Pierce Edward Swope (August 15, 1884 — December 9, 1968) was an American

German Reformed The Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R) was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) with the Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA). A m ...

clergyman and prominent author in the

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spea ...

language. Swope was born in Meckville, Pennsylvania (Berks County), and was a graduate of Lebanon Valley College and Ursinus College. He was ordained on July 31, 1913. His dialect pseudonym was ''Der Kaspar Hufnagel''; beginning in 1947, he used this name over a weekly Pennsylvania German column for the '' Lebanon Daily News''. He also wrote "Was Saagt Der ... Kaspar Hufnagel" for the ''Ephrata Ensign'' from 1948 to 1951. Swope was the first person formally licensed to teach Pennsylvania German in public schools. Swope married Carrie M. Hauer on January 6, 1906, in

Hamlin, Pennsylvania Hamlin Township is a township in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 675 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 167.3 km2 (64.6 mi), of w ...

and received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Ursinus in 1940. He died in Annville, Pennsylvania and is buried in Hamlin.

Works

*''Pennsylvania Dutch Essays and Poems'' (1968)

References

*Obituary, ''Lebanon Daily News'', December 9, 1968, pp. 1–2. *Obituary, ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after ''The Express-Times''. In 2020, the newspaper permanently closed its Al ...

'', December 10, 1968, p. 12. *

Earl C. Haag Earl C. Haag (born June 24, 1929) is an American scholar and author in the Pennsylvania German language. His dialect pseudonym is ''Der Alt Professor.'' In 2010, his contributions to the field of German-American studies were recognized by The Soci ...

,
A Pennsylvania German Anthology
' (1988)

External links

at Penn State * ttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32712529 Graveat Klopps Cemetery,

Lebanon County Lebanon County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Lebanon Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,568. Its county seat is the city of Lebanon. The county was formed from portions of Dauphin ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swope, Pierce E. 1884 births 1968 deaths German-American history Pennsylvania Dutch people United Church of Christ ministers United Church of Christ in Pennsylvania American writers in Pennsylvania Dutch Pennsylvania Dutch culture German language in the United States Lebanon Valley College alumni Ursinus College alumni Journalists from Pennsylvania