| Notes |
- Elizabeth married Adolph shortly after he arrived in the US to serve as a Lutheran Minister in the local churches. Elizabeth died five years after she was married when her daughter Elizabeth was an infant. Her children were raised by Barbara Lyerly, the second wife of Adolph Nussman. Barbara was the daughter of John Christopher Lyerly, who went to Europe with Christopher Rintelmann during 1772 to secure Rev. Adolph Nussman, and the teacher, Gotfried Arndt: thus Rev. Nussman married daughters of both of his sponsors. Adolph was educated in the Georgia Agusta Dept., University ofGoettingen. He had been a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order, but became a Lutheran clergyman shortly before his appointment to North Carolina. Nussman served both St. John's in Salisbury and Organ for several years. In 1775 Arndt was ordained a minister at Organ, and was the first Lutheran minister ever ordained in North Carolina. In 1774 the congregation at Organ had differences with Rev. Nussman, and he moved to St. John's Lutheran Church in Cabarrus Co., which he served until his death in 1794. He was a dedicated minister on horseback, traveling to preach throughout Rowan and Cabarrus Counties, in homes and before groups that had neither church or minister of their own. He was to be known as Founder of the Lutheran Church in North Carolina. Adolphus Nussman, b. July 12, 1739 (Germany), d. Nov. 3, 1794, Concord, Cabarrus Co., NC, buried St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetary, where a memorial marker was erected in 1935, about 200 yards east of his grave. Adolph was the son of Joan (John) Nuesman, married Jan 21, 1738, in Muenster,Westphalia, Germany, to Johanna Maria Hilleke. Ed: Georgia Agusta Dept., University of Gottingen. He had been a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order, but became a Lutheran clergyman shortly before his appointment to North Carolina. On leaving Germany, there was some delay at the port, waiting for a ship, so Nussman left Arndt with the baggage and went to England, where he made good contacts at Court. Nussman and the teacher, Arndt, arrived in North Carolina during the summer, and on Aug. 12, 1773, Nussman's first sermon was preached at Organ (Zion) Lutheran Church. Soon after coming to the New World, he wrote to Germany, 'This one thing above all I wish and request; that no one come in here who has already married in Germany...An American wife is in our circumstances, infinitely better adapted.' Following his own advice, he married a daughter of Christopher Rintelmann, soon after his arrival. Nussman served both St. John's in Salisbury and Organ for several years. In 1775 Arndt was ordained a minister at Organ, and was the first Lutheran minister ever ordained in North Carolina. In 1774 thecongregation at Organ had differences with Rev. Nussman, and he moved to St. John's Lutheran Church in Cabarrus Co., which he served until his death in 1794. He was a dedicated minister on horseback, traveling to preach throughout Rowan and Cabarrus Counties, in homes and before groups that had neither church nor minister of their own. He was to be known as the 'Founder of the Lutheran Church in North Carolina. Fries' Records of the Moravians in North Carolina mentions him in their Bethania Diary: Nov. 8, 1784: Pastor Nussman who preached in Jacob Moll's house yesterday, passed through on his way to Adam Wolf, where he will preach again.... July 23, 1785:...My wife and I rode to the home of Johann Schemel, who some days ago asked for the baptism of his child. There was a fairly good attendance in spite of the fact that Pastor Nussman was preaching some miles away... Oct. 7, 1785: Pastor Nussman passed through on his way top preach next Sunday in the church near Fesslers... Oct. 15, 1785: One of our day laborers went this afternoon to Jacob Nolls. Pastor Nussman will hold communion tomorrow and he will attend. Rev. Nussman was so dedicated to his mission that some of the old correspondence advises that should any money be due him for work, it should be paid to his wife. He was known too often to give his salary for some church project or to someone less fortunate, before he got home. During the Revolutionary War, he espoused the American cause and for sometime was forced to 'hide out' from his home in order to avoid arrest.Tories once caught him and branded him on his thigh. The burn never healed and was said to be the cause of his death. When Rev. Adloph Nussman died in 1794, he left five Lutheran clergymen to continue the work that he and Arndt had begun. Nine of his descendantshave served the Christian ministery, including: James William Goodman(1867-1924), who served the Presbyterians in churches from High Point to Hillsborough, NC (Nussman's parish from 1773-1786); Thomas Smith, Lutheran Minister of Miami, FL; Calvin Lee Shipton, ordained in 1934 to serve the Lutheran churches in North Carolina for 39 years; Terry Lingle Hammill, since 1962 a Methodist minister with the Western Conference of North Carolina; Oscar Fisher Blackwelder served Lutheran churches in Roanoke, VA, Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. from 1930 to 1954; David Lewis Blackwelder, ordained in 1961; Robert Touchton of Columbia, a Presbyterian minister; and William Jernnings Boger, b. 1869, who was a member of the original Joint Commission to propose union of the North Carolina and Tennessee Synods (Lutheran) in 1914. All, but Rev. Boger, are Elizabeth Rintelmann's descendents. Ruth Blackwelder wrote: 'When Adolphus Nussman died Nov. 4, 1794, his oldest child, Margaret, was nineteen years old...Their father left very little material wealth; the gifts of the spirit were his endowment for his family. Barbara Lyerly Nussman, mother and stepmother, was left with tremendous responsibility...It is interesting to note that the two favorite names for Nussman girls for seven generations has been Elizabeth and Barbara. The 1790 Census, Salisbury Dist., Mecklenburg Co., NC, shows that 'Rev. Mr. Nussman' had 2 males under 16, and probably 3 daughters in his household. The will of Adolphus Nussman was proven in open court in Cabarrus Co., NC, Jan. 19, 1795. His widow came into court and gave up her right of administration of the estate. Letters of administration were given to Daniel Garret, Conrad Keiker and Frederick Milster. In April 1797, the Cabarrus County Court appointed Frederick Milster as guardian for Caterine, John, Daniel, Barbara and Elizabeth Nussman, according to Ruth Blackwelder. The Family History of the Blackwelder & Allied Families of North Carolinaand Illinois by Deward C. Williams, Litchfield, IL (1970); 'Nussman Family Outline' by Walter R. Sanderes, Litchfield, IL, unpublished; Family History of Nussman, Coen, Davies' by Elmer Nussman Widner, 323 Gaylord Av., Pueblo, CO 81005 (1964); Lyerly Family, by Carr R. Lyerly, Hugh E. Lyerly, and Wm. L. Rhyne of Salisbury, NC; as well as the LDS Archives have additional information, for Nussman-Lyerly descendants.
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1739 - 1794 (55 years)
