HERITAGE VOLUME 11 JANUARY, by James Lowry. Do you know the author of any song? Or do

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1 HERITAGE 0\! REVIEW VOLUME JANUARY, 2002 An Inspiring Song Book The Ausbund Peter Riedemann ' s Parting Hymn 3 Three Kinds of Baptism in the New Testament Clearly Outlined 4 God is Not Mocked 5 Amish Minister ' s Meetings of 865 and 97 6 The John K. Fisher Mystery 0 The Peter Schrock Letters Fourth Installment 3 Letters of Warning - A Critique 8 AN INSPIRING SONG BOOK -THE AUSBUND - by James Lowry Do you know the author of any song? Or do you know anyone personally about whom a song is written? If you don ' t, let ' s suppose you do. Let ' s suppose it was written during a time of religious persecution about a good friend of yours. Would you value such a song? Let ' s suppose the song said that your friend was a staunch Christian and that he was captured and imprisoned for this faith. He was tortured, but still didn ' t reveal your name or hiding place. He was finally burned alive for his faith. You probably have never sung such a song, so closely connected with your own personal experience. But many an Anabaptist did have the exper ience of singing such a song about a close friend, a brother or sister in the Lord. What effect would such a song have on you? No doubt a very moving, powerful effect. I have never sung any songs so connected with my own personal lfe, but I have had the experience of singing songs about Anabaptist brothers and sisters who lived 400 years ago. Such songs in spire me. Such songs are collected in the Ausbund, the Anabaptist hymnal which first appeared in print Pronounced OUS bunt ( not AHZZ bund as some English -speaking people say it. ) The Aus is pronounced as the ous in the noun " house. " The u in the second syllable of Ausbund is pronounced as the u in " put. '

2 Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center RITAGE i o\ REVIEW» VOLUME 2 February, 2003 A MANDATE TO THE AMISH IN SALM, ALSACE, by Roy M. Weaver A Mandate to the Amish in Salm, Alsace, 793 Sebastian Franck ( ) A Review of his Life and Beliefs 4 DAS CHRONICA, Zeitbuch u. Geschichts Bibel Sebastian Franck, 53 Translation of Part, pp b, Chronicle of the Heretics under the Roman Church 2, This mandate was issued to the Anabaptists in the northern part of Alsace, in the Salm area, at the time of the French Revolution by the newly established French Republic. The Anabaptists in Salm at that time were Amish, having come from the St. Marie-aux - Mines area, which earlier had the largest concentration of Amish anywhere. Alsace is part of France today, but it was German up to the first years of the French Revolution ( 790 ), and again from 87 to 99. France was ruled by King Louis XIV when the French Revolution broke out. He and his govern ment made concessions to the working class, which had been oppressed. By this he was able to rule, though with considerable turmoil, until August 0, 792. At that time he was over thrown and imprisoned with his family, and France became a Republic instead of a Monarchy. He was executed a short time later. The leaders of the new government had good intentions in many ways, such as giving the working class equal rights, advocating religious freedoms, equal voting rights for all tax - paying citizens, and other changes. But they were ruthless in their treatment of those who did not agree with their style of government. Approximately 300, 000 were imprisoned and 7, 000 executed in the two years this govern ment was in power, until July 24, 794. This period is called the " Reign of Terror. ". This mandate is a good example of this

3 FJTAGE VOLUME 3 JANUARY, 2004 THE SWISS BRETHREN... Poem by George Schwertfeger Poem The Swiss Brethren Our Heritage, A Kurtz Family History 3 Weaver Family Heirloom 5 Old Christmas Why Is This An Amish Holiday?. Of men who ask after Christ, Come to me, I can tell you, For I know quite a few, They are called Anabaptists. These constantly teach Only from the Word of God All their teachings and precepts, Are directed toward peace, As Christ has commanded, They follow this unreservedly. Only among them, there alone, Does one find pure doctrine. The German original of this interesting poem was printed In the April, 929 Mennonlte Ouarterly Review, 5-54 A variant copy from an unknown source Is at Ohio Amish Library. Nothing certain Is known about the author - teacher, George Schwertfeger, beyond that he was not an Anabaptist. The manuscript used In the MOR was copied by Jonathan Zook of Fairfield County, Ohio in 890 and given to his nephew Jonathan Zook of Llgonier, Indiana. It Is past and present, about the Amish and Mennonites,especially in Ohio. We invite articles and information. Memberships to the Ohio Amish Library are $20 annually. Single copies of The Heritage Review are available. not known where he got It. The date of writing Is probably 82 or 83, based on the following: Jacob Klpferschmldt, mentioned In verse 0 as " awaiting for his reward, " died In 83. Jacob Klopfensteln began writing his almanac, as mentioned In verse 4, in 82. This poem Is quite positive In Its portrayal of the T&ufer Many of the men named In the poem were leaders of Amish congregations In various places. The writer says he knew most of the Anabaptist leaders from Switzerland to Holland, and attended their worship services frequently. This translation was done by Edward Kline.

4 RTAGE VOLUME 4 JANUARY, 2005 A 98 BUDGET LETTER RESULTS IN TWO ARRESTS - by Edward Kline A 98 Budget Letter Results in Two Arrests A Letter of 00 Years Ago 7 A List of Holmes County Weddings ( CA ) 8 A Ledger Record from 96 9 Historical Profile of Jacob Mast 0 During the first World War, the non - resistant position of the Amish and Mennonites gave occasion for the arrest of an Amish bishop and the editor of THE WEEKLY BUDGET ( as the Sugarcreek paper THE BUDGET was called then ) Manasses E. Bontrager from Dodge City, Kansas was arrested for writing a letter to THE BUDGET in which he discouraged buying war bonds and encouraged faithfulness to the prin ciples of non - resistance. Samuel H. Miller, who was a minister in the Walnut Creek Amish / Mennonite Church and the editor of THE BUDGET, was arrested for publishing the letter in his paper. Coming after 50 years of no war or draft in the United States, since the Civil War, these ar rests were unusual. But throughout the history of the Anabaptist movement tensions resulting from the Anabaptists not taking part in war were not unusual. These tensions played a large role in shaping their destiny and where they lived and moved to. Thousands of the spiritual ancestors of today s Amish and Mennonites were forced to leave their ancestoral homes and coun tries because governments did not accept or tolerate the principle of non- resistance. Not tak ing part in war as well as not taking military duty or training often brought opposition and expulsion, although these were not the only

5 RITAGE VOLUME 5 JANUARY, 2006 " LAWYER " YOST MILLER Gleanings From his Collection of Documents - by Edward Kline YOST MILLER Gleanings from his Collection of Documents AN EARLY HOLMES COUNTY COURT CASE 9 THE ANABAPTIST THEOLOGY OF MARTYRDOM " LAWYER " Yost Miller ( ) served the Amish community in Somerset Co., Pa. in many legal matters from ca After his move to the fledgling Amish community near Walnut Creek, Ohio in 86, he continued to do exten sive work as executor, administrator, guardian, and money collector. For this reason he became known as " Lawyer Yost. " His son Benjamin ( ) assisted in this work and continued it after Yost s death in 846. Throughout their lifetimes Yost and Benjamin collected a vast amount of documents : estate settlements, wills, maps, surveys, letters, and receipts for money and taxes. In the summer of 2005 several boxes of these documents were do nated to Ohio Amish Library by Betty Miller Jeschke. One does not know how many docu ments perished, but 79 catalogued documents and one box of uncatalogued court records sur vived and are included in this collection. These documents were found in a wooden, dove- tailed box, where Yost or Benjamin had placed them. In the late 960s Oscar R and Betty Miller acquired this box and its contents. Oscar was a great -great - great grandson of Yost Miller. After Oscar ' s passing, the papers went to Goshen, Indiana where Betty, now remarried,