Mayer, Jacob

Mayer, Jacob an American minister of the German Reformed Church, was born in Lykens Valley, Dauphin Co., Pa., in 1793; was brought up in the Reformed Church, and early instructed in its doctrines. Preparatory to entering the ministry, he was for four years under the special tuition of Rev. Dr. Samuel Heiffenstein, of Philadelphia; was licensed to preach in September, 1822, at the synod held in Harrisburg, Pa.; was soon afterwards ordained, and took charge of the churches in Woodstock, Va., and vicinity. After three years of labor he removed to the neighborhood of Shrewsbury, York Co., Pa., and there took charge of quite a number of congregations. In this field he labored eight years; then removed to Mercersburg, Franklin Co., Pa., and became pastor of the Church at that place, in connection with those at Greencastle and London in the same county. In 1836 he was appointed special agent of the theological seminary at Mercersburg; the next eight years of his active life were devoted to the work of procuring funds for the use of that institution and of Marshall Coliege, in Mercersburg, in the founding and establishing of both of which he was deeply interested. While engaged in this work his health failed, and he was obliged to relinquish the pastoral work, and attend to some secular pursuit in order to provide for himself and family a proper temporal support. He lived in this way, during different periods, at Chambersburg, Philadelphia, Columbia, and mainly at Lock Haven; in the last-named place he died, Oct. 29, 1872. "He suffered severely, especially during the last four years of his life, from lingering consumption, in the midst of which he manifested much Christian patience, especially during the closing portion of his earthly career." See Reformed Church Messenger, Nov. 6,1872.