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EIGHTEENTH CENTURY GERMAN CHURCH RECORDS FROM MARYLAND:   A CHECKLIST Edited by FREDERICK S. WEISER Almost massive confusion exists in several genealogical handbooks about the German church records for the state of Maryland. This condition justifies an exact statement of what records exist for which congregation in the several Ger- man church groups in the state. This checklist will also demonstrate just how few records there are from these congregations from the eighteenth century which have survived into the present. Some of the confusion exists because many compilers have misunderstood the relationship between the Lutheran and the Reformed churches, particularly when the two groups shared a church building, which was true in almost every congre- gation in Maryland at one time or another. There is no such denomination as a "Lutheran Reformed church" or a "Reformed Lutheran church." In those situ- ations in which the two groups worshipped in the same building, the affiliation is known as a "union church," but there were two entirely separate and inde- pendent congregations in which—except in a few situations and then often for only a few years—each had its own records. The primary place at which members of these churches registered their denominational conviction was at the com- munion table. Otherwise, persons generally felt comfortable in receiving the ministry of pastors of either denomination. For the genealogist this means two things: 1) it is significant to know to which group the person being studied actually belonged, because after a certain date and frequently after moves, this could become important, but 2) it would be wise to check the records of both denominations for entries concerning any German family. There are two records of other German groups included here. One is the Moravian congregation at Graceham in Frederick County. Although much of the membership of this congregation was drawn from Lutheran and Reformed families, the Moravians are a completely independent denomination. There is also the record included of a Reformed congregation in Baltimore which became part of the United Brethren (today United Methodist) denomination after 1800. The other Germanic churches—the Mennonites and the Brethren—kept no rec- ords of genealogical nature; and the Church of God, the United Brethren and the Evangelical Church all date from about the year 1800 or later, as separate entities. The following list is designed for persons using records of the period before 1800. It should be understood that the year is an arbitrary cut-off date and that other congregations established after 1800 and not listed here may have records, such as burial registers, referring to persons born in the eighteenth century. [5] Although historically significant, the line forming a boundary between Mary- land and Pennsylvania is not important for church congregations. The following Lutheran and Reformed records from Pennsylvania congregations close to the border may contain helpful data. Moving from the east to west: 1. Bethlehem, Steltz, York County (Union)   (1794) 2. St. David's, West Manheim Township, York County (Union) (1751). For the earliest records see Reggeboge, 11/2, 1977. 3. St. Matthew's Lutheran, Hanover, York County (1743) 4. Christ Reformed, near Littlestown, Adams County (1747) 5. St. John's Lutheran, near Littlestown, Adams County (1763) 6. Salem Reformed (Beshore's), near Waynesboro, Franklin County (1785) By the same token, records of the St. Peter's Lutheran and Christ Reformed congregations at Shepherdstown, West Virginia, may be of value. The former have been published, 1791-1818, by Gladys Hartzell in On This Rock, a history of the congregation, 1970. A transcript of the latter has been made for the years 1782-1845, which may be consulted in the Western Maryland Room, Washington County Free Library, Hagerstown, and in the DAR Library, Washington. It is also probable that scattered German families of southwestern Frederick County used the ministrations of the New Jerusalem Lutheran and St. James Reformed Churches at Lovettsville, Loudoun County, Virginia. The records of the former, 1784-1836, are at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, and transcripts may be consulted there, at the National Genealogical Society, Washington, at the Utah Genealogical Society, Salt Lake City, and at the church. The Re- formed records, 1786-1857, have been xeroxed, but to the best of our knowledge no transcript has been made. Two pioneer clergymen kept personal registers of pastoral acts which should be consulted. John Casper Stoever, a Lutheran, journeyed through Frederick County and adjacent Virginia several times in the 1730s and early 1740s. His record of baptisms and marriages is at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and a translation was published by F. J. F. Schantz, 1896. It should be revised, if only because Stoever's place entries were added later than the events described, indicate residence rather than a congregation, and it is possible to reconstruct Stoever's whereabouts on many days by careful coordination of all of the records he left. Once this is completed, it may be possible to trace the movements of families from Pennsylvania into Maryland and Virginia. Jacob Lischy, a Reformed pastor, also kept a record of baptisms, 1744-1769, which has been translated a number of times. This record will be published soon by the Pennsylvania German Society. Lischy ministered in Carroll and Baltimore Counties, Maryland. The following material was compiled with the assistance of many persons: Charles H. Glatfelter, whose Pastors and People: German Lutheran and Re- formed Churches in the Pennsylvania Field, 1717-1793 (Breinigsville, Pa., 1980) serves as the basis of many historical facts cited here; Peggy Joyner; Fred S. Palmer; Margaret E. Myers; and the staffs of the Carroll County Historical So- [ 6] ciety, Westminster; Washington County Historical Society, Hagerstown; Western Maryland Room of the Washington County Free Library, Hagerstown; Mary- land Historical Society, Baltimore; Historical Society of the Evangelical and Re- formed Church, Lancaster, Pa. Undoubtedly transcripts of these records are to be found in a number of institutions in addition to those cited here. It is also conceivable that additional records exist, but every reasonable possibility has been examined to discover which eighteenth century records have survived. The translations/transcriptions listed below were made by William J. Hinke, C. T. Zahn, Frederick S. Weiser, and other persons. Of several of the records, two translations exist. The following abbreviations have been used below: CCHS—Carroll County Historical Society, Westminster DAR—Daughters of the American Revolution Library, Washington ERHS—Historical Society of the Evangelical and Reformed Church, Lancaster, Pa. LTS-G—Lutheran Theological Seminary, Wentz Library, Gettysburg, Pa. MHR—Maryland Hall of Records, Annapolis MHS—Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore WMR, WCFL—Western Maryland Room, Washington County Free Library, Hagerstown YCHS—York County Historical Society, York, Pa. ALLEGHENY COUNTY Cumberland   Saint Paul's Lutheran Church (1794; formerly Christ's) Baptisms, 1794- Originals: the church No transcriptions known to be in public collections BALTIMORE COUNTY Arcadia Saint Paul's Lutheran Church  (ca. 1794, "Algeier's," union to 1842; Re- formed congregation died out) A Lutheran register was begun in 1794, the same year in which a Reformed register was begun. Neither seems to have survived. They are said to have been destroyed in a fire in 1926. Lists of 1794 membership and communicant rolls taken from the old record book were published in George Prechtel, "St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Arcadia," The Report, SHGM XXIII (1929), 23-27. Reformed Church (ca. 1794-1840's; "Algeier's," union) See Lutheran entry. [7] Baltimore First and Saint Stephen's Reformed Church/UCC (c. 1753) Baptisms, 1768- Marriages, 1769- Burials, 1770- Originals: the church Transcriptions: MHS Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (c. 1753) Baptisms, 1785- Marriages, 1786- Burials, 1785- Originals: the church Transcriptions: MHS Second (Old Otterbein) Evangelical United Brethren Church (Now United Methodist. Withdrew 1771 from the first Reformed congregation and be- came part of the United Brethren denomination formally after 1813) Baptisms, 1785- Marriages, 1801- Burials, 1798- Originals: MHS Transcriptions: MHS; the material in Volume I (1785-1798, 1813) in Paul E. Holdcraft, The Old Otterbein Story (Baltimore, 1959) CARROLL COUNTY Dutchman's Valley Jerusalem (ca. 1797, "Bauer's" or "Bower's," or "Bachman's," Union; Re- formed died out) Baptisms, 1799- Originals: the church Transcriptions: MHS, CCHS Manchester Trinity Reformed/UCC (c. 1758. " Zion German Church," located just north of Manchester until 1798; union to 1863) Baptisms, 1760- Originals: MHS Transcriptions: MHS, CCHS, YCHS Immanuel Lutheran (c. 1758. "Zion German Church," located just north of Manchester until 1798; union until 1863) Baptisms, 1784- (The records 1760-1784 are in the Reformed register) Originals: the church Transcriptions: MHS, CCHS, YCHS [8] New Windsor Saint Luke's Lutheran (c. 1772, "Winter's") Baptisms, 1784- Marriages, 1784, 1785 Originals: LTS-G Transcriptions: LTS-G, MHS, NGS Silver Run Saint Mary's Reformed/UCC (1762; union until 1894) The earliest known records begin in 1812 Saint Mary's Lutheran (1762; union until 1894) Baptisms, 1784- Marriages, 1782-1783 Burials, 1784 Originals: the church Transcriptions: MHS, CCHS, YCHS, LTS-G, NGS Taneytown Grace Reformed/UCC (c. 1762) No eighteenth century records are known to exist Trinity Lutheran (c. 1762) Baptisms, 1788- Originals: the church Transcriptions: MHS, LTS-G, NGS Tyrone Emmanuel Reformed/UCC   (c.  1794;  "Baust's,"  union,  now located at 2930 Old Taneytown Road, Westminster) Baptisms, 1792- (union record) Originals: LTS-G Transcriptions: LTS-G, ERHS, NGS Emmanuel Lutheran (1794, "Baust's," union) Baptisms, 1792- (union record) Originals: LTS-G Transcriptions: LTS-G, ERHS, NGS Westminster Benjamin's Reformed/UCC (c. 1757, "Pipe Creek," "Kreider's," union until c. 1890) Baptisms, 1780s- Originals: the church Transcriptions: LTS-G, NGS, MHS [9] St. Benjamin's Lutheran (c. 1757, "Pipe Creek," "Kreider's," union until c. 1890) Baptisms, 1772- Originals: the church Transcriptions: LTS-G, CCHS, MHS FREDERICK COUNTY Creagerstown Saint John's Lutheran (c. 1787, union until 1815) Baptisms, 1789- (initially a union record) Originals: the church Transcriptions: LTS-G, MHS, NGS Reformed church (c. 1787-1943; union until 1915) See Lutheran records. No other records known. Emmitsburg Elias Lutheran  (1757; this church began as the "Tom's Creek."   "Middle Creek" or "Ambrose's Creek" church east of Emmitsburg; in 1802 it located in Emmitsburg; union until 1869) No eighteenth century records known to exist. Incarnation Reformed/UCC (c. 1781, joined the Lutherans to build a new union church at Tom's Creek; relocated in Emmitsburg in 1801; union until 1869) No eighteenth century records known to exist. Frederick Evangelical Lutheran   (c. 1738; this congregation began in the Monocacy settlement some miles north of Frederick.   When Frederick was founded in 1745 a congregation was gathered there which eventually supplanted the earlier one. See the introduction to the printed records) Baptisms, 1743- Marriages, 1743- Burials, 1771- Originals: LTS-G Transcriptions: LTS-G, MHS, NGS; see also Frederick S. Weiser, trans. and ed., Records of Marriages and Burials in the Monocacy Church in Frederick County, Maryland, and in the Evangelical Lutheran Congrega- tion in the City of Frederick, Maryland, 1743-1811 (Washington, D.C., National Genealogical Society, 1972) Evangelical and Reformed/UCC (c. 1745; this congregation also began at the Monocacy settlement, but moved into Frederick after its founding) [ 10 ] Baptisms, 1747- Marriages, 1756-1768; 1784- Burials, 1788- Originals: the church Transcriptions: ERHS, MHS Graceham Moravian Church (c. 1747) Moravian registers are frequently repetitious and rich genealogically. Henry James Young compiled The Families Belonging to the Moravian Commu- nity and Congregation at Graceham in Maryland . . . 1759-1771 (1942. MSS, based on the parish registers, now at the Moravian archives, Bethle- hem, Pa. copy at YCHS) Another translation, MHS Ladiesburg Mount Zion Lutheran (c. 1798; "Haugh's," "St. Paul's and St. Matthias's," union until 1850s) Baptisms, 1798- Originals: the church Transcriptions: none known to be in public collections Reformed Church (c. 1798; "Haugh's," "St. Paul's and St. Matthais's," union until 1850s.  Ceased to exist) No known records. See Lutheran entry. Middletown Christ Reformed/UCC (c. 1755; "in the mountains," about two miles south- west of Middletown; presumably about 1771 relocated in the new town. The church in the country was union) Baptisms, 1770- Originals: the church Transcriptions: ERHS, DAR Zion Lutheran (c. 1755; cf. Reformed entry) Baptisms, 1781- Marriages, 1785- Burials, 1788; 1794- Originals: the church Transcriptions: MHS, LTS-G, NGS Monocacy (" Hunting Creek," "Turkey") : See Frederick [ 11 ] Myersville Jerusalem (c. 1774, north of Myersville; union, apparently became United Brethren and then ceased to exist) No eighteenth century records known to exist. Saint John's Lutheran (c. 1790, "Daniel's" or "St. Daniel's" or "Gaver's" at Church Hill; relocated in Myersville) No eighteenth century records known to exist. Rocky Hill Grace Lutheran (1767; "St. Peters"; union until 1889) Baptisms, 1767- (initially a union record) Marriages, 1768-1792 Burials, 1769-1795 Originals: LTS-G Transcriptions: LTS-G, MHS, NGS Reformed Church (c. 1767-1902; relocated 1889 in Centerville) See Lutheran records; no other records known to exist. Thurmont Apple's Reformed/UCC (c. 1765; "Owens Creek" or "Owings Creek" or "Jacobs"; one mile north of Thurmont; union until 1857) Baptisms, 1773- (a union record) Originals: the church Transcriptions: E. E. Higbee and Elizabeth Kieffer, Baptismal Records of Apple's Church . .. (Hudson, Wis., 1963) Saint John's Lutheran  (c. 1765; relocated in Thurmont in 1857 when the union dissolved. Cf. Reformed listing) Baptisms, 1773- (See Reformed entry) Tom's Creek: See Emmitsburg Walkersville Glade Reformed/UCC (c. 1757; relocated from near Walkersville to the town in 1896) Baptisms, 1770- Originals: ERHS Transcriptions: MHS [12] WASHINGTON COUNTY Boonsboro Trinity Reformed/UCC (c. 1775, as "Schang's" or "Shunk's" about a mile northeast of Boonsboro; about 1810 the Reformed people organized a con- gregation in Boonsboro and the Schang's congregation became United Brethren) No eighteenth century records known to exist. Trinity Lutheran (c. 1774; as Ringer's Church west of Boonsboro; although services at Ringer's continued until the 1840s, many members left to estab- lish the Lutheran congregation in Boonsboro about 1808, which was union until 1870) No eighteenth century records known to exist. Clearspring Saint Paul's Reformed/UCC (c. 1747; "Conococheague"; union until the present) Baptisms, 1788- (a union record) Originals: the church Transcript: WMR, DAR, MHS Saint Paul's Lutheran (c. 1760; "Conococheague"; union until the present) Baptisms, 1788- (A union record) Originals: the church Transcripts: WMR, DAR, MHS Funkstown (Formerly Jerusalem) Saint Paul's Lutheran (1771; union until 1850s) Baptisms, 1773- (union record) Originals: the church Transcripts: WMR, DAR, NGS Reformed Church (1771; union until 1850s; ceased to exist) See Lutheran records. Hagerstown (Elizabethtown) Zion Reformed/UCC (1771) Baptism, 1771- Originals: the church Transcripts: WMR, DAR, MHS [ 13 ] Saint John's Lutheran (1770) Baptisms, 1770- Marriages, 1794- Originals: Maryland Hall of Records, Annapolis Transcripts: WMR, DAR, MHS Salem Reformed/UCC (two miles west cc. 1768 "Troxel's" or "Dysher's") Baptisms, 1771- Originals: the church Transcripts: WMR, DAR, MHS Leitersburg Saint Peter's Lutheran (c. 1754 as the Antietam Church four miles east of Hagerstown; relocated two miles farther east in 1787) Baptisms 1787- (but these were cut from the register at some time, so that the earliest records now in the record book begin 1828.) Jacob's Lutheran (ca. 1791-1971; "Friedens" located several miles north of Leitersburg almost in Pennsylvania, south of Waynesboro) Baptisms, 1791- Originals: Parsonage of Leitersburg Lutheran charge Transcripts:  LTS-G, GSLDS, WMR, NGS, MHS, DAR, Kittochtinny Historical Society, Chambersburg, Pa. Sharpsburg Christ Reformed/UCC (c. 1765) No eighteenth century records known to exist. Trinity Lutheran (c. 1768) No eighteenth century records known to exist. Williamsport Zion Lutheran (ca. 1791) Baptisms, 1791- Originals: the church Transcripts: WMR, DAR, MHS ACKNOWLEDGMENT: The Society for the History of the Germans in Mary- land is extremely grateful to the Pennsylvania German Society for the permission to reprint this checklist in the present REPORT. It appeared first last year in the lively quarterly of our sister society, Der Reggeboge—The Rainbow. Under the editorship of Frederick S. Weiser (who is also a member of our society) Der Reggeboge has become one of the most important publications relating to the colonial Germans and their descendants. [14]