The "The Rev. H. N. Woo Began His Godly Journey In Lancaster, Pennsylvania" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching through my book "The History of St. James Church" for a few facts about The Rev. Jacob Isidor Mombert, rector of St. James Episcopal Church during the Civil War.  As I began to read the chapter about him, I came across a smaller type size article written about a young Chinese immigrant by the name of Hong Neok Woo, who was a faithful attendant of the services at St. James' Church during the rectorships of both Dr. Bowman and the Rev. Mombert.  As I read a bit more of the smaller type paragraph I found that Woo was brought to Lancaster by Dr. John S. Messersmith, a member of St. James' and the surgeon of the Susquehanna, one of Commodore Peary's frigates which stopped at Shanghai after making an expedition to Japan.  Since Woo wanted to come to America, he worked his way across the ocean by serving as a cabin boy on the Susquehanna.  His job was to wait on his host, Dr. Messersnith.  After arriving in Lancaster, Woo lived for a time with Dr. Messersmith at 40 N. Lime Street in downtown Lancaster.  The good doctor invited Woo to attend the nearby parochial school, but Woo declined, telling him he had been a poor student at the Shanghai Mission School and that he always forgot his lessons and recitations, and that his desire was to become a mechanic, not a student.  During his time in Lancaster, he worked as an apprentice and journeyman at the Lancaster Examiner and Herald, a predecessor of the Lancaster New Era and LNP, after which the Lancaster Daily Express employed him as a pressman.  On September 22, 1860 he became an American citizen, the first Chinese to be naturalized in Lancaster County.  During his time in Lancaster he attended St. James Episcopal where I eventually became a member.  Then in June of 1863 he became a member of Company I, 50th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers to protect the state against the invasion of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.  

Mr. Hong Neok Woo in his Civil War uniform.

He saw service in the defense of Lancaster and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  In his autobiography he wrote that he felt that the North was right in opposing slavery.  He accompanied his regiment throughout several locations in Pennsylvania as well as in neighboring Maryland.  A few months later his regiment was dismissed without having to fight the enemy.  In 1864 he returned to China.   The Rev. Mr. Mombert from St. James Church was greatly interested in the young foreigner and sent him copies of his books after his return to China.  He became a good student and eventually was ordained a deacon in 1867 and a priest in 1880 in the Church of Our Savior.   He was a very effective priest and nursed the sick and eventually established a nursing center that developed into St. Luke's Hospital.  

He became a missionary in Taitsing where he stressed Christianity to the residents.  The local magistrate had him beaten to try and make him stop his mission.  He continued his mission until he died on August 18, 1919 and was buried in Westgate Cemetery, the oldest Christian burial ground in Shanghai.  I would have loved to have met Rev. Woo during his lifetime, but needless to say, I never had the chance.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.