his neighbors for years, I have not discovered any one else who had known it.

Professor Haldeman was baptized by Right Rev. Francis P. Kenrick, in St. John's Church, in Philadelphia, April 23, 1846, Dominic Eagle being sponsor.

In a memoir, written by J. P. Lesley, the date of baptism is given as " 1844?" but the daughter, Mrs. Eliza Haldeman Figyelmesy, assures me that although they never knew the exact time, she was sure it was a year or so," earlier. "One of the prominent figures in the day of Professor Haldeman's indecision, and with whom he held many controversies, and of whom he spoke later as a most intelligent man," was the late Dominic Eagle, of Columbia, Pa., brother of Rev. Sylvester Eagle. It is related in the family that Mr. Eagle was the first cause of his turning his attention to the Catholic Church."

Mrs. Figyelmesy further assures me that she is (comparatively) sure he had never been baptized before his being received into the Catholic Church. His children were all baptized in that Church, but he never forced any of them to join any church until they were old enough to make their own choice, although all-except Mrs. Figyelmesy (Eliza), were sent for a time, at least, to Catholic educational institutions. Of the living children, Carston, Eliza, and Victor became Catholics; Fanny joined the "Episcopal" Church.

The mother, who was Mary A. Hough, and married Professor Haldeman in 1835, had been brought up without having accepted any form of religion. Her mother late in life became a Methodist, and I think Mrs. Haldeman joined the Episcopal Church, which form of worship her daughter, Fanny, also accepted.

Of Frances Steman, the mother of Prof. Haldeman, it is related by her half-sister, Margaret Armstrong, that when Frances was an infant, and they were living in the "Manor " Township, Lancaster County, Pa., she became ill, in danger of death, and that she was baptized by a Catholic priest, who happened to pass at the time, saw the condition of the child, and asked permission to baptize it. It is not known who the priest was; but it is more than likely he was one from Phila

delphia, Lancaster or Conewago Mission. Frances Steman was born in 1812.

Professor Haldeman was as exact in his religious duties as he was in his ordinary pursuits. He always began reading his morning prayers before touching any daily work and observed the same regularity at the end of the day. He invariably read the "Prayers before Mass" in the church, and was a practical Catholic.

1835. On December 2, 1835, was organized in Columbia a "Lyceum" for the purpose of giving lectures and debates, and among the early lists of lecturers we find the name of "S. S. Haldeman." The meetings were held in the old school house on Third Street, which as far back as the writer can remember went by the name of "Lyceum Hall." It was torn down in the seventies, but the society had been disbanded for many years. There had been an earlier literary society, organized in 1829, but it failed in 1834. The writer has some of the original shares of the stock, bearing numerous signatures of transfer.

1836. From Appletons' Biographical Cyclopædia, I quote the following: In 1836 Henry D. Rogers having been appointed State Geologist for New Jersey, sent for him who had been his pupil at Dickinson College, to assist him. A year later, on the reorganization of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, he was transferred to his own State, and was actively engaged on the survey until 1842. He prepared five Annual Reports, and personally surveyed Dauphin and Lancaster Counties.

.. he determined the vocal repertoire of between forty and fifty varieties of human speech; so remarkably delicate was his ear, that he discovered a new organ of sound in lepidopterous insects, which he described in Sillimans' American Journal of Science' in 1848 . .

1838. From Evan's "Lancaster County:" "In Columbia, (Pa.), the Lancasterian system had been in force, when the free school-law was passed, which operated against the success of this school, On May 11, 1838, the stockholders met to reorganize the school; they increased the

number of shares to one hundred, at fourteen dollars per share, for the purpose of putting another story on the building The following persons subscribed for these shares." I here give (out of the list of subscribers) the names of those who were of the family of Haldeman by birth and marriage, as taken from the "Family Chart, by Horace L. Haldeman," Henry Breneman, Christian Haldeman, Peter Haldeman, Samuel S. Haldeman, all residents of Columbia, (Pa.)

In 1851, Professor Haldeman, with John A. Hook and John Felix, were the building committee for the enlargement of St. Peter's Church, Columbia, Pa., and on April first of that year they are credited with payment of six hundred dollars on account of that improvement. Dr. Balfe, the pastor, began the enlargement in 1850, and appointed the above committee. (Original document in possession of the writer).

Professor Haldeman was always a pew-holder in the church since his conversion; his pew being Number 2, Middle Division. He attended Mass very regularly, coming the distance from Chickies (3 miles) each Sunday. During the pastorates of Dr. Balfe and Dr. Leitner, he was always at the High Mass. As both were very learned priests he was fond of hearing their sermons. As a rule he was not particularly fond of sitting under the sermons of the other pastors whose eloquence, or depth of theological controversy was not so extensive. It is related of him by one of the family, that he would analyze the sermon, and prove anything he pleased out of the very arguments used in their sermons, "That man Balfe," he once said, "prepares each step of the ground he covers and leaves no opening for an attack. I am delighted to follow him through the intricacies, but the poor people of the congregation are groping in a vain effort to get at what he is saying." I recall a lecture given by Professor Haldeman in St. Peter's Catholic Church, at Columbia, Pa., during the pastorate there, of the late Rt. Rev. Mgr. Patrick Toner (1863); he had but

*About thirty of these (original) shares, bearing the autograph endorsements of the officers and holders thereof, are in possession of F. X. Reuss, in his collection of MSS. and Documents, etc., relating to Columbia, Pa.

shortly returned from a European trip. This lecture was given on Sunday morning, after the half-past ten o'clock Mass, and the subject was "Some observations made while visiting the Catacombs at Rome. He spoke of the assertions made by various archæological visitors to those crypts, regarding the absence of inscriptions which would show a belief (in the first centuries) in the doctrine of praying for the dead; also that he had discovered during his visits, several inscriptions, which proved such belief in those ages, and that it was evident that belief in the efficacy of prayers for the dead was at that time even no new teaching; he gave a description of some inscriptions of Old Latin, though written in Greek characters. He had made tracings of a number which he had been unable to read, since they were nearly obliterated by time and natural These he subjected to later examination; but had not deciphered them completely. He further stated that it had been told him that there were no evidences of the "Cross'' as a symbol having been inscribed on the tombs. He assured us that he had discovered several such tracings, "one of them a most beautiful Cross," and wholly unlike the rude markings on the numerous graves. His lecture was one of his usual talking lectures, no attempt at oratory, full of fine description, and even detail, so that one might picture the scene before him. It had not been publicly announced, and had only the congregation as hearers, but he was as earnest in his subject as though he were before some learned society. He spoke for about an hour.

causes.

The distance (more than three miles) from the nearest church-St. Peter's, at Columbia, Pa., made it very inconvenient for Catholics at Chickies, Marietta, and Wrightsville, to attend Mass, especially during the winter. Those who had no means of driving were compelled to walk the distance by the shortest route, along the banks of the Susquehanna River, and in 1865 there was talk of an endeavor to get permission to build a church at Marietta. Professor Haldeman was greatly interested, but no action was taken, until in August, 1866, he wrote a letter to Bishop Wood, of Philadelphia, asking permission to begin.

The Bishop replied, stating that the pastor

at Columbia would be the proper person to inaugurate the movement. In a letter in my possession, written by Prof. Haldeman, he writes to Rev. Arthur McGinness, Pastor at Columbia, viz. :

"CHICKIES, LANCASTER Co., Pa.,

"22d Sept., 1866.

"To the Rev. Arthur McGinness, Columbia, Pa. "Reverend Sir:

"In behalf of the Catholic population of Marietta and vicinity, I applied to the Right Reverend Bishop of the diocese for authority and permission to take measures to build a Catholic Church in Marietta, and it appears from his reply (which I will show you) that every thing in relation to the proposed enterprise must be done through you-a fact of which I had not been informed. I therefore respectfully ask you to take such measures (subject to episcopal approval) as will enable you to accomplish the end we have in view. "Respectfully yours,

"S. S. HALDEMAN.”

The name of Prof. Haldeman is in the deed for the lot on which the church is built. His donations were liberal, as is shown by the following list taken from the Records. They are entered thereon by the Very Rev. James J. Russel, V. F., of Columbia, Pa., who was in charge of the mission during its building: