• Home
  • About
  • !!! SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER – FREE GIFT !!!
  • Blog
  • Contact

Lorraine D. Hebler

  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Breads – Quick & Yeast
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Canning & Freezing
    • Entertaining
    • Holidays
    • Main Dishes
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Fish & Seafood
      • Pork
    • Pasta
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups & Stews
    • Sweet Treats
      • Biscotti
      • Cakes & Cupcakes
      • Cookies & Bars
      • Desserts
      • Muffins
      • Pies & Cobblers
      • Scones
    • Vegetables & Sides
    • Visit My Galleries
  • Crafts
    • Crochet
    • Knitting
    • More Crafts
    • Visit My Galleries
  • Faith
    • Faith Statement
    • Faith Printables
  • Home and Garden
    • Birds & Butterflies
    • Flowers Plants & Herbs
    • Home Decorating & DIY
  • Family
    • Family & Friends
    • Grandchildren
  • Resourses
    • Gift Guides
    • Photography Equipment
    • Food Styling Photo Props
    • Sock Hop Party Shopping Guide
  • Travel
  • Vintage

Holtzschwamm Church

By Lorraine

Over the past several years, I have done extensive genealogy research on both my father’s line and my husband’s father’s line. It was hard work but very rewarding as, piece by piece, a clearer picture of our ancestors emerge.
 

 Holtzschwamm Church Plate 

 
I was so excited to find this commemorative plate on eBay. It has great significance in my family history. My ancestors emigrated from the German Palatinate in 1717. They left persecution as Mennonites and arrived in the young colony of Pennsylvania, settling first in Germantown, moving on to Lancaster and then settling for many generations in York County.
 

Holtzschwamm means woody swamp

~*~
The plate features Holtzschwamm Church (now known as Paradise Lutheran and Reformed Church) that dates back to 1775 and got its name from its location . Though the church is situated on a high elevation, much of the valley was a vast, woody swamp. Holtzschwamm means woody swamp.
 
 
The first church was a log cabin building erected in the center of the old graveyard. (See the open area in the above picture). The church in the above photo is the third one and was erected in 1849 at a cost of $2,800.00.
For a time the building served two congregations ~ Lutheran and German Reformed My fourth Great-grandfather served as an Elder of the Reformed Consistory in 1838.

Holtzschwamm means headstones

 
He and his wife are buried in this churchyard cemetery as are his son Jonas and many other family members.

 

His father, Johannes (my fifth Great-Grandfather) is here as well.
Born 1758, died 1814
 

One of the entrance gates to the graveyard.

Interior of the Holtzschwamm Church building

 


Holtzschwamm Church interior, including a potbelly stove (one of 4 used for heating), a portrait of Moses Bentzel, the designer of the building and the organ (still in working condition).  One Sunday each fall, the building is opened and there is a special service held. (last pic)

 

 

Above photo taken October 2007

 

 

 
Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart NewsletterOur Newsletter is published once every three weeks. Each issue is timely and helpful, jam-packed with food, crafts, occasional DIY, gardening and faith resources. Relevant and seasonal posts to inspire and guide you with current trends. Available only to those who request it, so please accept our invitation to stay connected and join the Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart community. Just click the subscribe button below.

   

Filed Under: Family, Family & Friends, Travel Tagged With: genealogy, Lancaster, vintage

Comments

  1. Shana says

    September 12, 2009 at 12:59 am

    What an interesting piece of your family history. Enjoyed visiting your site!

    Blessing,
    Shana

    Reply
  2. Jean says

    September 11, 2009 at 9:04 pm

    Beautiful plate and what a nice link to your heritage. Jean

    Reply
  3. Susan B says

    September 11, 2009 at 8:16 pm

    What a beautiful plate! And so nice that your family history is tied to the church. Thank you for sharing the interesting history. Have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
  4. Kitty Valerie says

    September 11, 2009 at 7:22 pm

    That is a plate to cherish.
    Have a nice weekend,
    Val

    Reply
  5. Kayren, Pink Daisy Girl says

    September 11, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    What a fantastic Show and Tell! I love the story you shared and the history behind the church. I'm amazed at the cost of the church in the 1800's.

    Reply
  6. marie says

    September 11, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    What a great bit of family history! I love the old church and all the photos. The organ is so beautiful, especially in the last photo with the fall colored flowers ~ the painting of Christ is wonderful.
    Thanks for sharing your pretty plate and the memories it holds for you.

    Reply
  7. crochet lady says

    September 11, 2009 at 1:17 pm

    What a gift to know so much of your families history.

    Reply
  8. Walking on Sunshine... says

    September 11, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    Heading to Lancaster in 2 months, hopefully, if hubby's schedule doesn't change.

    What a wonderful job you did on the research!

    Enjoy your day!

    Reply
  9. Hootin' Anni says

    September 11, 2009 at 10:27 am

    You posted a most perfect show n tell…not only your wonderful plate [I love how you have it sitting atop a bible stack] and yet, you shared some wonderful history of the lovely church!! That was most interesting.

    My show n tell is posted if you'd like to stop by today…it's my dining room centerpiece I made for Autumn! [with mouseover captions]

    Reply
  10. Miss Jen says

    September 11, 2009 at 5:18 am

    Wow…. what interesting history!!
    Love the plate…. :>)
    Thanks for sharing, Mrs.H.

    Love~ Miss Jen

    Reply
  11. Gee says

    September 11, 2009 at 4:45 am

    I love the plate. Its simple but nice. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  12. moreofhim says

    September 11, 2009 at 4:22 am

    What a beautiful plate and how wonderful that you have a family connection to this church! Wow! What a treasure.

    That cemetery looks very familiar. My father's family is from Pennsylvania and when I was young, I got very interested in genealogy and asked him for family information. This created a spark in him and he created a beautiful book of that side of the family information. When I went to visit him (over 30 years ago now!), he took me to a cemetery to show me where our family was buried. Now I'm going to have to pull out my books from him and see if it's the same one!

    I'm so glad I found your blog. It's beautiful and I will definitely be back to visit. I came from Kelli's Friday Show & Tell – just so you know. 🙂

    God bless you – Julie

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I'm Lorraine. Welcome to Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart. A place to find food for your tummy, projects for your hands, and encouragement for your heart.

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis