Pastors Of The Church
Gilead Evangelical Lutheran Church
at Center Brunswick
Town of Brunswick
Rensselaer County, New York
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PASTORS OF THE CHURCH
The data concerning the pastors of this church has been compiled from other sources besides the records here transcribed. The dates that follow the pastors' names, cover the years that they served this church. Some of these dates can only be regarded as approximate. The relationship of these pastors to the other neighboring churches, will serve as a guide as to where information concerning the members of this congregation may be found, when such information is lacking in this record.
BERKENMEYER, William Christopher, 1745 to 1751. He was examined and ordained in Hamburg, on May 25, 1725; he sailed for NY on June 16, coming as the successor to Rev. Justus Falckner. From 1725 to 1731, he was pastor at Albany, NY and Loonenburg, West Camp, Quassaick (Newburgh) and Hackensack, NJ. He also visited many other places, including occasionally the churches at Rhinebeck and East Camp. Pastor Michael Christian Knoll arrived at New York, Mar. 28, 1731, and towards the close of that year Berkenmeyer withdrew from the southern part of his field, leaving those congregations in the care of Knoll. After 1732, Berkenmeyer was pastor at Loonenburg and Albany, and continued his visitations in the upper part of the Hudson river valley, including Schoharie and the Mohawk territory. He frequently supplied the Palatine congregations at Tarbush, East Camp (Germantown) and Rhinebeck. After the arrival of Rev. Peter Nicholas Sommer at Schoharie, Berkenmeyer withdrew more to the churches in the Hudson River Valley. He died on Aug. 25, 1751, at Loonenburg, aged 59 yrs., and he was buried beneath the pulpit of the church there.
SOMMER, Peter Nicholas, 1762 to 1768. When the infirmities of old age impaired Berkenmeyer's activities, a young man was sought to relieve him of some of his burdens. Consequently a call was extended to Sommer, from a number of Berkenmeyer's outlying congregations, the principal one of which was Schoharie. The call was received at Hamburg on Sept. 7, 1742, and Sommer was ordained there on the 21st of the same month. He arrived in London on Nov. 25, 1742 and sailed for New York on Mar. 10, 1743. The voyage ended on Apr. 21 after a remarkably short passage. He reached Schoharie on May 25, 1743 and preached his introductory sermon on May 30. So far as Sommer's Journal is concerned, his pastorate of the Gilead congregation extended from 1762 to 1768. We are not prepared to say whether Sommer served Gilead during the lifetime of Berkenmeyer, or before 1762, without an examination of the baptism and marriage record at Schoharie. As the Hoosick settlement was destroyed by the French and Indians in Aug. 1754, his service could not have been continuous in any event. The congregations at Stone Arabia, Little Falls and Canajoharie were under Sommer's charge until Dec. 1, 1751, when he was succeeded there by Rev. John Frederick Rice (?). After the death of Berkenmeyer, the upper Hudson River Valley congregations came more under Sommer's care. In the yr. 1768 he became suddenly blind, after which he confined his ministrations principally to the congregation at Schoharie. According to tradition, after being blind for about twenty years, his sight was miraculously restored; this tradition appears to be confirmed by his handwriting in the Schoharie record. About the yr. 1788, shortly after his sight was restored, the infirmities of old age compelled him to resign. Sommer died on Oct. 27, 1795, aged 87 yrs. He was buried at first on his farm, but in the yr. 1860 his bones were interred in the churchyard of St. Paul's Church, at Schoharie.
SCHWERDFEGER, John William Samuel, 1777 to Feb. 1791. Pastor Schwerdfeger was examined for the ministry on Sat., June 26, 1762; he was received into fellowship with the Pennsylvania Ministerium on the following Mon. At this time he had charge of the congregation at Conestoga, Pa. From 1763 to 1768, he was pastor at Frederickstown, Md., from which congregation he resigned in order to make a journey to his native country, Germany. For a time during the yr. 1770, he appears to have been in charge of the congregation at Reading, although not wanted there by the entire congregation. In Oct. 1770, the 23rd convention of the PA Ministerium, was called upon to decide what claims the congregations at Frederickstown and Reading had upon him. From 1772 to 1773, he was at Limetown, Pa. But in June of that yr. he seems to have been without a congregation and in destitute circumstances with a family of a wife and five children. At the 25th covention of the PA Ministerium, held June 12-15, 1775, Schwerdfeger was discussed as the possible preacher for several of the vacant congregations. But it was decided that the Ministerium could not recommend him to any congregation unless he went to them for a time on trial and was found to be acceptable by the members. This action would appear to indicate that he had not been successful in his previous charges. At this meeting of the Ministerium, a letter was read from Albany asking for a preacher. Hartwick, who was present stated that the surrounding country congregations were also vacant; that it appeared to him that Albany was too weak to maintain a minister alone, and that if one were called, he had better serve the nearest country congregations also.