Justus Falckner was born in Saxony at Lan-gen-Reinsdorf near Crimmitschau, the youngest of the four sons of the local pastor, Daniel Falckner. His father’s library was sufficiently rich and extensive to gain a provincial reputation. Both his grandfathers had been Lutheran ministers.
Falckner matriculated on January 20, 1693, at the University of Halle, whither he seems to have followed his teacher, Christian Thomasius, from Leipzig.
He resided in Rostock and Lübeck for the greater part of the next few years and accompanied his brother Daniel to Pennsylvania in 1700. During this period he was probably engaged in tutoring while awaiting a pastoral call; the story, first printed in Tobias E. Biörck’s Dissertatio Gra- dualis de Plantatione Ecclesiae Svecanae in America (Upsala, 1731), that he fled to America to avoid the ministry is doubtless a pious legend. Far too much, also, has been made of his connection with the band of mystics on Wissahickon Creek; he lived with them for only a few months and appears not to have shared in their fantastic beliefs. He was elected a burgess of Germantown in the autumn of 1700 and aided his brother in managing the affairs of Benjamin Furly and the Frankfort Land Company, but his chief concern was for the spiritual welfare of the German Lutheran settlers. A letter of his on this subject was published in Germany as an Abdruck eines Schreibens an Tit. Herrn D. Henr. Mtthlen den Zustand der Kirchen in America betreffend (1702). At the earnest insistence of the Swedish pastor, Andreas Rudman, he agreed to accept a call to the Dutch Lutheran congregations of New York and the Hudson Valley; and Rudman, Andreas Sandel, and Erick Tobias Biorck accordingly ordained him November 24, 1703, in Gloria Dei Church at Wicacoa in Philadelphia, the Swedish church authorities having previously given them the proper authority. A full record of this ordination, one of the earliest on American soil, has been preserved. Eight days later Falckner began his work in New York and served his vast parish faithfully until his death twenty years later. In his ministrations he traversed the whole Hudson Valley as far North as Albany, going wherever there were German or Dutch Lutherans in need of him. East Jersey and the western end of Long Island also came within the sphere of his activities. He is known to have baptized at least one Indian and to have had several negro parishioners. The records of his ministerial acts are perhaps the best revelation of Falckner’s character. After the entry of a baptism or other ceremony, at the close of the year, and on other occasions it was his custom to write a brief prayer, often in true collect form. The simplicity, tenderness, and devotion of these prayers has impressed probably every one who has seen them. To strengthen his people against the proselytizing of the Reformed he wrote his Grondlycke Onderricht van Sekere Voorname Hoojd-stucken der Waren, Loutern, Saligmakenden Christe- lycken Leere (N. Y. , Wm. Bradford, 1708). After the death in 1719 of Josua von Kocherthal he assumed the additional burden of caring for Kocherthal’s congregations. During his last years he made his headquarters at Claverack. His last recorded act was a baptism performed at Philipsburgh (Yonkers), Sept. 4, 1723. The day of his death and his place of burial are unknown. He was succeeded by the Rev. Wilhelm Christoph Berkenmeyer.
On Rogate Sunday in 1717 he was married by the Rev. William Vesey to Gerritge Hardick of Albany, by whom he had two daughters and a son.
