A Church
History
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
WELLSVILLE, NEW YORK
1859-2007
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We give thanks to God for His blessings bestowed
on our congregation for so many years. God used the faithfulness of the early Lutheran
settlers to extend His church in Wellsville and the surrounding area. The first trace of
Lutheran settlers in Wellsville is found in 1854 and 1855. Among these were the families
of Simon Dornow, Christian Gallmann and Christian Vossler, who with their families settled
on Niles Hill.
The Dornow family came from Saxony. After a
short residence in Sullivan Co., NY, they followed the Erie Railway westward, buying a
piece of hemlock woods with the intention of converting it into a farm. At that time there
was no road from Wellsville to the place where they planned to locate, so the path to
their new home was marked on the trees with an ax. Mr. Dornow's sister, Mrs. Kate Wack,
had previously settled in the village of Wellsville, engaging in the butcher business. Mr.
Dornow at once began to fell the big hemlock trees to erect a log cabin for his residence.
In 1853 Christian Gallman and Christian Vossler
left their home in Thunningen, Wuerttemberg, Germany and immigrated to America. They
arrived in Utica New York, were they worked on a farm to raise money before they continued
their search for land. They were told of good jobs at the Eleven Mile south of Wellsville,
so their journey continued. In 1857 they found their way to Wellsville where they also
bought land on Niles Hill. The men remained employed at the sawmill, which transported its
output by tramway to Wellsville, where it was loaded on cars of the Erie Railway for
shipment. During the week they worked in the mill. On Saturday evenings they would
shoulder an ax, gather up some provisions and walk to their property, where they cleared a
plot for their future homes. On Sunday night they would again travel back to their work at
Eleven Mile. Soon they had erected their small log cabins and moved their families to
Niles Hill. From their log houses they could hear another pioneer across the valley
cutting timber and see smoke rising above the tops of the tall hemlocks. Because there was
not yet a market for timber, what was not use for building was burned. One Sunday
afternoon they took their axes and blazed a trail to their unknown neighbor. There they
found the home of Mr. Simon Dornow and learned that this man, too, was a German Lutheran.
That meeting on Niles Hill marks the beginning
of our Lutheran congregation. These three families met together as often as they could.
Each family had some good books with excellent sermons and one of the men would read one
of these sermons from Sunday to Sunday, either to his family or to the three families when
they were assembled together. These families made contact with other Lutherans living in
and around Wellsville, and their numbers continued to grow.
About 1857 the Wellsville tannery came into
existence. Among its employees were a number of Lutherans. Mr. Christopher Friederich was
their foreman and leader. Other Lutheran families had settled on the hills south of
Wellsville, and as they came from Hannover, they called their settlement Hannover Hill.
Mr. Henry Schrader was instrumental in bringing these colonists to Wellsville. When this
group heard about a Lutheran pastor, Rev. H. Schmidt, living in Eden Valley, near Buffalo,
they wrote to him to see if he would come to Wellsville to baptize their children and hold
services. Pastor Schmidt visited here and encouraged the people to seek the services of
Pastor J. H. Doermann of Olean.
In the summer of 1859 Pastor Doermann gathered
the scattered Lutherans of the Wellsville area and by February 1860 the group was
organized. The new congregation was to be known as the "The First German
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity at Wellsville, Allegany County, New
York." (See appendix for charter signers)
This small Lutheran congregation did not have
it's own pastor for almost ten years. Pastor Doermann continued to come from Olean every
fourth Sunday. On the Sundays when the congregation was without a pastor, the members
gathered to sing hymns, read Scripture, pray, and listen as one of the men read one of Dr.
Martin Luther's sermons. Services were held in homes and at different public locations,
making it hard for some members to attend. In order to heat the meeting place male members
were requested to bring a piece of stove wood when they came to worship.
On Christmas Day, 1862 the congregation voted to
build a house of worship. However the nation was at civil war, and times were hard, so the
plans remained on hold. A Sunday school was organized in May 1866. It was noted in the
church history that the entire membership attended these Sunday classes. In 1863, the
congregation voted to become affiliated with the Lutheran Synod of Missouri. The
congregation was self-supporting from the very beginning. The ladies who spoke German
formed the St. Paul's Ladies Aid; it existed perhaps as early as 1865. It was not until
March 1865 that the congregation was able to buy a large lot and dwelling on Martin Street
for $800. The dwelling was at once made suitable for divine services. Trinity congregation
grew rapidly and in 1867 Pastor Engelder
accepted the call to move to Wellsville and become Trinity's first full-time pastor. His
salary was $400 per year and his responsibilities included Trinity's sister congregation on Basswood Hill in
northern Allegany County. Mr. Gallman sold his farm on Niles Hill and moved his family to Basswood Hill. They joined a small settlement of
Lutherans, Wesche, Behrens, Gauss and others who built a small church. Pastor Engelder served only a short time for
later that same year he accepted a call to Pittsburgh. That same year, Trinity members
formed the Wellsville German Relief Association to provide life insurance for its members.
In August 1869 Pastor John C. Himmler began pastoral work in Wellsville. In 1871 a
parsonage was built on the church property.
The congregation continued to grow and the
Martin Street house had already become too small for the number of worshipers. In 1871, a
disbanded Presbyterian church on West Genesee Street was available and Trinity was able to
purchase the building and the land for $2700. The Martin Street building was remodeled to
accommodate the growing parochial school. In 1873 Pastor Himmler accepted a call to
Cohocton, NY and Pastor H. Bernreuther of Olean served as vacancy pastor until a new
graduate, Pastor C. A. Geyer, came in August 1873. Impaired health forced him to resign
after two years. Another new graduate, Rev. Carl Zollmann, was assigned to Trinity and
served faithfully until 1882.
Pastor George Buch came to Wellsville from New
York City in 1882. The congregation grew and prospered under the leadership of Pastor
Buch. He also taught school, trained the church choir and served the Basswood Hill congregation. (See appendix for
parochial school history) In 1884 the church was enlarged at a cost of $1,650. In 1894 the
younger women of the church formed a new group for English speaking women called the
Concordia Ladies Aid Society, which eventually replaced the German-speaking St. Paul's
Ladies Aid. Trinity observed its 25th anniversary on Reformation Day 1885. In 1900 the
congregation numbered 699 souls. To meet the demands of continued growth, the church
building was enlarged, new fixtures added and pews were installed. The church basement was
divided into rooms for Sunday school classes and social functions. The cost of this
renovation was $6,689. Pastor Buch is given credit for much of the thought and design that
went into this building project. Whether he did this for the 1884 or 1900 renovation is
not clear. Several church societies as well as individual families, including those of the
original founders, donated stained glass windows. The altar, crucifix and pulpit were
carved and donated by Otto Gaede. The Concordia Ladies Aid Society donated a marble
baptismal font. Its German inscription translated means "one Lord, one faith, one
baptism." In 1901 Mr. George Fleischman was hired as parochial school teacher, and
also served as organist and choirmaster.
In the fall of 1901 a young people's society was
formed and the same year a pipe organ was installed the church balcony. It was a hand pump
organ, but soon a water motor was added. Prof. Charles Rupprecht of St. Louis played two
dedication concerts. In 1901 a house on West Genesee Street was purchased as a teacher's
residence. It came to be known as the "Gallman House." The congregation invested
$2,618 in remodeling this property. In 1902 Trinity members formed a Lutheran Mutual Fire
Insurance Association. In 1907 there was a change in the congregation's constitution,
which allowed English to be used. English was rapidly replacing German as the primary
language for worship and confirmation instruction, although church records continued to be
kept in German until 1918. On July 25, 1909 they celebrated a "Golden Jubilee"
for the German Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.
German was used for the morning services, and the evening service was held in English, In
1910 the congregation sold the Martin Street property to the Village of Wellsville for an
elementary school, a building that today houses medical offices. A smaller lot was
purchased on Grover Street and the parsonage was moved to this location. A Men's Club was
organized in 1916 and eventually it affiliated with the International Lutheran Laymen's
League.
With the closing of the parochial school in
1926, Saturday School and Sunday school became the primary source of Christian training
and instruction for the children of the congregation. In 1927 the organ was moved from the
balcony to the front of the church. An electric blower was added. This organ was of the
"tracker" type with about 12 ranks, or sets of pipes. In 1929 Pastor Buch
retired after serving Trinity for 47 years. During his pastorate a number of Trinity's
sons and daughters entered full time church work. (See appendix for list) Two years before
Pastor Buch's retirement, Rev. August R. Potrafke was called from Ashford, NY to assist
Pastor Buch. For two years the two men worked together. Upon Pastor Buch's retirement,
Rev. Potrafke became Trinity's pastor. He would serve Trinity throughout the Depression.
1932 marked the formation of a Lutheran Emergency Relief Organization. In 1933 the pastor,
organist, and custodian agreed to take a 15% reduction in salary.
At Pastor Potrafke's urging, the congregation
decided to have the organ redesigned and updated. The work was done by the Herman L.
Schlicker Co. of Buffalo. The organ was rededicated in October 1941. Also during Pastor
Potrafke's years at Trinity the left wing of the church building was remodeled and the
Ascension window, donated by the Ladies Aid, was installed. The Lutheran Hymnal was
introduced in worship services in 1941. Pastor Potrafke served Trinity until his untimely
death in July 1941. The preacher for his funeral service was a classmate, Lutheran Hour
speaker Dr. Walter A. Maier.
Rev. Elmer W. Krentz was installed as Trinity's
seventh pastor in November 1941. He would serve Trinity for 34 years. In 1942 the
congregation purchased a house on West Genesee Street for the parsonage. Prior to that,
the pastor lived in the parsonage on Grover Street.
During the 40's and early 50's Wellsville was
doing well and it was reflected in the congregation as it continued to grow and flourish.
New organizations were added to minister to congregational needs, such as; The Lutheran
Service Society to care for the physical needs of people of the area, the Walther League,
a branch of Synod's youth organization and the Lutheran Women's Missionary League. There
was a growing enrollment in the Sunday school. During this period several professional
church workers were employed to assist the pastor in the areas of youth, music, and
education beginning with Walter Neuchterlein (1945-50). In May 1948 he guided the Walther
League members to publish, editorialize, illustrate, print and mail the first "Telco News", a monthly
newsletter dedicated to informing the congregation of past, present and future church
activities. At this time Trinity had only a male choir and he introduced a mixed choir and
a youth choir. He added and taught an adult bible class during the Sunday school hour.
Following Mr. Neuchterlein in this position were Peter Luedig (1950-52) and John Buelow
(1952-54). The congregation's activities continued to require more space than the
remodeled school building could provide. An ambitious building program resulted in the
erection of a parish hall on the site of the old school building. It cost $140,000 and
also contained a new boiler that provided heat for both the parish hall and the church. It
was dedicated in July 1954. The Sunday school's primary department continued to meet in
the "Gallman House." During this period a number of sons and daughters of
Trinity prepared for full -time church service.
In 1959 Trinity celebrated its 100th anniversary
with a weeklong schedule of services and events. Five pastors who had grown up in the
congregation returned to participate. Dr. John W. Behnken, president of the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod, preached at the conclusion of the centennial celebration. On Its
100th birthday, Trinity had 750 communicant members and more than 1,000 baptized members.
During the 1960's and 1970's additional
organizations came into existence, including the Altar Guild (1962), Dorcas Guild (1964),
and Senior Citizens Fellowship (1970). During these years Trinity was blessed with large
adult, youth, and children's choirs.
The winds of change came from Hurricane Agnes
when it blew into Wellsville with torrential rains that permanently changed much of our
town's landscape. It was a day that will always stand out in the memory of Trinity's
members. Early in the morning of June 23, 1972 at 6:50 a.m., Trinity's parish hall
collapsed into the flooded Genesee River that washed out the riverbank beneath the
building. The southwest corner of the church building itself was left dangerously close to
the undermined bank of the river. Jones Memorial Hospital also lost a large three-story
wing. Trinity needed land to rebuild, as did the hospital. In the months following the
flood, the congregation reluctantly decided to sell its property to the hospital and to
relocate to a new site.
A musical farewell was held at the church on
April 8, 1973 to commemorate the building that had served the congregation for 102 years.
The final service in the building was on Easter Sunday, April 22, 1973. On May 5th the
church building's furnishings were auctioned off. A member recalls that day as "a
sad, cold day." The building was razed. During the next year, Trinity met in the
Congregational church building on North Main Street. The number of confirmed members was
800 at this time.
The business of establishing a new house of
worship took top priority for the next several years. Three members of the congregation,
Alwin Schaller and Norbert and Helen Shear, pledged the necessary funds to purchase
property at the corner of North Main Street and Park Lane. The building committee and
architect worked together to develop plans to meet the needs of Trinity's members, young,
old, and physically disabled. Specific areas were designated for worship, music,
education, fellowship, office and storage. Art objects in the interior of the sanctuary
would include a large faceted glass window behind the altar, a sculptured hanging cross,
sconce candelabra, and ten Christian symbols executed in colored faceted glass. Parts of a
stained glass window removed from the Genesee Street church (Christ ascending and a dove)
would be placed in a window on the south wall. These pieces and other items were
incorporated from the old church to serve as a reminder of the many years the congregation
worshiped on Genesee Street. They also remind us that the Lord was with the congregation
through the loss of one building and the completion of another. The organ was sent to the
Schlicker Factory to enlarge and make it ready for installation at the new location. The
organ now has 16 ranks (about 1100 pipes) and is was installed in the balcony.
Excavation for the new building could not begin
until existing hotel building was demolished and the land was cleared. On October 14, 1973
ground was broken. Construction began, and the cornerstone laying took place on June 30,
1974. A serious disagreement between the building committee and the contractor made it
necessary to dismiss the contractor. Members went to work to complete the interior of the
church building, often working day and night. Descendants of the early founders were among
those who worked so tirelessly to complete the new building. The first worship service was
held in the unfinished building on December 1, 1974, the first Sunday in Advent. The
interior was completed and the service of dedication took place on June 15, 1975. The cost
of the building project was approximately $750,000. The church library was re-established
in the new building in 1975, on shelves made from pews taken from the old church.
Trinity congregation, on February 15, 1976
observed Rev. Krentz's retirement with a daylong celebration honoring the Krentz family.
The same year Rev. Donald Schroeder was installed as pastor. Mr. Larry Gerdes, who was
serving the congregation at that time as Director of Christian Education, continued to
serve in that capacity until 1979 when he entered the seminary. The 125th anniversary of
the congregation was observed throughout 1984 with special services and events planned for
each month. Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, Lutheran Hour speaker, spoke at the kickoff dinner.
Pastor Krentz returned for a special Homecoming Celebration and preached on the
"Three R's "Remembrance, Rejoicing, and Renewal." Memorial funds were used
to purchase hand bells during this anniversary year. In 1985, Trinity established a
Christian preschool to serve the wider Wellsville community.
Pastor Schroeder resigned in1985 and Rev. Luther
Bauer was called that same year. Pastor Bauer resigned in 1989 and was succeeded by Rev.
Daniel Johnson in 1990. This became a very trying time for Trinity. There had been a rapid
succession of changes in pastoral leadership and a growing movement to liberalize the
congregation from some of the stricter rules established by LCMS. Some of the younger
memberships eventually decide to form a new congregation. It left a very saddened
membership with a determination to hold fast to the faith that had established our
congregation. Pastor Johnson resigned to take another call in 1993. Rev. Robert Pillar
from Batavia NY became our vacancy pastor until a new pastor could be obtained. In 1993
the Men's Club under the direction of Chuck White, built a large pavilion for outside
church activities.
In January 1995 Rev. Dr. Harold Kitzmann
accepted our call. In June we celebrated our 136 years in Wellsville, including twenty
years at North Main Street and ten years of service for the Trinity Preschool. A small
addition was constructed at the rear entry to make the entryway more accessible to the
preschool. In 1999 and 2000 the congregation invited the LCMS missionary crusade
"Lift High the Cross Ministry, Inc." to the Wellsville balloon rally. It was an
uplifting experience in more than one-way. The Rev. Jay Mason and his wife not only
trained members in how to handle a balloon but also how to reach out to the community with
this unconventional missionary tool.
In the fall of 2000 Pastor Kitzmann made the
decision to retire. Rev. Art Cox from Bradford PA became our vacancy pastor until a new
pastor could be obtained. In the fall of 2001 the Rev. Robert Morris accepted our call to
Wellsville.
Recent decades have brought rapid and
unprecedented change in America, in Wellsville and Trinity's congregation. The church is
not immune to changes and we are compelled to ask, "Where is God leading
Trinity?" We have lost many members because of the changes that have taken place in
the area due to industries moving away or cutting back. We have a large number of senior
citizens and we continually lose more and more of them as they go home to their Lord. We
need to believe, and to pray fervently, that He will provide us with the faith and the
resources to move boldly out into the future. Opportunities abound for us to serve God's
people and to reach out to those in our community who do not yet know Christ, or have
fallen away from the faith. We welcome Pastor Morris to join us in this endeavor.
In August of 2006 the congregation voted to
establish a Christian daycare center as part of our expanding Christian outreach ministry.
After undergoing extensive renovations, including advanced security systems, to our
facility the Trinity Christian Daycare Center opened in early 2007 providing one more
means of proclaiming God's wonderful Gospel of Grace in our community. Beginning with the
fall 2007 school year the Trinity Christian Preschool will also become a program of the
Trinity Christian Daycare Center. God is so good!.
APPENDIX
Charter members
Charles F. Bemann, H. Louis Boss, Simon Dornow, Peter Freiermuth, Christian Frey,
Christian Gallmann, Ernest Geffers, Heinrich Heinemann, Henry Hennecke, Adam Herbig,
Christian Loesch, Ernest Paulman, John Schroeder, Christian Schulz, Friedrich Schwarzkopf
and Christian Vossler.
The Parochial School
About 1868 the congregation built a parochial school next to the church on Martin Street.
After the purchase of the Genesee Street church property in 1871 the Martin Street church
was remolded to accommodate the parochial school. The school again became over crowed so
in 1885 and the congregation decided to build a new school building next to the church on
Genesee Street. The cost was $1,235. Pastor Buch, in addition to serving as pastor, taught
school five days a week with part-time help.
By 1891 it was apparent that the pastor needed
assistance, so Mr. H. A. Laven was called to be a full time teacher. His salary was $300
per year plus lodging. By 1895 the school enrollment reached 127, and a second teacher,
Miss Ottilie Stevens, was hired to teach the lower grades. In 1901 Mr. George Fleischman
succeeded Mr. Laven. He also served as organist and choirmaster. Others who served as
teachers were Dorothea Buch, Frances Weinhauer, Bertha Engelder, Amelia Kuegle, Louisa
Buch, Eleanora Biederman, Martin Braunschweiger, Emil Claybaker, and George Weil.
In 1926 the parochial school was closed. The
building was used for Saturday and Sunday school, confirmation class, time released school
classes and social gatherings. The building was replace with a new parish hall in1954.
Sons and Daughters of Trinity that studied for full-time church service
Late 1800's and early 1900's
Rev. 0. H. Restin, Rev. Henry C. Bierman, Rev.
Theodore Buch, Rev. Carl E. Gallman, Rev. Adolph Kruger, Rev. Herbert H. Gallman, Rev. Max
Zschiegner, Rev. Walter A. Reuning, Teacher Martin Braunschweiger, and Deaconess Pauline
Meyer.
1960's to present day
Rev. Ralph Kruger, Rev. Jack Munro, Rev. Carl
Grossman, Rev. L Richard Vossler
and Rev. Lee Stisser
Deaconesses Joan Jensen Eckelman and Alice
Vossler Stevens
Teachers Joanne Herman Brandes, Gloria Krentz
Schulz, Glenn Havens Olsen, Alan Merrifield, and Lois Krentz Seaman
This history was compiled from anniversary booklets, newspaper articles, church records,
and personal recollections of Trinity's members. When a discrepancy was discovered
regarding a name or date an attempt was made to cite the information that seemed accurate.
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