Beggarstown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Beggarstown or Bettelhausen was a small community that was located in the present day neighborhood
of Mount Airy
in Northwest Philadelphia
in the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. It centered primarily along a stretch of relatively flat land along Germantown Avenue roughly between Upsal Street and Gorgas Lane.
that had been set aside so that the owners of lots in the center of Germantown could have access to an equal share of land in the entire village of Germantown section of Germantown Township. It covered the area from Washington Lane to roughly Sedgwick Street and Stenton and Wissahickon Avenues. As the Germantown village, founded in 1683, filled up, settlers began to move northwest along Germantown Avenue. By the 1730s and 1740s, the Sidelands area was subdivided into smaller house lots.
The origin of the name is explained in 1770 by Morgan Edwards
in his section on the early history of the Germantown Church of the Brethren, as follows:
The German form of the name, which is probably the original form, is Bettelhausen — coming from the German word betteln, which means to beg, and hausen, which is a common suffix added to place names (like Schaffhausen
) which roughly means town or village (derived from the German word Haus — house). One of the earliest uses of the name Bettelhausen appears in a newspaper ad in Christopher Sower's newspaper. One reference from 1757 appears in the church records of Saint Michael's Lutheran Church, Germantown, where the burial register entry for Nicolaus Rausch notes that he was a resident "hier in Bettelhausen." Though some late 19th century Philadelphia histories claim that the name is a corruption of Bebberstown, named for Rev. Mathias van Bebber, this is incorrect. Mathias van Bebber was not a minister and he had no direct connection with this area of Germantown Township. van Bebber was an immigrant from Krefeld, Germany and lived for a brief time in Germantown before moving to Bohemia Manor in Maryland around 1710.
In the 18th century Beggarstown was the home of two important congregations. The mother church of the Church of the Brethren
denomination moved to its present location at Germantown Avenue and Hortter Street in 1760 and worshiped for a while in the Pettikoffer house until 1770 when they built a meeting house which is still in use by the congregation today. The other church which was formed very early in this village was Saint Michael's Lutheran Church. The earliest documentation for a Lutheran congregation in Germantown is found in 1738 when four men (Georg Wensell, Jacob Behlert, Georg Rieger/Rüger [later known as Rex], and Johann Groethausen) purchased a lot on Germantown Avenue which became the core of the property the congregation still owns today. St. Michael's soon became an important regional focal point for the growing number of 18th century churched (i.e. Lutheran
or Reformed
) German immigrants who quickly outnumbered the older German Quaker, Mennonite and Brethren families. At this time the congregation served almost all Lutherans living between the colonial city of Philadelphia and the church at Trappe, Pennsylvania
.
In the 19th century, there was an effort of some of the residents of the area to change the name to Franklinville. Though they succeeded in naming a literary club and volunteer fire company with the new name, Beggarstown continued to be used by the local residents until the late nineteenth century when the spread of suburbanization eradicated the small village atmosphere along this section of Germantown Avenue.
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
of Mount Airy
Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mount Airy is a neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania.-Boundaries:Mount Airy is bounded on the northwest by the Cresheim Valley, which is part of Fairmount Park. Beyond this lies Chestnut Hill. On the west side is the Wissahickon Gorge, which is also part of Fairmount...
in Northwest Philadelphia
Northwest Philadelphia
Northwest Philadelphia is a section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The official boundary is Stenton Avenue to the north, the Schuylkill river to the south, Spring Ln to the west, and Wister Street to the east. The area is divided by Wissahickon Creek into two subsections...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It centered primarily along a stretch of relatively flat land along Germantown Avenue roughly between Upsal Street and Gorgas Lane.
History
Beggarstown (also Beggars-town or Beggar Town) or Bettelhausen was formed out of the so-called "Sidelands" of Germantown. The Sidelands were a section of Germantown TownshipGermantown Township, Pennsylvania
Germantown Township, also known as German Township, is a defunct township that was located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. The municipality ceased to exist and was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia following the passage of the Act of Consolidation, 1854.-History:Germantown Township,...
that had been set aside so that the owners of lots in the center of Germantown could have access to an equal share of land in the entire village of Germantown section of Germantown Township. It covered the area from Washington Lane to roughly Sedgwick Street and Stenton and Wissahickon Avenues. As the Germantown village, founded in 1683, filled up, settlers began to move northwest along Germantown Avenue. By the 1730s and 1740s, the Sidelands area was subdivided into smaller house lots.
The origin of the name is explained in 1770 by Morgan Edwards
Morgan Edwards
Morgan Edwards was a Welsh historian of religion, Baptist pastor, and notable for his teaching on the 'rapture' before its popularization by John Nelson Darby ....
in his section on the early history of the Germantown Church of the Brethren, as follows:
[The Beggarstown meeting] takes its distinction from a little village of ... [this] name, in the township of Germantown, eight miles NW from the city.... On the same lot [of their meeting house] stands their old building erected by one John Pettikoffer for his dwelling house in 1731; and because it was the first house in the place, and erected by a beggar, the village assumed the name of Beggarstown.
The German form of the name, which is probably the original form, is Bettelhausen — coming from the German word betteln, which means to beg, and hausen, which is a common suffix added to place names (like Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
) which roughly means town or village (derived from the German word Haus — house). One of the earliest uses of the name Bettelhausen appears in a newspaper ad in Christopher Sower's newspaper. One reference from 1757 appears in the church records of Saint Michael's Lutheran Church, Germantown, where the burial register entry for Nicolaus Rausch notes that he was a resident "hier in Bettelhausen." Though some late 19th century Philadelphia histories claim that the name is a corruption of Bebberstown, named for Rev. Mathias van Bebber, this is incorrect. Mathias van Bebber was not a minister and he had no direct connection with this area of Germantown Township. van Bebber was an immigrant from Krefeld, Germany and lived for a brief time in Germantown before moving to Bohemia Manor in Maryland around 1710.
In the 18th century Beggarstown was the home of two important congregations. The mother church of the Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight persons led by Alexander Mack, in Schwarzenau, Bad Berleburg, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas during the...
denomination moved to its present location at Germantown Avenue and Hortter Street in 1760 and worshiped for a while in the Pettikoffer house until 1770 when they built a meeting house which is still in use by the congregation today. The other church which was formed very early in this village was Saint Michael's Lutheran Church. The earliest documentation for a Lutheran congregation in Germantown is found in 1738 when four men (Georg Wensell, Jacob Behlert, Georg Rieger/Rüger [later known as Rex], and Johann Groethausen) purchased a lot on Germantown Avenue which became the core of the property the congregation still owns today. St. Michael's soon became an important regional focal point for the growing number of 18th century churched (i.e. Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
or Reformed
Evangelical and Reformed Church
The Evangelical and Reformed Church was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States with the Evangelical Synod of North America . After the 1934 merger, a minority within the RCUS seceded in order to...
) German immigrants who quickly outnumbered the older German Quaker, Mennonite and Brethren families. At this time the congregation served almost all Lutherans living between the colonial city of Philadelphia and the church at Trappe, Pennsylvania
Trappe, Pennsylvania
Trappe is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,509 at the 2010 census. Augustus Lutheran Church, built in 1743, is the oldest unchanged Lutheran church building in the United States in continuous use by the same congregation...
.
In the 19th century, there was an effort of some of the residents of the area to change the name to Franklinville. Though they succeeded in naming a literary club and volunteer fire company with the new name, Beggarstown continued to be used by the local residents until the late nineteenth century when the spread of suburbanization eradicated the small village atmosphere along this section of Germantown Avenue.