Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-08-12
Mennonites at Law.

Not far from Richfield, this county, there
is Mennonite church, in which Mennonites
have worshiped for the period of several
generations. How long the congregation
has been in existsnce is not shown by mat
ter Of record. At an early day in the pres
ent century Mennonites served the Lord
there, but why two sets of trustees repre-
| sentirg two congregations should have an
existence in 1874, is one of the unrecorded
facts of that particular Mennonite church
property.
1t is not q matter Of verbal statement that
| division was caused in the congregation,
because of disagreement on points of the
Mennonite creed. 1t is matter of state
ment that John Graybill, whose ia ther John
came from Lancaster county and settled
near Richfield in l772 was a Mennonite
bishop under the rule of the Mennonite Lam
caster Conference, but because another
bishop was given, or assumed, superior, or
equal authority, in this valley, he withdrew
from Lancaster Conference and that act di-
vided the congregation, but tho need of mo-
ney, and the need of a meeting house, caus-
cd them to make common cause TO secure
preaching place, and each congregation
elected trustees and secured common title
in ls44 and 1866 to the property in which
the one congregation has not been allow ed
to preach.
Ii Is matter of record that In 1874
two Mennonite congregations each operat.
ing under separate trustees owned oRe-hun-
dred and thirty-four perches OF land with Q
church building thereon erected, in which
the congregations worshiped at alternately
stated times. In 1856 the two congrega-
tions united in buying an additional piece
of ground and in 1868 erected new brick
church building on the enlarged grounds.
As stated at an early day one Of the
congregations was not in accord with the
Mennonite Lancaster Conference, which is
the highest ecclesiastical body for the gov
erhment OF the Mennonite people within the
counties of Lancaster, York, Cumberland,
Northumberland, Dauphin, Snyder, Leban-
on, Perry and Junists- Since 1866 the con-
gregation that is known in Juniata as the
Haltemsn Mennonite congregation has
claimed to be in accord with the Lancaster
Conference and the other congregation
known in Juniata as the Mennonite Letter
congregation has been independent Of the
Lancas ter Conference. However the diff
ference between them as TO the Lancaster
Confere nee existed long before the year
1855, during the ministry of Rev. John
Grsybill VINO preached before the Oldest
people now living we're born. The Haltemsn
congregation under the Lancaster Confer
ter people, and not many years ago
| absorbed Rev. Joseph Bossler the last of
| the Letter preachers with q certain percent
age of his flock. A few of the Letter people
remained scattered here and there, and they
were gotten. together for the purpose OF hold
ing a meeting in the church building but
the building was kept shut against them, be-
cause it was alleged they had no preacher.
The Letter interest then held an election for
| trustees and elected Tobias Page, Isaac Pile
and S. P. Page trustees of the Letter con-
gregation and they proposed to have Rev.
Solomon and Rev. T homas Gray bill preach
for them. The two last named preachers
had belonged to the Hattie man congregation
but had presented the resignation OF their
ministry to the Lancaster Conference. Their
resignation was not accepted. Bishop Ja-
cob Graybill and trustees of the Halteman
congregation could not see their way clear
without instruction from the Lancaster
Conference to open the church building for
Rev. Thomas and Rev. Solomon Graybill to
preach IN as the preachers of the Letter
congregation. Tobias Page, Isaac Pile and
S. p. Page trustees of the Letter Mennonite
Congregation, therefore brought suit in
Equity against Joseph Graybill, Samuel
Oberholtser and Reuben Lauver, trustees of
the Halteman Mennonite Congregation,
that a decree OF court may be made to have
the Mennonite church building in question
|
Of the Letter Mennonite Congregation. Last
Wednesday A. J. Patterson held a court,
as Master in Chancery in the case in the
Court House in this place. The lawyers In
the case before the court on that occasion
were jeremiah Lyons, Andrew Dill, and
George Jacobs. Quite q number of persons
were present. The Mennonite church was
represented by such digniteries as Bishop
Jacob Graybill, deacon Jacob Shelly,
Samuel Graybill, Benz. Page, John Kurtz ,
David Graybill, Jacob Letter, Samuel
Shotesberger, Jacob Graybill, S. p
Page, Joseph Meyer, and others. The case
will be argued before the Master on the
26th day of this month in the Court House
in this place.