John Christopher Hartwick
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John Christopher Hartwick (January 6, 1714 – July 17, 1796) was an American
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
minister in
Colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen British Colonies and creation of the United States in 1776, during the Re ...
and founder of
Hartwick College Hartwick College is a private liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York. The institution's origin is rooted in the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick. In 1927, the seminary became a four-year coll ...
.


Background

Hartwick was a native of the dukedom of
Saxe-Gotha Saxe-Gotha () was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine duchies, Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin, Wettin dynasty in the former Landgraviate of Thuringia. The ducal residence was erected at Gotha (town), Gotha. History The duch ...
in the province of
Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...
in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and studied at the
University of Halle Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...
. He was educated in the Lutheran Pietism movement. He was ordained a Lutheran Minister in the German Trinity Church of London on November 24, 1745. Inspired to perform missionary work in the North American Colonies, Hartwick
emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
d in 1746 to serve as a missionary to the German settlers in and around Rhinebeck in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
’s
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...
. He was an eccentric
idealist Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, spirit, or consciousness; that reality is entir ...
and intolerant of parishioner's
vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
s, requiring them to sign a promise that they would ''"forswear shooting, horse-racing, boozing, and dancing."'' He was forcefully removed from his first parish by fellow ministers of the area, and in his preaching career until 1691 moved around the northern colonies, looking to find congregations that matched his pious instructions. In 1764 Hartwick wrote an article condemning the death penalty for theft as contrary to divine law.


New Jerusalem

Hartwick felt that allowing common persons to own land and live far from one another was the cause of their
immorality Immorality is the violation of moral laws, norms or standards. It refers to an agent doing or thinking something they know or believe to be wrong. Immorality is normally applied to people or actions, or in a broader sense, it can be applied to ...
. He envisioned a
utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...
n
community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
dedicated to the principles of pious living. Having little money to start, he made a series of land deals that helped to grow wealth and finance his ventures. Purchasing land required payment to the Indians, obtaining license, various land surveys, identifying partnerships and co-petitioners, and paying quit-rent and taxes to the Crown. In April 1761, Hartwick obtained a nearly
land patent A land patent is a form of letters patent assigning official ownership of a particular tract of land that has gone through various legally-prescribed processes like surveying and documentation, followed by the letter's signing, sealing, and publi ...
called 'the Hartwick Patent' in
Otsego County, New York Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524. The county seat is Cooperstown. The county's population center is Oneonta. The name ''Otsego'' is from a Mohawk or Oneida word m ...
located southwest of what would become Cooperstown. This patent was granted by the
Colony of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to the G ...
, and required payment for title to the Mohawk Indians. The attempts toward a permanent settlement on the site was made in waves thereafter, although Hartwick has trouble attracting settlers in the first years of the patent. In following years, a 100,000 acre patent of land to the north of the Hartwick Patent was secured, and in 1785
Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...
William Cooper came to survey land tracts in a portioned land tract called the Cooper-Craig Patent, neighboring immediately to the north. Hartwick continued to struggle to attract settlers to his patent in 1788 and 1789 attempts, and did not survey his land for the required 11 divisions until 1791 as required by the patent documents. Seeking assistance in settlement of his tract, Hartwick thereafter commissioned this neighboring landowner Cooper to lease Hartwick Patent land to suitable
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
settlers for the establishment of this "
New Jerusalem In the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, New Jerusalem (, ''YHWH šāmmā'', YHWH sthere") is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city centered on the rebuilt Holy Temple, to be established in Jerusalem, which would be the capital of the ...
." Cooper essentially ignored Hartwick's criteria, and leased the property indiscriminately; most (if not all) of his tenants had little interest in Hartwick's utopian vision for the settlement. John Christopher Hartwick's 8/11 holdings of the Hartwick Patent would form the basis for the community of
Hartwick, New York Hartwick is a town located in Otsego County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 2,110. The Town of Hartwick is located in the middle of the county, southwest of the Village of Cooperstown. History The ...
. John Christopher Hartwick died during 1796 at
Clermont Manor The Clermont State Historic Site, also known as the Clermont estate, the Clermont Manor or just Clermont, is a New York (state), New York State Historic Site in southwestern Columbia County, New York, United States. It protects the former estate ...
, the home of Robert R. Livingston.


Hartwick Seminary

Hartwick's vision of a seminary was as a place to provide religious instruction to the native indians He believed there should be government-run educational schools to replace the exclusive private schools of the day. Hartwick had benefited financially from Cooper's indiscriminate leasing deals and left instructions in his will for the founding of a public
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
. However he made the task difficult by designating
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
as his
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
. The seminary did not open until 15 years after his death. Hartwick's choice as director of the seminary had been Dr. John Christopher Kunze a leading Lutheran theologian. Prominent political and religious leaders Jeremiah Van Rensselaer and
Frederick Muhlenberg Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg (; January 1, 1750 – June 4, 1801) was an American minister of religion, minister and Politics of the United States, politician who was the first speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1 ...
convinced Dr. Kunze to direct the seminary and teach theology at his home in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Also benefiting from Hartwick's endowments were Rev. Anthony Braun who taught sciences and languages in Albany and Rev. John Frederick Ernst who taught elementary school on the Hartwick land patent. The school first known as the Hartwick Seminary, eventually became
Hartwick College Hartwick College is a private liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York. The institution's origin is rooted in the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick. In 1927, the seminary became a four-year coll ...
. During the 1920s, the Trustees of Hartwick Seminary voted to close the seminary and use the funds to open a new college in the nearby city of
Oneonta, New York Oneonta ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in southern Otsego County, New York, Otsego County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is one of the northernmost cities of Appalachia. Oneonta is home to the State Un ...
.''Hartwick History''
(Hartwick College)


Notes


External links


John Christopher Hartwick Society


Further reading

* Alan Taylor, ''William Cooper’s Town'' (1995) *
James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonial and indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...
, ''The Chronicles of Cooperstown''(1838) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartwick, John Christopher 1714 births 1796 deaths 18th-century German Lutheran clergy German emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies History of Christianity in the United States People from Hartwick, New York People from colonial New York 18th-century American Lutheran clergy