Holland to collect money, Bibles and other good books for the destitute families and congregations in America. The amount of cash collected. after deducting some expenses, was about £135.

In 1732 Mr. Weiss became pastor of a church in Rheinbeck, Dutchess county, near Albany, New York. He was compelled to flee from that field of labor on account of the war with the Indians, by which not only individuals but also families and settlements were in danger of being massacred.

He now returned to old Goshenhoppen, a place where he had often ministered, and from 1746 until the time of his death preached for that congregation.

Mr. Weiss, so soon as Schlatter arrived, fell in with his mission and helped him to gather together the scattered members of the Reformed churches in the Province. For this purpose he accompanied the latter to Oley, Lancaster, then across the Blue Mountain to Tolpehocken, and back to Lancaster the second time.

Mr. Weiss was among the number (four ministers) that organized on the 12th of October, 1746, the first Reformed Synod (German) in America. His charge at the time of his death consisted of Old Goshenhoppen, New Goshenhoppen and Great Swamp. These three congregations paid him £40 per year. He died in the beginning of the year 1763 at a good old age, and was buried in the church at New Goshenhoppen. Tradition says that he was a fine Latin scholar and a man of much energy, and the records of the churches show that they enjoyed great prosperity during his ministrations.

He

It is said, by industry and economy, he accumulated a great deal of property, and got to be what is called a rich man. owned at one time the Green Lane iron works.

Mr. Weiss had no children, but owned about twenty slaves. The most of these at his death passed into the hands of Mr. Mayberry, who became proprietor of the iron works. He baptized all his slaves and their increase. Some of the descendants of these slaves still linger around Goshenhoppen.

REV. JOHN PHILIP BOEHM.

[Contributed by J. D.]

With the ancient is wisdom, and in length of days understanding.—Job xii, 12.

From some papers found in the archives of the Collegiate Reformed (Dutch) Church in New York, and translated by the Rev. Dr. Chalmers, and published in full in the October number of the Mercersburg Review, it appears that Mr. Boehm arrived in this country as early as the year 1720. Having been school-master and fore-singer in Worms, a city of Germany, for about seven years, he found a demand for his services as reader (doorlezer) upon his arrival here. The Reformed people around him were destitute of the means of grace, and he became a sort of pastor to them by exhortation, catechising their children, and performing other religious services without receiving any compensation for the same.

The great influx of the immigrants began about the year 1707.

So well did he perform these services that the destitute Reformed people besought him to assume the functions of the ministerial office. This he did in 1725, receiving as compensation only the voluntary contributions of the people.

Mr. Boehm was the first Reformed minister, either Dutch or German Reformed, as they called them, in the Province of Pennsylvania.

When Mr. Weiss, the first regularly licensed and ordained minister of the Reformed (German) Church arrived here, in September, 1727, he visited the Schippach (Skippack) congregation and preached there. This brought him into collision with Mr. Boehm, who had been preaching there for some time without regular license and ordination. Some of the people then disclaimed Mr. Boehm's ministerial acts, because he was not ordained, and wished to retain Mr. Weiss as their regular minister.

In July, 1728, the Consistories of the three congregations where Mr. Boehm had been preaching, †Wit Marshen, Schip

*Rupp's 30,000 German names, page 39.

Whitemarsh, where the Barren Hill Lutheran Church now stands; Skippack Wentz's Reformed Church, Worcester; Falkner Swamp, now Swamp Churches, New Hanover township, Montgomery county, yet a large and flourishing congregation.

pach and Falkner's Swamp, sent an application to the New York Classis to have Mr. Boehm licensed, ordained, and his former pastoral acts approved. This appeal was forwarded to the Classis of Amsterdam, under whose jurisdiction the American Classis was at that time, and a favorable answer was returned, dated June 20th, 1729.

On the 23d of November of that year the Rev. Mr. Boehm was ordained and set apart to the work of the ministry by Henricus Boel and Gualterius du Bois, under the oversight of the Consistory of the Low Dutch Church of New York.

The work of Mr. Boehm was exceedingly exhausting in Eastern Pennsylvania. His chief points of labor were in Philadelphia, Germantown, the other places already mentioned, and at the forks of the Delaware, then Bucks, now Northampton county, ministering unto them and laying foundations for future churches.

The congregation in Whitpain, now called Boehm's Church, was first organized by him, and it is said at the building of this church in 1740 Mr. Boehm "labored with his own hands."

The exact time he settled in Whitpain is not exactly known, In the list of land-holders, published in 1734, his name?is marked, having two-hundred acres and paid a quit rent. The deed for the property on which he resided at the time of his death was dated September 9th, 1736, and calls for two hundred acres, costing £165 13s. 1d.

As a minister and teacher he was quite successful, and tradition speaks well of his labors. He held large tracts of land, and became wealthy, although it appears he did not set his heart upon it.*

"The gospel was his joy and song

E'en to his latest breath."

He died suddenly at his house in Whitpain, May 1st, 1749, having on the previous day administered the Holy Communion to the Egypt congregation in Northampton county, and is buried under the wall of the present church, in the east corner, at that time under the altar, and in front of the pulpit where he had often preached.

*In Whitpain he held 200 acres; Saucon, Lehigh county, 200; Skippack, 150-total, 550.

At the time of his death he held slaves and had liquor distillery. In the appraisement of his personal property three servants are mentioned, two boys and one girl, appraised at £30; two distilling tubs and coolers, £40.

These facts are a curious commentary on the advance made since that day as to the rightfulness of holding slaves and the manufacturing and using alcoholic liquors as a common drink.

His descendants were numerous in Philadelphia and some of them quite wealthy. He held considerable correspondence with the church in the mother country, and kept a record of his labors; but unfortunately the chest containing these valuable relics was destroyed by fire.

NICHOLAS SCULL.

Among the early residents of what is now Montgomery county, and who left their impress upon our State, was Nicholas Scull, a surveyor and Indian interpreter in early colonial times, who left some maps and surveys, showing that he was a man of education. His origin or nativity is unknown, but he was probably an Englishman, who came over shortly after Penn's settlement of the colony, and located in Whitemarsh. He belonged to Franklin's literary club, the "Junto," in 1729. It is known that he run and laid out the road leading from Willow Grove to what was Gov. Keith's residence in Horsham. In 1748 he succeeded William Parsons as Surveyor General of the Colony, which post he held for thirteen years till his death in 1761, when he was succeeded that year in the office by John Lukens, of Horsham. His wife, Abigail, died in 1753, in her 65th year, and is interred in the family cemetery on Camp Hill, near the line of Whitemarsh and Upper Dublin.

COL. THOMAS CRAIG.

[Contributed by William J. Buck.]

Amongst the early and conspicuous settlers of Northampton county may be mentioned William and Thomas Craig, who immigrated from the north of Ireland sometime between 1728 and 1733, and several years afterwards took up a large tract of land in Allen township on which they settled. They were probably brothers, and at the first court held at Easton for said county, in June, 1752, with three others, presided as Justices; and both also rendered effective service in the French and Indian war. Thomas, son of the last mentioned, was born in 1740 at what was generally known as the Irish or Craig's settlement, about four miles from the present town of Bath. He received a fair education for the time, and was brought up to an agricultural life.

The Revolution breaking out, he early took an active part in behalf of his country, and raised a company of soldiers in his vicinity, of which he was commissioned Captain, January 5th, 1776, and placed in Col. St. Clair's Pennsylvania Battalion. He was in the campaign to Canada and in several engagements, and for his services was promoted to the rank of Major, September 7th following. He was appointed Colonel of the Third Pennsylvania Regiment in the summer of 1777; was in New Jersey in Gen. Poor's Brigade under command of Washington, and was subsequently in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. He remained with the army at Valley Forge, where, under date of April 12th, 1778, he addressed a letter strongly appealing for clothing, showing the destitute condi tion of his soldiers in this respect. In the battle of Monmouth his regiment greatly distinguished itself, being in the thickest part of the engagement. After serving throughout the war, on his return, he was appointed in July, 1783, Lieutenant of Northampton county.

Montgomery was formed from Philadelphia by an Act passed September 10th, 1784; on the same day he was appointed to be its first Associate Judge, Prothonotary, Clerk of the Courts, and the following year Recorder, all of which