History Commons^™

Anabaptist Emigration From The Old Republic Of Bern, Delbert Gratz

Swiss American Historical Society Review

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 …