LANCASTER COUNTY. 291 



' The year 1745, is remarkable in the history of the 

 Lutheran church, in the city of Lancaster, on account of 

 a great ferment excited among the Lutherans. The 

 Rev. Neyherg, pastor of the Lutheran church, united a 

 portion of his congregation with the Moravians ; this 

 caused an excitement among the Lutherans; they in- 

 formed the Governor they were compelled to hear a doc- 

 trine which they did not approve, or they must resign 

 their church. The Governor kindly informed them that 

 he could not interfere, that the law protected all alike, 

 and their rights were thus secure, and it was to the law 

 they should look for protection.* In 1746, after Rev. 

 Henry Mclchior Muhlenberg, had visited the congrega- 

 tion to reconcile the parties, Neyherg v/ithdrew, and 

 had a Moravian church built. In 1748, Rev. Handschuh, 

 took charge of the Lutheran congregation.! 



*Haz. Reg, 



f Nachricht der Ev. Gem. in America, 67. 



Notes. — Lindley Murray, the English Grammarian, was 

 born in 1745, near Swatara, Lancaster county. He died in 

 England, 1S2G. 



October 1741, by the special order and direction of the pro- 

 prietaries, Thomas Coolcson, Deputy Surveyor of Lancaster 

 county, laid out the town of York. 



John Eby's mill, Elias Myer's mill, and George Eby's mill — 

 all erected before 1739. The winter of 1740, dreadfully severe 

 — the snow in general more than three feet deep — the back 

 inhabitants suffered much from want of bread — many of the 

 families of the new settlers had little else to subsist upon but 

 the carcases of deer they found dead or dying in the swamps or 

 run about their houses. The Indians found a great scarcity of 

 deer and turkeys. 



Tradition speaks of a great flood in the spring of 1740 — 

 January 6th and 7th 1741, the coldest days for many years. 

 William Smith's mill on Beaver creek had been erected prior 



