyendinaga, was erected by the Lutherans. It was put up in 1790, named Zion’s Church, and a Mr. Schwerdfeger, who resided near Albany, was invited to be their Pastor. This invitation was gladly accepted, as he and his family had suffered severe persecution from the victorious rebels. He died in 1803.
At an early period, indeed it would seem probable before Mr. Schwerdfeger came to Canada, although the time cannot be positively fixed, the Rev. Mr. Myers, from Philadelphia, lived in Marysburgh and preached to the Lutheran Germans of that Township. He married a daughter of Mr. Henry Smith, one of the first settlers there, where stood his log church, about twenty-four feet square, upon the brow of a hill overlooking a lovely landscape. Mr. Myers removed to the St. Lawrence, and “in 1804 became Pastor of the Lutheran churches there.” (History of Dundas). He resigned in 1807, not being supported, and removed to Pennsylvania.
The second Lutheran clergyman to preach upon the Bay, was the Rev. Mr. Weant. He lived a short distance below Bath, and went every four weeks to preach at Smith’s Bay; and, in the meantime, preached to the Lutherans of Ernesttown, where he built a log church, the first there. In 1808, he received a call from the Lutherans of Matilda, “which he accepted, and for some time preached acceptably, residing in the parsonage.” He, too, seems to have been inadequately supported by the people, and yielding to inducements, too tempting for most men to resist, he, in 1811, secretly joined the Church of England, and was re-ordained by Bishop Mountain, in Quebec. Upon his return, he pretended still to be a Lutheran minister, and preached, as usual, in German exclusively. Suspicions, however, soon arose that all was not right, for he began to use the English Book of Common Prayer, and occasionally to wear the surplice, practices which gave such offence to his former friends, that they declared they would no longer go to hear a man who proclaimed to them in his shirt sleeves. A few were persuaded by him to join the Church of England. The majority remained faithful. In 1814, the Lutherans again invited the Rev. Mr. Myers; upon his consenting to come, they sent two sleighs, in the winter, to Pennsylvania, and brought him and his family to Dundas. But Mr. Weant would not give up the parsonage and glebe, and put a padlock on the church door, and forbade any one to enter, unless acknowledging the thirty-nine articles of the Church of England. A compromise resulted, and the Lutherans were permitted to use the building once in two weeks. For three years, Mr. Myers continued his ministrations as a Lutheran, in the meantime being in straitened circumstances. In 1817, strangely enough, Mr. Myers also forsook the Lutheran Church, and conformed to the Church of England. (Hist. of Dundas.) The end of Mr. Weant and Mr. Myers, according to accounts, was not, in either case satisfactory. The latter died suddenly from a fall, it is said, while he was intoxicated, and the former was addicted to the same habit of intemperance.
The successor of Mr. Myers was the Rev. I. L. Senderling. He came in 1825, and stayed only a short time.
In 1826, Rev. Herman Hayuniga became the Pastor; and succeeded, after many years, in restoring to the church its former prosperity, notwithstanding much that opposed him. He had a new church erected. His successor was the Rev. Dendrick Shorts.
The Kingston Gazette contains a notice of perhaps the last Lutheran Minister at Ernest town. “Married. In Ernesttown, 29th Jan, 1816, the Rev. Wm. McCarty, Minister of the Lutheran congregation, to Miss Clarissa Fralick.”
CHAPTER XXIX.
Contents—Bishop Strachan—A teacher—A preacher—A student—Holy Orders—A Presbyterian—Becomes an Episcopalian—A supporter of the “Family compact”—Sincere—His opinion of the people—Ignorant—Unprepared for self-government—Strachan’s religious chart—He was deceived—The Methodist—Anomalous connection—A fillibustering people—Republicanism egotistical—Loyalty of Methodists—American ministers—Dr. Strachan’s position—His birth place—His education—A. M., 1793—Studying Theology—Comes to Canada—A student of Dr. Stuarts—Ordained Deacon—A missionary at Cornwall—Rector at York—Archdeacon—Bishop of Toronto—Coadjutor—Death—A public burial—Rev. Mr. McDowell—First Presbyterian at Bay Quinté—Invited by VanAlstine—On his way—At Brockville—Settles in second town—His circuit—A worthy minister—Fulfilling his mission—Traveling on foot—To York—Marrying the people—His death—His descendants—Places of Preaching—A Calvinist—Invites controversy—Mr. Coate accepts the challenge—The disputation—Excitement—The result—Rev. Mr. Smart—Called by Mr. McDowell—Pres. clergyman at Brockville—Fifty years—An earnest Christian—A desire to write—“Observer”—A pioneer—A cause of regret—Not extreme—Mr. Smart’s views on politics—The masses uneducated—The “Family Compact”—Rise of responsible government—The Bidwells—Credit to Dr. Strachan—Brock’s funeral sermon—Foundation of Kingston gaol—Maitland—Demonstration—Sherwood’s statement.