Anabaptist Emigration from the Old Republic of Bern

Authors

Delbert Gratz

Keywords

Anabaptists, emigration, Bern

Abstract

From my living room window· I see several of the farms that were the cradle of our Bernese Mennonite Settlement made in Putnam County, Ohio, in the mid-183O's. My mind often wonders as I gaze at these old buildings, the fields and forests. I try to imagine: What these first Bernese saw when they arrived here; How they reacted to the wilderness and its animals and also to its few remaining aboriginal inhabitants; What they talked about - their memories, their concerns for themselves and their progeny; What their social, cultural, economic and religious life was like in the land that they had left; and, especially, Why they left a land like Switzerland that I had learned about in school to be a beautiful country with inhabitants who enjoyed 1 iving under a government well known for its democracy.

Recommended Citation

Gratz, Delbert (1992) "Anabaptist Emigration from the Old Republic of Bern," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 28: No. 2, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review/vol28/iss2/3