BRETHREN-L Archives

Archiver > BRETHREN > 2005-08 > 1124662398


From: John McLeod <>
Subject: Broad Run/Pleasant View & Daniel Leatherman
Date: Sun, 21 Aug 2005 16:14:35 -0600
References: <5.0.0.25.2.20050820203742.00a157c0@mail.hubwest.com>
In-Reply-To: <002c01c5a681$6fe88ab0$516e8a93@D81CL361>


Thank you, Emmert Bittinger, for the clear explanation of Brethren
organization policies. This is only one quarter of my ancestry, via my
maternal grand-father, and I am not a member myself. I had found the bits
and pieces more than a little puzzling. I was also unclear about the exact
relationship between Daniel Leatherman and the Grossnickle Church. Every
little bit helps. Affairs at Broad Run were clearly more complicated than
your exposition. Let me explain why; perhaps you can provide even more
insight. See my notes imbedded in bits of your text.

I own a copy of "A Pleasant View," H. Austin Cooper and have studied it
intensively. There is no need to repeat anything therein. I have also
visited the old Slifer family cemetery, which is about one and a half miles
from Burkittsville. It is deep in the woods, has not been maintained for
at least a century and is quite eerie.

At 02:52 PM 8/21/05 -0400, Emmert F. Bittinger wrote:

> The Broad Run church (today known as Pleasant View Church at
> Burkettsville, Md.) was part of the Middle Creek Congregation, and its
> mother church at the early time was "Grossnickle', the community where
> Elder Daniel Leatherman lived in the northern part of Middle Creek (Today
> Middletown Valley, and Catoctin Creek), and Broad Run was part of his
> oversight.

Thanks; I had been a bit confused about the lines of authority there.

> Later when the Brownsville Church became strong, it achieved
> independence from the Mother church at Grossnickle, and then Broad Run
> was an arm of Brownsville Church, just 3 miles away as the crow flies.

The crow had to fly over South Mountain, the route of the Appalachian
Trail. The earthbound had to struggle through Crampton's Gap, a lot harder
than you make it sound.

> Later, Pleasant View itself became independent and on its own.

Not until 1879, long after my ancestors had left. One branch moved to
Downsville, south of Hagerstown, about 1816. The other trucked out of
Burkittsville in 1837, headed for Ohio. One of their sons returned to
Downsville in 1855 to fetch a bride and then carried her off to Kansas. I
grew up in Kansas City.

> Broad Run (Pleasant View) was the was the church to which the Arnold
> Family, the Schleifer Family,, etc., etc. came to settle before
> 1800. Elder John Schlelifer became a prominant ministser in the southern
> Middletown Valley or Catoctin Creek Valley.

There must have been two individuals named John Schleiffer involved at
Broad Run. The one whose tombstone is still quite readable today was born
in 1743 and died in 1822. This is presumably the one that created the
record noted above. He would have been only 17 years of age in 1760 when
the name first appears in a leadership role. Check me if I am wrong, but I
have trouble imagining sober Tunkers following such a tender laddie. Even
in 1763, he would have been only 20 and probably not yet baptized, let
alone ordained.

I can see only two possible explanations; (1) there was another John
Schleiffer, at least 10 years older, or (2) Reverend Cooper has the date of
foundation of his church wrong by at least 10 years. In case (2), the John
Schleiffer of the 1763 convocation has to have come from somewhere
else. But where?? Case (1) raises a whole host of questions about the
personal identity of the elder John Schleiffer. In particular, was there
any genealogical relationship between the two??

Was Daniel Leatherman already at Grossnickle in 1760?? Did he travel from
there to Conestoga for the convocation in 1763??

>The Schleifer Cemetery lies a quarter mile south of Burkittsville, and the
>old Brethren settlers are buried there,


The Slifer family cemetery does not appear to have been in place soon
enough the include the earliest deaths. The local lore indicates the
Arnold farm, but without inscriptions on their headstones. That was the
Brethren custom in that era. The real puzzlement is why the founder of
Burkittsville, Henry Burkitt, is buried in the Slifer family cemetery. I
have not discovered any genealogical connection.

>but later generations in the Pleasant View Cemetery.

Later generations also appear in the Burkittsville public cemetery. Some
of these may have left the COB, but maybe not all. Pleasant View is
beginning to get a little crowded.

> Sorry for the length of lthis, but history is long land complicated,
> isn't it!!

Some other readers may find it lengthy, but, as you may have noticed, I
found it a little too brief.

> Emmert F. Bittinger, Bridgewater, VA
>----- Original Message ----- From: "John McLeod" <>
>To: <>
>Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 11:04 PM
>Subject: Re: [BRE] Leatherman, Daniel
>
>
>>I too am a descendent of German Baptist ancestors. Mine came from a
>>church in Maryland that does not appear in Morgan Edwards list. Morgan
>>tells us that there were 7 Tunker churches in Maryland in 1770, but he
>>lists only 5. So was mine at Broad Run one of Daniel Leatherman's 7, or
>>not ?? Is a puzzlement. Although I am not aware of any genealogical
>>connection the Leatherman family, I may very well have a close social
>>connection since it was only 10 miles from Sand Hill, where Daniel lived
>>for many years, to Broad Run.
>>
>>See further comments imbedded in your text.
>>
>>At 09:31 AM 8/20/05 -0400, wrote:
>>>I am a descendent of German Baptist ancestors including Mosers, Custers,
>>>Longeneckers, Macks, and Leathermans. I am a descendent of Daniel
>>>Leatherman, a
>>>minister in Maryland who died in 1798 married to Catherine.
>>>
>>>I am new so I was searching the archives for him and found some good
>>>information, but I had some questions.
>>>
>>>What does it mean that he was the Bishop of Seven Churches? Was he a
>>>circuit
>>>riding preacher going from church to church or did he oversee the pastors of
>>>those seven churches?
>>
>>Did the Tunkers actually use such an hierarchical title as Bishop?? The
>>only place that I have ever seen it in old text is in Morgan Edwards
>>report. He was English and may have been extending English usage where
>>it did not belong.
>>
>>> How many of those churches in Maryland did he have a
>>>part in their starting or founding?
>>
>>Even if he was not there, did he ordain the Ministers who were??
>>
>>
>>>One email in the archives stated that he came over with his father Hans
>>>Devalt Leatherman on the ship "James Goodwill" on Sept. 27, 1727. Where
>>>was this
>>>ship coming from?
>>
>>Where the ship was coming from is not relevant. They almost all came
>>from Rotterdam. The passengers had to get to the seaport first. One has
>>to infer where they cam from by looking at the pattern of surnames. I am
>>not familiar with this shipload.
>>
>>> Was he part of the community of Brethren with Alexander Mack
>>>in Holland? Was the ship carrying a group of Brethren from Europe fleeing
>>>religious persecution and looking for a better life in America? Was his
>>>father
>>>also a German Baptist?
>>>
>>>And some emails in the archives refer to an Elder Daniel Leatherman. Am I
>>>correct to assume that this is the same Leatherman or was there another
>>>clergyman with the same name?
>>
>>I am running on the theory that "Bishop" was Morgan Edwards understanding
>>of "District Presiding Elder."
>>
>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>Bill Johnson
>>>
>>>
>>>==== BRETHREN Mailing List ====
>>>1 ------------------------
>>> This is the Brethren Discussion List
>>> You can check the Rootsweb Archives at:
>>> http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=BRETHREN
>>> for past messages posted to this list
>>> ------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>>==== BRETHREN Mailing List ====
>>2 ------------------------
>> The Brethren Heritage Center
>> 428 Wolf Creek Street, Brookville, OH
>> Open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 10 am-4 pm
>> For further information contact Jim Denlinger
>> mailto:
>> ------------------------
>
>
>==== BRETHREN Mailing List ====
>5 ------------------------
> This is the Brethren Genealogy and History Discussion List
> If you encounter a problem or need assistance
> with the daily operation of the List, please send a message to
> mailto:
> ------------------------
>
>


This thread: