In the nineteen years that Henckel was the pastor at Daudenzell, and simultaneously at Breitenbronn, the situation was confused at times. The Church in Daudenzell was under the authority of the Palatine Elector, and in Breitenbronn the Church was under the authority of the Lutheran Church of Hesse. The two villages were about one mile apart. Both were in the Palatinate.
At one period, while Henckel was the pastor at Breitenbronn, a conflict arose between the Lutheran Church, the Catholics in the village, and the Elector, on the question of the simultaneous use of the Church building by the Catholics and the Lutherans. For two years, this was an intense struggle. A few years earlier, the Catholics of Breitenbronn challenged the Lutherans on the exclusive use of the Church, and on the right of the pastor in Daudenzell to all of the income from the tithes of the Breitenbronn church. Elector Philipp Wilhelm, a Catholic, made a careful study of the question and found that the Lutherans had been in charge of the Church from 1618 to 1671. He refused to dispossess them. In 1687, the Elector declared that the Breitenbronn Church and all of its revenues be restored to the Lutherans.
This was a decision that was made before Henckel came to Breitenbronn. He had to refer to the decision again and again to prove that the Breitenbronn Lutherans were in their rights to the exclusive use of the Church and of its tithes. Then in 1698, another Elector ruled that the three confessions should all have utilization rights of the Churches. The administrator in charge of obtaining rights for the Catholics proposed to withhold the tithe for Breitenbronn. Henckel wrote a letter to the administrator and pointed out that he had no authority. He succeeded in preserving the rights of the Lutherans for nine years.
In 1708, the Catholic Commission got an order from the Chancery requiring the Church and tithes to be shared. When the Catholics showed up for a Church service, Henckel was there with all of the congregation, including those from Daudenzell. The administrator proposed to forcibly open the door, which had been bolted with double bolts, but Henckel and his wife sat down in front of the door with the remark that they would not move unless they were dragged away.
Henckel said if there was an order from the Elector (the civil head of Breitenbronn), or the Lutheran Consistory (the Church body located in Hesse), he would abide by it. He insisted the Catholic Commission had no standing to seek the order. Henckel said the Lutherans might take their case to the Diet in Regensburg. The Catholics backed down for the time. The Catholic Commission tried again later in the year with their own decree.
There were appeals to authority, or threats of appeal, on both sides. Finally, the Catholics were instructed by the Catholic Commission to ask for the key and if they could not obtain it then they were to use an axe.
(01 Mar 03)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.