My Genealogy Hound

REV. J. S. ERB is the beloved pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Slatington. He is a native of Montgomery County, this state, having been born in Douglass Township, September 16, 1847. His early life was spent in attendance at the public school, and when a lad of sixteen years he began to teach, continuing for several terms. Later he became a student at Mt. Pleasant Seminary, at Boyertown, this state, and while there made the most of his opportunities.

Our subject is the son of David Erb, also a native of Montgomery County, where he departed this life June 25, 1881, when in the seventy-sixth year of his age. He was followed to the better land by his good wife, who died in February, 1893, when eighty-three years of age.

The Erb family in America came from Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and located in Montgomery County in an early day. They were mostly farmers by occupation. The maiden name of our subject’s mother was Julia Steltz, a native of the above county, and the daughter of Valentine Steltz, whose ancestors originally came from Switzerland.

In the fall of 1870, Mr. Erb entered the Sophomore class in Muhlenberg College, and graduated in 1873, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. That year he became a student in the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, it being his intention to prepare himself for the. ministry; three years later he was graduated, and was ordained to preach in the year 1876. Immediately after his ordination he took charge of St. John’s Church at Slatington. The membership was very small compared with what it is to-day, for it then numbered only a little over one hundred members, and at the present time has an enrollment of nearly five hundred. Mr. Erb was instrumental in the erection of the new church edifice, which was completed in 1882 at a cost of $10,000.

In 1890 our subject was elected Secretary and Treasurer of the Second District Conference of the Ministerium of Pennsylvania, which position he held for four years. October 17, 1876, Rev. J. S. Erb was married to Miss Anzonette Leh, a native of Catasauqua, and the daughter of Reuben Leh, an old settler in that city, where his decease occurred in 1885. Her mother prior to her marriage was Catherine Berlin, and was born in Northampton County, this state. To our subject and his wife have been born two sons and a daughter: Frederick Luther, Edmund Melanchthon and Helen Leh.