Courtesy of Dr. Whisker...
The major portion of Andreas Albrecht's life has been known since the late William S Bowers published Gunsmiths of Pen-Mar-Va, over 40 years ago. It comes from the Burial Book of the Moravian Church and was noted by Professor Henry J. Kauffmam who did essentially nothing with it.
Andreas Albrecht (1718-1802). gunsmith. Albrecht was born on 2 April 1718 in Zelle, Germany. On 19 November 1766 he married Elizabeth von Orthe, who was born on 14 August 1739 at Lebanon and died on 4 June 1830 at Lititz. Andreas died on 19 April 1802 at Lititz. He arrived at Christian's Spring on 30 August 1759, and in 1762 established his gunshop there. Albrecht was listed on the tax records of Moore Township, Northampton County, from 1754 through 1771. In 1771, he took William Henry as his apprentice in gun making [H.H. Beck, "William Beck," Lancaster Historical Society Papers, Vol. 54, p.70]. From 1772 through 1802 he lived at Lititz, Warwick Township, Lancaster County. His gunshop was near the Moravian Church at Lititz. [3 Pa Arch 17 at 775; William S. Bowers, Gunsmiths of Pen-Mar-Va, pp. 9-11; George Alfred Shumway, Rifles of Colonial America, pp.198-204].
The autobiography of Brother Andreas Albrecht, who died at Lititz on 19 April 1802, tells us of his life. "I was born in the little town of Celle, near Suhl, in the mountains of Thurgia. I was raised in the Evangelical Lutheran religion. During the years of my childhood I experienced many blessed events, e.g., at Christmas time, when the birth and childhood of Jesus was talked about. When I had reached the age of 13 years, I became an apprentice of a gun stock maker. I prayed to God to help me. I stayed clean of all bad things into my seventeen year. However, as soon as I became a helper, the world began to woo me, and it would have conquered my heart, if had not the Savior, whom I did not know at that time, protected me. When I was 18 years old, in the midst of winter, I started out into the world as a journeyman. Several times I was in the extreme cold, in blizzards, in danger of losing my life, and I heard in my heart, 'If you die now, you will be lost." I cried bitterly and promised dear God to become a different person, if He would guide me safely to the place of my destination. With this resolution, I arrived at Halberstadt. There I frequented the public divine service, and kept away from bad company. However, I remained restless in my heart. Once, a weaver's helper addressed me on the open road and asked me if I loved the Lord Jesus. I was surprised by this unexpected question. I looked at the man and answered, "Yes!" Immediately he took me to pious people. Their singing and praying impressed my heart deeply. In order to become more proficient in my trade in 1739 I continued my journey in the company of another gun maker's helper. In Wolfenbuttel I got a job with him. Our new master liked us very much, especially since we did not go out except to Church. But the restlessness of my soul did not cease. It continued underneath all my apparent piousness because I realized that I was not yet as I had promised the dear Lord that I would be. This oppressed my heart, especially when I wanted to go to Communion. For sometime I had carried on under this conviction, which changed often with new requests of God's Spirit. I made great and many efforts, but I never learned what the Savior was like. Finally, in 1740, it happened that I had to return to Halberstadt for work I had accepted for the soldiers. Here the blessed hour struck, when God's grace came to me. It was on Trinity Sunday in the cathedral when the Spirit of God opened my heart and eyes. There I listened to a sermon of the Counselor of the Consistory, Weisbeck, a very serious man, on the words, 'Except that a man be born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.' Now I saw myself lying in my blood. My misery in all its immensity showed itself before my eyes, not only the bad things I had done from youth on, but also what had seemed to me formerly to be good appeared now as sins. I still lacked the new birth of my heart and so I lacked everything. The pious Weisbeck pronounced the final words of his sermon with a penetrating voice, 'Be born anew or lost for eternity, Amen.' This hit my heart like lightning. I felt what a criminal may feel when he is sentenced to death. For the next seven or eight hours I felt lost and the horror of death hurt me undesirably. I could not eat or drink. All I was able to do was wring my hands and moan, until the Savior showed himself to my poor soul as redeemer of my sins. All at once my terrible fear and everything which had scared me before disappeared. I was able to renew my baptismal vows with God: the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; and to dedicate myself to my Savior as His property and I felt in my heart thankfulness and happiness. With this sensation of happiness I carried on uninterruptedly for a whole year.
Oh! how often did I wish afterwards I should have fallen in the hands of the Brethren to be cared for, but I didn't know them yet. It would have saved me from many detours on the road to Salvation.
In 1741, when the war started in Silesia, I went with the regiment and served with a gun stock maker in an encampment near Brandenberg. Here the first love of my heart became more and more lost, and the wickedness of my nature showed up again. This would have oppressed my mind if I had not, by the graceful Providence of God, just at that moment joined a regiment at Anhalt-Nassau. This regiment engaged me finally as its gunstock maker. I went with it into winter quarters in Berlin. So I had the time and opportunity to frequent, for the great and lasting blessing of my heart, the service and devotional hours of Pastor Fuhrmann and of other devoted men. In the following year, after the peace treaty, our regiment marched back to its garrison at Halle, where I got in even closer contact with the enlisted Brethren. My heart profited much from their meetings, which were frequented by the citizens, students, soldiers and journeymen. Once I had a very blessed sensation when I heard a soldier-brother preaching on the fourth part of the 'daily bread' which he interpreted as the Savior.
In 1743 I was so lucky as to see the late Count Zizendorf when he traveled through Halle and to hear a lecture by him. This made me wish to visit a Brethren Congregation. It happened luckily for me at the end of the same year, when I had the opportunity to travel with a soldier-brother to Herrnhag and to spend there a few weeks for the unforgettable blessing of my heart. In 1744 I had to march again into war in Bohemia. At that time I remembered often my blessed visit and I desired to live with such a people as the Brethren, with whom I had become acquainted, and was delighted by their beautiful services, even if it would be only in a corner of a door. After the end of the Second Selesian War, in January 1746, I returned with my regiment to Halle. Many soldier-brethren, even the best ones, had been killed in the war, and I did not trust myself and the world. The desire to live in a Brethren's congregation rose once more in me. But it lasted until 1748 when the Prince of Dessau finally dismissed me [from military service], because if my urgent applications. The following day I started my journey to Herrnhag. I was immediately allowed to stay there, and to my joy and shame, I was soon admitted to the Congregation and to Holy Communion with it. In 1750 I traveled with a group of about 80 Brethren to America. We arrived at Bethlehem on June 27th. There I tasted during the following years many undeserved blessings. Now whenever I look back at those times, I become ashamed of all the grace which He so richly showered on me, a poor worm. [end of Albrecht's narrative; the community historian added the following].
"At Bethlehem our late brother Andreas Albrecht served for some time in the children's quarters. Then he moved to Christian's Spring, there served our children in Nazareth Hall, especially by giving music lessons. In 1766 he entered into Holy Matrimony with Sister Elizabeth Ort, now his widow, whom matrimony blessed with six children. He had grandchildren, two from his sons and one from his daughter. After the late Brother and his wife had administered the Inn at Bethlehem for about five years, he moved here, to Lititz, and established himself again as a gunstock maker, and enjoyed the blessings of God. The greatest interest in his heart remained the progress of children .... At his last birthday, he was still extraordinarily happy and friendly to his beloved ones. But soon afterwards one could realize that he had been quietly preparing himself for his return home. He weakened from day to day and on April 14 he had to stay in bed. When he was told that the Savior would soon take him home, and when the Congregation came to pray for him, he showed his appreciation with a friendly look. Then three day before his death he went into a coma. On the Great Sabbath the Congregation blessed him and on the second day of Easter he feel peacefully asleep forever. He was aged 84 years and 17 days."
[from W.S. Bowers, Gunsmiths of Pen-Mar-Va, pp. 8-11]
[John] Andrew and Elizabeth [von Orthe] Albright
had issue. The first son, Johannes [John] was born on 12 March 1768 at Bethlehem, but no additional information is available on him. The Moravian Cemetery at Bethlehem contains the grave of a John Albright who died in 1768, and this may be the same person.
