Rev. Wilhelmina K. Harrs

Rev. Wilhelmina Harrs (in some records her name is given as Harris) was born in Florence*, Germany. The 1930 Federal Census states that she was born in 1863, and immigrated to the United States in 1880 She married her husband Frederick at age 37.

Frederick and Wilhelmina were both active members of of Plymouth Spiritualist Church, then still chartered through the General Assembly, which functioned as the auxiliary for the National Spiritualist Association (now NSAC) for the State of New York.

 According to the CODI website, both husband and wife achieved their ordination and healing papers through the General Assembly in 1917. In 1923 they received a charter from the General Assembly of Spiritualists and started a new church called Divine Inspiration Spiritualist Church.

 In the early 1930s, the General Assembly withdrew from the NSA due to disagreements on various social and spiritual principles. Divine Inspiration chose to remain with the General Assembly, creating a new chapter of the history of Spiritualism in Rochester. The Church of Divine Inspiration is now the Headquarters for the General Assembly of Spiritualists today.

Rev. Harrs worked tirelessly in serving the community of Rochester, acting in virtually all capacities in her church as Pastor, Healer, and Medium. She was assisted by her husband Frederick who lead the Church music ministry as organist.

Rev. Harrs placed a high level of importance on her healing ministry, emphasizing in the Sunday newspapers that all who come to the Church will an illness will receive healing free of charge. Rev. Wilhelmina Harrs remained the lead Pastor of Divine Inspiration from May 1923 up to the date of her death on May 28, 1937.

*Footnote: I actually couldn’t find any records of a Florence, Germany. I actually believe it’s possible she may have actually been born in Dresden, which is popularly nicknamed “the German Florence”