Tenth Generation

58. Rev. David HENKEL was born on 1 May 1791 in Staunton, Virginia.^21,22 [Rucker claims birth date was 15 Dec 1795]. He was ordained on 7 Jun 1819 in Lincoln (now Catawba) County, North Carolina.²³ He died on 15 Jun 1831 in Lincoln (Catawba) County, North Carolina and was buried in St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery.²⁴ The marble cover of his crypt reads as follows:

"Sacred to the Memory of Revd David Henkel Late pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Lincoln County, No. Ca. This monument is erected by the congregations over which he presided, In testimony of their respect to him as a highly talented and distinguished Minister of the Gospel.
He was born in Staunton, Augusta County, Va. May the 1 in 1791. Commenced the Ministry in 1812 and was ordained a Pastor the 7th of June 1819, in which capacity he was distinguished for Industry, correct reasoning and love of truth, In sound Judgment and deep researches into the Mysteries of the Gospel and ardent desire to promote the Redeemers Kingdom truly characterized him as a servant of the Lord During his life he manifested himself to the zealous friend to Religious and Political Liberties, and having accomplished officially twenty two years of an active and useful life He finished the labors assigned him by divine Providence numbered his days and applied his heart unto wisdom He departed this life the 15th of June 1831, Aged 36 years One month and Eleven Days He expired in him reliance upon the Promises of the Gospel.
Blessed are the Dead who die in the Lord Yea Saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labors and their works do follow them.

Remember Friend, as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I,
As I am now, you soon will be,
Pray think about Eternity."

His obituary appeared as follows:²⁵ This much esteemed and venerable fellow-laborer, having finished the work assigned him by Divine Providence, departed this life, June 15, 1831, at 9 o'clock in the morning, to the great grief of his friends and relatives ; aged thirty-six years, one month, and eleven days. He was born in Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia, May 4, 1795. His last illness was Dyspepsia, which disabled him from officiating in a public capacity for the term of nine months. He bore his afflictions with a perfect resignation to the will of his Divine Redeemer. He embarked in the cause of his blessed Savior when a youth (A. D. 1812). And we are happy to say, to the praise of this worthy servant of Christ, that his assiduity and vigilance to study and deep researches into the truth of Divine Revelation have seldom been equaled by any. He remained immovable in the doctrines he promulgated to the end of his life. This venerable servant of the Lord had to endure many trials, crosses, and temptations, but he maintained his integrity through them all, trusting to the promises of his Redeemer; and notwithstand­ing the difficulties he had to encounter, he left a bright example to succeeding pilgrims. His ardent desire for the promotion of his Re­deemer's Kingdom, and his love of truth, caused him to submit cheer­fully to the difficulties connected with his official labors. When on his death-bed, being interrogated by his friends, whether he still
remained steadfast in the doctrines which he had taught, he confidently answered in the affirmative. Being again asked, whether he feared death, he replied in the negative. The last words which he was heard to utter, were : " O Lord Jesus, thou Son of God, receive my spirit!" and in a few moments expired.
He entered into the holy estate of matrimony with Miss Catharine Heyl (Hoyle), daughter of Hon. Peter Heyl (Hoyle), of near Lincoln-ton, Lincoln County, North Carolina.
The perishable remains of this worthy brother were followed to the grave by his loving companion and seven children, together with a numerous train of mourners, who were left, to lament the loss of a kind father, an affectionate husband, a friend and benefactor. The body is deposited at St. John's Church, Lincoln County, North Caro­lina. The funeral sermon was delivered by the Rev. Daniel Moser, from Phil: 1: 21-"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Lord so teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom !
The committee, appointed to draught the obituary notice of the Rev. David Henkel, requested the Secretary to add any particulars relative to his ministerial labors and writings which he may be able to obtain.
In conformity with the above request, I am enabled, from notes made by my lamented brother during his life time and other sources of information, to which I have had access, to give the following par­ticulars, viz.:
He commenced his Gospel labors at St. Peter's Church, in South Carolina, where he preached his first sermon, November the 1st, 1812, from which period up to the time he preached his last sermon at Philadelphia Church, Lincoln County, North Carolina, on Sunday, the 12th of August, 1830, where he administered the Lord's Supper,- which concluded upwards of three thousand and two hundred sermons ; delivered generally to crowded and attentive congregations. He bap­tized two thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven infants, and two hundred and forty-three adults, and he confirmed one thousand one hundred and five persons.
During the whole course of his ministry, which was distinguished for industry and perseverance, in the cause of his Divine Master, he traveled in all seasons, even the most inclement, and frequently preached two and three times in a day, in the German and English languages. Besides which he maintained an extensive correspondence with many individuals, distinguished for piety and learning, and wrote the following works:
His first work, containing a sermon, entitled, "The Essence of the Christian Religion, and Reflections on Futurity," was published in 1817.
His second, called "The Carolinian Herald of Liberty, Religious and Political," published in 1821.
His third, " Objections to the Constitution of the General Synod," made its appearance, annexed to the Minutes of the Tennessee Synod, held in 1821.
His fourth, entitled "The Heavenly Flood of Regeneration, or Treatise on Holy Baptism," published in 1822.
His fifth, " An Answer to Joseph Moore," who wrote in opposition to the doctrines contained in his Heavenly Flood, published in 1825.
He then draughted 6thly the Constitution, together with the remarks thereon, of the Evangelical Lutheran Tennessee Synod, in 1828: and annexed to the Minutes of the same year, his Treatise on Prayer appeared.
His seventh, A Translation from the German of Luther's Small Catechism, with Preliminary Observations by the translator, published in 1829.
His eighth, "An Essay on Regeneration," published in 1830.
His ninth, "A Treatise on the Person and Incarnation of Jesus Christ, in which some of the principal arguments of the Unitarians are examined," which has just left the press.
Reverend David Henkel (May 4, 1795 - June 15, 1831), an early Lutheran minister, founder of the Tennessee Synod, and an outstanding theologian, was the son of the Reverend Paul Henkel and Elizabeth Negiley Henkel. David Henkel began his ministry in South Carolina on October 4, 1812 at the age of seventeen. Apparently, his family had tutored him because he exhibited early intellectual prowess, showing a good understanding of both the German and English languages. Before his career ended, Henkel added Greek and Hebrew. During the next year the Lutheran Synod of North Carolina approved Henkel as a catechist to serve several rural churches in Lincoln County, North Carolina which became his lifetime home and parish. In October 1815 young Henkel became a ministerial candidate. In the following years the fiery Henkel formulated questionable doctrines and often went against the grain of North Carolina Lutheranism. After a visit to his father who lived in New Market, Virginia, Henkel expected to be ordained, but in October 1816 the North Carolina Synod refused ordination. As a result, Henkel's Lincoln County churches caused some "bitterness" in the Synod. In 1817 after a visit to Tennessee to see his brother, Reverend Philip Henkel, the Synod again failed to ordain him. On October 20, 1818, Gottlieb Shober, the Moravian turned Lutheran, who was a leader in the Synod, tongue-lashed Henkel for objectionable doctrines and "bad rumors."

As 1819 approached, conflict seemed imminent. Early correspondence before the Synod indicated that Henkel and his allies and Shober and his allies anticipated a showdown. The Synod constitution provided for its regular meeting to be held on Trinity Sunday each year. However, Shober decided to meet earlier in order to allow the Synod to select delegates to attend a General Synod meeting in Pennsylvania. On April 26, 1819, the North Carolina Synod met at Buffalo Creek in Cabarrus County. David Henkel was present while his father, his brother, Philip, and his associate, Joseph E. Bell, were absent "in defiance." After the absent ministers were verbally attacked, the Synod held an inquiry into charges against David Henkel. Certain Presbyterians and other denominational members attacked Henkel. Andrew Hoyle, a Presbyterian minister, charged that Henkel had tried to defame his reputation. Others accused him of lying, of teaching doctrines foreign to Lutheranism, and of ex-communicating a certain person illegally. This last charge was proven as well-founded, and the charges concerning Hoyle were proved by the convention. The Synod then revoked Henkel's candidacy status and put him on probation as a catechist for six months. Henkel, who denied all the charges, "promised to do better " But Shober and the Synod accused him of perpetrating the division which followed this meeting.

On June 6, 1819, David Henkel and his associates attended the regular Synod meeting at Buffalo Church. They considered the April meeting to be unconstitutional. On June 7 Philip Henkel ordained David Henkel and Joseph E. Bell as Lutheran ministers with all powers and responsibilities of the office. This service was held under an oak tree since the church doors were locked. The dispute had approached the breaking point.
An examination of the complaints against Henkel indicates that he had caused some reasonable accusations to be made. But the theological charges were made by persons ignorant of the profound theology in which Henkel engaged. He had preached some firebrand sermons, which could have been considered as objectionable by other denominations. Yet, his disagreement with Reverend Hoyle appeared personal and not theological. Finally, Shober desired the repudiation of Henkel and his vigorous teachings. He conspired with Hoyle and wrote a November 6, 1819 letter thanking him for aiding in disposing of Henkel.

Nevertheless, Henkel's parishes responded by writing petitions vindicating their spiritual leader. The 1819 Synod minutes indicated that he far outshined his fellow ministers in the statistical department. In one year he had baptized 377 children (about three times as many as his fellow associates); he had baptized thirty-eight slaves while only one other minister had baptized any slaves; he had confirmed 135 young people and had baptized forty-nine adults. Neither these statistics nor the crisis proved that compromise could not yet be achieved. While Bell urged Henkel not to break with the Synod, apparently he agreed to attempt reconciliation at the next Synod meeting.
The controversies among the Synod leaders may be attributed to at least three causes. First and primarily, there were personality conflicts between Reverend Henkel and Shober and others. Secondly Henkel and his allies opposed the General Synod while Shober and Storch favored sending delegates. Finally, doctrinal differences caused the two groups to separate. These differences of opinion caused the subsequent break at the next Synod meeting. On May 29, 1820, the Seventeenth Annual North Carolina Synod Convention was held at Emmanuel Church in Lincolnton. David Henkel, his brother Philip, his father, Paul, and Joseph Bell attended and during the morning session debated Synod leaders concerning the status of Henkel. Reverend Shober and Karl Storch, Synod President, considered HenkelÆs ordination to be illegal. Henkel contended that the Synod had departed from proper Lutheran practice, failing to adhere to the Augsburg Confession and the Synod constitution. After lengthy and violent debate the Synod adjourned to meet in the afternoon. Since the Henkels had been repudiated, they did not attend the afternoon session. Henkel did send two members of his churches to the session with instructions. They again attempted to get his ordination validated; they argued that since the Synod had ratified Bell's "oak tree" ordination it should also recognize Henkel's ordination which it refused to do. They finally presented a letter by Henkel indicating that he would rejoin the Synod if they promised to abide by their constitution. However, the Synod refused to compromise with Henkel.

With the separation complete the splinter group planned to hold a separate meeting and to form a separate Synod later the same year. During July 17-19, 1820, the Henkel faction organized the Tennessee Synod. While David Henkel was unable to attend the first meeting, he afterward became the leader and spokesman for the new Synod. Subsequent charges and counter-charges continued between the two groups. On October 22, 1821, Henkel attended the Second Convention of the Tennessee Synod where he was selected secretary. He continued his outstanding ministry: he had baptized 444 infants, 56 adults, and 69 slaves. He had confirmed 156 persons. The separation appeared complete.

However, on April 26, 1822, David Henkel wrote a conciliatory letter to the members of the North Carolina Lutheran Synod. He suggested that the two groups meet in order to determine who was at fault concerning their controversies. He felt that for the good of the Christian Church that the opposition synods should restore peace and unity. However, the North Carolina leaders responded at their convention "that D. Henkel is no minister Of the Lutheran Church." Hopes for reconciliation were completely dashed.' The two Synods would continue their separate ways.

During the rest of his career David Henkel continued to lead the Tennessee Synod. He made two missionary journeys into Kentucky and Indiana in addition to regular convention meetings in Tennessee and Virginia. He wrote numerous pamphlets and essays. His most outstanding writings included "The Essence of the Christian Religion, and Reflections on Futurity," 1817; "The Carolinian Herald of Liberty, Religious and Political," 1821; "Objections to the Constitution of the General Synod," 1821; "The Heavenly Flood of Regeneration, Or Treatise on Holy Baptism," 1822; "An Answer to Joseph Moore," 1825; "the Tennessee Synod Constitution," 1828; "A Translation from the German of Luther's Smaller Catechism with Preliminary Observations by the Translator," 1829; "An Essay On Regeneration," 1830; "A Treatise On the Person and Incarnation of Jesus Christ, in which some of the principal Arguments of the Unitarians are examined," 1831. In addition Henkel was author of numerous essays concerning the Synodical break: "Plain Truth, Vindicated,'; "Reasons shown why this debate with the North Carolina Synod was proposed"; "Reasons why the 1819 North Carolina Convention was unconstitutional"; and others. Throughout his ministry David Henkel delivered about 32,000 sermons. He baptized 2, 997 infants, 243 adults, and he confirmed 1,105 persons.

On May 17, 1814, David Henkel married Miss Catherine Hoyle, daughter of the Honorable Peter Hoyle, state legislator and political leader, and Elizabeth Carpenter Hoyle. Their children included Susan m. Philip Benick; Elizabeth m. Henry Ingold; Rev. Polycarp C.m. Rebecca Fox; Rev. Socrates m. Elenora Henkel; Cicero m. Elenora Little; Flora m. Laban Fox; Elenora m. Peter Little. Following an illness of about a year David Henkel died on June 15, 1831, at his home in Lincoln County at the age of thirty-six. He was buried at St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery now in Catawba County. Rev. Daniel Moser conducted the funeral.
A likeness of Rev. David Henkel may be found in the C.L. Coon Papers at Perkins Library, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

[Sources: Perkins Library Manuscript Department, Duke University, North Carolina, Henkel Family Papers, Charles Lee Coon Papers (miscellany re David Henkel), The Flowers Collection (The Henkel Family Papers); Southern Historical Collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, David Henkel Papers; Lutheran Archives. North Carolina Synod House, Salisbury, North Carolina, Biographical Data on Lutheran Ministers; Evangelical Review, 1856-1857; Vol. 8; pp.398404; L.A. Fox, "Origin and Early History Of the Tennessee Synod, "Lutheran Quarterly, Vol. 19, p.45, 1889; L.L. Lohr, "David Henkel Sketch of His Life and Labor," 1920 at Lutheran Archives Salisbury, North Carolina; Rev. F.W.E. Peschau, trans. Minutes of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of North Carolina 1803-1826, Vo. Newberry County, South Carolina; Aull & Houseal, Printers, 1894; Minutes of the Tennessee Synod. S. Henkel's Office, New Market, Virginia; Diary Of Rev. David Henkel 1812-1830, Original Copy owned by Elon O. Henkel, New Market, Virginia. Copied by Rev. L.L. Lohr, Lincolnton, North Carolina, 1915; Curtis Bynum, Marriage Bonds of Tryon and Lincoln Counties, North Carolina, 1929, repr. 1962; Laban Miles Hoffman, Our Kin, 1915, rep. Gaston County Historical Society, Catawba County Historical Association, Inc., Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968; G.D. Bernheim, History Of the German Settlements and or the Lutheran Church in North and South Carolina, Philadelphia: The Lutheran Book Store, 1872."Catawba County Cemeteries," Vol. 4, The Catawba County Genealogical Society, Hickory, NC, 1988, p 85]

Rev. David HENKEL and Catherine [Hoyl] HOYLE were married on 17 May 1814 in Lincoln County, North Carolina.^26,27 Catherine [Hoyl] HOYLE (daughter of Peter HOYLE II and Catharine CARPENTER) was born about 1794 in Lincoln (Catawba) County, North Carolina.²⁴ She died on 1 May 1847 in Catawba County, North Carolina.²⁴ She was buried in St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery, N. of Conover, North Carolina.

Stone reads: "When He shall raise me from the dead,
And fashion me anew,
I'll be permitted with the just,
His face in heaven to see."

Rev. David HENKEL and Catherine [Hoyl] HOYLE had the following children: