The original document the below list came from is part of the Crawford County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society’s Church Collection and is dated April 12, 2012, but there is not a date of when the document was written.
Baskin and Battery Chicago History 1881 p. 391
Dr. William Nast the great pioneer of the German Methodists in the Western country was the first minister of that denomination to visit Bucyrus and preach to the Germans in their own language. In the year1837, this distinguished German theologian, then quite a young man, was appointed on the first circuit laid out in this section of Ohio for German Methodist preaching. The territory covered by this first circuit was so extensive that five weeks’ time was occupied in filling all the appointments. Young Nast’s route each five weeks; was as follows: “He preached at Columbus the first Sunday, then left for Basel, on the canal, then to Thornville, where services were held the second Sabbath: then to Newark, Mount Vernon and Danville, where the third Sunday was spent; then to London. Loudonville, Mansfield, Galion and Bucyrus, where services were conducted on the fourth Sabbath: then to Marion and a German settlement near Delaware reached by the fifth Sunday: then to Worthington and Columbus by the sixth Sabbath, when the route was completed.” Services were also conducted during the five weeks, at many points in the vicinity of these places. This pioneer circuit-rider of the German Methodist Episcopal Church preached in the German language at the English Methodist Episcopal Church each Sunday he was in Bucyrus, but it is uncertain how long he remained on the circuit. Before many years his talents were appreciated, and he was placed in charge of the German Methodist Church paper at Cincinnati. It was said of him in after years: “Dr. William
Nast is looked upon as the great head and leader of the German Methodist in the United States; has frequently surprised the country with his erudition his ripe scholarship and the vast extent of his knowledge.” For many years the German congregation was very weak and the English Methodists kindly tendered them the use of, their church, which offer was accepted and services were held there by the Germans until January 1855. Among the ministers of this denomination who preached at Bucyrus before the church was, erected are the following; “Revs. Reimsneider (who was the immediate successor of Nast), Haefner,Reuff, Neuffer, Newton, Reihm, Christian Nachtrieb, Peter Sneider, Frederick Deither. George A. Reuter, Conrad Gahn and others.
Rev. Gahn was appointed in the fall of 1853, and remained two years. During his pastorate the German Methodist Episcopal Sunday school was organized, in 1854, at the basement of the English Methodist Episcopal Church, and the German meeting house was erected The weak church of 1837 and 1840 was strengthened by the addition of many from among the Germans who settled in the community and professed the doctrines taught by the ministers of this denomination. Then the congregation became strong enough to build a house of worship and in the fall of l854, the church was erected by John Sneider. The building was dedicated Sunday, January 14, 1855. In the morning, Dr. Warner, of Columbus, delivered the dedication sermon in English. This was at the request of the German congregation. A collection was then taken up of $143 to assist in paying for the church. Mr. Nast, who was present preached in German at the afternoon meeting. Rev. Gahn, Pastor at this time, was a large man, with a strong voice. It is related of him that once, while preaching in the basement of the Methodist Episcopal Church, he was suddenly seized with bleeding at the mouth and the services were interrupted for that day.
This minister was assisted in his work by a young German, of noble birth, by the name of Merman Zur Jacobsmuhlen. Rev. Gahn left in the: fall of 1855, and the following ministers were his successors, the pastorate of each commencing about September 1, of the year they were appointed: 1855. — Wentz: 1857 George Berg: 1859, Gustave Herzer: 1860, J Horst: 1862, Phillip B. Weber: January 1, 1864. Albert Vogel, 1866, Anton Warns: 1869. John C. Kopp: 1871; John S. Schneider: 1874. August F. Meuler: 1876, Philip Graessle; 1879, August Gerlach , 1880, John Haas. After Mr. Nast left, services were held at Bucyrus every four weeks until a few years before 1850, when the congregation was organized. Services were then held every two weeks and the Pastors preached at Galion, Bucyrus, and the Broken Sword church. Some years after the Bucyrus church was erected the churches at Galion and Bucyrus were made special stations and, since that tine preaching is held every Sunday, but the Pastors of the church conduct religious services at the Broken Sword church every Sunday afternoon. The parsonage was built in 1863. The membership at the present time is about sixty.
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