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 13
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The same year Ulli Snyder from Wadischwyl, about ten miles south- east of Zurich on the south side of Lake Zurich and four miles beyond Horgen suffered imprisonment because of his faith. They tortured him to
1 88
THE HESS FAMILY -- HOLLAND INTERCESSIONS
compel him to embrace the Common | or Reformed mode of worship. He died steadfast in jail, (Do., 1055).
The same year Stephen Zehnder of the Mennonite Church at Knonow was imprisoned in a damp cellar of the Ottenbach jail and so treated that he died of exposure and hardship, (Do.).
The above we all recognize as com- mon Lancaster, York, Berks and Leb- anon county names. The item seems to show that while it is ordinarily said that the forefathers of this sec- tion of Pennsylvania are of German descent, that such tradition is not strictly accurate. They are originally Swiss. Many of our ancestors, how- ever, were pushed by prosecution from Switzerland into Germany and par- ticularly into the Palatinate on the Rhine and lived there some years, migrating from that place to Eastern Pennsylvania.
1639-The Hess Family Appear in History.
Here we have one of the earliest notices of the Hess family also numer- ous in this county and in southeastern Pennsylvania and from Pennsylvania distributed far and wide -- numerous in the Virginias, in the middle West, many of them in Chicago and in sec- tions beyond as well.
The Mirror (p. 1056) notes Hans or John Jacob Hess in 1639 as a Minister of the Mennonite Church in Switzer- land, and earlier. The account states that he was arrested and imprisoned three times, first in 1637. The third imprisonment lasted 88 weeks. But he, with others escaped. The account says that he was stripped and confined in prison, in chains 16 weeks with fellow prisoners. While he was in jail they arrested and imprisoned his wife for her religion, in the Ottenbach dungeon. There she got consump- tion and died after 63 weeks incarcer- ation, (Do., 1056).
The account also states that the property of Jacob Hess was seized and sold by the authorities and sold for
4000 guilders without giving any of it back. A guilder is worth 40 cents in our money. Thus they took $1600 from this man. The exact home of the Hess family mentioned is not shown; but it was in the Canton of Zurich somewhere ..
1639-Netherland Intercedes for the Swiss Menonnites.
It must not be concluded that the Mennonites had no friends and helpers during these awful days. The perse- cution against them in Holland whch raged 100 years earlier had cooled and they were held in favor there long before 1639. £ In the Mennonite Ar- chives of Zurich there is an extract of the event of church affairs from 1639 to 43; and also similar matter in the Bern Archives. Casper Suter of the Mennonite Church kept these records.
Holland sent a commission to Zurich inquiring about these matters and stated that reports in Holland were to the effect that 20 people were being cruelly treated and imprisoned in Ot- tenbach-that some of them are sup- posed to be subjects of Holland; and that they remonstrate in a friendly way for all of them; but insist on the release of any Dutch subjects that may be imprisoned. There are reports by Ottibus also about these matters. Other inquiries were made later by Berne, of Zurich asking how they treat Mennonites. We shall see, how- ever, that a little later Berne began a series of persecutions as fierce as those of Zurich, (Müller, p. 166).
1639-Zurich Tries to Explain and Apologize to the World for the Treatment of the Menno- nites.
This apology was issued in 1639, and was called out by the fact that the cruelties inflicted by Zurich moved a large part of Europe to protest. Hol- land lead the protests. The Swiss authorities, incited by "the so called Reformed Church" to which the officers of the government belonged,
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MENNONITES ANSWER THE ZURICH MANIFESTO
gave as their chief excuses for tor- turing the Mennonites the following reasons. That "they separated them- selves from the obedience which they owed to the Christian Church"; that they refused to allow baptism to be performed upon little children which endangered their salvation; that they would not help defend the govern- ment against its enemies; and that they were disobedient to the authori- ties, refusing to help support the government and obey its laws. This apology was intended to influence the nations to believe that Zurich and in- deed the whole of Switzerland was compelled to take the measures they did, for the alleged reason that the foundation of the government was en- dangered by these Taufers or Menno- nites and the established religion in danger, (Mirror, 1056).
1639-Reply of the Swiss Mennonites to the Zurich Manifesto.
The Mennonites of Switzerland im- mediately made reply to the apologies and explanations of the government officials and Reformed churchmen against them.
As to separation from the Christian Church, they said this is not a fact. but that they adhere and always have adhered to the pure Word of God, and for this reason could not possibly be members of the Reformed Church, their chief persecutor now. They say also that the original leaders of the Reformed Church held the same views as the Mennonites still hold, when they were both persecuted by the Catholic Church; but that now the Reformed churchmen have entirely drifted away from the old beliefs while the Mennonites have still held on to theni.
They then take up the subject of baptism and show that originally the founders of the Reformed Church held the same view the Anabaptists or Mennonites now hold. They cited Zwingli himself and Baltzer Hubmor
or Huffmeier, saying that at a confer- ence in the Graef in 1523 they, as founders of the Reformed Church declared that infants should not be baptized; and that Zwingli made this the 18th Canon in his Book of Articles. The same, they say, was held by Oecolampadius in a letter to said Huffmeier or Hubmor. They declare that Sebasitan Hoffmeyster, an early Reformed Church preacher wrote to Hupmeir and said that at a council at Schaffhausen that infants must not be baptized. These are all Reformed founders. Schaffhausen is a city of 12000 population about 20 miles north from Zurich.
They also cited that Christopher Hogendorf, Cellarius, both Reformed fathers, and the early Reformed Church preachers at Strassburg, Ger- many ; £ Wolfgang Gapito, Cester Hedio, Mathew Zell and others agree in this writing that originally there was no infant baptism.
Concerning war or retaliation, they say that Lutherans who in the begin- ning were Calvinistic Reformed and the Reformed churchmen or Zwing- lians, in the beginning believed the same as do the Mennonites. Among the earliest were Andrew Carlstadt who in his book dated 1524 wrote that war is against God's law and must not be entered upon. They also cited Luther in the twenty-second article or a tract written by him in 1520, explaining why he burnt the "pope's books" as follows: Because he (the pope) teaches that it is right for a Christian to defend himself with violence against violence contrary to Matthew 5:40.
They show that in a tract printed at Wittenberg in 1522 it is set forth that Luther taught opposition to all war and against suits at law. They concluded that Luther believed these views until he was "Seduced to another belief by the Jesuits even as Sleydonus ( a Jesuit) testifies", (Mir- ror, 1056 to 58).
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MENNONITE CODE OF ETHICS 1639
They go on to show that all the foremost Reformers against Popery in 1520-in 1530-in 1540 were op- posed to war and resistance and to oaths and to infant baptism.
As to the charge that they do not support the government they deny it wholly. Thus they show that it was not they, the Mennonites, who de- parted from the Christian Church and its doctrines; but that the Reformed and the Lutherans departed from those first principles approved by all who opposed the Catholic Church, while the Mennonites have held on to those principles to this day.
1639-Charges against and Answers of the Mennonites, Printed.
Müller tells us (165) that the Bur- gomeisters and the Great and Small Council of Zurich called the Council of 200 drew up formally the Menno- nite situation there in 1639 stating the acts of Zurich against them, the form of the judiciary by which they tried them and the impartiality of the justice visited upon them. The state paper was printed by Dr. Humberger the same year in Zurich. It is a quarto volume of 71 pages. It is found also in Leonard Meister's 'Helvetian Scenes of Visionariries," as he calls it.
1639-Holland Mennonites in Confer- ence Adopt Ethical Rules.
Mrs. Brons in her book, which I have often referred to says (p. 135) that, this year there was a conference held by the Mennonites of Holland to formulate a code of moral rules for daily guidance. A year or two earlier there was a similar conference of the Mennonites of four Holland cities; but now the conference was general. Peter Van Twisk seems to have brought it about. The Friesland churches led off. The principal meet- ing was on a day called the .Lands- dag"; and the elders who attended as delegates were called the "Landsdie-
naren". The purpose was to organ- ize rules for the encouragement and protection of the faithful. Moral rules adopted to guide them. A society was organized also to admonish all to the performance of these rules, and to keep before all the necessity of living pure lives and taking care of the poor, of aiding the preachers, etc. The society however did not keep any minutes of its proceedings until 1694. But there is plenty of evidence that it existed as early as 1639; and as late as 1716.
The 12 chief articles or rules adopted by them which were to be read in all the churches once a year were as follows:
1. When a brother or sister mar- ries a second time they should settle on the children of the first marriage an inheritance; and obey all the laws of the land.
2. All costly and elaborate wed- dings must be avoided. All must be moderate and in the fear of God, after the example of Tobias so as not to dishonor God.
3. Young men and women must not be allowed too much freedom in their association. £ They must not "keep company" with each other nor engage themselves to marry without the consent of their parents or guar- dians; such a step must not be taken without that serious consideration which becomes a Christian.
4. Those who are about to marry from another place or town shall be required ot produce a good recom- mendation from the place in which they dwell. This shall show whether they are still free, also whether the bans have been published. Under the law of Switzerland at this same time, bans were allowed to be published in the Reformed church only; and no other but Reformed ministers were allowed to perform the marriage cere- mony.
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CODE OF ETHICS-BERNE PERSECUTIONS
5. In trading and in doing business all are to avoid taverns as much as possible, because there one seldom learns anything good, and is very likely to become drunk.
6. No one must have business so tangled up that he will not be able to pay on the day and the hour when he should. The word pledged in busi- ness, must be kept, otherwise a per- son gets a bad name and so does the congregation.
7. No one is allowed to buy or receive stolen goods. They who do so, share the sin of stealing or rob- bing.
8. No one shall engage himself to go on an armed vessel. As soon as it is ascertained, it is armed the Christian must get off. (This might be pretty serious.)
9. No one should use tobacco un- necessarily, or make it a habit, for time and money are wasted by it; and it is offensve to others. This evil is getting so great in Holland since trade is open with America that in- stead of hymn books to edify, many go for the tobacco pipe. (About this time tobacco and wigs were intro- duced and the church said that they were introduced by Satan.)
10. No ornaments are to be allowed on or in houses or ships but all must be made plain. By external orna- ments the internal ornaments of the soul are spoiled.
11. If a brother or sister move to another town they must get a recom- mendation or a certificate of good character from the place or congrega- tion from where he or she come, to show that he or she is decent.
12. No one must neglect to talk to and admonish the struggling brother who is "going wrong". This must be done in brotherly love and sincerity. There must also be reprimand, but in a loving way and by taking the brother alone.
These, says Brons, were the 12 main articles of conduct of the . Friesian
Mennonites; and we can see what fine lives they exacted from all be- lievers. Those who violated these rules were "set back", and not al- lowed to participate in the rites of the church until they repented. They bear the caption "Twelve Articles Promulgated in 1639 by the Confer- ence of the Congregations, and for the Preservation of Good Morals among Themselves".
All I need add to the above is to. call attention to the fact that our Swiss, German and Holland ancestors were not crude in thought. but re- fined. It was a more or less common- ly held opinion here in our country for many years that, our ancient stock of Eastern Pennsylvania Ger- mans were gross and voluptuous, and not concerned about the appreciation nor the practice of the delicate and refined. This has been an injustice to them and a slander. While their taste has not always been standard, they have always been, in reality, sensitive and cultured.
1640-Canton Berne Begins Persecu- tion Anew.
Jan. 17 this year, the Berne author- ities in Switzerland sent out a man- date to Aarwangen Soffingen, Aarburg Kiburg, Thun, Signau, Brandis and Trachelswald that on Jan. 23 there should be an inquisition upon the Mennonites for the purpose of finding heresy charges against them and vio- lations of the laws and customs of Berne and the Reformed church. It was decreed that the time had come for severe measures because their su- perstitions, service and intolerable practice kept on prospering and their sect kept on increasing, in spite of all that had been done against them thus far (Müller 132). Most of the above places are between 10 and 20 miles east, northeast and southeast of the city of Berne, in and near the famous Emmenthal or Emmen Valley, the particular location from which the
92
MANY LANCASTER COUNTY ANCESTORS SUFFER
pioneers came directly to the Pequea and the Conestoga in 1710. and later. About 1630 they had come into the Emmenthal from the Zurich region.
1640-More Eastern Pennsylvania An- cestry Suffer.
About this time and afterwards, the following persons suffered throughout Switzerland for their religion's sake. Among them were Werner Phister of Walischwyl who was imprisoned at Othenbach; Gallus Snyder of the same place, put in the same prison; also Rudolph Bachinan a very old man of the same district who was bound to a sled and dragged to the same prison, where he was placed in chains until his death; also Henry Schnebli (now Snavely) of Knownow who was im- prisoned for his religious views with criminals in Zurich; about the same time Hans Rudolph Bauman (or Bow- man) of Horgerberg, imprisoned in Zurich,after having been robbed by the State church and the government of his property worth over 3000 guilders; about the same time Ulrich Müller of Kiborg first imprisoned at Zurich and, then thrown into the dungeon of Othenbach where he died; at the same time also Oswald Landis who with his wife and two daughters-in-law were imprisoned in the Othenbach dungeon; also his son Jacob Landis, and his en- tire family, imprisoned in the same place; about the same time Henry Fricken and Hans Ring of the neigh- borhood of Knowow; a year or two later Felix Landis of Horgerberg (son of Hans Landis who was beheaded in 1614) who was imprisoned at Othen- bach and nearly starved to death after robbing him of 5,000 guilders; in 1643 Elizabeth Bachman of Gruningen and Verena Landis also suffered threats and imprisonment; also at the same time Barbara Neff and Barbara Ruff or Rupp of the Knowow district; also Martha Lindne and Anna Blau, (after- wards married to Moneth Meylich with whom she moved to the Palatinate),
were imprisoned. (Mirror 1059 to 1062).
All of the above names we recog- nize as quite common among the generality of Eastern Pennsylvania and especially Lancaster County pop- ulace today. These incidents are meant to throw a clear light on the particular location of the sturdy an- cestry of the neighborhood nearly 300 years ago. The places mentioned above are, none of them, far distant from the two main centers of tyranny and torture-Berne and Zurich.
1641-Amsterdam, Holland, Becoming a Powerful Supporter of Mennonites.
Müller relates (p. 166) that, this year Amsterdam received news of the persecution of Mennonite brethren by Zurich and began another examina- tion. Zurich contended that the re- ports were exaggerated. The Amster- dam authorities sent Isaac Hataver, an influential merchant of the Reform- ed or Lutheran church of Holland to investigate. In the year 1642 Godfried Hattonus who was pastor of the French church at Amsterdam began the agita- tion for investigation, by writing to Zurich about the terrible reports that came to Holland. He received an an- swer from Antistis Breitinger, telling him the facts pretty fairly. Then pamphlets were printed and circulat- ed in Holland calling public attention to the furious conduct of Berne and Zurich. A pamphlet was started, a strong monograph came out against the doctrines of the Baptists or Men- nonites, alleging it to be a heresy calculated to overthrow the govern- ment by Petros Bontemps, minister of the "Gallicana" in Harlem (Holland). To this Yost Hendricks (perhaps an ancestor of Laurens Hendricks whom we shall mention later) made reply, painting the Swiss persecution of the Mennonites as black as night. In 1643 Bontemps replied, in which he made it appear there was no persecu-
93
DANZIG AND ELBING MENNONITES GOOD FARMERS
tion going on at all. Then three strong pamphlets were issued by the Mennonites of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Haarlem respectively, showing that in truth the Swiss persecutions were. terrible. Several editions of these were printed, and greedily read until Holland was aflame wth indiga- tion against Switzerland. There were other productions calling attention to the suffering of the defenceless Chris- tians; and this brought on the appeal from the Holland government. Hol- land was a power in those days, to whose voice all European nations paid attention.
1641-Prominent Hamburgers Became Mennonites.
On the extinction of the Shumberg line the succeeding king, Christian the IV of Denmark, who at the time was Duke of Holstein became a friend of the Mennonites; and the congrega- tion of Altona opposite Hamburg, and in Hamburg also gained privileges. In spite of the raillery of the Lutherans, the Mennonites grew. Some of the principal Hamburg families, namely the Roosen and Goverts families who had large warehouses, became Menno- nites. (Brons 256).
1612 -- The Dantzig and Elbing Menno- nites of the Baltic Become the Best Farmers of Europe.
Until 1642, the Mennonites of north- western Prussia were left in peace; but then a new storm broke loose, es- pecially about Elbing in Prussia. The Chamberlain of the king Bladislaus the IV, namely Willibald of Hexburg made the king of Prussia suspicious about the Mennonites; and he got a warrant or written authority from the king, to drive the Mennonites out, be- cause they hurt the trade of the other people in Dantzig and Elbing. This paper allowed the officer to seize the Mennonites' goods and to use them for himself. He started to carry out the instructions, and then arranged that if they would give him a sum of
money instead, he would not interfere with their goods. These Mennonites, many of them, lived in the "Vaterns" -- that is, on islands on the delta of the Vistula River or on swampy land; and because they did not serve in the army they were made to pay very heavy fines or rents to the govern- ment, because of the false accusations, the chamberlain made against them. They had to pay fifty gulden rent, per hide. A hide is a small piece of land, enough for two persons to live on. The whole sum collected from those who dwelt in the swamp land was about fifty-thousand gulden; and from Dantzig several thousand.
The Mennonites complained of this. suffering and the Land Court took it up and relieved them from these griev- ances. The king of Prussia saw that the chamberlain had deceived him. and gave them new privileges. He al- so compelled his officer, the chamber- lain, to destroy the written authority he had given to him. After that, their condition was happy in the neighbor- hood of the Dantzig, and they took new heart and built dykes, drained the swampy land. and cultivated that. which was desolate. The govern- ment protected them in their rights. The king said that the dykes which they built along the Drausees and the Sogat Rivers were splendid examples to posterity. These Mennonites lo- cated in the northeastern part of Prussia when they were driven out of Holland. The king also gave them ex- emption from war taxes forever. (Brons p. 256).
1642-Rupp's Account of Mennonite Sufferings at This Date.
We have given in a prior item from other sources the names of Lancaster County ancestors, who suffered from 1640 onward. Rupp in his history of Lancaster County (page 72) says that, among those who suffered was Hans Miller, Hans Jacob Hess, Rudolph Bachman, Ulrich Miller. Oswald Lan-
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MANDATES AND SUFFERINGS IN ZURICH
dis, Fanny Laudis, Barbara Neff, Hans Meylin and his two sons. He says that these sufferings occurred about 1643.
1643-Joost Hendrick's Account of Suffering in Zurich.
This year, when thirty men and women of the Mennonite faith were in the Ottenbach prison of Switzerland, a Christian man of Holland named Joost Hendrick wrote about their suf- ferings. We have spoken before of the series of pamphlets written upon these hardships; but we now quote a part of Hendrick's letter written to Bontemps whom we have also men- tioned before. He says, upon the re- fusal to leave their lands, persecution and imprisonment followed; and in a short time these people were compell- ed to pay about eighty- thousand Reichthalers. They were also im- prisoned in a horrible manner-so horrible it cannot be described. About Easter there were thirty of them im- prisoned in a small. dark dungeon. Most of them were so sick that they looked like dead. They even had wo- men fast in chains.
This is the condition about Zurich. A man named Isaac Hattaver, a Men- nonite elder in Amsterdam, also states they suffered, the greatest in Nether- land, and were in great excitement and offered prayers for their Swiss brethren daily. They are satisfied the worst representations were the truth. So they sent their brother Hattaver to call on business friends in Zurich and get the truth. He did so, He got a letter to the prisoners; and admon- ished them to be mild; and they may get permission to leave. He says "They hope to come to Holland. We can get about to $200.00 to help them. Zurich claims that the Mennonites were disobedient and must be treated harsh. Our brethren say they did make a hole in the wall and broke out of jail; it was so bad they could not stay. They say the people are joining
the faith and this is why Zurich is punishing them. Something must be done to help these people."
This is what Hendricks wrote about the condition at the very time the suffering was going on. (Brons p. 201).
1644-Another Futile Mandate from Zurich.
This year a final mandate was is-" sued against Mennonites preaching throughout Switzerland. After this mandate and its failure there was a season of freedom allowed the Menno- nites.
This edict demanded that there should be no more Mennonite preach- ing-that no one should attend any services the Mennonites attempted to hold-nor should any person harbor or give aid to any of them. All judges and magistrates and sheriffs and Reformed preachers and elders and adherents and God-fearing people were to help execute this edict under penalty.
A final effort was made to put the former decrees of 1585 and 1597 into execution, in 1644 because as they said the Mennonite heresy was taking deeper root than ever (Müller 136). Efforts were particularly directed against the teachers and leaders.
The authorities were first to rea- son with the offenders and if that did not bring the result to imprison them confiscate their goods and do whatever may be needed. Those arrested were to be sent to Zurich. (Do. 134.)
1614-The Prominent Swiss Names, Stauffer, Zug and Neuhauser Appear.
In an edict promulgated through- out the region of Berne April 11. 1644, a demand was made upon all loyal adhierents by the Reformed Church to capture the leaders of the Mennonite "heresy" throughout the land. Among these the mandate. or- dered particularly that Christian
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