KLUG, Rev. George Samuel

Klug, Rev. George Samuel 11

8/17/08

KLUG, Rev. George Samuel

father: Georg Klug

mother: Anna Maria Domke[1]

born: abt 1706 East Prussia

died: 1764 Culpeper [now Madison] Co. VA

buried: buried beneath floor of Hebron Lutheran church

married: Susannah Casler/Castler (b. ?; d 1801[2]), prob. Culpeper Co. abt 1739

CHILDREN

NAME BIRTH DATE\PLACE DEATH DATE\PLACE

Michael abt 1741 (?) bet May & Sep1812; Madison, VA[3]

Samuel [?][4] abt 1744 (?) probably 1795

Ephraim abt 1756 (?) 1833, Madison, VA[5]

Eve c 1749 c 1818

Elizabeth c 1744 Culpeper Co, VA 6 Oct 1801; Green Co., TN[6]

Magdalene c 1753 c 1820

daughter

child

child

MARRIAGES

NAME SPOUSE'S NAME DATE, PLACE OF MAR

Michael Elizabeth Fischer/Fisher

*alt: ----- Custis (d bef 1812)[7]

Samuel (?) Elizabeth Yates 13 May 1769; Middesex Co, VA[8]

Christ Church by Rev. Mr. Dunlap

Ephraim Elizabeth Major (?) 24 Aug 1792; Culpeper Co. VA

Eve Matthias Broyles, Sr. c 1765[9]

Elizabeth Michael Broyles c 1764[10]

Magdalene Johann [11]William Lotspeich bef 1764[12]

daughter Godfrey Yager

child

child

Klug may well have been one of the “poor” Prussian students recruited for clerical study at Helmstedt. There was a shortage of pastors then due to an epidemic.

All information in italics taken from J. Blankenbaker’s draft of article November 1998 .

REFERENCES TO GEORGE SAMUEL KLUGH QUOTED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES MENTIONED IN GERMANNA.ORG.

Born in Elbing, near Danzig (now Elblag, Poland), studied at Helmstedt University. Ordained at Danzig 30 August 1736. Went to London for a time, but probably arrived in VA no later than 1739. He married Susanna Castler soon after.

Served Germans in the Shenandoah Valley, issued certifications to Opequon Cedar Creek Settlement residents vouching for their having received communion.

Moravians, while disapproving of his drinking, found him unargumentative and courteous. His own Lutheran brethren in PA disapproved of his owning slaves and discontinuing the school. One of his sons, Samuel, may have become an Anglican cleric.

Page News & Courier

Heritage and Heraldry

Slavery in the 'German element' may have rooted from an influential minister

Article of July 27, 2000

While not the sole reason for its establishment within Virginia’s Germanic community of settlers near and within the Blue Ridge, the church may have played a role in the introduction of the institution of slavery, and the ultimate seed for this introduction came from Rev. George Samuel Klug.

While holding his main congregation on the east side of the Blue Ridge, several members and descendants from his “flock” eventually settled in the middle Shenandoah Valley. Klug often ventured into the Valley to administer the words of the gospel as well as perform baptisms and marriages. To many, it was the church that established policies by which to live and, inevitably, Klug was the

head of that church and prime example for several members of the congregation.

Following the death of Johann Casper Stoever, Klug came to head the Hebron Evangelical Church in Culpeper County in 1739. Originally recruited by Stoever as a lay companion, Klug was exceptionally different in his ministry. He studied at Helmsted with the famous church historian and theologian Conrad Lorenz von Mosheim and was ordained at Danzig in 1736. Upon his arrival in Virginia, Klug quickly cultivated close relations with the Anglican establishment in Virginia and by 1752 pleaded for a “small allowance” which was granted.

While he did labor intensely to prevent the influence of the Moravians upon his flock, Klug did not live according to his predecessors’ beliefs. Prior to Klug’s arrival, dependency for survival had stemmed from European charity and insufficient salaries from congregational contributions.

Klug, however, was neither a pietist by training or inclination. Klug became so obsessed at attempting to impress and be recognized by the Anglican establishment that he soon became seriously involved as a major religious and cultural broker and intermediary between his German-speaking congregation and

the wider world of Virginia’s planting society. As a result, he quickly learned to adopt the practice of planters and increase the wealth of his glebe by purchasing slaves. To Klug, it appeared that in adapting to the novelty of chattel slavery he had been provided with the North American answer to pastoral

poverty.

In addition to embracing the institution of slavery, Klug began a practice of refined and sensuous taste. For his lavish efforts to continue to impress his friends in the Anglican ministry, he soon became seriously criticized by other members of the German established religious order. His efforts may have even drawn the attention of Lutheran Anton Wilhelm Bohme, who warned against this sort of newfound “false freedom,” namely that of “self-willed” licentious behavior.

Bohme had established that true Christians of the new order would not act like these people, who resembled Old Testament Israelites who “wanted to possess lands, goods, and acres to divide among themselves.” The Rev. Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg was quick to recognize Klug as a large and imposing Prussian who enjoyed the regular income from his glebe land and slaves.

For his actions, Klug eventually fell out with many of his own congregations while still maintaining his well-established relations with his Anglican friends. Despite this, he continued to preach to Germanic and Anglican congregations alike until his death in 1764.

Ultimately, Klug became a prime example of what was on the horizon for this ethnic group. It had appeared that the language barrier and the remote location of the Germanic settlements had conspired together to ensure isolation from the influence of English-speaking society. However, while some Germanic settlements were well isolated (such as that seen in what would be known as the Page

Valley), transactions with and influence by the English society was unavoidable. Then too, the adaptation of English society practices may have been looked upon favorably by many.

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From: <>

To: <>

Subject: Re: [GERMANNA] Catherine Swadley Clore

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 8:48 PM

Dear Cathi:

Thanks for answering my request. Chuck and I have corresponded for a few years.

The heritage of the German Lutherans of Old Propst Church as written in their booklet after restoration in late 1960s and finished 1973 states: "The first Lutheran sermons and first Lutheran ministrations within Pendleton were brought here from beyond the Blue Ridge region of Virginia by ministers of the Hebron Lutheran Church of Madison County, Virginia. The Reverend George Samuel Klug, born at Elbing, Polish Prussia, came to Virginia in May, 1739. He came to Virginia to serve as assistant pastor to the Reverend John Casper Stover, but Pastor Stover died and was buried at sea while returning from

Europe in 1739."

Also states there is record of Pastor Klug ministering to a widespread area beyond Hebron Lutheran Church, including such towns as Strasburg, Mt Jackson, Woodstock and New Market.

Mark Swadley, pioneer before 1748 in Augusta Co., in 1769 was one of four trustees who received land from John Michael Propst for the building of a church. So he was connected to the church and he and Catherine would be well acquainted with the Hebron Church people. There must be a record somewhere

as to who came to minister to the Propst Church, but where? Propst Church records start 1813.

Pendleton Co was made a County in 1787 out of Rockingham and it came out of Augusta in 1777. I have looked at mges in Augusta and Rockingham, but so many were not recorded in those early years. Guess there aren't records left by Rev. Klug.

From: <>

To: <>

Subject: Re: [GERMANNA] KLUG and church attendance

Date: Friday, August 01, 2003 6:52 PM

In a message dated 8/1/03 4:53:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time, writes:

< and he seems to have hocked his slaves on occasion. What were his social problems and his addiction? And where can I find out about his running out of sermons? >

Hi- Glad to hear from you. GSK mortgaged some slaves to Mr Dick in Fredricksburg. His social problems you mentioned, in addition he went to court because of ill-willing enemies (not sure if they were members of his congregation). Here he asks permission to sell slaves from an estate. (not quite clear wha'ts

happening here.)

The Moravian diaries published by Hinke are the best information we have on Klug, I believe it was Gottschalk who reported that he drank too much (the addiction mentioned) and that he ran out of sermons. Muhlenberg only reports that he surrendered to excessive drinking and was conducting services rarely sober - The Pennsylvanian did not care much for the distant -Prussian Virginian

anyway. [I could go on]...

As you know the man and have written about him, you may also be interested that the 1760s signatures under wills are not necessarily his but most probably rather son Samuel's. [The Georg does not appear although the rev. usually uses GSK] The last with the full name Georg Samuel is, I believe under a

Harnspaerger will of 1759.

Andreas

From: johblankpipelinecom [

Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 8:56 AM

To:

Subject: [GERMANNA] The 2271st Note in a Series on the Germanna Colonies

The twenty-two hundred and seventy-first note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

In 1749, Rev. Klug attended a meeting of Ministerium of Pennsylvania. Though he was not connected with the Ministeriurn, he attended to pay his respects to his Lutheran brethren. On this occasion he lamented his loneliness and lack of opportunity for fraternal association. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the organizer of the Lutheran Church in America, had reservations about him. He did not agree with Klug's manner of living and his attitudes toward opportunity and learning. On the first point, Muhlenberg observed that Klug was a slave owner and had adopted the fine and easy living of the Established clergy. It is true that he rated well with his Anglican neighbors and he provided services for them in the absence of Anglican pastors. Muhlenberg was especially provoked that Klug had discontinued the German school.

Whatever Klug's shortcomings, let it be remembered that he went around the Massanutten (Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley) two or three times a year and kept the faith alive in the earliest Valley congregations. The Moravian Schnell wrote, "He is much praised," in reference to the lonely pioneers along the Shenandoah River. When Rev. Klug died in 1764, his body was interred beneath the Hebron chancel.

The elders of the church appealed to the Pennsylvania Ministerium for assistance in finding another pastor. This resulted in the appointment of Johannes Schwarbach as catechist and he served from 1764 until 1774. At this time he resigned, stating that the work load was too heavy for him. When he was initially appointed, he had not yet been ordained. This was done in 1766 so that there were two years in which he could only provide partial services.

For a short period of time, catechist Heinrich Moeller from Pennsylvania served the church. He was not yet married and his fiancee did not want to move to Virginia. When Moeller had an offer from a church in Pennsylvania, he took it. This left the church in the Robinson River Valley without a pastor again. Apparently, Moeller did organize the baptismal records into a more meaningful form. The evidence is that the church had baptismal records from 1750 (and perhaps earlier) which he organized in a book by families. This would have enabled him to understand the structure of the families better. He omitted the families who had moved out of the neighborhood.

Again the elders appealed to the Ministerium for help. At this time, Muhlenberg, Sr. had a man, Jacob Franck, in Philadelphia who was proving troublesome to a church there. Muhlenberg called an emergency session of himself and his two sons, both ministers, and ordained Jacob Franck with the agreement that Franck would serve the "country church" in Virginia for three years.

John Blankenbaker

www.germanna.com

From:

From:

Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 10:46 PM

To:

Subject: [GERMANNA] Hebron Lutheran Church construction

The book, "Madison County, Virginia--A Revised History" that was updated for the bicentennial celebration in 1976 was originally written by Claude Lindsay Yowell, who gave his original manuscript of Madison County history for this revised version. The updated book is copyrighted 1977 and is identified by a Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 76-56497.

Rev. W. P. Huddle, pastor between 1897 and 1921, described the building process and construction problems encountered when the new Hebron Lutheran Church was built.

"To build such a house was no small undertaking in those days. It required much labor and time to fell the trees, hew the logs for the strong framework, saw the weatherboarding and ceiling with whipsaws, rive, shave and joint the shingles, and make all the nails in the blacksmith shop." (How would you like to provide all that for your construction project???)

"It was a frame structure, rectangular in form, fifty feet long by twenty-six wide by thirty high, with a small vestry room, nine by thirteen feet, attached to the north side just back of the pulpit. There was a door at each end and doubtless one on the south side. A gallery to which a stairway led extended across each end. The pulpit, as the custom was at that day, was goblet shape, set up high against the side of the house, and was reached by steps. The roof was really self-supporting, but the walls were further braced by a great girder laid across the plates midway between the ends. The interior was ceiled, the overhead ceiling being curved. The weatherboarding was sawed to a feather edge, and all the nails used inside and out were shopmade. Every piece of work about it shows that these sturdy Lutheran pioneers built to endure. (Yowell, p. 95)