USA > Pennsylvania > Historic background and annals of the Swiss and German pioneer settlers of southeastern Pennsylvania, and of their remote ancestors, from the middle of the Dark Ages, down to the time of the Revolutionary War > Part 12
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his order had no effect. The Menno- nites continued to prosper. In 1631 some of them got a privilege to begin the silk business. Yost Van Kampen carried it on. His father and grand- father had similarly done so before in Elbing. Another Mennonite, Zachariah Jonsen also obtained a license to
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BAUMGARDNERS, MYERS, EGLES AND BENDERS APPEAR
carry on the wine business. These were considered rare privileges to be granted to persons who would not take an oath of allegiance to the Gov- renment (Brons. p. 255.)
1627 -- Bohemian Mennonites Merge with Reformed Church.
This year at a synod at Ostarz, the Bohemian brethren or Mennonites were swallowed up by the Reformed Churchmen. who were very strong there. So they united with them rath- er than to continue to struggle against them. This ended their existence as Bohemian Taufers. This happened during the struggle of the 30 years war lasting from 1618 to 1648, (Mul- ler. p. 65).
1629 -- More Trouble for Ulrich Baum- gardner of Langnau.
September 25th, of this year Ulrich Baumgardner was arrested in the evening aid taken to Trachtelwald and held until the beginning of October. Then October 6th, he was taken to Brene. As they were taking him along the road he told them God would send a great punishment upon them and a little later in the day, at sundown, a great blazing and hissing meteor shot through the air and all became terrified; but nothing more happened. December 2nd, he was put on the rack because he would not divulge the names of the Mennonite leaders of the Langnau district. David Amman, Herr Heinberg, Court Clerk, George Langhams and Jacob Fenner of the Reformed Church had charge of his torture, and they quoted scriptures to him to prove to him that the word of God required him to disclose the names. When that failed they used the rack to convince him that he should tell. But he refused.
About the same time a Benedict Baumgardner composed a Mennonite Hymn. It appeared in a few years in three different versions and was a pretty general use among the Swiss Taufers, (Müller, p. 123).
Baumgardner has played a large part in the business world of Eastern Pennsylvania, particularly in Lancas- ter, and Dauphin Counties, etc. We find them here, at early dates.
1629-Mennonite Exodus into Hun- gary.
We remember that in 1622 the Men- nonites were driven out of Moravia by the Cardinal of Dietrichstein under order from King Ferdinand II. In October out of 24 villages began the exodus. They went to Hungary and Sylvania: but here also they were harassed. The Turks and the Tartars came and carried away 26 people, among them a family of young girls named Gerber. While in Hungary they elected two ministers whose names have come down to us and are familiar today -- Georze Gaul and Hans or John Albrecht. £ These two men were Swiss too, just the same as most of the exiles who first went to Moravia from Zurich and Berne and other Swiss towns, and then went from Moravia to Hungary. We may pause her to note that Caesar speaks of Gaul in his "Helvetian War"; and thus it is not remarkable that "Gaul" should be the surname of some Swiss families. Here in Lancaster County we have the Golls, the Galls and others perhaps modifications of old Swiss ancestral names, (Müller, p. 101).
1632-Myers-Egli-Bender and Other Swiss Names.
We have called attention to the familiar names of Gerber, Gaul and Albright, in their ancient evironments of nearly 300 years ago. So too, now other common eastern Pennsylvania names were found in Switzerland and the Countries that became asylums for them about the same time-most of them Mennonite leaders then and likewise pillars of that church now hear at home.
In 1632 there appear such Swiss as Hans Myer and Hans Egli, mentioned
I set this out because the name | by Jacob Emsler-also Andreas Ben-
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DORTRECHT (HOLLAND) CONFESSIONS OF FAITH
der, sicklemaker. They were elected | deacons and ministers of the early Mennonites. £ They were found in Hungary, too, refugees from Switzer- land. Between the kings and the people and the Turks they had a hard life. The Turkish War of 1665 nearly wiped out entirely the congregations of Mennonites in Hungary, (Müller, p. 101).
1632 - The Dortrecht and Earlier Mennonite Confessions of Faith.
This was a jubilee year in the history of the Mennonite cult. Their first great confession of Faith or Creed was completed and issued to the world from Dortrecht, Holland on April 21st.
This was not the first confession of Faith of this people. At Amsterdam, September 27, 1627, a code of "Spiri- tual Instruction" which was virtually a primitive confession of faith, was drawn up. It was more nearly a primitive catechism -- in the form of questions and answers.
There was also another confession drawn up at Amsterdam, October 7, 1630, taking up belief in God and the proper manner of living. At the end of this confession it is recited that it was done by the "undersigned min- isters, teachers and elders of the United Friesic and High German Churches" for themselves, as well as their fellow-brethren and strangers assembled at Amsterdam-subscribed to by the fourteen persons, heads of the church for them and for all the churches whom they were sent to represent. The "Friesic" churches were those of Friesland, Holland.
Then came the Dortrecht confession of 1632. This work takes up:
I. God and the Creation.
II. The Fall of Man. This sets forth the belief that man by the "fall" became ruined, separated and estrang- ed from God and that all would have been eternally lost had not God made provision otherwise.
III. The Restoration Through Christ.
Here is set forth a belief in the fore- ordination of salvation through Christ.
IV. The Coming of Christ. Here they say that the word at the proper time was made flesh.
V. The Law of Christ, i. e., the Holy Gospel. Here it is confessed that before ascension, Christ insti- tuted his New Testament and sealed the same and left it to the disciples.
VI. Repentance and Reformation of Life. Here it is declared that the imaginations of all men's hearts are evil and that faith and repentance are necessary to all.
VII. Holy Baptism. Here they set forth that there can be no effective baptism, before years of understand- ing are reached. Only penitent be- lievers may be baptized. This was one of the chief beliefs that brought thousands and hundreds of thousands of these people into torture and death through perhaps 500 years.
VIII. The Church of Christ. Here is set forth, belief in the "visible church," viz: those who repent and are baptized. They alone are the "chosen royal priesthood."
IX. Election and Office of Teach- ers, Deacons and Deaconesses. "Christ instituted offices and ordinances and gave himself as the chief shepherd and bishop of our souls." He pro- vided ministers, apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers, whom through the Holy Ghost he had chosen and such he meant should be continued successively. Also that honorable aged widows should be chosen dea- conesses.
X. The Holy Supper. This is an ordinance in "remembrance of him." It is not his actual body and blood.
XI. Washing of Feet. This is ad- monished to be literally done, as a mark of humility.
XII. The State of Matrimony. This shall be only between free believing persons. A churchman is not to marry any one not ce the church.
XIII. Secular Authority of Officers. Here it is distinctly taught that secu-
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THE DORTRECHT CONFESSION OF FAITH
lar authority and government and civil officers are instituted by God and are to be obeyed by all; that no one must despise or revile officers of government, but honor them; must faithfully pay taxes and customs; all must pray for them and for the pros- perity of the country.
This is important to notice because a more or less false notion pervails that these people oppose government and decay it. This is not the fact. Certain brances of them do not take part in the operations of government; but they all heed it and support it.
XIV. Revenge. It it admonished there must be no retaliation.
XV. Swearing of Oaths. Here it is required that swearing of oaths is abolished by the Savior and that there shall be no more than the sanction of "Yea" and "Nay" to any statement.
XVI. Ecclesiastical Ban. Those who violate the church law must be separated from it and purged out of it reproved before all. This is for example to others. But on amend- ment they may be re-admitted.
XVII. Shunning the Separated. Here it is argued that those who per- sist on being wicked separate them- selves from God and must be held separate from God's people and must be shunned. Yet if the shunned be needy, thirsty, hungry and sick he must be ministered unto. This shun- ning is without distinction and ex- tends to members of the famly.
XVIII. Resurrection and Last Judg- ment. Belief that all who have died shall awaken at the last day is as- serted, and they with those who are then living shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
The confession is then concluded by the statement that this was done in the United Churches in the City of Dortrecht, the 21st day of April, 1632.
It was signed by delegates, from Dortrecht, a city now of 33,00 people about 30 miles southeast of tlie famous Hague; delegates from Mid- dleburg, now a city of 17,000 on the
almost extreme southwest corner of Holland; delegates from Vlissingen, now called Flushing, only a couple of miles from the last place, a town of 13,000 people; delegates from Amster- dam now containging 400,000 people, the great Dutch. City on the Znyder Zee, and among these delegates were David ter Haer, Peter Singel, Tobias Govertzs, Peter Moyer and Abraham Dirks; delegates from Haerlem, a city of 50,000, about 15 miles directly west of Amsterdam; delegates from Bom- mel, a small place; from Rotterdam. a city of 200,000 people, about 20 miles southwest of the Hague, among whose delegates were Shoenmacher and Michaels; delegates from the upper parts of the County; from Krevelt (Crefeld) in Westphalia, Germany, near the Holland boundary, one of whose delegates was the famous Her- man Updegroff; delegates from Zee- land, among whom was Cornelius Moir (Myers) ; delegates from Schie- dan; from Leyden, Holland, 22 miles southwest of Amsterdam; from Black- ziel; from Ziericzee; from Gorcum; from Aunhum and from Utrecht. Utrecht has 40,000 people and is about 15 miles south of Amsterdam.
Most of these places are in Holland and most of the Churches assembled and represented were Holland Men- nonite Churches, but the western borders of Germany were also rep- resented, (Mirror, p. 36).
The prominent fact is, however, that at this time and at this gather- ing in Dortrecht, the Mennonite Church took on its great constitution and laid the general foundation of its doctrine and has been, in the main, the model of the church as in later years it spread to other countries and grew in strength and numbers, until this day.
There is only one thing of impor- tance to add to the above, and that is that this Dortrecht confession of Faith, as the foundation of the Men- nonite Church, was in 1727 translated into German and English and adopted
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THE PALATINATE RECEIVES MENNONITE REFUGEES
in America in 1727, by a conference of 15 Mennonite ministers of Skippack, and Conestoga, here in Pennsylvania, among whom were Hans Burkholder, Christian Herr, Benedict Brackbill, Martin Baer of our county and others. And thus was planted here among us almost a hundred years after its adoption in Holland, the same con- fession of Mennonite faith that guided the fathers for centuries, (Müller, 369). .
1632-The Mennonites of Alsace Join In Dortrecht Confession.
Soon after the Dortrecht confession was signed, the faithful of other sec- tions joined in it also. Throughout Alsace-Lorraine the churches ap- proved it. By 1660 thousands of the Huguenots embraced it. The Palati- nate also received it both before and after the great Swiss immigration of 1671. Among the prominent Swiss who signed it there were Jacob Schne- beli and Rudolph Egli. So too, the Schmidts, Scheiders, Fricks and others signed, (Müller, p. 195).
1634-The Palatinate Comes into Re- ligious Prominence.
A writer about 1709 at the time of the German Exodus into England, said, "The poor Palatines who are ob- jects of our present charity inhabi- tated lately a principality in Germany called the Palatinate, which is divided into the Upper and Lower Palati- nate. The Upper belongs to the Duke of Bavaria and the Lower to Count Palatine of the Rhine. It takes its name from the Count Palatine, who formerly owned the whole and admin- istered justice in the Emperor's name. The city of Philipsburg was first the chief city of the Palatinate. It was in the upper part on the Rhine river. It was taken six times; by the Imper- ialists in 1633; by the Swedes in 1634; by the Imperialists in 1636; by the Prince of Conde in 1644; by the Germans in 1676; and by the Dau-
phine in 1688; but it was restored to the Empire by the Treaty of Rys- wick." (Palatinate Refugees in Eng- land, p. 26). Into this Palatinate, therefore, as early as 1634 and earlier the persecuted Mennonites of Switzer- land flocked because the Count Pala- tine allowed much freedom of re- ligious thought and practice.
1635-A New Persecution of Menno- nites about Zurich.
After the execution of Hans Landis in 1614, the persecutions in Switzer- land died out for about 20 years. But in 1635 the old hatred against the non-resisting sect of Christians broke out afresh from the Reformed Church, and- then the State Church in Switz- erland. This persecution led by the Zwinglians was not new; because in 1525 Zwingli himself pronounced de- crees against them-over 100 years before the persecutions of 1635.
The cause of the persecution was the conversion of a rich and influen- tial citizen of Zurich named Henry He was chosen ensign and requested to serve as an officer in the army. But being a believer in the Mennonite or Baptist faith he refused to perform military duty and instead entered the Baptist convent. This enraged the Government against the Mennonites.
A mandate was issued from Zurich that all must attend the State Church -the Reformed Church-or lose their liberty. They refused and toward the end of 1635 many of them were ar- rested and also imprisoned. Many broke jail; but the prominent ones re- mained confined, Rudolph Egli, Uhli Schmidt and Hans Müller. They were let out on a month's probation; but not willing to yield their faith, were put back again, (Mirror, p. 1049).
1636-Progress of the New Swiss Persecutions.
This year in August and September and in the beginning of 1637, nearly all the Taufer or Mennonite brethren
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BRUBAKERS, LANDISES, EGLES, AND MYLINS IN JAIL
and sisters of Switzerland, but prin- | nonites and apprehend them. The cipally in Zurich, were summoned be- fore the political authorities as well as before certain ecclesiastical au- thorities, whom the Government dele- gated for the purpose. fire of persecution was now raging. Without ceremony they entered houses . of believers, took whatever they wanted and abused women and children. Scores of men they im- prisoned among criminals. A damp prison at Othenbach was the worst place.
First they were summoned to the Castles of Wadischwyl on Lake Zu- rich; of Knownau about twenty miles south of Zurich; and of Groenigen, 20 miles east of Zurich, and compelled to give their names, surnames, resi- dences, ages, ancestry, etc., so that they could be watched.
A second time they were summoned to the same place and ordered to at- tend the Reformed services.
They were next summoned to Zurich (especially all leaders) and command- ed to give up their views and cease teaching their beliefs as to infant bap- tism, the Lord's supper and the dis- cipline of ex-communication.
A fourth time they were compelled to appear as under arrest and give complete inventories of their proper- ties and estates, especially all mov- able property, and cautioned not to dispose of any of it. After having all their property registered they were placed under arrest.
A fifth time they were sent for and brought to the castles and given the alternative of attending the Reformed Church or being lodged in jail. They begged permission to leave the coun- try with their goods. This was re- fused. (Mirror, p. 1050).
Müller (p. 70) gives substantially the same account, except that he tells us that a commission of Reformed Church-men rode about on horseback to the various towns and sought out the Mennonites and had them sent to the Castles to be intimidated out of their religion, etc.
1637-Brubakers, Landises and Egles in Zurich Jails.
In 1637 a perfect swarm of beadles, bailiffs and sheriffs were sent throughout all Zurich to spy out Men-
Of those captured were Jacob Rus- terholtz and Peter Brubach or Bru- bacher of Wadischwyl; also a Hans Landis (the second) a minister of the Church of Horgerburg and his daughter Margaret Landis. She re- mained in Othenbach prison about 60 weeks. While they were in prison the authorities sold all of their prop- erty for 7000 guilders.
Rudolph Egly was again imprisoned at Zurich, his children driven out of the house. the house destroyed and everything confiscated to the Govern- ment, (Mirror, 1051).
These facts were written up by Mar- tin Meyli, a Mennonite historian, who himself passed through these tortures of 1635 to 1660 and wrote of personal knowledge. He is quoted by the Mir- ror also.
1637 -- The Meylis, Mylins or Meilens Suffer.
The ancient European home of the Meilins now Mylins, seems, to have been in the Canton of Zurich. Mr. Schnebeli, a present day Swiss his- torian tells us this. There was a Claes Meiliss in Holland in 1542 (Mir- ror, p. 448), and a Peter Von der Meülin in Ghent in 1564 (Do., 640). Whether they were the same family as the Meilins, we can not tell.
Reliable history of the ancestry of our present Lancaster County Swiss Mylins exists from 1637. In the Kno -- now Bailiwick in Switzerland the persecution raged; and aged Hans Meyli, a Mennonite minister was im- prisoned that year. They also took his son Martin's wife. She was im- prisoned a long time at Ottembach, about 8 miles southwest of Zurich
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HANS HERR AND HANS MUELLER
and treated severely. They took all | Hall, a written testimonial proving of the elder Mylin's property. About a year later they caught two of Hans Meyli's sons, Martin and Hans, Jr. and imprisoned them at Zurich where they were held in chains and hand- cuffs. for his flourishing family their coat of arms, their free and noble descent and the possession of their race to the latest generation; and the coat of arms yet rightly belongs to the pres- ent living family of . Herr.
Their children (grandchildren of Hans Meyli, Sr.) as poor forsaken or- phans were put out among strangers. One of these, Martin by name, a son of Hans Meyli, Jr. and a nephew of Martin, the Swiss historian cited by the Mirror was one of the band of pio- neer settlers of Lancaster County in 1710 on Pequea Creek, ( Mirror, p. 1052 and Rupp, p. 74).
1639-Hans Herr, Lancaster County Pioneer Born.
This year, Hans Herr, leader of the Pioneer band of Lancaster County, which settled near Willow Street in West Lampeter Township, Pennsyl- vania, was born on September 17, near Zurich. He died in 1725 and was buried in the Cemetery of the Brick Mennonite Church just east of Willow Street (Herr Genealogy, p. 1).
Following the title page of the Herr Genealogy occurs the statement:
"The race of Herr descended from a very ancient family ;- is free that is to say , of noble origin ;- likewise from time immemorial its knights were brave and worthy-possessing in Schwaben vast and rich estate, the name which was called and written, Herr von Bilried. The father of the race was called the Schwabish Knight Hugo, the Herr or Lord of Bilried.
.
In the year 1009 flourished and was known to all, the family from whom that of Herr is descended. But in the fifteenth century several of the race resigned their nobility and settledas citizens. They, however, retained their noble name and their coat of arms, and in the year 1593 John Herr as Lord of Bilried obtained from the Emperor Ferdinand in Schwabish
E. B. VIEN.
Recorded in the Register of Noble Families, with their coat of Arms, Book 5, page 258.
1639-Barbara and Elizabeth Meylin and Others Suffer for Their Faith.
The Mirror (p. 1053) relates that this year Barbara and Elizabeth My- lin and two other sisters in the faith, Ottila Mülerin and Barbara Kolbin suffered for their faith. They were not executed, however, for they man- aged to escape from the prison of Ot- tenbach, the location of which town we have mentioned. They were also relatives of the aged Hans Mylin.
1639-Another Hans Müller of Can- ton Zurich, Suffers.
We have set out the troubles of a Hans Müller of Medikon, Switzerland under date of 1529 (See Supra., p. 34). More than one hundred years later the name Müller again comes into prominence, through persecution in cruel Switzerland. The sufferer again is a 'Hans" Müller.
The Mirror under date of 1635 (p. 1050) refers to this pillar of faith as defending the "poor fund" of the . Church, which they tried to make him give up. His home was in Grün- ingen, about 12 miles southeast of Zurich. He was released but 4 years later was again imprisoned, viz: in 1639. He was a powerful factor in the Mennonite Church and so zealous were the officers to find him a second time, that like ravening wolves they ran through his neighbors' houses to find him. He had escaped from his house and when they came to it and broke it open and found he was gone, they broke open chests and drawers
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THE SNYDERS, WEBERS, AMANS AND THE AMISH
and took all the property they could get. They threatened his little chil- dren with bare swords that : they would kill them if they did not re- veal his whereabouts. They took his wife and put her bound in the loath- some Ottenbach prison. Then a pro- clamation was announced in the Re- formed churches of Zurich, that no one would be allowed to lodge or give food or drink to Hans Müller, from the Groeningen Bailiwick under se- vere penalty.
·
Then they deceived him and sent abroad a proclamation that he would be allowed a three weeks' safe con- duct to argue with him, if he came forth. He trusted this and went to the convent specified to discuss the matter but as he was about to leave he was arrested in breach of faith and taken to Ottenbach; imprisoned 60 weeks, of which he spent 16 weeks in chains. (Mirror, p. 1053).
As to the Müllers, Zurich always had and now has many "Müller" (Mil- lers). Mr. Schnebeli says a branch of the Müllers came in the early times from Zurich; but the Müllers were early distributed in Berne and in Germany and elsewhere. However, he says the whole Canton of Zurich is full of Müllers. Among the dead in the battle of Kappel in Affaltern, Canton of Zurich, where Zwingli was killed on October 11, 1531, were found nine Müllers, from Wipkengen, Zolli- kon, Kussnach, Thalvil, Affaltern. Lzattiken, Hetlingen, Wetzekon and Gollikon, all in Switzerland. Mr. Schnebeli say that the Müllers have always held prominent offices, did valiant and distinguished services for the state at home and abroad, and produced many able statesmen. such as Müller of Friedberg, of St. Gallen, and the historian Müller, of Schaff- hausen. He says, also, that the Presi- dent of Switzerland in 1909 was a Müller.
1639-The Amans, Egles, Snyders, Webers and Zehnders Suffer.
It is perhaps known to all that our Amish brethren are so called because
they followed a dissenting Mennonite named Aman, in Europe. In 1639 we find that Burkhard Aman who lived by the border of Lake Zurich, was arrested for his faith, taken to Zurich and condemned and then taken to the Ottenbach prison where so many Mennonites suffered. But his year in prison was so cruel that he became ill and shortly after his release died. The Amish abound in Lancaster County and other southeastern Penn- sylvania sections, (Mirror, p. 1054).
The same year Jacob Egle of Gruningen district, near Zurich as we have before stated, was arrested and after a short trial at Zurich was im- prisoned in the Ottenbach dungeon, during a year and a half. He was so miserably treated that he died in prison, rather than give up his faith, (Do.).
The same year George Weber, an old man of Kiburg, a city 15 miles southeast of Zurich on a branch of the Rhine, was arrested for his faith and taken to Ottenbach dungeon and fed on bread and water. He also be- came sick and died soon after his re- lease. Besides being imprisoned, both Egli and Weber were sentenced to pay 500 guilders annually as fine to the authorities, which if not paid was to be levied on their property until it was all consumed; unless they gave up their religion, (Do.).
Webers and the modern Weavers are very numerous in Lancaster County. They first located here about 1711, just 200 years ago. Hans Weber having bought the Rudolph Bundely tract containing 530 acres, forming the north-eastern section of the origi- nal settlement of 6400 acres in our country, (See map following page 75, Vol. XIV, Lancaster County Historical Society, Reports or appendix, to said volume).
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