Had Daniel Schumacher (1729-1787) been an ordinary man, we probably would never have heard of him.  His bad habits of drinking, swearing, lying, and dancing, amongst others, were not uncommon among the men of his day.  But he was a man of the cloth, or better put:  One day he hoodwinked Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg, founder of the Lutheran church in America, with credentials from the Lutheran pastor of New York city and from the ministerium of Lutheran pastors in Hamburg, Germany.  Their contents indicated he had studied theology in a German university and was now ready to be ordained.  Mühlenberg assigned him “ad interim” to a new Lutheran congregation in Reading, Pennsylvania, and to two neighboring congregations in Alsace and Schwarzwald.  Correspondence traveled slowly, and by the time letters had crossed and re-crossed the Atlantic concerning his status, it mattered little that his credentials were false, and that he harbored many bad habits unbecoming to a Lutheran minister.  In the interim Schumacher had worked his way into the ministry.

The story, of course, might have been different had there been enough ordained preachers willing to circuit ride and preach to the Lutheran settlers on the Frontier, but Daniel was intelligent, talented, and strongly felt his calling as he bravely ministered to those on the edges of civilization.  His congregations loved him not only for his bravery, but also for his humanity.  They could relate to him, and knew he would understand their foibles and weaknesses.  When Mühlenberg sought to dismiss him, Schumacher broke away, built his own church, and took most of the congregation with him.  He preached to those who lived among the Blue Mountains in northern Berks and present-day Lehigh Counties, and served approximately 20 congregations in his lifetime.

An artist and poet, Daniel Schumacher is one of the few ministers who is also known for his Fraktur—calligraphy and decorative elements such as birds and flowers used by the Pennsylvania Germans to create baptismal certificates, book plates, school rewards, writing samples, etc.  Schumacher kept very detailed records of all baptisms, and when he hand drew and colored the Taufscheins (baptismal certificates). The baptismal certificate for John Martin Baly,¹ ca. 1755 (Image 1) is but one example of the approximately 1,700 baptisms he performed. 

Daniel also made other types of Fraktur such as confirmation and marriage certificates, bookplates, and poems.  His poems are varied in theme and content.  In August of 1769 a comet appeared in the skies of Pennsylvania, frightening many as a sign of coming destruction. Daniel agreed and created A Call to Judgment (Image 2) to ask sinners not to take chances, and to repent.  Could God also be benevolent?  Yes, indeed, and in his New Year’s greetings of 1782 (Image 3) Schumacher embodies a Pennsylvania German tradition of wishing God's blessings on friends and family during the Christmas season.

Rejoice my heart for a New Year begins.   Sing unto God a joyous hymn for all that which has been good.  Give thanks unto Him for all His blessings that you’ve received in the year just past.  Ask of Him His blessings in the New for all your needs.  For great is His renown, great are His wonders, with which He has dearly preserved you up to now.  Harken to this in all your ways my soul that God might further bless and keep you.  In all that you do, in all things along your way, step by step, will He crown you a thousand times over.  This I take to heart in this New Year, that now within our world another blessing be made to all of Christendom.  That I might do my duty, not tire, nor lessen in my resolve.

To my esteemed Jacob Grimm, my friend, and benefactor:

I wish that heaven may preserve his house, and all within—his wife, children, and kin—their good fortune be under God’s protection.  May their bread basket n’er be empty, with blessings to overflowing, and may the light of their oil lamp never dim.  May it not be for naught, like Peter when he fished so long ago.  No!  May God’s benevolence and goodwill be ever with you. By day and by night be true unto God only.  Peace, joy, health, and happiness be on all your paths.  May God be in your house and upon you so that you may remain happy for the whole year.  May you accept with joy what God has in store for you.  Finally, when you must take leave of the world, may God delight in lifting you up to heaven. 

Herewith I commend myself unto your favor and love.  My heart wishes that you remain my friend.  This I wish to all of them, that is to the esteemed church elder Jacob Grimm, and to his family for the New Year 1782.

Their pastor

Daniel Schumacher

Weisenberg Township [Lehigh County, PA]

m.p.p. (by my own hand).

[Transcription/Translation 2012 : Del-Louise Moyer]

________________________________________________________________

¹The Free Library of Philadelphia is home to more than 1,000 Pennsylvania German Fraktur – making this one of the largest public collections of Fraktur in existence.  The images that accompany this blog post are part of the FLP collection, available online at http://libwww.freelibrary.org/fraktur/.

Tags: Pennsylvania German Collection, Rare Book Department, digital collections, genealogy

The Free Library of Philadelphia has released the newest version of our mobile site!

The new mobile site (version 3.0) uses responsive web design and provides an optimal viewing experience on all browsers and most mobile devices, regardless of screen size. The site was built using jQuery mobile framework and HTML5.

FLP Mobile Website 3.0 Features:

• New layout design for easier access and downloading speeds.
   
• My Account - Sign in to your account from anywhere, all you need is your library card and PIN number.
   
• Find a Location - Quickly see what's open Today, This Morning, This Evening, This Saturday, search branch locations by zip code, or view entire list of branch locations in alphabetical order.
   
• Calendar of Events - See what’s going on at Parkway Central Library and all branch libraries, or browse by event subject.
   
• Databases - Use our subscription databases to find magazine, journal, and reference articles, improve your resume, find a job, study a new language, take practice SAT tests, or research the topic of your choice.
   
• Podcasts - Download and listen to more than 900 podcasts, recorded at various author events and lectures that take place at the Parkway Central Library.
   
• Digital Downloads - View our resources for you to download ebooks, audiobooks, music, videos and much more!
   
• Blog - Read our blog with posts from our own library staff on a variety of topics
   
• Book Reviews - Reviews from our catalog by our librarians and staff.
   
• Digital Collections - Browse through most recent images from our ever-expanding digital collections.
   
• Support The Library - You can show your support for all of the important services the Library provides by becoming a supporter of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation.
   
• Social Media - View quick links to our social networking sites.

Just like on the full version of our website, you can access your Free Library account, search our extensive catalog, find the nearest branch location, view our calendar of upcoming events, download podcasts and ebooks, read the latest book reviews, and view the latest additions to our ever expanding digital collections.

We're always striving to give you the best user experience we can and hope to offer additional features designed especially for mobile devices in the near future!

http://www.freelibrary.org/mobile

Tags: Events at the Library, Reviews, Support, databases, digital collections, ebooks, mobile, music, podcasts, tech

Picking up from where we left off last week:

What does Open Data mean for patrons and customers of the Free Library and what are some of the potential benefits and possibilities?

If ever there was a perfect pairing it is Open Data and the Free Library!
The Library is a huge repository of data and information (as well as history, art, culture, literature, etc.) and the Open Data Initiative operates and thrives on this type of data. When developers have access to this kind of data, they can create apps and programs with almost limitless potential, for people to use to get information quicker and more accurately than ever before.

One recent project the Free Library of Philadelphia has worked on using Open Data is the Historical Images of Philadelphia collection.

Currently in its beta phase, data for this feature includes digital images from the Philadelphiana Collection, housed in the Print and Picture Collection at the Free Library, which contains more than 20,000 historical images of Philadelphia. Using GIS mapping, a Google map of an image’s location is generated, listing the neighborhood it is in, any historical information about the digital image, as well as giving an up to date image of what is located at that address present day. This extensive collection of data has been displayed in a way that can be easily searched, mapped, and analyzed by anyone with access to the website.

That’s one of the great benefits of Open Data, is the natural progression of cross-reference and collaboration that happens once individuals and developers see the potential. The options and combinations of the services and apps that can be created using Open Data are as limitless as the information and data available.

Currently, the Free Library and its many neighborhood branches feed events through an RSS feed to EveryBlock, which in itself is a form of Open Data, but more on the social media side of things. But to build on that idea, maybe this data collected could be used for an app that allows for interactive, real-time maps (via data from Phila.gov’s CityMaps) of all Free Library of Philadelphia branches with up to the minute info on schedules, events, and new books and library materials that are available?

By having patrons and customers of the library suggesting and collaborating on data and information, it could almost be like the ultimate customer service app and the very definition of interactive culture and community.

Tags: databases, digital collections, maps, mobile, tech

This morning the Techmobile hosted third graders from Reynolds School onboard for an overview of the Library’s electronic resources for children, and then did a hands-on activity using Google maps alongside the Free Library’s digital collections of historical maps and historical images of Philadelphia.

Students used our laptops and iPads to explore these maps and historical images and to see how streets, buildings and places have changed over time.

These third graders are studying “Philadelphia: People, Places and Things,” and learning a lot about maps. In fact, they are wearing pedometers to help keep track of their daily steps, which they will eventually be mapping.

We also used Google maps to take a brief tour inside the White House! Check it out yourselves here.

To partner with the Techmobile, visit our webpages. 

Tags: Techmobile, databases, digital collections, maps

Ebooks fans may have noticed that some titles are no longer available for wireless downloading via Amazon.  This is due to restrictions recently put in place by Penguin Book Group.
 
What does this mean for you? Kindle format ebooks published by Penguin Group can no longer be delivered using wi-fi to a Kindle device or to a Kindle app. The titles can only be transferred to a Kindle device using a USB connection. Amazon states that "these restricted titles also may not be accessed on Kindle reading applications." This means if you have a Kindle app on another device, such as an Android tablet or an iPad, you will not be able to access the restricted Penguin titles using Amazon.
 
If you use an Android tablet, an iPad, or other mobile device, you can still access our ebooks by downloading the free Overdrive Media Console app and checking out ebooks in the more flexible EPUB format rather than the Kindle format. For help installing the Overdrive Media Console app on your mobile Android or iOS device, please see these helpful videos.

Tags: Hot Topics, digital collections, ebooks