The ERLEBACH family

Adolphus Erlebach and his family

Family Tree

Adolphus's Early Years

Adolphus was born on Tuesday 3rd July 1781 in Kirn, a village near Bingen on the Rhine; a photograph of the house (parish number A 51 in 1898) where this occurred is preserved in the archives. He was baptised Johann Adolf on 5th July having as Godparents Johann Adolf Nedder, a tailor and Anne Magdalene, wife of Johann Philipp Andress, a butcher. Apparently he preferred the name Adolf which he later changed to Adolphus, probably when he came to England.

At the tender age of five his father Christian Philipp died. On his death bed his father had a vision of Christ on Mount Sion and then said to his son; Be a good child to your mother. About a year after this Adolphus fell into the river but was rescued by a man who saved me from a watery and early grave. His mother by her homely labour gained her livelyhood and trained me up in the fear of the Lord. He went to School and was taught all the common elements of learning but I had no opportunity to extend my knowledge beyond nor did I possess means to expand the powers of my mind for to gain knowledge was never difficult to me.

At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a shoemaker. When he had served his time, his uncle, Johann Philipp, returned from a visit to England intending to settle once again in Kirn. However he decided it would be better to go back to England because of the fighting which was particularly violent at that time and invited Adolphus to accompany him to escape conscription under Napoleon.

Escape to England

On 2nd May 1801 Adolphus obtained a birth certificate and a reference from the minister of the local church:

This is to certify that Adolf Erlebach, son of a local citizen and member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church has been instructed in Christian knowledge and thereupon confirmed. He has regularly attended public worship and taken part in Holy Communion which has benefited his spiritual welfare to the extent that his life in every other way is without blame. May God protect and keep him from sin, and help him to fear His Name, and above all lead him to do His Will.

On 6th August he obtained a health pass which stated that he was

of medium height, dark hair, fresh complexion, wearing a brown coat and trousers, carrying a valise, is certified to come from here (Kirn) a healthy place without infectious diseases, and wishes to travel to Hamburg via Hanover.

Adolphus later wrote I now did bid farewell to a kind and affectionate mother, and she a lonely widow, perhaps never to see her again. Which was indeed the case.

He and his uncle travelled with some others to the river Rhine, spending a night in Bingen. The next day they tried to find a way across the river away from the watchful eyes of the French officers placed there to prevent people escaping. They discovered a boat at an unguarded spot, into which six or seven of them put their luggage and then got in themselves and set off across the rapid current with only about an inch of the boat above the water. In spite of this they reached the other side safely and continued their journey, probably on foot to Frankfurt, Hanover and finally Hamburg. Here they found the captain of a ship who was willing to take them to England for a guinea each. After waiting for 10 days in the river Elbe they set sail. The crossing to Gravesend, in good weather, took 48 hours, however food was scarce on board, only coarse bread and butter being available so Adolphus was constantly hungry.

Hard Work

On receiving a passport from London they landed at Billingsgate on 14th September 1801 and then went to Westminster to the house of a friend of Johann Philipp. After spending the night there Johann Philipp took Adolphus to Whitechapel and obtained a situation for him in the sugar refining industry. He was now a lad of 20, not particularly strong and certainly not fitted for such hard work, in fact he found he was completely unable to do it. The men at the refinery were very unkind to him so he decided to run away. He bundled up his clothes, telling one of the men he met that he was taking them to the washerwoman, went out of the house and turned left, not knowing where he was going. Finding himself on Tower Hill walked up the Minories, asked the direction of Westminster and eventually found the house where his uncle was staying. His uncle, who had not been particularly kind during the journey, was now like a Tiger ready to devour me. He accused him of being idle and said he wished he had never seen him. Adolphus was most upset by this, especially as he had no friends in London and did not know the language, in fact if it had not been for the sea he would have gone straight home. However, he made up his mind that he would not endure such cruelty, particularly from a relative, so he resolved to leave his uncle and find himself a job.

He set off once more for the city to look for some sugar houses but was unable to find any. In Cheapside he saw a cart with some sugar loaded on it which he decided to follow. It went to a house in the Old Bailey where he was told they wanted a man. However the master was not at home but was expected to return the next day. Adolphus went back to Westminster only to receive another scolding. He did not say where he had been and on the following day set off once more. As he had not taken sufficient notice of the address, only remembering Bishop's Court and not Old Bailey he became lost. In Thames Street come Germans directed him and at last he met the master of the house, a German, who proved to be remarkably kind. He said that he was willing to let Adolphus try the work but observed how young and weak he was. Once more Adolphus returned to Westminster, collected his clothes and departed unobserved, causing quite a stir when it was realised he had gone. When he arrived again at Bishop's Court, he was taken to another house in Wellclose Square owned by the same man. Conditions here were much better, he had no work to do for several days which gave him time to rest, and then the other men helped him so he could get on with the work.

Adolphus did not tell his uncle where he was, so his uncle concluded that he must have been the victim of a press gang and have been taken on board a man-of-war which made him feel very sorry for the treatment he had given his nephew.

After about 18 months in this situation, Adolphus was persuaded to return to shoemaking as it was easier work. He was taken on by a master in the West End of London, who taught him how to make ladies shoes. Unfortunately, when he had learnt this trade he found his earnings insufficient to live on, so he returned to his former employer who took him on again and eventually promoted him to a position in which he found the work was not so heavy.

Letters Home

During this time Adolphus had occasional letters from his mother, two of them being preserved in the archives. She complained about lack of money and the rise in prices of provisions. She also mentioned a cousin of Adolphus who went with him to England but who had returned to Germany, got married and was doing well. This was presumably on her side of the family. She also added a postscript telling him to stay where he was and his cousin Elisabeth Weberin warned him in a little note not to come home as he would immediately be called up. Adolphus also wrote to his mother enclosing money when he could. Owing to the war, news took a long time to travel between England and the Continent, so it was not until four years after his mother's death that Adolphus learnt of it.

Church

On Sundays Adolphus went to one service in the Savoy Lutheran Church in the Strand where the preacher was the Rev. Steinkopf, who had come to England from Germany in the same year as he had. The rest of the day he spent with others in idleness and finished up in a public house. During the week he spent his leisure hours playing cards with other workmen. However, one Sunday in 1806 he was passing Zion Chapel, Whitechapel Road and was prompted to go in, in spite of the fact that he had previously been there with a friend and decided not to go again as he had not liked it. This time he found it like a little heaven below. He attended there regularly and it changed his outlook on life so much that his hard work appeared to become easy. He became friendly with three or four other young men of similar ideas who met in each other's houses for prayer and mutual edification.

Adolphus's first efforts at public prayer met with disaster, after a few sentences he did not know how to continue. However, after a while he began to find it easier and he was noticed by members of the congregation who asked him to pray in the chapel. He was eager to do good work and one day was asked to address the girls in the Sunday School. This was his first effort at public speaking and as a result he was invited to teach regularly which gave him some of the happiest moments of his life. He also joined a group at the Chapel called Zion's Itinerant Society. The members of the Society went to preach the gospel in workhouses, poorhouses and villages up to about 10 miles distant. On one Sunday

Mr. Ivy went into the country to a village in Essex called Barkingside and he desired me to accompany him and he would have me preach once in the afternoon ...

In this way Adolphus gained experience in preaching and prayer, until on 7th December 1811 he was granted a license to preach.

Marriage to Mary

Adolphus became acquainted with Christian families and found them so happy he began to think of getting married to which end he sought a suitable partner. One day when visiting a friend he met a young lady, Mary Smith, whose company and conversation interested him. Knowing that she also went to Zion Chapel, he asked her if he might escort her home, which enabled him to find out her address. He wrote to Mary to ask if he might visit her to which she readily agreed.

They enjoyed each others company for several years and on 18th August 1811 they were married in the New Church, Hackney. From his nine years service in the sugar refinery he had saved £50 which enabled the couple to buy furniture and other necessities. They set up house in Silver Street, Stepney and Adolphus returned to his former trade of shoemaking. The following year their first child Adolphus, was born.

Pork Butcher

At about this time a fellow teacher from Zion Chapel, Mr. Henry Althans, a prosperous corn factor who had himself only recently been married came to the assistance of Adolphus and his family. He and his wife gave Adolphus £10 and offered to assist him if he thought he could better himself. A friend of Adolphus had done well as a pork butcher so Adolphus thought he would try. With Mr. Althans's help he rented a shop he found in Tabernacle Square. (This would be in 1812 or 13 as Adolphus II was born in Silver Street and the rest of the children in Tabernacle Square. An entry in Pigot's Metropolitan Directory for 1827 records the fact that he was a pork butcher so presumably he continued in this line until he moved away from London.) Unfortunately a recession had taken place in trade in general so this venture did not prove successful.

Early Preaching

The Zion Itinerant Society was incorporated into the London Itinerant Society in about 1815 and Adolphus became an Agent of this Society, going up to 10 miles away on 9 or 10 Sundays in the quarter to preach in different villages, sometimes not returning until midnight, tired out and faint with hunger. One of the villages he visited was Merton, Surrey, where there were only about 12 listeners. This fact, together with the poor food, discouraged him so much that he decided not to go again. However he did several times and when in 1816 a church was formed in enlarged accommodation Adolphus was invited to become their pastor.

He also preached at Virginian Row Chapel were he was nominated as one of their Ministers which led to his public ordination. He worked there for 14 years and also continued to visit Merton for one Sunday, a weekday lecture and the Church meeting every month. Also about the year 1818 Adolphus was asked to preach in Zion Chapel, in the very pulpit from which he had heard the gospel which had started him on his preaching career.

More Children

Adolphus and Mary's second son Richard Philip was born in November 1813, as a result of which Mary was confined to her room for six months. During this period trade was bad and prices high but they managed to keep going. A third son John was born in October 1815 but he was a weak, sickly child and only lived for two years. Mary Ann their only daughter was born in August 1817.

Troubled Times

When trade became so bad that they had no money left, Mr. Gurrier a wealthy member of Millwall Chapel who was friendly with Adolphus lent him £50. Trade did not improve so Adolphus was unable to pay the money as he had intended. However, another friend, Mr. George Offer paid Mr. Gurrier thus releasing Adolphus from his debt. Several other people also gave him small sums of money, one of them being Mr. John Snelling who gave him £4 for preaching the funeral sermon for his brother Joseph who had helped Adolphus before his death, and £8 for writing his memoir.

Other troubles came to Adolphus and Mary. When Richard was about 14 years of age, a stone thrown at his leg broke the shin bone. An abscess formed in the wound, which became so bad that the principal surgeon of the City of London Dispensary, Mr. Kingdom had to be called in. Richard had to lie in bed for about six months before there was any real improvement and after about year he was able to start walking again. Richard had only just recovered when his brother Adolphus II was chased by a friend and knocked over resulting in a fractured right thigh. Dr. Collyer, the family physician, came and set the leg but when the time came to remove the bandages it was found that it was much shorter than the other. Dr. Collyer did not know what to do so he sought the advice of Mr. Kingdom who adopted a different course of treatment. After about a year the leg had healed but was still shorter than the other. All this of course resulted in considerable expense and prevented Adolphus II from earning his living. One Monday morning Adolphus I returned home after preaching at Merton to find

my dear wife during my absence was suddenly attacked with the windy spasms, or perhaps cholera which was at that time raging in London and its vicinity. She was very ill with this apparently being very near to death.

Added to this Adolphus had for several years suffered from gout, an affliction which remained with him all his life getting steadily worse until it affected his hands as well as his feet. However, Adolphus's daughter did well at Sunday School for a copy of Sunday Scholars Companion in the archives is inscribed This Book is given to Mary Ann Erlebach by the Teachers of Tabernacle Catechetical Sunday School as a reward for Diligence. T. Barrett, Sup. March 13 1831.

Turning Point

September 1833, marked a turning point in Adolphus's life. Up till this time he had worked at one or other of his three trades during the week to earn his living and had gone out preaching on Sundays to various chapels, 19 in London including such places as: Sion Chapel, Mile End Chapel, Clerkenwell Chapel, Shadwell (in the evening on the day of Princess Charlotte's funeral in 1828), Mill Wall Chapel, Commercial Road, Cannon Street, Poplar, Stratford; and 11 in country districts surrounding London including: Merton (where he acted as pastor for about 20 years, his hearers increasing from 12 to 40 in the time), Tooting, Wimbledon, Dartford, Hanwell, Middlesex, Barkingside, and Woodford Bridge. At this time he was asked by the Home Missionary Society to go to Tamworth, Staffordshire to run the church there.

He stayed in that place for 15 months but for various reasons including the lack of financial support he was unable to continue. When he was about to leave Tamworth he received a letter from Rev. James Brown of Wareham whose father he had met while preaching in London, requesting him to go to Wool Bridge, Dorset as a Missionary. He left London on Thursday 5th February, 1835 completing his journey in three days. He immediately started work in Wool and the surrounding villages with apparent success.

More Hard Work

After a time, however, he found the situation to be somewhat too much for him, the villages in which he preached were too far apart, he had no close friends with whom to discuss his problems and worse still, he was a long way from his family which had been the case since he first went to Tamworth. He managed occasional visits to them but for more than two years he was unable to have them with him.

On Sunday August 30th 1835 he preached in the morning at East Knighton, in the afternoon at Wool and after a cup of tea walked to West Lulworth having covered in all about 12 miles on foot. At West Lulworth he preached to a large congregation gathered in two rooms separated by a passage. In order to make himself heard he had to raise his voice so much that at the and of the service he was hoarse and tired. Then he walked with a friend to the other end of the village, about a mile distant to take some refreshment. His fatigue was so great that he was unable to eat the bread and cheese set before him but only sipped. a little rum and water. Being too tired to go home he slept that night at an inn, visiting his friend for breakfast and dinner the next day. After dinner he visited Winfrith before returning to Wool.

The next Sunday after breakfast he went to West Lulworth where he arrived at 10:30 am After preaching to a large congregation he was offered dry bread and hard cheese for refreshment. He had no appetite for this but instead begged half a pint of beer and then started on the return journey to Wool. The weather was so hot that perspiration poured down his face as he walked along. He arrived at Wool just in time to start the afternoon service, after which a friend invited him to his house two miles away to tea. Another mile took him to East Knighton where he preached again and returned to Wool, a total distance of about 14 miles. Being extremely tired and having nothing in the house to whet his appetite, he drank a little beer and went to bed, however his extreme fatigue prevented him from getting much sleep. He wrote

The office of a Missionary is indeed honourable but very laborious, exposed to all kinds of weather and having to travel long distances on foot, and many services in one day, and in narrow low rooms, which when crowded make it almost intolerable, and then afterwards to travel through the cold damp night air, which is injurious to the health and especially when the body seems almost melted, such laborious work requires a constitution superior in strength and durability to any other, and especially as the requisite comforts must be dispensed with. But such is my situation at present, how long I may be able to endure is not for me to guess...

Settling Down

In spite of all this discouragement Adolphus settled at West Lulworth, where he was joined by his wife and daughter. His two sons had by this time left the family home; Adolphus II was married in 1830 or 1831 and Richard was taking a course at the Hackney Theological Seminary.

Adolphus settled down to regular preaching in West Lulworth and nearby places; he did not travel so far or as often as when he was at Wool except for occasional visits to distant spots. In February 1841 he was introduced to Rev. W. Nicholson, the new curate for West Lulworth and Burton who appeared a kindly man and said I feel much pleased in the great interest you take in these poor people - much better treatment from the Church of England than he had later!

At the beginning of March a Mrs. Hayne of Dorchester visited West Lulworth and requested Adolphus to call on her in the cottage where she was staying. When he arrived she told him that her sister, who was in a very weak and dilapidated frame had asked that he should pray for her in that cottage at exactly 12 noon, while at the same time some other people were also praying in her sister's home in Jersey.

The good lady had heard in the island of Jersey that there was a pious Missionary at West Lulworth, which is her native place by which she was inclined to send her requests to her sister that prayers might be offered for her in the cottage where she first drew breath hoping that the united petition offered up on her behalf might be heard and answered.

Adolphus did not know the persons concerned and thought how remarkable it was that someone at a distance who had merely heard of him should send such a request. He did not, however, record the outcome of these prayers.

On Friday 12th May 1841 he visited the customs station at Whitenose and found that several families were living there, two miles from any place of worship. He offered to visit them occasionally provided that the chief boatman, who had promised to try, could get permission from the Officer. However Mr. Stirling, a fine man, refused to give his permission as he considered that people in government service should only hear the gospel from members of the established church.

Mixed Fortunes

Shortly after this Adolphus had an attack of rheumatism lasting two months, at the end of which Richard, who had been preaching at Mere went to stay for a week. One of the subjects of their conversation must have been the possibility of Richard being called to Mere where the Church was without a pastor. The call came in June and on Thursday October 7th 1841 Adolphus had the great pleasure of attending Richard's recognition and settlement at Mere.

Money troubles still beset Adolphus for in July 1842 the Treasurer of the County Association sent him a note intimating that their grant would be discontinued. Adolphus feared that this would result in the withdrawal of other grants and he would lose his means of support, however, in May 1843 the County Association granted him £5, half of what they had previously paid him but better than nothing. This enabled him to continue his work.

On October 5th 1842 he went to Chaldon Herring, a village 3 miles away, where two ladies, the Misses Hayne(s) had rented a room in which to hold services. There were only a few people present so he gave notice that he would return, which he did on Sunday 9th. On this occasion there were 30 present and on the following Wednesday the number rose to 50. Adolphus continued to visit the village until the infirmities of old age prevented him.

In the early part of 1843 Adolphus, Mary and Mary Ann were all ill in turn but recovered in time to move into a newly built house in the same road but more convenient and more pleasantly situated than their previous house. This was the fourth house they had lived in in West Lulworth and after Mary Ann died in 1896 it became the manse for the Congregational Church.

Mary Ann went to stay with Richard in Mere during September and in October Adolphus attended a meeting of the County Association in Wareham when he felt greatly delighted in seeing so numerous an assembly. Then in November he was invited by the Rev. T. Seavill to a conference of Ministers and a public meeting at Corfe in the house of the Rev. J. Hubbart. Adolphus gave the introductory address during which he invited the conference to hold the next meeting in West Lulworth in June 1844. This was duly held in a barn and was well attended.

Richard, his wife and daughter stayed with Adolphus for a while in May 1844. During this visit Adolphus was very pleased to hear his son preaching. He was very sorry to learn that after this holiday Richard suffered from a very bad throat and had to spend six or eight weeks in Ramsgate to recover. In the next month his other son Adolphus II paid a visit to Lulworth for a few days. On the way down he had had an accident which could have been serious. As he was descending a hill he fell and rolled over several times down a steep place, fortunately only suffering bruises. When he left Lulworth he took with him his son Adolphus III who had apparently been staying with his grandfather. Although there is no record of how long he had been there he was greatly missed.

More Preaching

February 2nd 1845 was a great day for Adolphus. Eight people met together at his house and, after celebrating Holy Communion, formed themselves into a church. Their meeting place for the next twenty years was in two adjacent cottages.

A district meeting of the County Association was held in Spetisbury in September. Adolphus was completely soaked when they arrived which gave him a severe chill. At Wareham he met three others and travelled with them in a fly to the meeting place. After two days of meetings and services Adolphus and some others went to Shaftesbury, again in a fly, for more meetings and services. Here he met Richard and was delighted to have his company for dinner at the inn. At the conclusion of these meetings he went to stay with Richard for a few days, preaching at Mere and Zeals during this time.

Upon leaving Mere he travelled by coach to Dorchester where he spent the night with Miss Hayne(s) and thence to Winfrith next morning by another coach. [It is not clear whether the Miss Hayne of Dorchester referred to in March 1941 was the same person as this Miss Hayne(s) or what connection there was between these and the Misses Hayne(s) referred to on October 5th 1842. Adolphus wrote Miss Haynes in his diary but The Story of The Congregational Churches of Dorset 1899 stated the Misses Hayne. Adolphus wrote on September 18th 1857 ... it is my painful task to record the death of our dear friend and benefactor the Miss M. A. Hayne at the age of 75 and the Congregational Churches of Dorset refers to the deaths of Miss M. A. Hayne in 1857 and Miss Hayne in 1859. It seems probable that there was one lady in Dorchester and one or two in Lulworth and that they were either sisters or sisters-in-law.]

On 1st November 1845 Adolphus started a cottage evening lecture for the people forming the coastguard. It was attended by the women and any men off duty and Adolphus must have been very pleased that at last he was preaching to the coastguard.

An entry in Adolphus's diary at the beginning of 1846 states

when on a visit to my son in Mere a letter was received from his brother in London stating the happy event having taken place while hearing a sermon at Spitalfields Chapel by the Rev. J. D. Smith of Newry in Ireland from Matthew 16, 26.

Presumably this was during Adolphus's visit to Mere in the previous September and refers to a spiritual event.

Change in the Weather

Although Adolphus started 1846 in good health, he had a bad attack of rheumatism lasting three months until the warmer weather of June enabled him to recover and get about unaided.

During the summer of 1847, Richard, his wife and two children, Mary and Woodland, paid a visit to West Lulworth. They were there for 10 days and the day after they left there was a violent thunderstorm with torrential rain. The water, which entered the back of the house and flowed through the kitchen into the parlour, was several inches deep but fortunately did not do any damage except making everything wet.

Adolphus had an adventure on 18th April 1949 during which he had a remarkable escape from injury and possibly death. On his journey to East Chaldon to preach the weather had been reasonable but when he left at

about 8 in the evening a change in the weather for the worse had taken place, it rained and the wind was very boisterous, I took a survey of the heavens which appeared all dark without any indication of a speedy change, hoping I should be able to weather the storm, I tried to proceed homeward. I carried a lantern to light me in the way, but the wind being so fierce blew into the lantern at every crevis so that the candle wasted and was spent ere I had got half way home. I had got to a field newly ploughed where I could not find my path when my light went out. I was then in the midst of the tempest groping about in the dark, and not able to find the way. I wandered about not knowing wither I went, driven by the wind hither and thither, till I was quite bewildered from the boisterous wind, blowing about me when all of a sudden I came to an old clay pit into which I fell head foremost. My hat fell off, my umbrella and stick flew away and my lantern was smashed in pieces which was evident from the glass rattling. I groped about and found my hat and umbrella but my stick I could not find, I was much affected with this unexpected fall, but on recovering a little from the fright I felt greatful to God ..., I crawled out of the pit which though deep and nearly perpendicular was not that horrible pit of mire and clay, it was dry and as I found afterward on a visit to it by daylight that the place where I had fallen was grassy so that I got no hurt, but if I had fallen about a foots length to the left I must have pitched on a heap of rough stones which might have proved very fatal. I then discerned by seeing the light in the Isle of Portland that I had travelled southward instead of going eastward which was my way homeward. I tried to proceed in that direction tho' I could not discerne my hand before my face such was the intense darkness while the storm increased in violence, I came after much struggling with the raging tempest to a haystack where I stopped to shelter myself from the powerfull wind which seemed ready to carry me away & as I knew not in what direction I was & could not find my way because of the intense darkness I resolved to remain there till break of day. I was wet thro in some ------ [?] I was perished [?] from cold and when the day began to dawn I went toward home where I safely arrived about 5 in the morning to the great joy of my dear wife & daughter & we rejoiced together. Psalm 34.

Family and Illness

During the Summer of 1849 Mary was afflicted with a bodily disease which drained her strength but fortunately her life was spared.

Adolphus and Mary were visited by two of their children in 1850. In June Richard's wife, Mary and two of her children stayed for two weeks and Adolphus said we felt highly delighted in seeing them and holding friendly intercourse with each other. Then on Christmas Eve (Tuesday) Adolphus II arrived. He stayed until the Friday after Christmas and returned safely to London by rail.

1851 started badly for Adolphus and Mary. Adolphus was lame in his hands and feet for about a month, suffering much pain and often unable even to feed himself. At the same time Mary was ill. Weak and helpless; on some occasions they lay in bed together completely unable to help each other. Then in May they received the sad news that two of their grandchildren Louisa and Edward, had died of scarlatina. However a visit by their daughter- in-law Eliza, two of her children and her father in August must have cheered them. Her father stayed for five days and the others for nearly five weeks. Even this visit was marred by an unfortunate accident. Charley fell and hit his head on an earthenware pan full of water at the back of the house which caused a deep wound in his forehead. This took quite a long time to heal. On September 21st a surprise visitor arrived, their eldest grandson, Adolphus III who had walked all the way from London. After staying a week he returned by train.

Clashes with Other Faiths

During this time Adolphus's Missionary efforts were hindered by the efforts of a Puseyite curate at the Church in West Lulworth. The curate and members of his church did all they could to prevent people going to meetings held by Adolphus, by telling them that they would be sent to hell if they attended. It was hoped that by doing this they would drive Adolphus out of the village. As time went on the curate intensified his activities, distributing gifts amongst the people and inviting them to dinner; he even tried to make them take and read a monthly paper but without much success. After two years at West Lulworth the curate was promoted to a canonry in one of the Cathedrals in the West Indies, where his father, an major general in the army, was stationed. Before he went he warned the owner of the house where Adolphus preached of the danger he was in in letting it be used for that purpose and went on by telling him that Adolphus had no authority to preach. The man then

told him that I was sent by him who said: go ye into the world and preach. Then he got very angry and went away saying remember we shall meet at the judgement seat of Christ, the man said he was fully aware of it but he was not afraid as to that matter.

Not many months after going to Barbados the curate caught yellow fever and died!

Even the rector was ill disposed towards Adolphus who records that one day (late 1852) as he was going to a nearby village he met the rector

coming down the lane seated with his wife in a fine carriage drawn by a pair of grey horses, the lane was narrow and I had to turn aside near the hedge to let them pass. As he passed I bowed in a friendly manner but he took not any notice or turn his eyes from his horses, his wife looked (into) his face laughing contemptuously, his high looks and lofty (manners) ill accord with his office to which he certainly has no claim, not having the mind of Christ or of Paul.

1852-1853

In March 1852 the fund from which Adolphus obtained his stipend was so low that he expected to be £4 short. He had made up his mind that he would have to cut down on his expenses when Mr. Gillingham informed him that he had managed to collect the whole amount which he then paid over.

Also at that time Adolphus had a bad attack of rheumatism which kept him in bed for several weeks and made it impossible for him to carry on with his duties. However the summer weather of June helped him to get fit again for on the 26th he went to Wareham to attend the ordination of Rev. U. B. Rundall a young minister who had been educated at Cheshunt College. There were good congregations at the services in spite of the rain and Adolphus noted that it reminded him of former days when I stood in that very pulpit at the commencement of my missionary course about 18 years ago.

A letter from Richard on 5th December announced the arrival of a son and also the death of Richard's mother-in-law, Mrs. Anne Woodland. The former event had a happy sequel for in September 1853 Adolphus went to Mere to be present at the opening of a new chapel on Thursday 15th and on the Sunday following this he baptised his new grandson, naming him Eustace which was a very interesting occurrence which I hope will long be remembered as it was the first Baptism in the new chapel. Before performing this ceremony he had great pleasure in addressing the children, there being 350 of them present! On the Tuesday after this he preached in the evening to about 200 people and the next day he went to Zeals where he visited the grave of his two grandchildren and preached to a few people who were assembled there before returning home.

The weather during the winter of 1852-3 was so bad that it prevented Adolphus from getting about to other villages on foot; his circumstances did not permit him to have any other conveyance. He was beginning to find difficulty in walking which had not been the case when he was younger and stronger. He suffered a very bad attack of rheumatism, probably brought on by the weather, which affected his right hand and arm so much that he was unable to write. This attack persisted into the summer, however a visit by two of his grandchildren Emma and Frederick who spent over a month with him must have cheered him up. They went home at the beginning of October much better for their stay by the seaside.

1854

In spite of his advancing years Adolphus still made every effort to get about and preach. During the early part of 1854 he said that he had suffered dangers from storms, cold, frost and snow, he had had attacks of rheumatism in his hands and feet through their being exposed to the tempest, he had been drenched with rain my garments being wet through and standing in them to preach in a cold and draughty place, so that it was a mercy it was not worse. During the summer he suffered from the opposite extreme having to walk 10 miles or so to conduct three services to crowded meetings in weather that was so hot as to be unbearable. He was not the only one to suffer for, due to the fear of war, the coastguard men had been called away leaving their wives and families wondering if they would ever see them again, also many labourers had been forced to enlist in the navy to the great sorrow of their families.

Later that year he had an accident while walking to another village. He stumbled over a hillock in the road and fell, hurting his left knee. He carried on hoping it would get better but instead his knee became worse. This and the cold brought on another attack of rheumatism which prevented him getting about for a month. However a change of climate of a different sort served to encourage him, the curate who was at West Lulworth at that time was very different from those who had been there previously. Adolphus described him as quite of a different spirit, he is a Godly man. Unfortunately he was only there for a short time, but as soon as he arrived he visited Adolphus and expressed his hearty concurrance in our efforts, how glad he was to find one that would co-operate with him in bringing souls to Christ. He visited Adolphus several times during his illness and even sent him a bottle of wine. This curate had heard of Adolphus through some of his parishioners who knew and liked him.

Further Troubles

Adolphus II visited his parents for a few days at Christmas 1854 and just as he was leaving there was a heavy snowstorm which heralded the start of another severe winter. In fact Adolphus I delayed sending his December - March 1855 Journal to the H.M.S. as the snow, which drifted to six or seven feet deep in some places, had delayed his collection of the contribution cards. The contributions were extremely low due to the great poverty in the district. The demands of the Crimean War had taken many men away from the district. This left their wives and children destitute, so poor in fact that they could buy neither meat nor vegetables but had to live on bread.

The Godly curate was followed for a short time by another of completely different type. He called on Adolphus at the end of his stay to tell him that he had preached against him on his last Sunday saying that it was wrong to conduct a service in a room during the time the church was open accusing Adolphus of being a robber, robbing the Church of her privileges and prosilitising her children, besides that I had no right ... They had a long argument, the curate trying to convince Adolphus of his errors without success, however, Adolphus's work profited by this encounter.

If it had not been for Adolphus many people in the district would not have had anything to read, he was the only one to visit them and circulate tracts and library books. After nearly twelve years he had to give up preaching to the coastguard as the officer in whose house he had held his services was moved to another station. His preaching had had a good effect on many people including this particular officer and his children.

In August 1856 he was pleased to have a visit from Richard and two of his sons Woodland and Alfred. They stayed for two weeks having arrived on the 45th Anniversary of Adolphus and Mary's wedding.

Advancing Years

The last years of Adolphus's life were marked by increasing infirmities, he suffered more and more from rheumatism, sometimes being in constant pain for six months at a time. He found it more difficult to travel over the rough country roads particularly on dark windy nights, the wind affected his ears until he became nearly deaf, then in 1859 his sight began to fail and his throat became affected which made public speaking well nigh impossible. In September 1856, not knowing of his illness, Rev. U. B. Rundall visited him to invite him to the District Association meeting but found him in bed. From this time on the work was gradually taken over by students under the direction of Rev. E. R. Condor of Poole.

The last entry in his diary which, although not dated, Adolphus wrote in 1860 reads, in part,

I am old and feeble and unable to engage in the service of my gracious Lord and Master yet am I not weary of the work tho I am often sick in it. I am not able by reason of bodily infirmities to labour in the adjacent villages as I was wont to do in time past, having had repeated attacks of acute rheumatism my bodily strength has been much reduced which prevents my travelling beyond this village, a quarter of a century has past [sic] away during which time I have been the Agent of the H.M.S. the loss of my hearing is a great impediment in the way of my operations visiting among the people. I endeavour to do to the best of my ability in conducting 2 services on the Sabbath and one in the week but I find it difficult.

One can only surmise that from then until his death in 1864 Adolphus did his best to continue preaching but with increasing difficulty.

Mary, his wife, lived on for nearly three years and a few glimpses of these years are contained in some letters written to her by her son, Richard. Shortly after losing her husband, Mary was ill for a time but by the beginning of 1865 she had recovered. Her financial circumstances were so reduced that Richard took on himself to pay the rent for her. He also tried to obtain help for her from the Widow's fund. Mary took in a lodger but this does not seem to have been satisfactory as he tried to dictate his own terms and obtain a reduction in rent. In the middle of June she obtained a fair sum from somewhere which kept her going for some months. This could have come from Mr. C. Jupe, a good friend of Richard's in Mere for in March 1866 Richard wrote to her saying

When I was at the old place [Mere] our good friend Mr. Jupe made enquiries after you and found that as you are still a pensioner on the Lord's bounty, he might be again a dispenser thereof. The enclosed is part of his gift, the rest shall follow before you need it. I told him you could not make him any acknowledgement, he must accept it from me in your name.

Mary and Adolphus were both buried in the Old Cemetery at West Lulworth, the grave being marked by a stone which reads:

This stone is erected by a few friends in grateful remembrance of Adolphus Erlebach who laboured as a faithful home missionary in this and adjacent villages 25 years. He died August 4 1864 aged 83. Also Mary his wife who died March 28 1867 aged 88 years. In Thy presence is fullness of joy Psalm 16.

The book The Story of the Congregational Churches of Dorset completes the story of the family in Lulworth:

The two cottages used for worship hitherto, being small and unsuitable, an iron structure to seat 120 was erected on a suitable site, and opened June 1869. ... The evening meeting was presided over by C. Jupe Esq., of Mere, who gave £20 to the building fund, ... The total cost, including boundary walls, etc., was about £250, and this was all raised on the day of opening.
... In 1865 the building was renovated both inside and out at a cost of £34, which was raised at the time. At the decease, in 1896, of Miss Erlebach [Mary Ann] who had been a firm friend of the cause, a successful effort was made to rent as a manse the house in which she and her father, the first pastor, had resided for fifty-three years. Woodland Erlebach Esq., lent valuable assistance in securing this result, and he with other representatives of Miss Erlebach generously gave up a quantity of furniture, utensils, books etc., for the use of the minister, and with additional articles supplied by the Rev. J. Ogle, the House is fairly furnished.

The West Lulworth United Reformed Church Minutes for 25th June 1896 said:

Miss Erlebach, a daughter of the first minister & staunch friend of the cause died on 19th June & was buried on the 25th in West Lulworth churchyard after service in the chapel, conducted by Rev. W. Densham of Wareham. The mourners were a neice Miss Dormer [Emma, daughter of Adolphus II]; 3 sons [Woodland, Alfred and Eustace] & a daughter (Mrs Collard) of her brother Richard, formerly minister of Mere & Chard; many of the villagers were also present. Her loss will be deeply felt.

Mary Ann was laid to rest in the same grave as her parents. Also buried in this grave is Adolphus Erlebach Dinger, grandson of Adolphus and Mary, aged 7 weeks. The top of the gravestone (the rest is hidden behind another gravestone) can just be seen in far corner in the photograph of the old churchyard here (opens in new window).