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 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51
The only excuse for devoting so much time and space to these letters is that, the people of whom Everling (now perhaps Eberly) writes, are the ancestors of at least 90 per cent. of the German and Swiss descendants forming the back bone of our country today.
1671-Berne Holds Mennonites as Hostages.
Not only did the exodus into the Palatinate suddenly grow to great proportions during this year, but Berne began the custom of compelling the Mennonite congregations in that
117
SWITZERLAND PROHIBITS GALLEY TORTURE.
part of Switzerland, to send hostages to compel the congregations to obey the stringent rules laid down for these brethren. Each congregation was com- pelled to send two or three prominent men to Berne whom Berne could tor- ture, send to the Venetian galleys or kill, if the congregation disobeyed. Three of these hostages were Andrew Mowrer of Thun and Christian Oesch and Peter Forney (Fahrni) (Müller 144. p. 339).
1671 -- Mennonites' Friends Find Hos- pitals for Them.
Flamming, a friend of the Swiss Mennonites this year wrote to Berne expressing sympathy for them. But the only effect was to offend the coun- cil of Berne. He was sent word that, his interference was resented by the Berne government and if he did not stop it, complaints would be made to his government, Holland.
Another friend, B. Fisher, however, was allowed to gather sick Mennonites together and bring them to an Orphan House in Basle (Müller 198).
1671-Switzerland Prohibits Galley Punishment.
Müller in Chapter 13, of his book (p. 215) sets out that galley punishment was useful to "men of war," that is war vessels, for many years. Criminals and those whose lives were considered of little value were condemned to such fate. Several of the cantons of Switz- erland had contracts with Venice to supply her galley slaves for which Venice paid a good price. Venice had wars with Turkey and needed them. As early as 1540 Mennonites of Switz- erland were sent to the galleys. In 1613 Galli Fuchs and Hans Landis were so condemned. In 1648 Stentz and Burger were also sent to the galleys. But a couple years later the government of Switzerland condemned sending respectable Mennonites to such fate. However under the pretext of punishing criminals our ancestors
were so sent up to the time of the exodus in 1671. March 6, 1671 an edict was issued abolishing the galley torture (Müller 215-219).
1671 -- Galley Masters Show Kindness to Mennonites.
Müller tells us that toward the last, the galley Masters themselves showed kindness to the Mennonites who were sent to them to be chained to the gal- leys. They allowed them, as a distinct favor, to keep their beards. They were known as the bearded oarsmen, and the cruel masters of Venice said of theni "Those bearded oarsmen we need not keep constantly in. sight They are conscientious. They prefer to carry their fetters over the Alps to us and suffer. on distant seas, than deny their faith, of which their un- shorn beards in the midst of criminals bear testimony. They are not crimi- nals, but good men" (Müller 219).
1671-The Mowrers, Oeschs and For- neys Appear.
As shown by the above item about this year we find the above named common Lancaster County family names in and about Berne (Müller 339). Müller says that these men were made to suffer financially more than bodily. It was announced that if this does not make the Mennonites go ,a great number of hostages would be taken.
1671-The Eggwyl Congregation To Be Wiped Out.
May 3, this year the bailiff of Sig- nau was instructed to tell the Men- nonite congregation of Eggwyl that they, (who are well known to them), were to be taken at once and be im- prisoned in the Orphan Asylum, and if they do not come and surrender themselves within 14 days, armed men would be sent for them at the expense of the congregation. But up to Sept. 26, nothing was done to deliver up these Mennonites of Eggwyl.
118
SWITZERLAND TAKES MENNONITE HOSTAGES.
Then another method was tried, their eyes they fell upon his neck and which was effective in some places. There were twelve of the wealthiest people of the congregation to be sent to Berne to be kept on the expense of the congregation until the Menno- nites were either delivered up or quit the country. Oct. 4 they were given eight days more; and as to the 12 hostages, six were to be sent away to exile or thie galleys, and after eight days the other six were to suffer. These twelve were in addition to two, prior ones who were to be executed, because their congregation did not obey.
The result of this was that the whole Eggwyl congregation took their departure as is shown by the testi- mony of their minister. Then the hos- tages were discharged and their ex- penses were refunded to them as a special favor. But the congregation was compelled to pay some expenses. Hostages were also demanded about the same time from the congregations of Guggisberg and Schwarzenberg and from Thun (Müller 339).
1671-John Floss's Account of Swiss Mennonite Suffering.
On December 19, the Mennonite con- gregation of Crefeld wrote a letter to the congregation at Amsterdam, the sense of which is as follows:
"Our brother John Floss informs us that on October 21, coming from Heidelberg he met about 20 brethren at Manheim in the Palatinate who had arrived there the day before from Berne; and they offered a pitiable appearance. Mostly they were old people of fifty, sixty and even seventy years of age. Many were bare and naked, and for more than a year they had not had a night's rest in their house. He says they told him their distressing and pitiable condition with bitter tears which was very sad and touching. After they had received his sympathy and alms, with tears in
showed their gratitude. They further related that they could no longer re- main in Switzerland on account of the strict and cruel mandates and the anxiety that caused. They expect about 40 more persons to arrive if they have not been intercepted. as the roads and passes are well guarded, because the Swiss authorities do not want to let them get out of the coun- try. Many were sent to the galleys, and others were scourged and whipped and burnt with branding irons. Among them was an exhorter who died a few days after being branded. Others were cast into prison where they suffered misery and hunger. (Müller 199.)
1671-Palatines' Account of Similar Sufferings.
This year an account was given by the Mennonites who had reached the Palatinate, of the suffering of their brethren in Switzerland. The account states that fully 100 families have fled. The Palatinate was now overrun by the refugees; and the brethren now in the Palatinate are too few and poor to help the fugitives very much. Many who arrive, even in the cold winter are nearly bare and naked. The Palatinate brethren find themselves under the severe necessity of calling upon the well-to-do Amsterdam Men- nite congregation and people to help clothe and feed the Swiss sufferers now flocking into the Palatinate. (Müller 199.)
1672-List of Swiss Refugees Near the Palatinate.
. Müller (200-204) gives the following list of Swiss Mennonites near the Palatinate in 1672 as found by Valen- tine Huetwol and Lichty between Brehm and Bingen.
There were: George Lichty (or Light-Hans Borchalter (Burkholder) and his wife-Michael Oxenheim- Adam Burkholder --- Christian Immel --
:
FAMILIAR LANCASTER COUNTY NAMES IN THE PALATINATE, 119
Melchoir Brenneman-Margaret Beil- er-Babbie Schappe-Frona Engler- Ulrich Enders-Barbara Reusser ( Ris- ser)-Michael Schnebeli (Snavely)- Daniel Snavely-Hans Van Giente- Margaret Biery-Mary Ummel-Bab- Lie Reauformet-Anna Reumschwang- er-Hans Reuscher-Hans Eucher- Daniel Reuscher-Frona Robel -- May Anthony-Christian Robel-Catherine Dinzeler - Christian Reusommet - Hans Reusommet-Christian Stauffer - Peter Reigshoerer Hans Matti (Maili)-Ulrich Strom-Ulrich Bitner -Christian Klari-Babbie Kingels- becker - Magdalena Luthi - Peter Walte - Mary Bauman - Christian Stauffer - Anna Stauffer -- Daniel Stanffert-Hans Stauffert - Barbara Lehman - Ulrich Lehman - Ulrich Kuehner - Elizabeth Einsberger - - Michael Shenk-Hans Shenk-Babbie
-
Staller - Nicholas Kieffer - Hans Jurien - Magdalena Krapf - Babbie Weilman - Michael Müller - Ulrich Stauffer-Katharine Kuene (Kahni)- Bets Bachman-Hans Müller-Chris- tian Shenk --- Ulrich Laubel - Babe Burki (Burkey) - Hans Ezmann - Hans Egman (son)-Hans Roet (Rupp or Roth) - Hans Schneider - Babe Ruesser (Risser)-Christian Wenger -Stephen Luechtie (Lichty or Light) - Ulrich Lichty - Peter Boomgaert (Baumgardner)-Maria Kraebel-Bar- bara Fredericks and Barbara Schenk.
All these persons were found in 1672 between the places mentioned above, Brehm and Bingen, a territory near the Palatinate, but somewhat above it toward Switzerland. This fact proves that our persecuted an- cestors at this time were migrating slowly out of cruel Switzerland (and away from Berne) toward the Palati- nate where in 1671 over 700 of their brethren had gone.
This item is of interest to us because in the list set out, appear many of our present day. numerous Lancaster County and eastern Pennsylvania
names. Among these are Burkholder, Breneman, Schup or Shoff. Stauffer, Maili, Strom, Bauman, Shenk, Miller, Bachman, Snyder, Wenger, Kraebel, Bauman and others.
1672-Galley Punishment Generally Fatal.
In the Amsterdam Archives there is a statement that the lot of the Men- nonites were on a certain galley snip which had gone to the Island of corfu. and that it is supposed that will be the last that will ever be seen of them. They are hardly ever known to come back. (Müller 219).
1672-Swiss Refugees State Their Own Miseries.
This same year the Swiss refugees in one of their own petitions to Am- sterdam ask for help. They also had prominent Amsterdam people approve the petition and among them we find the names of Valentine Hutewoll- George Lichty-Jacob Gut-Christ. Peters-Uly Seyler (now Saylor) and Hands Loescher (now Lescher). Lichty and Gut are Swiss names how- ever. The petition runs as follows: "Beloved brethren and sisters in Hol- Tand and elsewhere and particularly our friend Hans Flamming-We wish to report to you that our people here are driven out of Berne and came to the Palatinate where our brethren were already there to receive us; and we are staying with them, and they are supplying us with food. clothes and drink, but because there are so many of us who have nothing, and our brethren here are not well off, we are great burden to them-and too heavy a load for them to carry. We find ourselves compelled to write you in the Netherlands, and there are so many charitable people of our faith, that we ask them to give us alms which we sorely need. No doubt. Jacob Everling has told of our condi- tions; and we therefore believe you
120
NUMBER OF MENNONITES IN THE PALATINATE.
will understand our petition, dated | 1674-William Penn's Interest in the January 1, 1672."
This petition was indorsed by Everling, whose home we have noticed before was about eight miles north- west of Manheim. (Müller 205).
1672-Everling Statistics of Menno- nites Residing about the Palatinate.
Müller (p. 205) states further the statistics of Jacob Everling which he sent from Darmsteiner County or con- ference district to the Netherlands, detailing the Mennonites situated in the Rhine valley, east of the Palati- nate, being near to it. He says that in that year 1672, in Darmsteiner section, the number of Mennonites, counting the women and children was 144-in Hilsbach round about Heidel- berg 250-among whom there were 19 widows and unmarried women-of women who left their husbands and children and remained with the Re- formed religion 4-in Manheim are settled 11 making a total east of the Rhine of four hundred twenty-eight. In the congregation at Alzey, among which are people of the Town of Obersultzen, Chriesum, Osthoben and other places, according to Huetwold's register which places are west of the Rhine, and in the upper part of the Palatinate, there were 215 Mennonites. This makes a total of six hundred forty-three persons just above the Palatinate and just east of it. The Swiss authorities compute that there were about one hundred Mennonites in Alsace at this time. Among these latter, there were twelve teachers of the faith. Henry Funk was one of them. In the Amsterdam Archives there is an account of the moneys paid for the relief of the Swiss settling above the Rhine country, which states the sum to be 11,290 florin, which in our money was about $4500.00. The account is Number 1198 in the said archives.
Mennonites of Emden.
This year William Penn wrote a letter to the Magistrates of Emden, counselling them to kindness toward the Mennonites and preaching the Gospel of Peace. Brons says that he also visited this section of Germany. They were much impressed by him, and some of them were the first to come to the new world. Several let- ters of these people are in the Amster- dam Archives, in which letters they plead for more toleration. One of them is signed by a member of the Mennonite congregation by the name of Von Ravenstein. It was in conse- quence of these letters that William Penn wrote to the magistrates. Penn's letter was written partly in Latin and partly in English; and was sent to a business friend of his in Amsterdam to have it translated into German, and then forwarded to the sufferers. It seems that the original letter, in a very bad condition, as well as a copy of it, are printed and preserved in the Archives of the City Hall in Emden. It is so classic that it is worth while to rescue it from oblivion says Brons (p. 223) ; and she has the letter com- plete in German in her book as a sup- plement, page 435. Emden is a city of about fourteen thousand people in the state of Hanover, Germany, bor- dering on Holland on an arm of the North Sea.
1678-Holland Helps the Mennonites in the Palatinate.
This year the Holland Mennonites furnished 30,000 florin and also sent ships up the Rhine toward Switzer- land to bring the distressed brethren down into the Palatinate and into Hol- land where they would not be sub- jected to such suffering as the Re- formed Church was heaping upon 'hem; and a short time later 20.000 more were collected for the relief of the hundreds that were lately come
121
TELNER AND THE MENNONITES.
into the Palatinate. This shows in what distress they were. (Müller 162).
1678-Jacob Telner Comes to the Delaware.
Müller tells us (p. 364) that, this year Jacob Telner came to America from Crefeld, Germany. He had, for some years been interesting himself in the welfare of his brethren. The outcome of his visit was that a little later 13 families from Crefeld consist- ing of 33 persons followed him and landed October 5, 1683. This was the beginning of Germantown. Telner re- mained from 1678 to 1681, says Brons. (p. 221). He bought 5000 acres of land on Skippack Creek in 1682 and the next year six more came; and each bought 1000 acres.
1680-Mennonite Alleged Secrets Exposed.
This year Seyler wrote a work. the purpose of which was to expose the Mennonites, as he said, being an al- leged exposition of their secret rites. He was of the Reformed Church, much opposed to the Mennonites. He was pastor at Basle, (Müller, 3).
1680-Jacob Telner and the Five Hundred Year Comet.
The great comet whose appearance occurs once very 500 years and which appeared in the time of Caesar again appeared in 1680. It is the most im- portant of all comets known to astronomers. Jacob Telner was deep- ly moved by its appearance and con- cluded that it had appeared as a guid- ing star to lead the suffering of Switzerland to freedom. And every night as it hung in the West, he con- cluded that it beckoned them to America. (Pennsypacker's Settlement of Germantown, p. 126).
1682-Early Germans Beg to be Naturalized.
At a very early date these Palatines felt their disadvantage and on the 6th
of December, 1682, we find them to- gether with the Finns and Swedes presenting a petition to the Assembly asking that they may be made free as the other members of the Province, and that they might hold and enjoy land and pass it to their children the same as others; and that they might be naturalized. The Assembly re- commended this (Vol. 1 of Votes of Assembly, Part 1, p. 3). These Pala- tines of course, were the pioneers of Germantown and were not in Lancas- ter County at this early date. It was the law, however, that no foreigner could be naturalized unless he paid taxes to the extent of 20 shllings; and the Palatines complained very loudly against this, for in those days it was a large sum.
1682-"Lambister" and "Sonnister" Factions of the Mennonites.
About this time according to Müller (p. 162), a large part of the Holland Mennonites divided into two factions over a doctrinal difference upon Christ as the "Son of God" and Christ as the "Lamb of God"; and the factions were called the "Lambists" and the "Son- ists." The question of the "Ban" or separation from the world began to cause more trouble. One party tried to tear down the meeting houses built by the others. The separation grew wider and there were all shades of belief from the Strict Flammingers to the liberal Frieseners and the more liberal Waterlanders. The Holland church has always been strong and has 40.000 souls today. Her theolog- ical faculty is inter-denominational. There are 120 preachers that are University men, (Do.).
1683-Germantown: The First Per- manent Mennonite Settlement in America.
In Kauffman's Mennonite History, p. 126, it is stated that the first Men- nonite settlers made up of 13 families reached America on October, 1683;
--
122
MENNONITES AND MILITIA-NEW CODE.
and that a few days after their ar- | 1687-Basel Mennonites Print a New rival, fourteen divisions of land were Testament. measured off to them, and they pro- This year the Mennonites printed a New Testament in Basel. It was at once denounced as false by the author- ities of the Government at Berne and ordered to be suppressed. The mandate also said that all of the Anabaptist or Mennonite meetings should be sup- pressed for the honor of God and His church. However, as late as 1692 we find the authorities trying to get rid of this New Testament, (Müller, p. 104). ceeded to the cave of Pastorius, in which he lived at this time, on the banks of the Delaware and drew lots, each family taking one lot, and the fourteenth for Pastorius. They be- gan to dig cellars and build huts at once. Some of the first ones were Hendricks, Cassels, Rittenheisens. Van Bebbers and Updegraffs. The colony was so poor for a while that it was named Armentown, which means in the English, "Poor Town." This custom of living in caves was one 16SS-Mennonites Forced Into the Militia. which the old Swedes established about forty years before. When trade One of the first instances of the Anabaptists or Mennonites refusing to serve in the army or do any sort of military duty, occurred in 1688. This enraged the Council of Berne. The Government decided that there should be militia musters several times a year and that all men of the Canton of Berne were compelled to wear a short sword at their side to indicate that they were loyal to the Govern- ment. The purpose in this was to find out who were Taufers or Menno- nites, and by the absence of this sword this could be told, (Müller, p. 132). began to grow so that wharves were needed along the Delaware river, the people who had their caves built along it would not give them up. They did afterwards give them up, and now their descendants are living in very elegant mansions on Spruce Street and Pine Street in Philadelphia. These Mennonite families came in the ship "Concord." They did not mingle with the Swiss Mennonites on the Pequea, who came later. It seems that the Germans and the Swiss being of dis- tinct nationalities, also kept their settlement separate.
1681-A Company of German Palatines Arrive in Philadelphia.
This year a lot of German Palatines who had a special invitation from William Penn arrived in America, ac- cording to the statements set forth in the petition of Johannes Koster found in Vol. 2 of the Col. Rec., p. 241. This petition is dated 1706 and in it, he says that 22 years before many of his German brethren encouraged by Wil- liam Penn came here and their in- dustry changed the uncultvated lands into good settlements, and behaved themselves well; and that they always will be ready to do anything for the welfare of Pennsylvania, that they can.
16SS-Mennonites' New Code of Re- ligious Rules and Practice.
This year the ancient articles of faith from those of the times of Hans Seckler about 1528 down to this date, were gathered together and augment- ed and re-adopted at a meeting held at Obersultzen, March 5th. Some of the principal landmarks in this code were the minutes of the meeting in Starsburg in 1568-the minutes of the Strasburg meeting of 1667, and others. This was not the real confession of faith because the old Dortrecht con- fession was still in use; but this col- lection was rather a code of rules for the moral welfare of the Mennonites. Among the common directions given
.
·
i
123
MENNONITE RULES-OPPOSITION TO SLAVERY.
in them was that: the church should | ren, so that they had not only the dis- follow only the practice laid down in pleasure of the Government but the disadvantage of being imposed upon by the people, (Müller, p. 52). early Christian times by the apostles -brethren and sisters should meet three or four times a week and when 16SS-Jacob Telner's Continued Af- forts on Skippack. gathered they should read something about the scriptures and explain it, and they should read the Psalter daily Müller devotes chapter 22 of his book to the Swiss Mennonites in North America, (p. 364). In this chapter he states, after telling us about the founding of Germantown in 1682, that Jacob Telner in 1688 from Crefeld, became very much interested in this place in America for the Men- nonites. Telner eventually got up a colony of these brethren and landed them on the Skippack creek, one of the early Mennonite centers in Amer- ica, near the Schuylkill. -all scandals should be suppressed- that there should be separation from the worldy-that servants, elders and deacons should go through the dif- ferent congregations and find how they fared spiritually and look after the widows and the orphans. A rule was enforced that the rich should edu- cate the poor-that, at the breaking of bread all must kneel-that in part- ing the brotherly holy kiss of peace should be given-that those who were tailors or mechanics should not make 16SS -- The Mennonites First Regular Pracher in America. any fancy garments or articles of any kind, for the brethren or any one else, This book on p. 127, Kauffman in- forms us that in 1688 William Ritten- huisen was the first minister. He was born in Holland in 1644 and died in Pennsylvania in 1708. He moved to New 1678 Amsterdam about and reached Germantown in 1688 and be- gan preaching. In 1690 he built the first paper mill in America at Rox- borough near Germantown. He was ordained the first Bishop of the Church in 1701. His descendants are still among the active workers of that church. Also see Müller, p. 364. because it would help the worldliness along-that money should be gath- ered up and given to the deacons and elders to relieve suffering -- that if any one owed his brother or sister money, they should demand it and set a time for payment, but never enter any suit or issue any execution for it-that in villages where the Government com- pels people to be watchmen at night, brothers should be willing to be watchmen or sentries, but they should not have any guns or weapons in their hands. because they might hurt some- body-that the brother could hire a 16SS-The Mennonites the First to Protest Against Slavery. substitute for watchman if he wished to-and that money could be loaned out at interest, but only in case of necessity should any interest be taken, that is, if the party had needed his interest to live on.
These were some of the main rules that were re-adopted by the primative brethren for their peaceful conduct and life in early days. The main dif- ficulty was that being surrounded by the wicked conditions, all manner of advantage was taken of these breth-
Kauffman tells us in his book and page 127 that in 1688 the Mennonites of Germantown sent their protest against slavery to the Friends quarter- ly meeting. This was the first known public protest in America against human slavery. It is not iniproper to notice that in 1712 the Assembly of Pennsylvania moved by a big petition passed an Act against slavery, (See Vol. 2 of the Votes of Assembly, p. 110) and also (Vol. 2 of the Statutes at
124
MENNONITE MARRIAGES VOID.
Large, p. 433). How different might | refuse all military exercise which is have been the history of America if these early protests of the Mennonite Brethren and the pious pioneers of Pennsylvania had been heeded.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.