Volume XXXX, Number 1 February 2008 Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society To educate and inspire Mennonite families and congregations and the broader community through promotion of the history, beliefs, and lifestyle of the Mennonite expression of the Anabaptist tradition. Around the time of the first communication to Dutch Mennonites in Amsterdam from suffering Swiss Anabaptists (see below), Rembrandt paint - What’s Inside ed these portraits of Pieter Sijen and his wife, Marretje, Dutch Mennonite • What’s Going On friends and patrons in Amsterdam, 1633-4, according to art historian Jaap • Upcoming Tours Van der Veen. Given Rembrandt’s Mennonite connections, he likely - Colonial Churches woul d have known about persecution of Swiss counterparts in the faith. - New Amsterdam (New York For more information about Rembrandt’s ties to Mennonites, contact us for a paper delivered last fall by Dutch scholar Piet Visser on this subject. City) Anabaptists • Library Catalog Online • Summer Intership Society Hosts March 3 Täuferjahr 2007 and • Annual Banquet: 50th Birthday Quarterly Meeting Amazing Surprises by Joanne Hess Siegrist Celebration “When our ancestors were • Director’s Reflections refugees: The author reviews Four good friends sit outside his research on documents Emmental’s Show Dairy in • Meet Three Board Members from Brotherly Love ” Affoltern, Switzerland. Pictured • Genealogy Conference n Monday, March 3, at 7 pm, from left to right are Maja • Spring PA German Classes Othe Society will hold our quar - Burkhalter – an organizer for the terly meeting at Mellinger Mennonite Amish exhibit at this site; Joanne Church. James Lowry, trans - Events lator and writer of the recent - Monday, March 3: Society quarter - ly published book, ly meeting, 7 pm, Mellinger Documents of Brotherly Love: th Mennonite Church, “17 century Dutch Mennonite Aid to Dutch Mennonite Aid to Swiss Swiss Anabaptists, 1635-1709 , Anabaptists,” with James Lowry will be our speaker. At the Sunday, March 9: Volunteer meeting, David Rempel Appreciation Tea, 2-4 pm at the Smucker, one of the book’s Society editors, will discuss its contri - bution to genealogical Wednesday, March 12 and research. Hess Siegrist — USA liaison chair for Thursday, March 13, 10-week This ground-breaking book docu - Swiss Täuferjahr 2007 [Anabaptist Pennsylvania German classes start ments the assistance given to our Year 07 in Switzerland]; Elise Davis Friday, March 14 AND Friday, April Swiss German Mennonite forebears from their Dutch Mennonite counter - Kägi – an organizer for the Amish 18: Benefit Book Auctions, 6:30 exhibit; and Ruth Leuenberger- pm at the Society parts that ultimately enabled our ancestors to immigrate here to Moser, of the Reformed Church, a April 18-19, Lancaster Family Lancaster County Pennsylvania long time Swiss hostess for History Conference at Eden Resort almost 300 years ago. Mennonite-Your-Way visitors. Inn, Lancaster, Pa. Painstakingly transcribed and Photo credit: Don Siegrist, 2006. translated by Lowry from Dutch and Saturday, May 17: Annual Banquet en years ago, my husband, Don, German (and occasionally Latin and Tand I would have never have Monday, June 2, Society quarterly French), this volume covers the peri - dreamed of even half of the Swiss meeting, 7 pm, author Ervin od just prior to immigration to happenings we experienced from Stutzman discusses his book, Lancaster. Its 82 source documents April 2005 to December 2007. Since Emma: A Widow among the Amish come from a treasure trove of our college days we loved learning of archival documents that until now our Swiss roots and related Anabap- August 13-16, Annual Bookworm was largely inaccessible. Lowry has tist history; however, this time period Frolic - Continued on page 2 - Continued on page 2 1 www.lmhs.org [email protected] 717-393-9745 WHAT’S GOING ON March Quarterly Meeting - Continued from page 1 ? ? ? ? an MA in Classics from the University of Chicago and has taught on Fulbright fellowships in Pakistan and Austria. The author of many scholarly articles PaHR-Access (People for Better and three previous books (the Martyrs’ Mirror is another area of research for Pennsylvania Historical Records him), Lowry is a member of the Washington County, Maryland and Franklin Access) asks for your help to make County, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Church. Lowry will discuss the joys and Pennsylvania state death certificates challenges of doing this work over the last decade. He has been supported from 1906-1957 available online, by the US-based Amsterdam Archives Committee through the Lancaster similar to what states like Arizona, Mennonite Historical Society. Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Utah and West Virginia already have done. Täuferjahr 2007 - Continued from page 1 Genealogists experience the frus- tration of having to provide several brought something totally different. that had not happened for more than pieces of information (including While hosting Swiss guests in our 25 years. We middle-age folks want- when and where the person died) to home, visiting in many of their ed to finally honor our senior relatives file your request, when quite often homes, and networking for Täuferjahr for their great reunions of the 1950’s the very information you are asked 2007 we experienced wonderful one- & 1960’s. By necessity, I was double- to supply is the very information you on-one exchanges with members of booked that weekend, for it was the are looking for and the very reason the Swiss Reformed Church. These only time to host four Swiss guests for your wanting the death certifi- bright, warm, energetic, alive including Peter Opitz, a history pro- cate. Christians held deep pain as they dis- fessor at Zürich University specializ- To change these burdensome and covered the ways their church had ing in Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575), paradoxical restrictions, both Pa. and treated Anabaptists (or Täufer, in an early leader in the Swiss out-of-state residents are asked to German) from 1525 through the early Reformation. contact Pennsylvania state officials 1800’s. We heard their requests for As we approached the weekend More information available at forgiveness and healing. In their we learned a big surprise – Peter’s users.rcn.com/timarg/PaHR-Access church communities, we learned mother was a Reist from Dürrenroth, or contact Tim Gruber, spokesper- more about their quest for reconcilia- Switzerland, the exact village where son for PaHR-Access at tion and new life. our Reist family line originated! [Peter [email protected] For me personally, these were Reist (c. 1702-1743) and wife, holy, profound hours, and soon I was Anaclore Boyer, were 1724 Do you enjoy helping people working on helping to plan and publi- Anabaptist immigrants to Lancaster find answers to their questions? cize Täuferjahr 2007 events. In the County, Pa., who began our Reist The Lancaster Mennonite Historical process I experienced plans fitting homestead of 540 acres in Penn Society is looking for volunteers to together in surprising, timely ways Township, Manheim, Pa., with a 1734 assist visitors in the library on a and amazing contacts falling into per- warrant and a 1738 patent from regular basis. The work involves ori- fect order. William Penn’s sons.] From our Swiss enting patrons to the library and its This past July, while flying from the visitor, Peter Opitz, we also learned resources, helping visitors to find USA to Switzerland, I couldn’t sleep a how the regular path to school for information in the library and wink because I felt a personal need Peter’s wife, Elisabeth, was directly archives, and answering telephone to write about the 20 miracles I expe- beside Trachselwald Castle, the place calls at the reference desk. This is a rienced while working on Täuferjahr where Anabaptists were imprisoned wonderful opportunity to learn 2007. Here are just two of these sto- and tortured. (Nine months later we while volunteering, especially for ries: walked those same paths with those with an interest in family, Reist Family Connections Elisabeth, following in the footsteps of our earlier Täufer relatives.) church, and local history. Help is October 8, 2005, and it was time needed on Tuesday afternoons and for our big Reist Reunion, something - Continued on page 3 Thursdays. Familiarity with comput- ers and a willingness to learn would be most helpful. For more information contact Steve Ness The Pennsylvania German Society is issues pertaining to Church members; (717-393-9745; [email protected]). holding its annual meetings on June the relations between Brethren and 6-7, 2008 in conjunction with the other Pennsylvania Germans; religion Young Center for Anabaptist and among the Pennsylvania Germans; Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown College, comparisons or relationships between The Mirror (USPS) is a bimonthly newsletter published by the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, which is commemorating 300 years Church and Plain Sect Pennsylvania 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. since the founding of the Church of Germans. Contact Dr. William W. Phone: 717-393-9745; fax: 717-393-8751. email: [email protected] web address www.lmhs.org. the Brethren. Pa. German Society is Donner (610-683-4249 or Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. looking for scholarly papers that [email protected]) for more info Periodicals postage paid at Lancaster, PA. ISSN 0738-7237. Editor Beth E. Graybill. examine issues relating to the Church or to submit an abstract of no more POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Mirror, of the Brethren to be presented at the than 500 words by February 22. Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499 conference. Possible topics include: 2 www.lmhs.org [email protected] 717-393-9745 Täuferjahr 2007 - Continued from page 2 Upcoming Tour: Commissioned Art Print. After months of deliberations we learned that the Colonial Churches of Emmental’s Show Dairy would sponsor Liz Hess as their commissioned artist.