Christian Newcomer, my fourth great grand-uncle, was an early bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (later merged with the Methodists to become today’s United Methodists).
His Life and Journal, 1795-1829 provides insight into the religious methods and life in 1800. Also, it is the basis for information in Alexander and Margaret Newcomers’ book and in Thomas Williams’ book on early Newcomer genealogy.
Christian dedicated his life to preaching after becoming dissatisfied with the Mennonite ways. It is not clear to me what dissatisfied him, but in light of his new direction it seems probable that he felt the Mennonites were too cold, too formal. His new direction was more emotional.
While in his dissatisfied stage, a peach pit became caught in his windpipe. Christian threw himself against a tree to dislodge the peach pit. He immediately fell to his knees and thanked the Lord, but he started having nightmares about the final judgment. Another time, he felt that a violent thunderstorm was a signal that he was not right with the Lord. He ran out into the storm, fell to his knees and submitted to God’s will. In 1773, he was recovering from measles and felt that God had saved him to carry out the work of the Lord.
Although dedicated to serving the Lord, Christian fled from Lancaster County to Washington County in 1775 to avoid having his name included in those from which the local Mennonites would pick their next preacher.
Christian helped organize the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. The church was led by Philip William Otterbein, previously of the German Reformed Church, Martin Boehm, formerly a Mennonite, and Reverend Ashbury, once a Methodist. The focus of the new church was German immigrants.
Reverend A. P. Funkhouser, in History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ: Virginia Conference, page 58, described Christian.
“Newcomer was tall, commanding in figure, and robust in physique. No portrait is in existence. In 1828 he held a camp meeting near Crider’s store in Brock’s Gap, at a spring still known as the “camp spring.” Seventy years later, Mrs. Maria Paul remembered seeing him there. Her description of him as a tall, slim, smoothly shaven man of serious appearance tallies with other accounts.
“The bishop was not a great preacher except in earnestness of purpose. He had a slight impediment in his speech and his voice was but moderately strong. Yet he was a successful evangelist, and as a superintendent he was fearless as well as diligent. He was a firm believer in the itinerant system,perceiving that it is peculiarly adapted to new and sparsely settled districts.”
Christian Newcomer’s home in Beaver Creek, Maryland, built in 1795, is still lived in. The home is on the west side of Highway 40 and north of the lower intersection with Beaver Creek Road and Highway 40. A plaque is at the foot of the driveway.
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For more information on this historic home, please visit the web site: