St. Peter’s Church to Celebrate the Return of the Marquis de Lafayette
Lafayette Hill, PA, Apr. 9, 2025 -- St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3025 Church Rd., Lafayette Hill, PA, will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the third visit of Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, to the Philadelphia area on Saturday, July 19, 2025. The “Celebration of the Return of the Marquis de Lafayette” will start at 2 p.m. in the church sanctuary.
St. Peter’s, in conjunction with the American Friends of Lafayette, will celebrate Lafayette’s 1825 return to “Chestnut Hill” with an historical presentation on Lafayette and Philadelphia, along with self-guided tours of the church cemetery, where 14 veterans of the Continental Army, plus the six Oneida scouts who fell during the battle, are buried. Also featured in the day’s activities will be two “revolutionary” performances by the Philly Fife and Drums Corps under the direction of Lois Herbine.
Best known as the youngest general in the Continental Army, Lafayette also made a triumphant return to the United States during 1824 and 1825 as an elder statesman of the French Republic, and the only surviving Revolutionary War general. Following his 1824 visit to Philadelphia, he toured all 24 states before returning on July 20, 1825 to the Philadelphia area in recognition of his most famous action in the war, the Battle of Barren Hill, in May 1778.
The exact route of Lafayette’s July 1825 visit is uncertain. Two primary sources state he toured the battlefield, that is, the St. Peter’s cemetery and the original church building, while two others state that he just came “within sight” of the battlefield from Chestnut Hill.
Lafayette had led a contingent of 2200 Continental Army soldiers, 600 Pennsylvania Militiamen and 50 Oneida warriors from Valley Forge to the then Barren Hill in May 1778 to spy on the British army contingent then headquartered in Philadelphia. The ensuing battle, wherein Lafayette’s detachment was surrounded by the British, saw a narrow escape by the majority of the colonial forces back to Matson’s Ford. At the same time, a small group, including the Oneida, fought a delaying action centered around St. Peter’s original building and the still-existing church cemetery.
The public is invited to attend, free of charge, although a free will offering will be accepted.
If you would like any more information regarding this event please contact John Shiffert or the Church Office.
St. Peter’s March History Column
St. Peter’s has been around since 1752, or less than 250 years after Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation. We won’t go back that far today, but a look at a few of the highlights from the 1965 St. Peter’s Yearbook on its 60th Anniversary is of interest.
(Thanks to Linda Gallagher, who turned up an entire collection of these fascinating publications, dating all the way back to the late 1940s)
Most notably, the real old-timers in the congregation will recall Pastor Harold F. Doebler, his Assistant Pastor Robert “Pastor Bob” Joachim and Assistant to the Pastor M. Luther Hocker. You also may recall that they were preaching from the pulpit on the opposite side of the altar from where Pastor Suloff now does not preach (although the lectors do read from the other side now.) When were they preaching? There were two Sunday services, at 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Also recall that, immediately pre-COVID, the two services were at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., indicating that everyone slept later on Sundays in the 60s. And, playing the organ at both services was the future founder/originator of the Boar’s Head, Robert “Bob” Rosenberger.
Now, to put out a yearbook like this, or at least to afford the printing of a yearbook like this, you must have advertising. Someone clearly put a lot of effort into selling ads for the 1965 yearbook, and said ads are quite enlightening, particularly to anyone who isn’t a “Boomer.” For example, the telephone numbers all had letters in them. The church’s phone number, and pretty much all of the Lafayette Hill phone numbers, started with TA and a single digit number. That stood for “Taylor,” BTW. Conversely, none of the addresses had a ZIP code. For the Philadelphia addresses, there was just a two-digit number after the city, and Pennsylvania was often abbreviated “Penna.” (It is assumed that abbreviation went out of style to avoid confusion with penne pasta.) As for who was advertising… the late, lamented General Lafayette Inn (which predated the church by 20 years) was an important one. But, let’s not forget some of the smaller ads from stores in the Lafayette Hill Shopping Center down by Joshua Road (none of which are there anymore, either)…Lafayette Hardware, Lafayette Hill Shoes (in a later iteration, this location was a running store), and, of course, “The Roxy,” which lasted longer than the rest and always had baseball cards in stock before anywhere else.
We won’t go through the membership list, except to note there have always been Rotenburys and to give a shout-out to Bob Graham, who still occupies the last pew on the right side of the front section seating.
The St. Peter’s Cemetery and the Continental
Army soldiers and Oneida Scouts buried here
The St. Peter’s Cemetery and the Continental Army soldiers and Oneida Scouts buried here (Numbers refer to the map which can be found at the church and will be available online soon.)
Bernhardt Barnaby Beaver (2)
Born September 9, 1751 in Oley Township, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. He was married to Susanna Seltzer and they had nine children. His last name was also occasionally spelled “Bieber.” During the Revolutionary War, he served as a Private in the 1st Battalion, 4th Company of the Philadelphia County Militia under Capt. Stephen Bloom who was at Valley Forge with Washington, and fought in the battles at Brandywine and Germantown. Bernhardt Beaver died on April 1, 1801 in Gwynedd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
George Christman (3)
1746-1794
Listed in Berks County Revolutionary War Soldiers as part of the 2nd Battalion in 1777 and 1778. Served in Capt. Kemp’s Company
Leonard Culp (4)
Born 1742 - died 1800, although some sources list this date as 1824. And, some sources list his name as Kulp. He owned the land across Church Road from St. Peter’s, which included the land where Lafayette encamped in May 1778, against the orders of George Washington. His son, also Leonard Culp, or Kulp, 1775-1862, is also buried in the St. Peter’s graveyard.
John and Ludwig Dager (5&6?)
They may have been part of the German Battalion composed of officers and men selected from among the German settlers (i.e.: Pennsylvania Dutch) of Pennsylvania and Maryland. Or, this may be only one person…
Related by marriage to Philip Lare (Lehr)
Johann Ludwig Dager
Birthdate: November 25, 1736
Birthplace: Germany
Death: June 10, 1799
Father of Johannes Dager (AKA John Dager, who was the son-in-law of Philip Lehr)
The German Battalion
The 1st German Battalion, 1776-1778, during the United States’ Revolutionary War. This battalion was raised from German settlers from Pennsylvania and Maryland. It was composed of four companies from each state, and was the first battalion to be enlisted for three years. Colonel Nicholas Haussegger commanded the battalion from June 1776 to March 1777. Baron de Arendt commanded from March 19, 1777 to January 1, 1781, when the battalion was broken up. On February 26, 1778, the German Battalion was officially made a part of Maryland's quota to facilitate supply and recruitment. Although numbered the 8th Maryland, it was still usually referred to as the German Battalion.
Peter Duseaux (7)
His last name may have been Dusseaux. He was a French sailor -- Lafayette’s involvement with the Continental Army was the first act in France becoming allied with the colonies, culminating in the defeat of the British Navy in the Battle of the Capes. This gave the French Navy control of the Chesapeake Bay and isolated Cornwallis’ force before the Battle of Yorktown. Duseaux apparently stayed in the United States after the war. He died in 1825.
Hans Jacob Hagey (8)
Born 1749 - Neustadt, Bergstrasse, Hessen, Germany
He may have been part of the German Battalion composed of officers and men selected from among the German settlers (i.e.: Pennsylvania Dutch) of Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 1766 he threatened to sue St. Peter’s for the return of a 100 pound loan he made to the congregation. Nonetheless, when he died 1820 in Franconia, Montgomery County, he was buried in St. Peter’s cemetery.
Philip Halb (9)
May have been part of the German Battalion composed of officers and men selected from among the German settlers (i.e.: Pennsylvania Dutch) of Pennsylvania and Maryland.
William Johnson (10)
He may have served in the Colonial Navy.
He was born on September 9, 1731, in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, John Johnson, was 37 and his mother, Mary Rittenhouse (one assumes she was one of THE Rittenhouses of Germantown), was also 37 at the time. He married Catharine Tarter on January 25, 1774, in Germantown. Johnson, a prominent landholder, was 42 at the time, but still found the time to have at least five sons and a daughter with Catharine. He died on June 9, 1800, in Germantown, at the age of 68.
According to a 1777 map in the University of Pennsylvania Archives, Johnson owned a sizable tract of land between the Germantown and Perkiomen Turnpike Road (as it would later be called, and, yes, it was a toll road, though it is unlikely that either Washington, in retreating from the Battle of Germantown, or the British, in advancing towards Barren Hill in 1778, paid a toll) and Ridge Pike, extending from Church Road approximately 1155 feet. It appears as if the current church building, dating to 100 years after Johnson’s death, is on Johnson’s old land. However, it may be that he is buried on Leonard Streeper’s former land (see below).
George Keiger/Keigher (11)
A German immigrant. Born 1752, died 1800. His wife was named Margaret. They had a son Andrew, born in 1788. He died in 1850 in Montgomery County.
Keiger is the spelling on his tombstone in the graveyard. Americanwars.org lists a George Keigher among Pennsylvania soldiers in the War of Revolution. Keigher was apparently his birth name. As was often the case, it was apparently Americanized at some point by dropping the “h” before he died.
Philip Lare (12)
His name is sometimes spelled Lehr. He was related by marriage to the Dager family. He was one of the original elders of the St. Peter’s congregation.
Born 1745
Died 17 Feb 1837 (aged 91 or 92) at Whitemarsh, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Revolutionary Soldier: Private 3rd Class, Captain William Johnson's 6th Company, 6th Battalion, Philadelphia County Militia. Philip Lare’s daughter was Susanna Barbara Lare Dager. She was born in 1775, and died 1848. Susanna was the wife of John Dager.
Philip Sidner (13)
He was from Montgomery County. Philadelphia Continental Army. Born 1729, died 1811.
Andrew Socks (14)
Dates unknown. He was from Montgomery County. Philadelphia Continental Army.
Leonard Streeper (15)
He was a blacksmith by trade.
Born January 3, 1719 in Germantown, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Died April 5, 1796 (aged 77), in Whitemarsh, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
The St. Peter’s cemetery was once known as the Streeper Burying Ground because so many Streepers were buried here.
Leonard Streeper owned an extensive tract of land in Whitemarsh township during colonial times, from which he donated the ground upon which part of the St. Peter’s cemetery at Barren Hill, as it was known then, is located. The deed is dated March 14, 1758, or three years before the construction of the first church building.
However, the map from the University of Pennsylvania Archives shows the boundary between Streeper’s and Johnson’s property as running just to the Ridge Pike side of the present church. Most likely, since most of Streeper’s land was on the far side of Ridge Pike, and included the “sunken road” down which Lafayette made his famous withdrawal to Matson’s Ford, the land in the graveyard that has most of the Revolutionary War gravestones was Streeper’s. Also likely, the land the church now sits on (recalling that this is the third church building) was Johnson’s.
The burial plots for the following three individuals have not been located
Andrew Bower -- his last name may have been Bauer
Born 1728 and died in 1795. His full name may also have been John Andrew Bower, since, according to the Penn Archives map, someone by that name owned a large strip of land, extending more than a half mile away from Germantown Pike, in 1777. He was a captain in Northern Liberties 7th Company, along with Captain John Bergman. The Sons of the American Revolution have him listed as being buried in the St. Peter’s graveyard.
Peter Legeaux (or Legaux)
Born 1748, died 1827 -- No record exists of his having served in the Continental Army outside of the record from the Sons of the American Revolution which have him in the Philadelphia Continental Army. He was from Montgomery County. Burial plot unknown, but as far as is known he is buried in the St. Peter’s graveyard.
Richard G. Schlatter
Born 1753, died 1787
Geraldus (Gerhard) Richard Schlatter entered the army of the colonists during the War of the Revolution. Originally a lieutenant, in 1777, he was a Captain in the 1st Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Philadelphia County Militia, Germantown Township (Upper District). He was Adjutant in what was called the "Flying Camp," and fought in the Battles of Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown. The Sons of the American Revolution have him listed as being buried in the St. Peter’s graveyard.
His father, the Reverend Michael Schlatter, served the High German Reformed Christian Congregations of Falkner Schwamp, Schip Bach (Skippack) and Weit Marsch (Whitemarsh), which were organized before the present Lutheran Church. Rev. Schlatter, a friend of Dr. Henry Muhlenberg (founder of St. Peter’s), often preached in Barren Hill when the congregation met at the home of William Dewees to worship before the first St. Peter’s church was built in 1761.
The Oneida Scouts (1)
There were between 50 and 100 (accounts vary) attached to Lafayette’s force. Some reports say three fell during the battle, some give the count as six. In either case, some (the number four is usually given) were eventually re-buried together in this plot in the graveyard surrounded by an iron railing. They originally were buried separately, with their unsubscribed tombstones being shaped like arrowheads.
It appears as if they are the only participants of the Battle of Barren Hill buried in the St. Peter’s cemetery. It also appears as if the Oneida scouts were the only individuals in Lafayette’s command to die in the battle. George Washington later reported that only nine rebels were killed, wounded or captured at Barren Hill.
Only one of the Oneida has been identified by name. Thomas Sinavis (obviously not his Native name) was a peace sachem and warrior of the Oneida. A sachem was what English speakers referred to as a “chief.” However, the term sachem was widely used by Algonquian-speaking tribes throughout the northeastern woodlands. Generally, the sachem was the highest level of leadership. Thus, Sinavis was an important leader of the Oneida.
Sinavis’ date of birth is unknown, but sources suggest that he was in his twenties or early thirties. He had earlier engaged in exploits that helped warn Colonial General (and future U.S. Senator) Philip Schuyler about the imminence of Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne’s 1777 invasion from Canada. Sinavis’ service in two different campaigns would have been unusual for a sachem.
Sinavis’ sister, Mary Hanonwayele, also known as Wale, was also a member of the Oneida Bear Clan. Revolutionary commissioners originally overlooked her in distributing condolence gifts. In 1794, she finally received a small sum for this purpose as part of larger treaty negotiations between the United States and Native groups.
According to the diary of Joseph Plumb Martin, one of the Continental Army soldiers who fought in the Battle of Barren Hill… “A company of about 100 Indians, from some northern tribe, joined us here. There were three or four young Frenchmen with them. The Indians were stout looking fellows.”
The Frenchmen referred to could have included Peter Duseaux or Peter Legeaux… or even Lafayette himself.
According to James Kirby Martin in Forgotten Allies (Hill and Wang, 2006), the Oneida were part of a scouting party two miles away from the Marquis de Lafayette’s main column. This was the delaying action fought at the church while the main body of Lafayette’s troops escaped down the sunken road to Matson’s Ford. According to Martin, they did more than fight a delaying action, they started attacking British soldiers and, following the battle, “quickly gathered up the cloaks and other equipment that the British had abandoned and fell back toward the main rebel force in traditional Iroquois fashion, darting from tree to tree for concealment while fighting when necessary.” The implication is that the British lost more men than the colonials in the battle.
The “Pyramid”
The pyramid shaped marble marker in front of the church was originally erected along RIdge Pike in a public ceremony in the 1890s to mark where Lafayette made camp on the night of May 18, 1778. This was about where the Masonic home now stands on Ridge Pike.
Contrary to his orders from George Washington, Lafayette and his troops stayed there the next night as well, prior to the battle. The marker was moved in the 1980s when the Masonic home was built, and was kept in storage by the Montgomery County Historical Society for many years before being moved to the front of the church along Church Road, where it now also marks the key location of the Battle of Barren Hill.
