Glade Creek Lutheran Church Blue Ridge, Va preface

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Part of Glade Creek Lutheran Church Blue Ridge, Va

Title: Glade Creek Lutheran Church Blue Ridge, Va preface
Description: 490570

Preface

The following is a copy of the Original Church Record Book of Glade Creek Evangelical Lutheran Church, at Blue Ridge, Botetourt County, Virginia.
The Church Book has been copied as carefully as practicable and the Language, syntax, and spelling is as nearly like the original as is possible to determine. Some instances are simply impossible to read and must be surmised, though we have tried to be accurate and reasonable. The only real difficulty may be occasioned by the spelling of names. In many instances the person who made the record did not know how to spell the names of those entered in the record. In most cases the owners of the names never had occasion to see or check the spellings. Consequently the record has come to us in imperfect form. We trust that this will not inconvenience anyone looking for a given name or person. Some imagination is called for in correcting the spellings of some names and others are quite readily obvious.

The introduction to the Church Book is written in English and dated the first of September, 1828. It will be noted that the communion records for the next few years are written in German. This is occasioned by the transition from German to English in these very years in all the congregations in South-western Virginia. The last German entry for Communion is in 1831. From this time on the record is in English and is copied accordingly.

The Old Church Book has been rebound at least once in the past and in so doing some pages have been transposed in the rebinding. This is most noticeable at page 14 at which place a roll of the Church Members begins with the letter “S” and continues with the “A” on the next page. I have chosen to reproduce the old record just as it was in the original and this causes some inconvenience because the original was not kept in chronological order. Some items are entered near the back of the book which date very early and vice versa, consequently the reader will have to seek his information just as he would in the original.

Rev. Guy A. Ritter, Jr.
Roanoke College
Salem, Virginia
March, 1977

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