J 6J" #'..1!?6'' WILLS CREEK OR CHAPEL HILL ST. JOSEPH SENECA TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY, OHIO

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1 Barqua de a Santa Mara BULLETN of the Cathoc Record Socety Docese of Coumbus t j Vo. XV, No. 0 October, 989 ~ : / 6" #'..!?6''..,'.?' ' t j j j j WLLS CREEK OR CHAPEL HLL ST. OSEPH SENECA TOWNSHP, MONROE COUNTY, OHO _cuk..50' Hgh on the rdge between the vaeys of the Sputh Fork and the Skn Creek branch of Ws Creek n Seneca and Summt townshps n northwestern Monroe County, Oho there setted a group of German Cathoc farmers. The names of fames known to have been vng there by 850 ncude Burkhart, Wesent, Spanger, December, and Nauer. Some of these were branches of the Cathoc fames of St. ohn the Baptst Parsh some sx mes east at Mtonsburg, and unt the dedcaton of ther own church they a were an -77-

2 ntegra part of that parsh. Through the years, they not ony have shared wth the Cathocs of Mtonsburg ther hertage and ther bood nes but aso have shared many of the same pastors, whether these resded at Mtonsburg, at Ws Creek or Burkhart, at Woodsfed, or at Fuda. Rev. ohn C. Kraemer was sent by Bshop Purce to Mtonsburg n 847 as ts frst resdent pastor, repacng the rsh pastors who had resded at the oder Beaver St. Domnc Parsh. n 848 he s sad to have offered Mass at the home of Mchae Spanger n the Bz Hoow area of Seneca Townshp. Three acres of and n Seneca Townshp were transferred by George W. Wesend to Archbshop Purce on December 3, 852. The ste s n the southeast quarter of Secton 9, at the ntersecton of townshp roads 63 and 6. Under the care of the santy Father Kraemer the frame Church of St. oseph, measurng about 35 by 55 feet, was erected n the center of that ste. n eccesastca crces the church was desgnated Ws Creek but ocay the ste was caed Chape H. The church was neary competed, or at east we under way, by the wnter of 853/54. () t was probaby dedcated by Archbshop Purce when he vsted the area n August of 854. (2) n Apr of 856 Father Kraemer was repaced as pastor of Mtonsburg by a Father Lorg, of whom the peope spoke "wth raptures." t seems that Father Lorg was a physcan not ony of sous but aso of bodes. He made few demands on the peope for contrbutons to hs support, for he supported hmsef by chargng for medca servces. He had departed the area by February of 857. (3) n the sprng of 857 Rev.. W. Brummer, who had been pastor at Beaver n 854 and 855 but had then been transferred to Zanesve St. Nchoas, vsted Fuda, Archer's Settement, Ws Creek St. oseph, and Mtonsburg so that the peope coud make ther Easter dutes. He announced to them that they shoud get a prest of ther own agan, and that f the Archbshop coud not fnd another he woud send Father Brummer hmsef. Ths pan was soon put nto acton. Father Brummer took up resdence at Fuda as soon as a tny house coud be but there for hm; hs mssons were Archer's, Ws Creek and Mtonsburg. Father Brummer and the peope of Ws Creek St. oseph dd not aways see eye-to-eye, especay concernng fnances and the parsh schoo. At one pont he caed them ''good but cose-fsted peope,'' but another tme he admtted that he had not nssted on recevng money from them and that the peope of Ws Creek and Mtonsburg together had pedged $400, enough to support ther own pastor. Another part of the probem was the physca strength of the German peope n comparson wth the prest: "they wth ther ron consttuton cannot understand that a prest comng exhausted from the msson need anythng ese but a pece of dred pork & coffee & to ask t woud scandaze them." (4) The schoo at St. oseph's was n operaton wth ts own teacher by the autumn of 857 wth over forty chdren n attendance. (The schoo budng was not yet competed, so the casses may have met n the church.) The peope, however, were somewhat ndfferent to the schoo and Father Brummer had to convnce them ''by exhortaton & through the confessona'' to send ther chdren. Durng the next schoo year the teacher was shared wth the smaer schoo at Mtonsburg. Ths teacher was not we ked (Father Brummer -78-

3 even scoded hm for "want of fe & energy") and one of the trustees of Ws Creek got hm to qut n February, 859. Ths upset the pastor, for the chdren's preparatons for Frst Communon were not yet competed. By August of 859 these troubes had subsded, the peope themseves had engaged a teacher for the new season, and they were fnshng the og schoohouse. The new teacher, who remaned but one schoo year, was Martn Drass, formery a semnaran n Germany and at Latrobe, Pa., who was n mnor orders. He was very conscentous and hard-workng wth the chdren and they responded we to hm. Twenty-seven of hs pups receved ther Frst Communons at St. oseph's on May 6, 860. (5) Nor dd the peope aways see eye-to-eye wth each other. Once a man ded who had pad nothng toward constructon of the church, the schoo, or anythng ese, nor had he rented a pew; nether had hs sons done so, and so the peope refused to aow hm to be bured on Chape H. He had formery pad a few cents a Mtonsburg, and so was nterred there, but not wthout hot protests from hs son. Such were the troubes the prest had to face on hs mssons, but Father Brummer bamed hmsef as much as anyone, wrtng, "f had the prudence meekness & Sanctty of St. Fr. of Saes know these thngs coud be prevented." Father Brummer was repaced as pastor of Fuda by Rev. Daman. Kueber n the summer of 860. However, snce the peope of Ws Creek and Mtonsburg had pedged enough to support ther own pastor, Rev. W. Wkns was sent to them. He took up resdence at Mtonsburg but remaned ess than one year and n Apr of 86 these two churches became once agan mssons of Fuda. n uy, 865 Rev. Nchoas Pger became pastor at Mtonsburg, wth Ws Creek as hs msson. Hs successors n that post were Rev. Edward Fadung ( ), Rev. oseph Buss ( ), Rev.. Rtter ( ), and Rev. P.. Wesenberger ( ). Durng Father Pger's tenure Woodsfed St. Syvester was added as a msson of Mtonsburg. Rev.. B. Wesnger, who repaced Father Wesenberger n 88, took up resdence n Woodsfed. t f! ~ Durng these years we are gven ony scattered gmpses of Ws Creek. Father Pger's report to Bshop Rosecrans n 868 shows that the schoo was st n operaton and had 35 pups; St. oseph's then had 70 members. Father Fadung's report for 872 st exsts but from t we earn ony that St. oseph's was over $700 n debt. The Cathoc Teegraph of Sept. 5, 869 gves us one fna vew of St. oseph's n ths era: Sept. 7, Tuesday rrornng, Soemn Hgh Mass was ceebrated n St. oseph s, Ws Creek, by Rev. N. A. Gaagher, Rev. Messrs. Hahne [Chares Hahne of Dayton St. Errnnanue] and O'Bren [Wam O'Bren, newy apponted to Beaver], beng deacon and subdeacon. After Mass the Rt. Rev. Bshop [Rosecrans] brefy addressed the confrmands who were drenched wth ran, and confnned them, 30 n mnnber. St. oseph's church has been greaty mproved and s non reay a credt to the exceent congregaton whch aways mantans a schoo athough t has no resdent prest. t s sad that a tte vage consstng of a store, a saoon, and a few houses stood near the church. The store, owned and operated by ohn Haren, was ater moved to Woodsfed.(6) -79-

4 The ony prest who ever resded on Chape H was Rev. gnatus Sagerer (7), who was sent to Monroe County by Bshop Watterson n November of 883. He was a natve of Gottmannsdorf, Docese of Passau, Germany, where he was born on uy, 846. He was ordaned at Regensburg on une, 87 and, after servng the Church for ony a few years n Germany, he arrved n the Unted States on uy 4, 876. (8) He was, at ths tme, a member of the Order of St. ohn of God. He setted n Lancaster, Pennsyvana, n the Docese of Harrsburg, where hs work s descrbed as foows n the centenna hstory of that docese: On October 4, 877, constructon began n Lancaster of the frst budng of a very ambtous pan for the care of the sck whch had been envsoned by Father P. gnatus Sagerer, a prest of the Order of St. ohn of God. He panned a budng canpex wth a chape and two wngs, one for the care of men and the other for the care of wanen. He proposed to brng Brothers of hs order to Amerca to care for the men and he hoped to obtan Ssters to care for the wanen. The canpeted budng, the hospta for men, was dedcated n honor of St. ose; and the Brothers of Sant ohn of God began ther work. The project dd not prosper and Father sagerer soon became so heavy burdeded wth debt that he had to wthdraw hs Brothers. The hospta was purchased by a group of Francscan Ssters n 883 and t grew nto today's St. oseph Hospta. (9) Father Sagerer, meanwhe, apparenty sought and receved permsson to wthdraw from hs order and offered hs servces to Bshop Watterson. The peope of St. oseph found Father gnatus, as they came to ca hm, to be a man of great humty, unassumng pety, and fdety to hs dutes as pastor. (0) St. oseph Parsh fourshed under hs eadershp. He appears to have ved at Mtonsburg for a short tme unt a rectory was but for hm at Chape H, just northeast of the church. n 887 he obtaned from Adam Wesend and Casper Bedenbach two sma parces of and to square off the back of the cemetery and to agn the property wth the road n front of the rectory. () By 89 the parsh had a Sodaty of the Bessed Vrgn (3 members), a Confraternty of the Most Hoy Rosary (73 members), and a St. Anna Socety (39 members). Father Sagerer aso took care of Mtonsburg St. ohn the Baptst as a msson. n the parsh and msson together there were 506 sous n nnety fames, sghty more than haf of them members of St. oseph Parsh. (2) Father Sagerer aso saw to the deveopment of the parsh schoo, athough one does not qute know what to make of the successon of regous orders who worked there. About 885 he obtaned the servces of two Ssters of St. Francs for the schoo. n 887 these were repaced by two Ssters of Dvne Provdence from Pttsburgh, Pa. That fa there were 89 chdren enroed n the schoo, the hghest number reported n the 9th century. (The parsh had ony four boys and one gr attendng the pubc schoo.) n 889 the od og schoohouse was repaced by a sma frame budng whch contaned both schoo and convent. n 89 three Ssters of St. Francs from St. Francs, Mwaukee, Wsconsn came to teach at the schoo whe four other ssters of ther order were assgned to repace ay teachers at Mtonsburg and Woodsfed. They stayed at Ws Creek ony one year and were n turn repaced by three Ssters of the Precous Bood from Mara Sten, Oho. n the fa of 894 these ssters wthdrew from Ws Creek (athough some remaned at Mtonsburg) and -80-

5 ther pace was taken agan by two or three Ssters of St. Francs from Mwaukee, whose superor n the tny convent was Sr. M. Otte. These were the ast ssters to teach n the schoo on Chape H. (3) n 893 t was decded to move the parsh factes south just over a me nto the vaey of the South Fork of Ws Creek, n Summt Townshp. There were about as many Cathoc farm fames n the vaey as there were on the hs near the Chape H ste. A narrow gauge raroad had been but aong the vaey by the Oho Rver and Western Raroad whch connected wth Cadwe and Zanesve to the west and wth Woodsfed and the Oho Rver to the east. The new ste was a stop on ths raroad known as Burkhart Staton, where there were a genera store, a post offce, and an express offce. nterestngy, Rev. Lous Grmmer of Harretsve, some ffteen mes away n Nobe County, had reported n 872 that he vsted four fames at Burghart Staton, Monroe County once each sx weeks, whe at the same tme Chape H was a msson of Father Fadung of Mtonsburg. Such was the reatve ease of raroad trave n those days of horses and carrages that Father Grmmer was abe to serve ths nuceus a the new parsh ste more easy than Father Fadung was. Property was obtaned from the Burkharts n 893 and that year the cornerstone of the new brck Church of St. oseph was ad. The church was competed n 894 and the od frame church on the h was razed. n 895, the rectory and the convent were both carefuy dsmanted, moved to the new ste, and re-erected, the rectory to the north and the convent to the south of the new church. Meanwhe, Mtonsburg remaned a msson under Father Sagerer's care. Constructon of the present stone church of St. ohn the Baptst to repace the orgna brck structure was begun durng Father Sagerer's pastorate. He was reeved of ths msson eary n 902, however, and the church was competed under the new pastor, Rev. Tbertus Goebe. Father Sagerer remaned as pastor of St. oseph Parsh unt the end of 904, competng twenty-one years of servce there. n 904 he became panfuy and went to Mt. Carme Hospta n Coumbus. Hs ness was dagnosed as cancer of the stomach. He was moved to St. Anthony's Hospta, where he spent hs remanng months. He resgned hs pastorate and hs repacement, Rev. oseph Schmdt, arrved at Burkhart on Chrstmas Day, 904. After bearng hs ntense sufferng "wth the forttude and patence of a martyr," Father Sagerer passed away on Hoy Saturday, Apr 22, 905, "perfecty resgned to the w of God." (4) t had been hs wsh to de durng Hoy Week, and as, on Good Frday, he reazed the end was near, he rejoced that hs wsh woud be granted. Bshop Hartey, Father Leyden, and a Mr. Meyers of Monroe County, a cose frend of Father Sagerer, accompaned the remans to Burkhart on the raroads. The Oho and Western aowed the tran to stop at the rear of the church, where the casket was met by Father Schmdt and a deegaton of parshoners. The church was thronged for the funera by both Cathocs and non-cathocs; over one hundred had to stand outsde. At Father Sagerer's request, hs grave was dug between the church and the convent, cose to the entrance, where the peope coud see t and offer up prayers for hm as they passed. -8-

6 Father Sagerer had no cose reatves vng and so he eft a that he owned to the Church and to chartabe organzatons. He eft some money to the parsh to pay for the atars of the new church and some to the Socety for the Propagaton of the Fath. He aso had a number of handsome pantngs, of whch he eft some to St. Anthony's Hospta and some to the Ssters of the Good Shepherd. A coecton of choce recs, a authentcated, together wth a pece of the True Cross n a beautfu requary, he presented to Bshop Hartey. (5) n 906 a new cemetery for St. oseph Parsh was ad out south of the od convent, the frst nterment there beng that of osephne Nauer who ded that November 22. Father Sagerer's grave was moved to the center of ths new cemetery and s marked by a arge crucfx. The od parsh cemetery, whch s st carefuy mantaned by the fathfu peope of St. oseph's, s a that now remans at Chape H. NOTES. Brummer to Purce, an. 2, Brummer to Purce, Aug., same to same, Feb., 2, same to same, Apr. 2, 859; Oct. 4, 859; and Nov. 3, same to same, Nov. 5, 859 and May 8, 860. (The above etters courtesy of the Notre Dame Unversty Archves.) 6. Mrs. Heen Ludwg to H. E. Mattngy, Mar. 2, The speng of Sagerer woud ndcate that the frst vowe shoud be a ong Gennan "a", rhymng wth "Pa" or "Ma". However, many of the peope of Burkhart pronounce t "say" wth a ong Engsh "a." Ths pronuncaton s supp::>rted by the stngs n the annua Cathoc Drectory whe Father Sagerer was n Pennsyvana, where hs name s gven as "Saegerer." B. ~Drectory of Gennan Ranan Cathoc Cergy n the Unted States; Cncnnat: 892. The Oho p::>rton was transated and pubshed n The Paatne mmgrant, Vo. X No. 2 (987), pp Docese of Harrsburg: (the offca docesan centenna hstory), page 87. Monsgnor Mattngy n hs artce "Prests n Southeastern Oho n the 9th Century" (see the Buetn, Vo. V, page 34), sted Father Sagerer at St. Nchoas, Coshocton Co., n 879. Ths stng s not n the drectory as prnted. A few years after 879, probaby about 883 or 884, Bshop Watterson or some other offca of the docese marked up the then out-of-date 879 drectory and penced n Father Sagerer's name above the Ws Creek St. oseph's ne, on the ne wth Ws Creek St. Nchoas. Monsgnor Mattngy apparenty thought that ths was current for 879 when compng hs st. 0. Cathoc Coumban, Apr. 29, Pat book, Archves, Docese of Coumbus. 2. Rep::>rt to Bshop Watterson, year ended uy, 89; Archves, Docese of Coumbus. 3. Based argey on the annua Cathoc Drectory. Aso, Father Sagerer's rep::>rt to Bshop Watterson for the year endng Aug., 887; and Hartey's hstory, page 558. The frst ssters may have been from the Francscan communty at Rochester, Mnn., as were those at Woodsfed a few years ater. 4. Hartey's hstory has Nov. 22,905; the parsh record says Apr 2, 905; the correct date s supped by the Cathoc Coumban. 5. Cathoc Coumban, Apr 29,

7 Chape H Cemetery, Seneca Townshp, Monroe County ~ ) ) }! These are Cemetery. the odest tombstones that are st egbe n the Chape Generay, those dated earer than about 880 were coped. Kar H., son of----- Domnc Becker, ded Apr. 4, 895, aged 8 years, 7 months, and 25 days. Anna M., wfe of D. Becker, ded Mar. 20, 87, aged 62 years, 8 months, and 20 days. Antoneus son of C. & T. Bedenbach, ded Mar. 9, 879, aged 7 months and 27 days. Katharna, Tochter von Franz und Anna Bedenbach, gestorben den 6 Nov. 880, Ater ahre 3 Monaten 27 Tage. Her ruht Caspar Bedenbach, geboren 20 Ma 820 zu Krchhasse Krez Lunefet, Provenz Hessen Nassau, Pruessen, gestorben am 2 MHrz, 897. Franz, son of Bedenbach, 880 Sacred to the memory of Anna, daughter of ohn H. and Mary effers, wfe of Francs Bedenbach, ded Nov. 6, 880, aged 22 years and 0 days. Esabeth, Tochter von---- Brkenbach [Bedenbach?], born Sept. 3, 866, ded Feb. 9, 867, age 4 months 26 days (n German) Barbara Keer, Ehefrau von oseph Brkenbach, geb. 3 Feb., 828, gest. 2 Sept. 862, Ater 34 ahren, 7 Monaten, und 6 [or 6] Tage. Margaret Brster, ded Feb. 26, 88, aged 76 years, month, and 8 days. oseph, son of ohn and Barbara Burkhart, born une 3, 86, ded March 862. George Burkhart, ded Mar. --, 857 (?) Thomas Burkhart, born 8 une, 83, ded 2 Aug. 879, aged 66 years, 2 months, and 4 days. Mare Magdaena Burkhart, Php Burkhart, May, Aug., 879, age 66 years, 3 months, 3 days. Esabetha Burkhart, geb. 0 Dec. 79, gest. 0 Nov. 875, age 80 years mos. Katharne, daughter of F.. & M. Burkhart, born and ded 6 uy, 869, age two hours (mnutes?) Anna M., daughter of. & K. Burkhart, ded an. 2, 87, age 4 years, 4 months, and 2 days. Thos. Php Sohn von S. und C. Burkhart, geb. Aug. 2, 873, gest. Sept. 7, 873. Ezabeth, wfe of Martn Burkhart, ded Mar. 2, 862, n the 7st (?) year of her age. Martha M., Tochter von. oseph und M. Burkhart, ded Aug. 28, 865, ater year, 9 months[!] and 2 days. Barbara Brckhard, Ehefrau von ohann Neobdo (??) ---- [broken] Anna Mary, wfe of Vaentne Burkhard, [The remander s now egbe but an od readng says: ded Mar. 7, 855, age 58 years]. [Wendenus Burkhard, ded an. 4, ] 879, aged 79 years. Martn Burkhart, ded une 8, 873, aged 86 years, 6 mos., and 3 days. Katharne, daughter of oseph and Burkhart, born March 7, 877 (?), ded May --, 884 (?) Anna December, ded March 27, 885, aged 85 years. ohn December, ded March 25, 895, aged 85 years. Bathaser, son of Peter and Catherne December, born n Baern, gest. Mar. 24, 857. Peter Fourner, born Feb. 20, 822, ded Feb., 863 (?) H -83-

8 ohn antz, uy, 796- May 7, 876 Chrstna antz, Sept. 30, 83 - Mar. 24, 869 George Nauer, ded Apr. 0, 890, aged 73 years month. oseph, son of G. &. Nauer, ded Oct. 27, 886, aged 23 years, 5 months, and 5 days. Anna Mara Nauer, [egbe, but an earer readng has: ded 877, age 57 years 2 days]. Php, son of P. and A. M. Schenk, born Dec. 6, 863, ded Feb. 9, 865, age year, 2 months, 3 days. ohann Scherman, geboren 22 Apr 822, gest. den March 885, Ater 60 ahren, 0 Monaten, und 5 Tage. Smon E. Spanger, born une, 843, ded Apr. 6, 864, rest n peace. ohn A. Urch, ded Aug. 23, 856, n the 79th year of hs age. Franz Urch, geb. n Wengarten, Land ----, Koengrech Baern, 5 uy, 809 (?), ded 9 March 875, age 66 ahren, 7 Monaten, und 24 Tage. n memory of ohn L. Wesent, who was born May 7, 784, ded Mar. 7, 849. Mchae Wesent, ded Apr., 890, aged 70 years. Barbara Wesent, ded Sept. 20, 909, aged 90 years. ohn, son of M. & B. Wesent, ded Apr. 4, 855, aged 5 years, 5 months, and 4 days. Katharna, Ehefrau von Wesent, geb. n Bhemhangen (?) am 6 Feb. 83 (?), gest. am 23 an. (?), 858, Ater 74 ahre, Monate, und 24 Tage. Georg M. Wesent, gestorben Feb. 25, 884, ater 60 ahren, 3 Monaten, 3 Tage. Catherne Zwck, daughter of Mck Zwck and Catherne Burkhart, born Sept. 5, 853, ded Nov., 857. Mchae, son of Mchae and Katharna Zwck, ded Sept. 2, 860, age 2 hours [n German] ACQUSTONS FOR THE SOCETY'S LBRARY We have purchased a seres of books recenty pubshed by Barbara Brady O'Keefe whch reprnt from the Records of the Amercan Cathoc Hstorca Socety and other sources the foowng sacramenta and death regsters from Pennsyvana: -Greensburg, Pa. baptsms ; marrages ; buras Lancaster, Pa. St. Mary regsters, Phadepha St. oseph: baptsms and 79-80; marrages and and Phadepha St. Augustne baptsms and marrages Phadepha St. Mary cemetery tombstone nscrptons. -Phadepha Hoy Trnty baptsms and marrages Donega or Buffao Creek baptsms 803, 805, and 82 and buras. -Loretto, Pa. varous records. Copyrght 989, Cathoc Record Socety - Docese of Coumbus 97 E. Gay Street Coumbus, Oho 4325 Donad M. Schege, edtor -84- Z9 'ON.L.WWac OHO snewn,o~ 0 Y c 3!:>'0'.L.SOc -s n '!)WO.L..:O~c: NON S : C. OHO sn wn'"o~ ~~~ avo v snawn-,o:>.:0 :as:a:>oto 3~..0 AW3~N'O'H~

Barquilla de Ia Santa Maria

Barquilla de Ia Santa Maria Barquia de a Santa Maria BULLETN of the Cathoic Record Society Diocese of Coumbus 1'-------------------------- Vo. XV, No. 6 - June 29: Sts. Peter and Pau - June, 1989 j J-----------------------------------------------------------------------