Abraham H. Cassel collection
Collection 1610
1680-1893(4.75 Linear feet ; 47 volumes)
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
- Creator
- Cassel, Abraham Harley, 1820-1908.
- Title
- Abraham H. Cassel collection
- ID
- 1610
- Date [inclusive]
- 1680-1893
- Extent
- 4.75 Linear feet ; 47 volumes
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Sarah Newhouse
- Sponsor
- This collection was processed during the Digital Center for Americana Project Phase II, which was funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Richard Lounsbery Foundation.
- Language
- German
- Language of Materials note
- Materials are mostly in German but there is some English.
- Abstract
- This collection contains printed material from the library of Abraham Harley Cassel, a book collector and historian who acquired over 50,000 books, pamphlets, and documents about early Pennsylvania history. Cassel was a member of the Dunkard Brethren who wrote about and collected books on early Pennsylvania German religious history. His library attracted scholars and historians of Pennsylvania and German American history, and at his death was divided among archives, libraries, and private collectors. The portion of Cassel’s collection that is housed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania contains forty-seven items which range in date from 1680 to 1893. Items are arranged in alphabetical order, with volumes relating to the Ephrata religious community and the Schwenkfelder Church grouped together. This collection includes hymn books, religious tracts and catechism, diaries, letters, genealogical records, and examples of Pennsylvania German folk art and fraktur.
Preferred Citation note
[Indicate cited item or series here], Abraham H. Cassel collection (Collection 1610), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Biographical/Historical note
This collection contains printed material from the library of Abraham Harley Cassel (September 21, 1820 - April 23, 1908), a book collector and historian who in his lifetime acquired over 50,000 books, pamphlets, and documents about Pennsylvania history. Cassel was born in 1820 to German-speaking members of the Dunkard Church, Yelles and Mary Harley Cassel, in Towamencin Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. His mother was the great-granddaughter of Christopher Sower (or Saur), an early book printer in Germantown, Philadelphia, and was also descended from Peter Becker, the first minister of the Church of the Brethren in the colonial United States.
Cassel grew up on a farm in Lower Salford, north of Harleysville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. As a child, he was obsessed with books and reading even though his parents wanted their children to remain "piously ignorant." He thus had to feed his love of learning in secret, reading by candlelight after the rest of the family was asleep and teaching himself English from a pocket dictionary. His parents declined to send him to school, instead putting him to work first on their farm and then -- following a physical breakdown -- as a cabinet maker's apprentice and a store clerk. He did attend school briefly, for six weeks when he was eleven years old, but left because he was needed on the family farm. Despite his lack of formal education, in 1840 Cassel became a school teacher and for a while was able to live independently on a school teacher's salary. He was rather successful as a teacher, attracting students away from the private schools and tutors of the area with his engaging lessons, which he was constantly improving and changing.
On April 1, 1843, Cassel married Elizabeth Rhoads, with whom he would have eight children. The money he earned by teaching soon proved to be too little to support a growing family and in 1847 Cassel took over his father's farm. Although his new career as a farmer involved much more physical labor than teaching, Cassel welcomed the freedom it gave him to read and study every day after the farm tasks were done.
After taking over the family farm, he continued to develop his library, which he had built up from the books he secretly purchased as a child. As an adult, he spent a great deal of his time and money begging, borrowing, purchasing, and otherwise collecting volumes and letters from all over the world. He would send away for books by mail, but also traveled great distances to acquire new items, sometimes venturing west of the Mississippi River. Eventually he acquired so many books that he had to build a library, separate from the house, to store his collection.
In 1852 Cassel began to write about the history of the Church of the Brethren for church periodicals and became known as an expert not only on Dunkard history, but also the religious, political, and social history of Pennsylvania Germans. Historians would write to him for advice and information, and many -- including Oswald Seidensticker, Samuel W. Pennypacker, and Martin G. Brumbaugh -- made the trip to Lower Salford to visit his library. Cassel died on April 23, 1908, but not before seeing that his collection would be cared for after his death. In 1882 the Historical Society of Pennsylvania purchased the volumes that would become the Abraham H. Cassel collection. The remainder of his library is divided between the Beeghly Library at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, and the Bethany Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.
His collections focused on early religious history of the Philadelphia area and especially early German American religious groups. Among the materials that came to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, two German religious groups are especially well represented: the Seventh Day Baptist group at the Ephrata Cloister and the followers of Kaspar Schwenkfeld who settled in southeastern Pennsylvania and established what would become the Schwenkfelder Church.
The Ephrata religious community was founded by Conrad Beissel (1691-1768) in 1732 on the banks of the Cocalico Creek in Pennsylvania. Beissel was a German Pietist who was exiled from Germany for religious and political reasons and traveled to Pennsylvania in 1720, attracted by William Penn's policies of religious tolerance. Once in Pennsylvania, he lived in the Germantown settlement near Philadelphia for some time and was appointed leader of the Conestoga Brethren Congregation. In 1728, however, his ideas about celibacy and the Sabbath caused a rift between Beissel and the Brethren and he withdrew from the church, traveling to a secluded spot in Lancaster County along the Cocalico Creek. He was soon sought out by those who agreed with his theology and teachings, and with this new community of believers he founded the Ephrata Cloister. The Cloister contained both celibate brothers and sisters and laypeople whose labor helped the community to thrive. Upon entering into the Ephrata community, the brothers and sisters took new names for themselves; Beissel himself became known as Father Friedsam. Ephrata was known for its printing press and the decorated hymnals it produced, which contained music composed by Beissel using his unique philosophy of music and composition. An offshoot of the Ephrata Cloister, the Snow Hill or Schneeberg Cloister, was founded nearby in 1798 by a husband and wife who were inspired by Beissel. Snow Hill operated in much the same way as Ephrata. Brothers and sisters lived a strict, celibate life, produced manuscripts and texts containing calligraphy and fraktur, and sang Beissel's music and hymns.
Kaspar (sometimes "Caspar") Schwenkfeld (circa 1489-1561) was a German Protestant reformer who ultimately broke with Martin Luther over the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Schwenkfeld believed that the communion was symbolic, while Luther believed that the "real presence" of Christ was in the communion wafers and wine. Schwenkfeld's followers became a new Protestant sect and were outlawed in Germany. After decades of persecution in Europe, they immigrated to Pennsylvania in several waves, with the main group arriving in the southeast part of the state in 1734. The Society of Schwenkfelders was formed in 1782 and the Schwenkfelder Church in 1909. The church is currently small, with fewer than ten congregations as of 2011, all in the Philadelphia area.
Another important figure represented in Cassel's collection is Johannes Kelpius (1667–1708), a German Pietist who came to the Pennsylvania wilderness in 1694 with his followers to prepare for the Second Coming, which they believed would happen in that year. In 1695 they established a hermitage on the Wissahickon Creek outside of Philadelphia where they lived a life of contemplation and public service, operating a school and holding public religious services. Kelpius' group became known as The Hermits or Mystics of the Wissahickon, The Society of the Woman in the Wilderness (from an obscure passage in the Book of Revelation), and the Hermits on the Ridge. In 1700 Kelpius was called to help govern the growing community of Germantown, although he declined the offer and remained devoted to his role as a spiritual leader. He is known for his hymns and his book on prayer, A Short, Easy, and Comprehensive Method of Prayer.
Scope and Contents note
This collection contains volumes that were once part of the collection of Abraham H. Cassel. Items range in date from 1680 to 1893. Items are arranged in alphabetical order, with volumes relating to the Ephrata religious community and the followers of Kaspar Schwenkfeld grouped together. Please refer to the scope notes found in the item inventory for information about individual volumes.
The Ephrata materials represent a wide range of activities, events, and people from the Ephrata community. This part of the collection containss many hymn books produced at Ephrata and Snowhill, including some written by Conrad Beissel. The Ephrata documents also include letters, manuscripts, and other accounts that provide details about life within this community.
The Chronicon of the Ephrata Sisterhood exists in three copies in this collection (Volumes 7, 8, and 9). The two handwritten copies date from 1745 (Volumes 7 and 8), and there is a typed transcript produced by Julius F. Sachse in 1890 (Volume 9). The taller of the two (Volume 7) is leather bound and printed in a bolder, clearer hand than the smaller, clothbound copy (Volume 8), which has more elaborate decoration and may be in the original binding received at Ephrata. Pages 17-20 and 171-176 are missing from the clothbound copy but present in the leather bound volume, but otherwise the two versions do appear to have the same content. Edited and printed by Peter Miller (Brother Jaebez), the chronicle provides details of the lives of the brothers and sisters of the Ephrata Cloister. Daily schedules are described, as are clothing for winter and summer, the proscribed education and study of the Bible, the structure of the community, and the actions of various individuals. The typed transcript of the Chronicon (Volume 9) appears to have been made from the clothbound volume, as it makes note of the missing pages.
The Ephrata hymn books usually written for four singers (three parts written in the treble clef and one in the bass). There are scales and vocal exercises at the beginning of the texts, followed by pages of hymns that include both lyrics and music notation. They are usually ornamented, although some are more elaborate than others. All of the Ephrata hymn books except for Melodien (Volume 13) have alphabetized indices. Four hymn books from Ephrata contain the same hymns, in which lyrics and music are identical. They are: the manuscript music book made at the cloister at Snow Hill (Volume 12), Mittel Buch bestehend in allerley angenehmen Melodies (Volume 14), the untitled hymn book by David Schneeberger (Volume 18), and Zionitischer Rosen Garten (Volume 17). The hymns in these books were mostly likely composed by Conrad Beissel.
According to Peter Miller in the Chronicon of the Ephrata Sisterhood, all of the hymns found in Paradisiche Wunder-Spiel (Volumes 15 and 16) were written by Conrad Beissel. Regarded by scholars as his most important work, this book contains 49 printed hymns which do not appear elsewhere in Beissel's hymn books, including those in this collection. The hymns include lyrics, which sets these volumes apart from other Ephrata hymnals, and a few handwritten notations ("1 Chor," "2 Chor," etc.). The print in the Gilpin library copy is easier to read than in the Brock copy, which is in more delicate condition. The Brock copy contains an illuminated page bearing the seal of Ephrata and a dedication to Sister Petronilla, who Julius F. Sachse has identified as Naria Höcher. Despite the damage to this volume, the illustrations are more elaborate and colorful than in the Gilpin Library copy.
The Schwenkfeldian material in this collection includes pamphlets and religious essays, sermons, and catechism, dating from 1680 to 1788. Two of these volumes are a sequential set of song books, the tagliches Gesang Buchen (Volumes 41 and 42), which that contain schedules of hymns to be sung on every Sunday and holy day in the church year. The first volume, Christliches und dabey auch Tagliches Gesang Buch, covers the beginning of the church year (the first Sunday in Advent) to the first day of May (the "day of Phillip and Jacob") and includes the prefatory material for both volumes. The second volume, Der andere Theil dises Christlichen Gesang-Buch von Pfingsten bis zu Ende des Jahres, covers from Pentecost to the end of the liturgical year. These books were first written in 1709 but these particular volumes are revised editions, containing additional songs, which were produced 1752-1753. They include hymns by Aurelius Prudentius, Reimund Wetter, Adam Reissner, George Frell, Daniel Suderman, George Heydrich, Martin John Jr., Michael Weiss, and other Schwenkfelder hymn writers. These books combine Schwenkfeldian hymns with Lutheran and reformed church hymns. The author or compiler actually considers himself belonging to no specific sect and criticizes the direction of the Schwenkfelder chuch.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania August 2011
1300 Locust StreetPhiladelphia, PA, 19107
215-732-6200
Conditions Governing Access note
This collection is currently undergoing conservation and some volumes will be unavailable for research. When conservation is completed the finding aid will be updated. Access to Volume 30: Anweisung zum lessen fürs gantze Jahr (Instructions on What to Read for the Entire Year) is restricted due to its fragile condition. Researchers should use the digital version found online in HSP's Digital Library.
Processing Information note
The titles of some volumes, as they appear in the card catalog, were edited or changed to more accurately reprsent the contents of the volume or the title given by the work's author. This list provides the item's title as it appears in this finding aid, the volume number, the title as it appears in the card catalog, and the item's accession number. Items are listed in the order in which they appear in the current arrangement.
Arithmetiche Instructiones (Volume 2) was previously In Namen Jesu! Arithmetische Instructiones, das ist, die edle Rechen Kunst in gantzen Zahlen (Ac .992).
Both volumes of the Chronicon of the Ephrata Sisterhood (Volumes 6 and 7) were previously Die Rose, oder der angenehmen Blumen zu Saron geistliche Eherverlobnus...[Schwester Chronic]. (Ac .1924 and .1925).
The Choral Book of the Ephrata Cloister (Volume 10) was previously "Ephrata Cloister, Manuscript Choral Book" (Ac .1891).
Manuscript Book of the Ephrata Brethren (Volume 12) was previously "Ephrata Brethren, Manuscript Music Book of [CB]" (Ac .1901).
Untitled hymn book, by David Schneeberger (Volume 18) was previously "MS. music. 1817-1820. By David Schneeberger" (Ac .1911).
Hermonisches Melodeyen Buchlein uber die bekannteste Lieder im Marburger Gesang-Buch (Volume 23) was previously Hermonisches Melodeyen Buchlein...Verfertigt vor Catarina Hunsickern (Ac .982).
Leges Pennsilvaniana (Volume 29) was previously "Leges Pennsilvaniana. The Great Law of the Province of Penn Silvania." (Ac .1991).
Kurtzer Bericht, von der Schwenckfeldischen Gemeine, by Martin John Jr. (Volume 37) was previously Kurtze Beschreibung d. Schwenckfelder von Martin John, Jr. (Ac .984).
Wahrheits-Milch (Milk of Truth), by Friedrich Adolph Lampe (Volume 47) was previously "Lampen's Wahreits-Milch" (Ac .6355).
Related Materials
Related Archival Materials note
At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania:
Abraham H. Cassel description of the Indians Iroquois and Delaware (Collection Am .541)
Journal of Johannes Kelpius (original) in the Ferdinand J. Dreer autograph collection (Collection 0175)
A History of Sower's Newspaper (handwritten transcript) by A. H. Cassel (Collection Am .1596)
Byron L. Stauffer collection of material relating to Abraham H. Cassel (Collection D0387)
Francis Daniel Pastorius records (Collection Am .3714)
Francis Daniel Pastorius papers (Collection 0475)
Johannes Kelpius portrait by Christopher Witt (1882.1)
Johannes Kelpius collection of German hymns (Collection Am .088)
Ephrata: the printing press of the Brotherhood, 1745-1793 (manuscript) by Anneliese M. Funke (Collection Am .2413)
Historical Society of Pennsylvania collection of historic Philadelphia lantern slides (Collection V22)
History of the Brethren Church (Collection Am .7122)
George Allen pedagogical collection (Collection LCP78)
The bloody theatre, or martyrs mirror of the defenseless Christians ... by Thielem J. van Braght ; translated from the original Dutch or Holland language from the edition of 1660, by Joseph F. Sohm. Call number E .558.
At other institutions:
A. H. Cassel Collection in Special Collections at the Beeghly Library at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa.
Abraham Cassel Collection in Special Collections at Bethany Theological Seminary in Chicago, Il.
Biblia, das ist: Die ganze göttliche Heilige Schrifft, Alten und Neuen Testaments, nach der deutschen Uebersetzung Dr. Martin Luthers, mit jedes Capitels kurzen Summarien, auch beygefügten vielen und richtigen Paralellen: Nebst schicklichen Nutzanwendungen zu den fünf Büchern Mosis, dem Hohelied Solomonis und der Offerbarung S. Johannis: Die erste Auflage. At the Library COmpany in Philadelphia, Pa. (Ac 9141)
Fraktur Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
George Weiss papers at the Moravian Church Archives in Bethlehem, Pa.
The German American Collection at the German Society in Philadelphia, Pa.
German American publications at the Library Company in Philadelphia, Pa.
The Library Company's collection of materials printed at the Ephrata Cloister. Philadelphia, Pa.
Research library at the Ephrata Cloister in Ephrata, Pa.
Saur Bibles in the Gruber Rare Books collection at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
The Schwenkfelder Library and Research Center in Pennsburgh, Pa.
Swigart Collection at the Beeghley Library at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa.
Separated Materials note
The following information was taken from the card catalog:
26 folders of fraktur (Ac 971) were moved to "the manuscript department, Pennsylvania German certificates; in the print room (at the end of Bb's)."
Deed of Herman Op de Graaff to Cornelius Sivert (Ac 974) was transfered to the Society collection.
Controlled Access Headings
Personal Name(s)
- Beissel, Conrad, 1690-1768.
- Kelpius, Johannes, 1673-1708.
- Lampe, Friedrich Adolf, 1683-1729.
- Miller, Peter, 1710-1796.
- Pastorius, Francis Daniel, 1651-1719.
- Sauer, Christopher, 1695-1758.
- Schwenkfeld, Kaspar, 1489-1561.
Subject(s)
- Arithmetic--Textbooks--Early works to 1900.
- Dunkard Brethren.
- Ephrata Cloister.
- Fraktur art--Pennsylvania.
- Geomancy--Early works to 1800.
- German Americans--Music.
- German Baptist Brethren (U.S.)--Pennsylvania.
- German language--18th century--Dictionaries.
- Germantown (Philadelphia, Pa.)--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775.
- Hymns, German--Pennsylvania.
- Hymns, German--United States--Texts.
- Hymns--German--18th century.
- Illumination of books and manuscripts, German.
- Mathematics, German.
- Mysticism--Germany--History.
- Mysticism--United States--History.
- Pennsylvania--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775.
- Pietism--United States--History--18th century.
- Printing--United States--History--18th century.
- Schwenkfelder Church--Catechisms--German.
- Schwenkfelder Church--Catechisms.
- Schwenkfelder Church--Hymns.
- Schwenkfelder Church--Prayers and devotions.
- Schwenkfelder Church.
- Sermons, German--United States--Early works to 1800.
- Voyages and travels.
Bibliography
Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1973.
Alderfer, Everett Gordon. The Ephrata commune: an early American counterculture. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Univeristy Press, 1985.
Durnbaugh, Donald F. "Abraham Harley Cassel and His Collection." Pennsylvania History 26.4 (October 1959): 332-347. JSTOR. Web. 15 Aug. 2011. http://www.jstor.org/pss/27769911
Haussmann, William A. "German- American Hymnology, 1683-1800." Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 1899. Web. 20 July 2011. http://books.google.com/books/about/German_American_hymnology_1683_1800.html?id=XFAXAAAAYAAJ
"History." The Ephrata Cloister. n.d. Web. 17 July 2011. http://www.ephratacloister.org/history.htm
Kulp, Roy C. "Abraham Harley Cassel: Dunkard Bibliophile," Pennsylvania Folklife 11.1 (Spring 1960). Web. 15 Aug. 2011. http://www.johnbryer.com/abraham_harley_cassel.htm#ahc
Miller, Randall M. and William Pencak, eds. Pennsylvania: a History of the Commonwealth. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2002.
"Online Resources." The Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center. n.d. Web. July 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=08SCAAAAIAAJ&dq=schwenkfelder%20hymnology&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
"Special Collections." Juniata College Beeghly Library. Sept. 2008. Web. 27 July 2011. http://www.juniata.edu/projects/currents/redesign2/specialcollections.html
Collection Inventory
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Anmerckungen aus der Leichen-Rede des George Schultzen, Sr. March 23 1784 (Excerpts from a Speech at the Funeral of George Schultz Sr.), by Christoph Schultz circa 1784 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis handwritten pamphlet is a eulogy or funeral speech given by a son after his father's death. George Schultz died suddenly, so many of the remarks in Christoph's speech emphasize the impermanence of life and the need to always be watching and waiting for God. There was a Schultz family who was prominent in the early Schwenkfeldian church in America, but there is not enough extant information to identify this George or Christoph Shultz as Schwenkfelders. |
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Arithmetiche Instructiones (Arithmetic Instructions) 1717 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume is a German, handwritten arithmetic instruction book. It was owned by Andreas Carl Teichen and later by Christian Lehman. This volume contains instructions for carrying out basic math functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), as well as completed practice exercises and notations. |
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Der englischen Gräfin Maria von Pembrock seltene Geheimnisse bestehend in einer wunderbaren Punctir-kunst (The English Countess Mary of Pembroke’s Rare Secrets of the Wonderful Art of Geomancy) 1814 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume is a German translation of a work by a Maria or Mary who was once Countess of Pembroke. It is likely that the title refers to Mary Sidney Herbert (1561-1621), sister of the English poet Sir Philip Sidney and wife ofthe 2nd Earl of Pembroke, Henry Herbert, but there is little evidence in the text itself for her authorship. This volume contains instructions for performing a kind of geomancy, an arcane method of divining answers to questions using numerical patterns and astrology. This book provides questions one could put forth to spirits of the earth and air, and the methods by which those answers could be interpreted. |
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English-German vocabulary circa 1787 1.0 item |
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Ephrata: Der Christen A. B. C. (The Christian A. B. C.) 1750 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteProduced by Ephrata Cloister members Sisters Anastasia and Efigenia in 1750, this volume contains artwork for three capital letter alphabets. The illustration and decoration of the letters contain common Pennsylvania-German folk motifs like plants, birds, and hexes, but also human figures, dressed in the robes worn by brothers and sisters at the Ephrata Cloister. Most letters are not completely illustrated; decorations around the letters are not entirely colored, pencil lines are visible, and in some cases the letters themselves are only partially drawn in. |
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Ephrata: Chronicon of the Ephrata Sisterhood (leather bound) 1745 1.0 item |
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Ephrata: Chronicon of the Ephrata Sisterhood (cloth bound) 1745 1.0 item |
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Ephrata: Chronicon of the Ephrata Sisterhood, typed transcript 1890 1.0 item |
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Ephrata: Death register of the Ephrata Cloister 1728-1821 1.0 item |
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Ephrata: Hymn book, Choral Book of the Ephrata Cloister 1745 1.0 item |
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Ephrata: Hymn book, Manuscript Book of the Ephrata Brethren, by Conrad Beissel 1746 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteA note at the beginning of this volume written by Obed Snoberger (one of the brethren at the Snow Hill Cloister) identifies it as containing hymns composed by Conrad Beissel. Snoberger also notes that the hymns to which the music is set are the same as those in the Zionitischer weyrauchs hügel. This volume may be of particular interest to researchers, as it includes a foreword (possibly written in Beissel's own hand), explaining the theories behind his music, its composition, and its relationship to his religious views. It also appears to be a compilation of hymns from several sources, all by Conrad Beissel. Pages of hymns are numbered 1-108, A-P, 1-145, with a section of numbered hymns before the index in loose numerical order. Some of the hymns in this volume also appear in Melodien. |
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Ephrata: Hymn book, manuscript music book made at the cloister at Schneeberg (Snow Hill) circa 1817 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume contains more lyrics than the other three Conrad Beissel hymn books: where the others only provide the title or first line, this volume provides lyrics for the entire hymn. The much later cover of this volume declares that it was made in memory of Sister Martha ( Zum Andenken an Schwester Martha), but there is nothing in the text to associate this volume with her. One of the other Ephrata hymn books with the same hymns -- Mittel Buch bestehend in allerley angenehmen Melodies (Volume 14) -- does, however, contain a page with a dedication to Sister Martha. This is the most elaborate and colorful of the Ephrata community hymn books. |
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Ephrata: Hymn book: Melodien (Melodies) circa 1848 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis small volume of hymns belonged to a man named Paul Ritter in 1848-1849, but the date of publication is uncertain. Some of the hymns in this book also appear in the Manuscript Book of the Ephrata Brethren, so at least some of these songs were composed by Conrad Beissel. |
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Ephrata: Hymn book, Mittel Buch bestehend in allerley angenehmen Melodies zum Dank und Lobgesang unseres Gottes gemeinschaftlich gemacht zum Gebrauch in der Christlichen Kirche zu Schneeberg (The Middle Book Containing All Kinds of Comfortable Songs of Thanks and Praise to Our Common God. Made for use in the Christian church at Snow Hill.) 1846 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis hymn book has an illuminated page dedicating the volume to Schwester (Sister) Martha. |
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Ephrata: Hymn book, Paradisisches Wunder-Spiel (Paradisiacal Wonder-Music), by Conrad Beissel 1754 1.0 item |
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Ephrata: Hymn book, Paradisisches Wunder-Spiel (Paradisiacal Wonder-Music), by Conrad Beissel 1754 1.0 item |
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Ephrata: Hymn book, Zionitischer Rosen Garten (Zionist Rose Garden), by Conrad Beissel 1754 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteAccording to a note in this volume written by Obed Snoberger, a member of the Snow Hill Cloister, this book was produced by the brethren of Ephrata for Conrad Beissel. Snoberger's also provides the date when the item arrived at the Snow Hill cloister and an explanation of the sheet music and composition techniques. He does not, however, clarify whether the hymns are written by Beissel or compiled for him by members of the Ephrata community. |
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Ephrata: Hymn book, untitled, by David Schneeberger 1817 1.0 item |
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Ephrata: Letter book of Conrad Beissel 1751-1756 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume contains copies of letters written between 1751 and 1756. Most letters are address spiritual matters and contain personalized advice to the recipient. Letter recipients include Christopher Saur Sr., Peter Beussel, an English schoolmaster named Daniel K., Brother Ludovias, Jacob Mohr, Brother Ludowiz, Henrich Lohman, Brother Ludovici, Johannes Müllen (brother of Sister Pauolina), Brother Agabus, Willhelmus Jung, Conrad Matthey, George Henning, Henrich Fund, Peter Becker, Gerhard Zinn, Christian Siderborg, and Jacob Rimmel. |
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Ephrata: Manuscripts circa 1727-1752 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis bound collection of manuscripts includes tracts on various religious matters and letters about events and people relevant to the Ephrata Cloister. One of the more interesting documents in this pamphlet is a copy of a letter from an Ephrata brother who died "long ago," which discusses the activities of Samuel Eckerlin, the brother of Israel Eckerlin. Israel challenged Conrad Beissel’s leadership at Ephrata and was ultimately ejected from the community. The unnamed letter writer is angry about Samuel's behavior and goes so far as to compare him to "Indians," the only difference between them being that Samuel Eckerlin did not burn down any houses. There is also a 1737 letter to Christopher Sauer from someone named "Märsy," which expresses great disapproval of Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorff, a German Protestant and bishop of the Moravian church who offered refuge to the Schwenkfelders in 1726 when persecution intensified in Germany. |
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Ephrata: Sermons, by Israel Eckerlin 1756 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume of sermons written by Israel Eckerlin in 1756 represents the religious point of view of someone who was expelled from the Ephrata Cloister. His disagreements with Beissel’s philosophies (and perhaps a clash of personalities) lead to his leaving Ephrata in 1745. This volume includes thirty-five sermons written by Eckerlin (called Brother Onesimus), but also a plea to Peter Miller (Brother Jaebez) -- the Ephrata brother responsible for the Chronicon -- to publish this volume of sermons and other texts. The sermons are meditations on the broad topics of God and faith. |
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Hausmittel und Behandlung (Home Remedies and Treatment of the Expectant Mother and the Mother After Delivery) undated 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis book of medical advice and recipes was written by a Dr. De Benewell and once belonged to Christopher Saur. It contains advice for the physician attending a home birth and treating expectant mothers. Remedies include those for swollen legs, infection, and unexpected bleeding. |
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Hymn book: Hermonisches Melodeyen Buchlein uber die bekannteste Lieder im Marburger Gesang-Buch (The Most Popular Songs from the Marburger Songbook) 1781 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis hymn book contains the most popular songs from the Lutheran Marburger Songbook, a collection of Protestant hymns first published in 1549 and printed in the United States by Christopher Saur. The dedication page states that this volume was created for Catarina Hunsicker, who was a singer in the Birdenseher school, although the last page declares that the book belongs to Catharina Bergen, which may be her married name. The last page bears the inscription, Hört büchlein was ich dir will sagen so dich jemand weg dragen so sprich las mich nur ligen in guter ruh. This is identical to the text on the first page of Johannes Berge's 1783 song book (also in this collection), which suggests that this volume is of his authorship as well. A "Henry Berge" has also signed his name to this volume, along with the date 1832. |
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Hymn book: Paradiesische Nachts Tropffen, die sich in der Stille zu Zion als ein lieblicher Morgen Tau uber die Kinder Gottes ausgebreitet ( Paradisaical night drops which spread as dulcet morning dew over the children of the Lord in the tranquility of Zion) 1734 1.0 item |
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Hymn book: Sing-Noten Buchlein (The Little Book of Singing Music), by Johannes Berge 1783 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume contains hymns composed by Johannes Berge, many of them Psalms. It is unique in this collection because it contains a hymn in English (the last song in the book). The text and music are undecorated. |
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Immen Büchlein (The Little Book About Bees), by Johann Grützmann 1779 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis small volume is a copy of Johann Grützmann's instruction book about beekeeping, originally written in 1669. In 1779 this copy was made by David Kriebel, presumably for his own use as the volume contains notes and explanations for passages that were copied into the wrong place or chapter in this version of the Immen Büchlein. |
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Kelpius, Johannes: Hymnal undated 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume contains handwritten German lyrics and facing page English translations of hymns written by Johannes Kelpius. Although the lyrics and music (when included) were composed by Kelpius, the handwriting and translations in this volume are not his. The hymns were copied by an unknown scribe, while the translations belong to Christopher Witt, who also painted the only existing portrait of Kelpius (currently held by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania). In 1823, John F. Watson wrote a note found at the beginning of this volume explaining the current format of the hymnal and providing a brief biography of Kelpius. |
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Kelpius, Johannes: Journal, photostat copy 1893 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis journal is assembled from a travelogue that Kelpius kept during his trip from Germany to Pennsylvania and some of his letters. The travelogue portion of the journal details his 1694 voyage aboard the Sarah Maria Hopewell, including names of fellow passengers, which ships they encountered, a description of a battle with a French vessel, and instructions given by an admiral to the ship’s captain. The letters in this volume range in date from 1697 to 1706, although some are undated. The contents are mostly spiritual musings, sometimes addressing specific philosophical and theological questions asked of him in earlier letters. Not all letters are dated or name the intended recipient, but identified recipients include Heinrich Johann Deichman of London; Steven Momfort of Long Island, New York; Reverend Tobias Erie Biorck of Wilmington, Delaware; Maria Elizabeth Gerber of Virginia; Magister Fabritius; and Hester Palmer. The original of this Photostat copy is found in the Ferdinand J. Dreer autograph collection (0175), Volume 126. |
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Leges Pennsilvaniana: Laws of Germantown, photostat copy, belonged to Francis Daniel Pastorius 1690 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis copy of Germantown charters and regulations was owned by Francis Daniel Pastorius (1651-1720), the founder of Germantown, Pennsylvania, now a part of Philadelphia. The original is held by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, with the Francis Daniel Pastorius papers (Collection 0475). There are two sections to this volume: the first section is a copy of the charter itself, and the second is Gesetz, Ordnungen, und Statuta der Gemeind zu Germantown (Laws, regulations, and statutes for the municipality of Germantown).The charter lays out the guidelines and regulations for the self-governance of Germantown, allowing it to have corporate and political autonomy. The second section in this book details the election of public officials, taxes, and government hierarchy. It was apparently a draft, as Pastorius crossed out many of the proposed regulations. |
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Schwenkfeld: Anweisung zum lessen fürs gantze Jahr (Instructions on What to Read for the Entire Year) undated 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis pamphlet provides the reader with a list of religious texts and sections of the Bible to read throughout the year, from the first Sunday in Advent to the 27th Sunday after "Trinitatis." Each day is divided into three sections (early morning, before noon, and after noon) and each day’s reading includes an assignment intended for children ( Kinder Lehre). The sermons of Michael Hiller, Erasmus Weichenhans, and Johannes Werner are mentioned frequently. Access to this volume is restricted due to its condition. Please use the digital version found online in the Digital Library. |
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Schwenkfeld: Catalogus, oder Register der Bücher Herren Caspar Schwenckfelds (A Catalog of the Books of Caspar Schwenckfeld's Men) undated 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume is an inventory of Schwenkfeldian books, which includes works by Caspar Schwenkfeld and other important religious leaders in the early Schwenkfelder church. Authors listed in this volume include: George Heydrich, Martin John Jr., George Frell, Caspar John, Caspar Kriebel, and David Seibt. Short descriptions of the works are included in the inventory, as well as some biographical information about the authors. |
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Schwenkfeld: Christliche Catechismus-Fragen gewisser Haupt-Puncte Christlicher Lehr und Glaubens (Questions of Christian Catechism on Certain Key Points of Christian Doctrine and Beliefs), by George Weiss undated 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume contains the catechism of George Weiss, one of the first Schwenkfelder pastors in the United States, and the man responsible for organizing the first Day of Remembrance. It is divided into two sections; both contain Schwenkfelder catechism, but only the first follows the traditional question and answer catechism format. The second part includes sections addressed specifically to children. |
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Schwenkfeld: Compendium, das ist Kurtze Zusammenfassung und Inbegriff derer Christlichen Glaubens-Lehren (A short Abstract and Embodiment of Christian Dogma) 1788 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume of Schwenkfeldian catechism was copied by "G. K." in 1788. It includes a foreward by a Christoph Shultz written on September 9, 1783, but there isn't any clear indication that Shultz composed the rest of the volume. |
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Schwenkfeld: Etliche Vermahnungen und Predigten bey den begräbnüssen der verstorbenen, zu lesen und zubetrachten, allen und jeden Mensche zu christlichem Unterricht (Several Exhortations and Sermons for Funeral Eulogies, to be Read and Contemplated by Every Man in Christian Education), by Michael Hiller undated 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume contains fourteen sermons by Michael Hiller, including one for a child's funeral. Hiller was a Silesian pastor who was an early follower of Caspar Schwenkfeld. |
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Schwenkfeld: Kurtze Anmerckung uber die geordnete Hohefest, Sonntag und Feyertagliche Episteln durchs gantze Jahr (Brief Notes on Epistles for Festivals, Sundays, and Holidays Throughout the Entire Year), by Balthasar Hoffman 1746 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume was written by Balthasar Hoffman, a Schwenkfeldian minister, under the pen name "Barachiah Heber." The epistles include commentary and a foreword that explains their order. |
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Schwenkfeld: Kurtze Bekentnis des Glaubens (A Brief Affirmation of Faith), by Michael Hiller undated 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis is an early creed of Schwenkfeldian beliefs which, although undated, would have been written during Hiller’s lifetime in the early sixteenth century. This volume is a later copy made by Heindrich Dinger, whose name appears at the bottom of a page containing an address and foreword from the copier to the reader. The pages in this volume are numbered, although page nine is the first page, which contains the address to the reader from the copier. The missing pages are probably the title page and others with prefatory information. |
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Schwenkfeld: Kurtzer Bericht, von der Schwenckfeldischen Gemeine (A Short Account of the Schwenkfeldian Community), by Martin John Jr. 1680 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume is John's account of the history of the Schwenkfeldian community, beginning with its break with Martin Luther. It provides a detailed description of the group's movements in Europe, including the names of men and women who helped them, many of whom John knew personally. The volume ends mid-sentence and an unknown number of pages are missing at the end of the narrative. |
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Schwenkfeld: Reise-Beschreibung der Schwenckfelder von Herrnhut und Haarlem nach Philadelphia im Jahr 1733 (An Account of the Journey to Philadelphia from Herrnhut and Haarlem in the Year 1733), by David Scholtz circa 1733 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis pamphlet describes the journeynof a group of Schwenkfelders from Herrnhut in Oberlausitz (Upper Lusatia), Germany to Philadelphia. Herrnhut was founded by by Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, who offered the Schwenkfelders refuge as the persecution against them increased. Scholtz describes some of the cities where they stop and the people they meet before beginning the trans-Atlantic voyage. He also provides details about the crossing itself after their ship, the brigantine The Pennsylvania Merchant, leaves Rotterdam in 1733. |
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Schwenkfeld: Summarischer Entwurf derer Betrachtungen am Gedächtnistag den 24 Septm 1764 (A Summary of a Plan for Meditations on the Day of Remembrance, September 14, 1764), by Christoph Drescher circa 1764 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis pamphlet proposes a series of meditations for the Day of Remembrance, a Schwenckfeldian celebration of the day the main group of Schwenckfelders arrived and subsequently settled in Pennsylvania in 1734. |
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Schwenkfeld: Schwenckfelder Predigt (A Schwenkfelder Sermon) undated 1.0 item |
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Schwenkfeld: Tagliches Gesang Buch, part one: Christliches und dabey auch Tagliches Gesang Buch (A Christian Daily Songbook) 1753 1.0 item |
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Schwenkfeld: Tagliches Gesang Buch, part two: Der andere Theil dises Christlichen Gesang-Buch von Pfingsten bis zu Ende des Jahres (The Other Part of this Christian Song Book for Pentecost until the End of the Year) 1752 1.0 item |
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Schwenkfeld: Treu-hertzige Erinerung an einen, das in einem Bedencken sein selbst stehet an die Hand zu gehen (An ingenuous reminder), by George Heydrich 1785 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume contains an essay encouraging the reader to contemplate God and God's love for the reader while carrying out daily tasks. Heydrich (also spelled Heidrich), frequently addresses the reader and begins sentences with the exhortation: Bedenke offt… ("Think often about…"). |
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Stam Register derer Vor-Eltern von Christian Lehmann (The Family Tree of the Forefathers of Christian Lehmann), by Godfryd Lehmann undated 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume contains the lineage and biographical information of the Lehman family, as compiled and written by Godfryd (or Gottfrid) Lehman, who came to Philadelphia in 1731. The family record goes back to 1558, when a Johann George Lehmann was born in Tröygen, a village in Saxony. After Godfryd died in 1757, Christian Lehman, his son, added biographical information about his father, which is written upside down at the end of the pamphlet. |
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Trauer Gedicht uber eine grausame Mordthat (A Sorrowful Poem about a Cruel, Murderous Deed) circa 1780 1.0 item |
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Vitae Samuelis undated 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis short biography describes the life of Samuel Mayer, son of Johannes Mayer of Mitteltaun (or Middletown), Pennsylvania. Samuel was a pious man who worked as a blacksmith and died young on February 12, 1790. This text appears to be a draft or to have been under revision, as there are many corrections made by the same hand that wrote the Vitae itself. |
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Wahrheits-Milch (Milk of Truth), by Friedrich Adolf Lampe 1762 1.0 item Scope and Contents noteThis volume of catechism was intended to be used in educating children (in a school or otherwise) and was printed in Philadelphia by Anton Armbruster in 1762. It contains printed material (the catechism), which has been interspersed with handwritten notes. These notes appear to have been written by the book's owner, Johann Christoph Gobrecht, who must have been a school teacher. The notes all pertain to the teaching of the contents of the books, and are mostly reference to Bible books and verses that would further illuminate the contents of Warheits-Milch. The early pages of the book are notes entirely in Gorbrecht's handwriting, where he is keeping track of payments owed to him by students' families for his services. Some pages at the end of the book contain handwritten biographical information, although the purpose of these notes is not clear. |
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Items removed from Biblia, das ist: Die ganze göttliche Heilige Schrifft, Alten und Neuen Testaments, nach der deutschen Uebersetzung Dr. Martin Luthers, mit jedes Capitels kurzen Summarien, auch beygefügten vielen und richtigen Paralellen: Nebst schicklichen Nutzanwendungen zu den fünf Büchern Mosis, dem Hohelied Solomonis und der Offerbarung S. Johannis: Die erste Auflage. (Lutheran Bible of Friedrich Goeb) 1792, undated 2.0 items Scope and Contents noteThese items were removed from an 1815 edition of Goeb's Bible, which is now held by the Library Company of Philadelphia (Ac. 9141). One item is a book label that was not a label for the Goeb Bible. It was once attached to a song book or book of psalms owned by Jacob Meyer in 1792. The other item found in the Bible is a receipt or possibly a page from an account book, which includes a few names and a long list of items purchased. This item is undated. |
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