Exploration (Part 4)

The Moravians wasted little time in spreading their influence throughout eastern Pennsylvania. In 1742 Count von Zinzendorf and seven companions set out on a tour of the hills and woodlands north and west of Nazareth. The first night they were received cordially by Indians near Captain John's settlement at Welagameka. Next day they continued north, and reached the south side of the Blue Mountains, near present-day Bangor. Here, again, they lodged with a Delaware Indian who had a hut on the site.

On July 27, 1742, Count von Zinzendorf and his fellowship crossed the Blue Mountain into Cherry Valley, and on July 28 they finally emerged from the endless forests at Meniolágoméka -- "The Fat Land Among the Barren" -- present-day Kunkletown. Here they met George Rex and his family. Von Zinzendorf's 16-year-old daughter, Benigna, upon meeting the Indian children at the settlement, decided that the girls should have the opportunity to go to school just like white boys. The same year she founded Moravian Seminary in Germantown, PA. Shortly thereafter it was moved to Bell House in Bethlehem, and Lady
Benigna invited all the Indian girls to come. Moravian Seminary was the first boarding school for girls in the New World, and over time it gained a superb reputation -- so much so that 50 years later, while he was President, George Washington personally petitioned for admission of his great-nieces. Eventually the school's charter was expanded, and it became Moravian College and Moravian Academy, both of which remain preeminent educational institutions to this day.

While preparing to leave Meniolágoméka and pass once again over the 1550 ft. Blue Mountain, Count von Zinzendorf had a premonition. So while the rest of the group returned over the mountain and followed the Wyoming Trail back to the Lehigh Valley, Count von
Zinzendorf and an Indian guide headed west instead toward the homestead of the famous woodsman and explorer Conrad Weiser, who was in charge of the Pennsylvania government's dealings with the Indians. It took them four days to make it all the way to Weiser's homestead near Reading, PA. It was lucky timing, too, because Weiser had just returned from a Treaty Conference in Philadelphia, and was accompanied by all the chiefs of the 6 Nations, including the powerful Iroquois! With Weiser's assistance, von Zinzendorf reached an agreement with the tribes whereby Moravian missionaries were guaranteed safe passage through Indian territory. Now the missionary work of the Moravians could begin in earnest!


It must have made a lasting impression on the poor Delaware Indians, who had for decades been driven hither and thither, that these white men had come who did not ask for land, but only for goodwill. At least this must have been true for Sachem George Rex (the Brother-in-law of Teedyuscung and Captain of Meniolágoméka) and the others from the Kunkletown settlement, who over the next few years repeatedly traveled to Bethlehem to hear the Moravian choirs, learn about Christianity, and observe the numerous building projects. Seven years later, on April 25, 1749, while visiting Bethlehem, George Rex asked for and was granted baptism by the Moravians, and received the Christian name "Brother Augustus." Even Rex's grandfather, at the age of 100, made the journey across the Blue Mountain to Bethlehem and was baptized as "Noah." This aged Sachem died a few weeks after returning home to Meniolágoméka, and was buried in the little Indian cemetery, the ancient walls of which remain standing to this day.