L. C. Edmunds
Rev. Edmunds was born December 12, 1830, near Nazareth, PA. He was one of 17 children. Fourteen lived to become adults. Nine of these were boys, and enlisted to preserve the Union in the Civil War. He received a distinct call to the holy ministry while teaching school near Mauch Chunk, PA, and after some preparation was ordained November 21, 1865. He was married and had seven children.
While pastor in the Reformed Church at Aaronsburg, he enlisted in the 148th. Regiment P.V.I. and was a Second Lieutenant in a company raised near Millheim, PA. As a result of sickness he resigned his commission, returned to Aaronsburg where he also resigned his pastorate and accepted a call to Beaver Springs, PA. While here he answered an urgent call by President Lincoln for more soldiers by raising a company in his new charge and taking his boys to the front as their captain. His company was part of the Army of the Potomac, 184th Regiment, P.B.I. He was never wounded, although he had many close calls. He, and what was left of his company, were mustered out of service at the end of the war, after which he returned to his pastoral duties.
It was in 1863 that the Rev. L. C. Edmunds accepted a call to the Beaver Dam Charge, which at this time included Middleburg, Beavertown, Hassingers, Adamsburg, Mosser Valley, (Troxelville), Black Oak Ridge, and Samuel's. This was decreased in size by the removal of Middleburg and Hassinger's Churches, during his pastorate. Rev. L. C. Edmunds wrote in his history:
" My ministry followed immediately after the resignation of Rev. Schultze and has continued for eleven years, since April last .... at my first Communion we had about 50 communicants and at our last one we numbered about 200."
It was while L, C. Edmunds was pastor that the official action to change the name of the denomination from German Reformed Church In the United States of North America to Reformed Church in the United States of North America (later "of North America" was dropped) was taken at the General Synod's 3rd. Triennial Session November 24 to December 3, 1869. Rev. Edmunds remained at the church until 1876.
Rev. L. C. Edmunds served this charge for a second time from 1880 to 1883, and then resigned. After his retirement he spent several summers in the mountains of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, preaching to the neglected white settlers and desired to go again but was unable to do so because of his feeble condition. He died December 21, 1918, at the age of 88.