1. The Ephrata Experiment
Nestled along the banks of the Cocalico Creek, in Colonial Pennsylvania, in a section then known as the region of Conestoga – later Lancaster County - was a quaint community of religious separatists who called themselves the Ephrata Community. To those outside the group it eventually became known as the Ephrata Cloister.
The community was founded by a charismatic figure named
Johann Conrad Beissel. Beissel’s
spiritual journey is an interesting one which I will not detail here. He arrived in Boston from Germany in
1720. Upon his arrival he made his way
to Germantown, PA, where he became acquainted with Peter Becker and the German
Baptist Brethren, today known as the Church of the Brethren. Beissel eventually made his way to Lancaster
County where he was baptized by Becker in 1725 and became pastor of the newly
formed Conestoga congregation. He left
Conestoga in 1728, however, to pursue a life of solitude some 15 miles away
along the banks of the Cocalico Creek.
In 1732 Beissel began to form a small community of like-minded believers
who were devoted to a life a celibacy, simplicity, prayer, work and
fellowship. Beissel was the undisputed
leader with nearly total authority.
The Ephrata Community was a fascinating experiment. Beissel insisted on establishing the Sabbath,
or the seventh day of the week, as the day for worship. Over time the movement welcomed nearby
married couples known as householder members.
Together they created a thriving, industrious community known for its
original music, productive mills, woodworking skills, clockmaking, printing,
and beautiful folk art known as fraktur.
During the American Revolutionary War, the Ephrata Community opened its
doors to become a hospital for the Continental Army.
At its peak in 1750 the Cloister had about 300 members,
including 80 celibate brothers and sisters.
The community began a slow but steady decline over the next 2 decades,
then really dropped off after the death of its founder in 1768. In 1814 the few remaining members officially
organized as the Seventh Day German Baptist Church. Today the Cloister is a museum owned and
operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
The legacy of the Cloister has always been an important part of my life. I was born and raised in Ephrata, less than a mile from the site of the Cloister. As an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren I have strong religious ties to this unique tradition. But the Cloister also figures strongly in my family heritage. Three of my blood ancestors were members of this community, as were two relatives by marriage. These are the ones I wish to focus on.
1.
Peter Gehr (1704-1764) – My 6th
Great Uncle
The Gehr family has been actively involved in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania for nearly 300 years.
The earliest members of the family arrived in the early to mid
1700’s. The first known Gehr to arrive
by ship to Philadelphia was Felden Gehr, who came aboard the ship Molly
and reached North America on September 30, 1727. The identity of Felden Gehr is unclear. There was a Felden Valentine Gehr born in
Germany about 1650. But he died in
Germany in 1730. His son, Blasius Gehr,
born in 1676, likewise lived his entire life in Germany. He died in 1721. Blasius is the only child I am aware of born
to Felden.
Blasius, in turn, had two sons and a daughter. Both sons did immigrate to Pennsylvania,
though I am not sure when. Neither do I
know their full names. I only know them
as Johannes (1702-1762) and Peter (1704-1764).
It was a common practice in German culture for sons to bear the name of
their father but be known by their middle name.
This suggests these two men may have been named Felden Johannes Gehr and
Felden Peter Gehr. If so, then either
one of them may have been the Felden who arrived in Philadelphia in 1727.
There was also a Johannes Geyer who arrived in Philadelphia
on board the Snow Molly on September 10. 1737. The name Geyer is an alternate spelling of
Gehr. This leads me to wonder if Peter
is the one who arrived in 1727 at the age of 23, and Johannes arrived in 1737
at the age of 35. I have not been able
to find any evidence of another possible arrival for either one of these two
brothers.
One thing we do know is that upon arrival in Pennsylvania
both brothers settled in Lancaster County.
They were likely drawn to that area because of the exceptional farm
land. For the most part the family
remained in the Lancaster County area, primarily in Earl and Cocalico
Townships, what is today the regions of Ephrata, New Holland, and Blue Ball. Johannes is my 5th Great
Grandfather, while Peter is my 6th Great Uncle.
Somewhere in his earlier days in Lancaster County young
Peter became attracted to the teachings of Johann Conrad Beissel. Upon arriving in the Ephrata Community he was
immediately welcomed and assimilated into the life and culture of the
group. Gehr was “converted” to the faith
and quickly won the respect of Beissel, even to the point that Beissel
authorized him to baptize new converts.
The relationship between Beissel and Gehr began showing
signs of stress when Gehr learned that Beissel was rebaptizing some of the same
people Gehr had baptized. The Chronicon
Ephratense, a written record and commentary of the events at Ephrata,
records that ”soon after his conversion” Peter Gehr became attracted to and
romantically involved with a young woman named Rebecca. Rebecca was a member of the sisterhood at
Ephrata. This young couple renounced
their vows of celibacy and were married, choosing instead to live as
householder members. Apparently, this
was not looked upon favorably at first.
However, the Chronicon records that “…he (Gehr) led an angelic
life with her (and) began to exalt his estate above that of the Solitary
Brethren.” Seemingly, all was forgiven,
and Peter Gehr continued to serve with influence in the Community.
Before too long, however, certain members of the Cloister
leadership appear to have convinced Rebecca to renounce her marriage and return
to the life of celibacy. Though Peter
agreed to give her a bill of divorce, he became quite troubled by it. Returning to the brotherhood, Gehr attempted
to resume his life of celibacy and religious fervor. There is no record how long this lasted, but
the Chronicon says that he “soon left again.” On January 9th, 1740 Gehr returned
with yet another attempt to join the brotherhood. This renewed effort was short lived when he
left again about ten months later.
Nothing more is known of Rebecca other than she remained a
member of the sisterhood until her death on May 30, 1746. She was 33 years and 6 months old. Her body was buried in the Cloister cemetery
known as God’s Acre.
It would appear that the root of dissension between Conrad
Beissel and Peter Gehr was more the result of differences in theology and/or
principle rather than the demands of celibacy, for Peter Gehr never
remarried. He lived the rest of his life
nearby but remained out of fellowship with his former community. It may also be that he and Beissel just never
could get along. Whatever the reason
Peter Gehr appears to have lived a restless life. He became ill in 1764. Nearing the end of his life, he sent for a
friend from the Cloister to seek reconciliation. He sent words of friendship and greeting to
Beissel and shortly afterwards, died peacefully on May 12, 1764, at the age of
60.
The leadership at Ephrata received the news of Peter’s
desire to reconcile graciously. It
appears that Peter Gehr was considered fully restored in fellowship once
again. His body was buried in God’s
Acre.
Because Peter Gehr died without any children and his older
brother Johannes had passed away two years earlier, he named his nephew Andrew,
son of Johannes, the Executor of his estate, which was divided equally among
all of Johannes’ children.
2.
Benjamin (1762-1836) and Cathrina (1774-1848)
Gorgas – My 4th Great Aunt & Her Husband
Cathrina (Katrina) Gehr was the daughter of George
(1733-1811) and Maria Elizabeth Gilcher Gehr.
Her father was my 5th Great Grandfather and the son of the
immigrant Johannes Gehr. George migrated
as a child with his parents at the age of 4 .
Cathrina was a member of the first generation of Gehrs born in America. Peter Gehr (above) was her great uncle.
Born and raised in Earl Township, Lancaster County, Cathrina
married local boy Benjamin Gorgas in 1792.
It appears they became householder members of the Cloister very shortly
after their marriage.
Benjamin is listed in Cloister records as a paper maker, but
he also worked as a joiner and a clockmaker, according to the Winterthur Museum
and as confirmed by author Brooks Palmer.
He was part of a famous family of clockmakers, including his grandfather
John, his father Joseph, his brother
Jacob of Hinkletown, his uncle, also named Jacob, of Ephrata, and his cousin
Solomon. Benjamin and Katrina were among
the last members of the Cloister, which officially ended in 1814. Together they had three sons and three
daughters.
1.
Johannes Christian Steiner (1705-1769)
– My 5th Great Grandfather on my mother’s side.
To the best of my knowledge I only have one ancestor on my mother’s side of the family who was involved at the Cloister. That would be my 5th Great Grandfather, Johannes (John) Christian Steiner.
Johannes Christian Steiner was born in Germany in 1705, the son of a Mennonite Bishop named Johannes “Hans” Steiner. Johannes Christian Steiner came to America with his family on the ship Neptune on October 25, 1746. He and his wife, Catherine, had 13 children. Upon arriving in North America through the port of Philadelphia, they settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They also anglicized their family name to Stoner.
Catherine Stoner died in 1756. At some point after her death Johannes Christian became involved with the community at Ephrata, living as a householder member. Perhaps he made this decision as a way of dealing with his grief over his wife’s death. His name appears once in the Chronicon Ephratense, but that is about all I know of his involvement at Ephrata.
Johannes did not remain involved at the Cloister. He left at some point (date has not been determined) and moved to Franklin County, PA. He eventually died there and is buried in the Stoner Family Cemetery in Waynsboro, PA
a)
3
direct, blood relatives were members of the community, two from my father’s
family and one from my mother’s family
b)
1 uncle by marriage was also a householder
member
c)
1 aunt by marriage was a member, if Rebecca
Gehr is counted. This brings the total
number of ancestors who were members of the Cloister to 5.
d)
All were householder members, though Peter
and Rebecca also spent time as celibate members.
