Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/402

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

disc. A fte r these came Rev. Simon Gcrstman, who w as also a fine scholar, well versed in the English language, and who wrote on various subjects. A fte r him came Rev. M r. Nusbaum, and he w as followed by Rev. M r. Ncwmark. TTicn followed Rev. Aaron Posman and Rev. Adolph M ayer. T hey were succeeded by Rev. F. W. Jcsselson and Lew is Schreibcr, who at present ministers to the congregation. The present officers a r e : President and treasurer, Simon D re ifu ss; secretary, Samuel Bloch; tni.stccs, R. L. M arks, H arry Hllenbogcn and Joseph Heim. S t. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church St. Joseph’s Rom an Catholic Church, on the com er o f Center and F e rry streets, had its b a n n in g a s a mission established by Rev. J. P. Hannigan, in 1847, when the frame church on Center street, near the Philadelphia and Reading railroad, w as built. In the years since the building of the new church this has been used as a hall for church and church society meetings. In 1857 the parish purchased the lot which is the site of the present church from Joseph K c h l. T he erection of the building com­ menced in 1866 and the structure w as finished three years later. It is o f brick, 6 1 by 1 1 7 feet, and surmounted by a spire 10 5 feet high, capped hy a cross. In t88o the bell was placed in position, and has alw ays been faithfully used in summoning the congregation to the various services. T his edifice long has housed a large congre­ gation, comprising, as far back as twenty-five years ago, 2,200 communicants, tc^ether with a large Sunday school. A number o f years after the erection of the church (he rector)' w as built -adjoining, on F e rry street, and later the properly adjoining on the com er of F e rry and Bloom streets was purchased for a convent and school and has been occupied as such ever since. Among the rectors who have officiated as the head o f St. Joseph’s Church may be men­ tioned Revs. J. P. Hannigan. Joseph O ’K eefe, Hugh P. Kenney, Michael Sheridan, Edward M urray, .'Arthur McGinnis (w ho died while in scni*icc here). Thom as McGovern (a fte r­ wards Bishop of the Diocese o f H arrisbuq;) and Rev. M. J. O 'R eilly (who died in i < ^ ). T he present rector is Rev. A rthu r J. McCann. S t. H ubert’s German Catholic Church Ju st before the breaking out of the Civil war. in the fall o f 1859, the number o f G er­

man Catholics in Danville and vicinity had increased to such an extent as to warrant the formation o f a parish. Prior to this time the German Catholics worshipped or attended Holy M ass in old St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Center street, near the railroad. In Sep ­ tember, 1859, Anton Goeser, the father o f John H. Goeser, who w as commonly called the father o f S t. Hubert's congregation, along wilh a number o f other German Catholics, after a meeting held in old St. Joseph's Church applied to R t. Rev. Bishop Jam es F. Wood, o f Philadelphia, for permission to build a new church, cal ed St. Hubert’s German Catholic Church. T his permission w as granted and Rev. John B. Bach, pastor of the German Catholic Church at Williamsport, who a t­ tended to the wants of the German Catholics at Danville once a month, encouraged the young congregation and w as the first to sub­ scribe ten dollars toward.s the new church. The stanch charter male members of the new congregation w ere: Anton Goeser. Jacob Dietrich, John W inter, S r., Peter Dietrich, John B. Kinn, Jacob Schuster. Joseph Ocschgcr, John Ilo rst. William M uller, Gottlieb Kaufm an. John Dietz, H enry Sjiorer, Charles Frank. John A m cr Foin, Martin Eckert, Geonfc Kinn, Andrew Buscr, l.xw is K in zinger, Jacob Klein, Peter Klein, John Klein, George Klein, John B. Laminc, Jo sq ih D usman, Andrew Schrolh. Casper Effingcr, Joseph Becker, .Matthias Lennartz, Diebold Dietrich, George Sporcr, Peter Mintzcr. John W oll, ohn Udclhofen, l>icbol(l W cslerich, P eter winn, Peter Krotz. Nicholas W eber, Jo h n Gcrstner, Frank Lechner, Joseph H eiicr, Adam H cilcr. Peter Zciglcr, .Adam Gchringer, John Frederick, Matthias Singler. Sylvester Vogt, Nicholas H ofer. Peter Gross, P eter Schneider. Nicholas Gcrlach. John W ingenbach. Ludw ig Figles, Ignatius Kicm er. T h co •lore Kspclding, Lawrence Hawk. Peter K och, Wcndchn Beyers, George Rodcnhoffer, S r ., .Anton Wcitzcl, John Banks. .Anton Dcininger, Frank Nicd, and others. The lot on which the church w,as built w as purchased from Edward Baldy, Esq., fo r S625. W ork on the foundation of the stru c­ ture began in ihe spring o f i860. M any mem­ bers of the parish assisted in digging the cel­ lar. A fte r the foundation wmls were fin­ ished, work on the building w as stopped on account of the w ar and lack o f means. In the spring o f 1863 the brick work w as begun on the new cluircb. T be builders were N icho­ las H ofer and Benjamin Vastine. The com er-

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