THE FIRST U. B. CONFERENCE.

WHERE IT WAS HELD IN THE YEAR 1791.

The meeting of the late General Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, at York, Pa., calls to mind that the origin of this denomination was in Lancaster county, this State, at the large gathering at Isaac Long's, and the barn in which the meeting was held is yet standing. To the north, in Dauphin county, was built the second house of worship, now known as Oberlin, but formerly called Neidig's meeting-house. In Lebanon resided Rev. Martin Kreider and Rev. Abraham Troxel. The former, the oldest next to Boehm and Otterbein, of the members in the first annual conference, and the latter of Annville, Pa., the new seat of learning of this denomination, who removed to Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland county, and became the founder and pioneer of the church in Western Pennsylvania. Here at Harrisburg (Herr's farm) and across the river at Wormleysburg (Erb's) were held sessions of the annual conferences and the members of which were entertained by the Herrs and Erbs.

The first annual conference, which is now known as the Pennsylvania conference, and from which grew all the other conferences, as well as the general conference, was held in Baltimore, Md. The second conference was held in the year 1791, in Paradise township, York county, Pa., at the house of John Spangler.

John Spangler was the grandfather of Mrs. D. W. Kreider. Mr. Spangler, at whose home this conference was held, was a large land owner, and welcomed these apostles of this reformation to his home. The house is about twenty-five by thirty-five feet in size, and though humble in appearance sheltered great hearts, and by its occupants ministered to the comfort of the founders of the United Brethren Church a hundred years ago. The house is probably one hundred and fifty years old.

The following were the ministers present at this conference:

• William Otterbein, who died in 1813 in Baltimore.
• Martin Boehm, died in Lancaster county, Pa., and was the father of Rev. Henry Boehm, the pioneer and centenarian preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. Boehm was born November 30, 1725; m., 1753, Eve Steiner; d. March 23, 1812.
• George A. Guething (Geeting); he resided and died, 1812, on the banks ofthe Antietam in Maryland.
• Christian Newcomer was born January 21,1749, in Lancaster county, Pa. He was in the true sense an itinerant preacher, presiding elder and bishop, always on the go in the work of the Master. He died at Hagerstown, Md.
• Jacob Pfrimmer, born in the year 1762 in Alsace, in France; he settled in Eastern Pennsylvania, then removed to Western Pennsylvania, and finally to Harrison county, Ind.
• John Neidig died in 1844 at Highspire, Pa., where he is buried.
• Adam Lehman.
• Benedict Schwope.

The following ministers and members of the conference were absent:

• Henry Weidner.
• Henry Baker.
• Martin Kreider, born in 1740 in Lancaster county; died in 1826, and was buried in "Kreider's Kirche Hoffe naber der Schnitz kreek," near Lebanon, Pa. There has descended from him and by marriage into his family rising of seventy-five ministers, mostly of them in the U. B. Church.
• F. Schaffer.
• Christopher Grosb, died near New Holland, Lancaster county, Pa.
• Abraham Troxel, b. in 1753, near Annville, Pa.; d. February, 1825, near Mt. Pleasant, Pa.
• Christian Crum, died west of the Ohio river.
• G. Fortenbaugh.
• D. Strickler.
• J. Hershey.
• Simon Herr.
• J. Hautz.

And thus while this ancient building is allowed to stem the tide of time, those who were the members of the confernece ninety years ago have been gathered to their fathers; yet others have been raised up to fill their places. - E.W.S.P.

Notes and Queries. Edited by William Henry Egle. v.3; p.374-375