A FRESH
START IN A NEW LAND
Many
years have passed since the Swiss emigrants left Switzerland and began
the long journey that changed their lives forever. The trip was
dangerous and difficult, but the prospect of a new life in a new land
brought them to the United States of America. There were casualties
along the way, but some of the hardy survivors went on to establish the
community we know today as Southern Adams County. Some of the settlers
had come for new opportunities in the great land of America. Others had
come because of tremendous persecution for their Anabaptist beliefs and
practices.
Persecution for the Swiss Anabaptists began as early as January, 1525, as believers in Zürich were arrested, imprisoned or killed for their religious convictions. Some were forced into the military with double fines or drowning if they persisted in their beliefs. As the numbers of followers of Menno Simons and other reformers increased, they became a threat to the established churches and authorities. They endured many decades of harassment before large groups left the Motherland and sought freedom elsewhere.
Many of the Swietzer Dietche speaking immigrants from Canton Bern and surrounding areas came first to Wayne County, Ohio, and then to the less expensive territories in Adams County, Indiana, in the 1830s. The town of Berne was platted in 1852. Here they were free to practice their faith.
In 1838 Christian and Peter Baumgartner moved from Wayne County to Adams County. A year later they were joined by their brother, David Baumgartner, and the Baumgartner Church began. A few years later the Muensterberg Mennonite Church was established. The two later merged to become the present First Mennonite Church.
For the new Americans, settling in Adams County enabled them to live according to the dictates of their consciences. They built sturdy homes, established on a strong faith that sustained them through their arduous journeys, worked the soil, and began businesses that met the settlers' needs as they became citizens in the new land. They brought with them their European culture and hardiness, which has taken them successfully through several generations to today. It is this heritage that Swiss Heritage Society strives to preserve for future generations
Persecution for the Swiss Anabaptists began as early as January, 1525, as believers in Zürich were arrested, imprisoned or killed for their religious convictions. Some were forced into the military with double fines or drowning if they persisted in their beliefs. As the numbers of followers of Menno Simons and other reformers increased, they became a threat to the established churches and authorities. They endured many decades of harassment before large groups left the Motherland and sought freedom elsewhere.
Many of the Swietzer Dietche speaking immigrants from Canton Bern and surrounding areas came first to Wayne County, Ohio, and then to the less expensive territories in Adams County, Indiana, in the 1830s. The town of Berne was platted in 1852. Here they were free to practice their faith.
In 1838 Christian and Peter Baumgartner moved from Wayne County to Adams County. A year later they were joined by their brother, David Baumgartner, and the Baumgartner Church began. A few years later the Muensterberg Mennonite Church was established. The two later merged to become the present First Mennonite Church.
For the new Americans, settling in Adams County enabled them to live according to the dictates of their consciences. They built sturdy homes, established on a strong faith that sustained them through their arduous journeys, worked the soil, and began businesses that met the settlers' needs as they became citizens in the new land. They brought with them their European culture and hardiness, which has taken them successfully through several generations to today. It is this heritage that Swiss Heritage Society strives to preserve for future generations
