Warner Township
Clark Co., Wisconsin
HISTORY OF THE REFORMED CHURCH
BRAUN SETTLEMENT,
CLARK COUNTY, WI
Submitted by Duane Horn,
Transcribed by Janet Schwarze
I have heard the following story from two different
sources, so I am assuming that it is more factual
than fiction.
The families of my father's parents were devout
and religious folks. All were of the Lutheran faith,
and they brought that faith with them when they came
to this country and settled in the Sheboygan,
Wisconsin area.
Around 1877 several members of each family moved to
Clark County and homesteaded near Greenwood,
Wisconsin. included in this group were my
grandparents, Robert & Christina (Braun) Horn
Because the Brauns outnumbered the Horns, the area
became known as Braun Settlement. (It is still called
that today.)
As Braun Settlement was just beginning to be settled,
there was no Lutheran church available to serve the
needs of these early pioneers. Through an arrangement
with a Lutheran church in the Wausau area,
approximately once a month a pastor from that church
would come and conduct services in the home of one of
the settlement families.
In early August, 1890, an elderly member of this
Braun/Horn family became quite ill and requested
communion. The Lutheran pastor was summoned, and he
arrived and prepared to give communion. He asked for
some grape wine and was told that, while they had
other wine in the home, there was no grape wine. The
pastor became very upset and said nothing else would
do and he had come such a long distance. and left. He
refused to give 'his blessing to the ailing
person.
A sister of my grandmother was not easily discouraged
and on August 6, 1890, she took a horse and buggy and
went to the Reformed pastor in the German Settlement
around five miles from Braun Settlement. agreed to do
so. She asked the pastor if he would come and he He
told the family that the wine made no difference;
water could be used as it was what these elements
represented that was important and their faith in the
Lord was the healing. He gave communion to this
family member and later that evening the person
passed away, the Lord having answered her prayers.
This gave great satisfaction to the families, but not
the Lutheran pastor. He felt insulted and said that
they had done wrong and that he could no longer
preach to them because they had called in a Reformed
minister.
So it came that these neighbors invited the Reformed
pastor to conduct services for them. He agreed and on
August 23, 1891, he had his first sermon in the
Gotfried Braun home. On September 10 eight families
joined together and decided to form as a body, by
rule and order of the Sheboygan Klassis of the
Reformed Church. After that the Reformed pastor came
every fourth Sunday in the afternoon and conducted
services in the Braun Settlement school.
At a school meeting on July 7, 1903, it was voted
that the school should no longer be used for church
service or Sunday school, On September 13, 1903, at a
church meeting, plans were made to build a Reformed
Church in the community. My Grandfather donated the
land for this project and a total of $848.50 was
raised for a church fund. In 1904 the church was
built, and on October 2 it was dedicated to the glory
of God.
Today that small Reformed church no longer exists,
but many of the Horn and Braun families who still
live in Braun Settlement belong to the Reformed
Church (Now known as the United Church of Christ)
from which the pastor came to give communion to a
dying relative so many years ago.
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