Not Amish, Not Quakers ... Moravians!

Everyone has heard of the Amish. If you wander into a Christian fiction section of a bookstore, you won’t be able to escape the present-day fascination with “the plain people.” You’ve probably also heard of Quakers, well-known for their pacifism. But what do you know about Moravians? I’d guess most folks know very little, even though the church of over a million members is still in existence today. My research for my latest work-in-progress led me deep into the history of this unique Protestant European church.

Reformer Jan Hus

The movement began in ancient Bohemia and Moravia in the present-day Czech Republic with converts of Greek Orthodox missionaries. University of Prague Professor of Philosophy and Rector John (or Jan) Hus protested the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and was burned at stake in July 1415. By 1517 the Unitas Fratrum, Unity of Brethren, numbered at least 200,000 and printed the Scriptures for the people in their own language. Following a period of bitter persecution, Moravian families found refuge on the Herrnhut estate of Saxon Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf. The people followed a simplified style of communal living and a watch of continuous prayer that ran for a hundred years.

Zinzendorf as young man

The revival of 1727 led to the Moravian Church becoming the foremost mission-sending organization of its time. Witnesses for Christ sailed to the West Indies, the Caribbean, the Arctic, Africa, the Far East, and North and South America. It was John Wesley’s exposure to a Moravian service that led to his heart being “strangely warmed.”

With the view of reaching Native Americans, the church established settlements in Bethlehem and Nazareth, Pennsylvania in the 1740s. Congregations soon sprang up in Lititz, Philadelphia, and Hope, as well as in New Jersey, Maryland, and Staten Island, New York. In 1753, Bishop Augustus Spangenberg led a party to survey the Wachau Tract of North Carolina. This settlement included Bethabara, Bethania, and Salem (now Winston-Salem).

While Moravians believe largely like other Protestant churches, they did practice some unique traditions, especially during Colonial times. Want to know what living in a choir system meant? Or what it would be like to have your marriage plans “go before the lot”? Check back for future posts! And stay tuned for my upcoming novel, The Witness Tree, about a marriage of convenience in Salem that leads to an adventure in the Cherokee Nation. 

~ Denise Weimer, Denise Weimer Books

First timbered houses built in Salem, NC

Pennsylvania's Colonial Plain People: Quakers, Amish, and Mennonites

After my post last month, which touched on Quaker disownment, one reader mentioned how it seemed similar to shunning, a practice most commonly seen in Anabaptist (primarily Old Order Amish and some Mennonite) communities. So I thought this month I’d talk some about these plain communities, their similarities, and their differences during Pennsylvania’s colonial times.

BACKGROUND

Friends (Quakers) first came to America in 1655. The first two settlers were women, Mary Fisher and Ann Austin, from Barbados. The Puritans persecuted and imprisoned them, but a local man, Nicholas Upsall, was converted to Quakerism by them and helped establish the first Monthly Meeting of Friends in Massachusetts. Twenty years later, Quakers settled in New Jersey, and with William Penn’s holy experiment, throngs of Quakers who were being persecuted by the crown in England immigrated to America.

Like the Friends, the Amish and Mennonites also came to America fleeing persecution due to their religious beliefs. The first group, Northern German Mennonites, arrived in Germantown (now part of Philadelphia) in 1683, and a much larger migration (this time from Switzerland and Southern Germany) began in 1707, also with Pennsylvania as their destination. The Amish, a more conservative sect who broke away from the Mennonites in 1693, began coming to America in the early eighteenth century.

LANGUAGE

Friends came primarily from England, so they spoke English. That said, they employed “plain speech”—using thee, thou, thy, and thine, as well as some other speech differences, as a denial of any caste system in human interactions. While plain speech is used much less now, some Friends still speak it while interacting with other Quakers.

Amish and Mennonites generally spoke German, as well as a dialect of it called Pennsylvania Deitsch (commonly known as Pennsylvania Dutch now). Pennsylvania Dutch is still used by Old Order Amish people, as well as by many in the Old Order and conservative Mennonite communities.

DRESS

In colonial times, Quakers didn’t have a prescribed dress. However, they did clothe themselves differently from those around them. During the eighteenth century, they tended to wear clothing that had been in fashion ten to fifteen years prior, mainly due to their frugality. They dressed well (many were quite wealthy), took care of their clothing, and wore it for as long as it lasted. As well, adornments (of which there were many in high society) were discouraged. Some Friends were more “plain” than others, and in the nineteenth century the dress became more distinct. Plain dress among Quakers is fairly uncommon now, although there are some Friends in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia who have taken up dressing plainly again (as well as using plain speech regularly).

Not much description is given of colonial-era Amish and Mennonite clothing, although author Daniel Rupp, in his book on Lancaster County, reported that in 1727, “a number of Germans, peculiar in their dress” had settled in the county. Of course, no specifics on this peculiar dress are given. Clearly, they dressed differently from those around them, but that could mean several things. We know they eschewed adornments, like the Quakers, and that by the nineteenth century, dress became prescribed. Today, the Old Order Amish follow (fairly) strict dress codes that differ some by community, and the Old Order and more conservative Mennonite groups do as well.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Christianity: Colonial Quakers were Christians. They believed in the deity of Christ, and that their salvation came only through Him. As well, they gave great attention to the “Inner Light” (God’s presence within a person), a belief that is unique to Friends. While not all Friends are Christians today, Quakers still hold fast to their belief in the Inner Light.

Amish and Mennonites were and are Christians as well. They believe in the deity of Christ, although some of the most conservative groups don’t believe in assurance of salvation. They definitely have never espoused the Inner Light, and some sects would consider it blasphemous.

Worship Services: The Inner Light resulted in Friends’ “meeting for worship,” which was quite different from Amish and Mennonite church services (or any other Christian service, really). During meeting, Friends sat in silence—praying, meditating on Scripture, and listening for the Inner Light—then stood up and speak if so led. These meetings often went on for hours during colonial times. While the earliest meetings were held in Friends’ homes, meetinghouses were generally built soon after families settled in an area.

Amish and Mennonites differ among themselves on worship. The Old Order Amish have never had meetinghouses, instead meeting in members’ homes. Historically and currently, Old Order and conservative Mennonites meet in meetinghouses, and hold services of up to three hours. (Side note: their wooden benches are equally as uncomfortable as Quaker wooden benches ☺).

Nonresistance: Drawing on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the Friends, Amish, and Mennonites hold nonresistance as a stalwart tenet. This includes not fighting in or contributing to war in any way, turning the other cheek, and rejecting capital punishment, among other things. For this reason, Pennsylvania had no militia until the 1750s. Somewhat connected, all groups also contributed to the care of the less fortunate. The Amish have always tended to be more insular in this way, whereas Friends have been very generous in their care of others. Mennonites vary from more insular to very generous, depending on which group they belong to.

Discipline: Friends, Old Order Amish, and Old Order Mennonites (and some conservative Mennonite sects) have historically used some form of discipline on members who step out of bounds. Friends called it disownment, and while it rescinded membership, those who were disowned could still interact with family and friends, attend meeting, etc. The Old Order Amish called it shunning, and a shunned member’s relationship with the family and community was basically completely severed. The Old Order Mennonites called it excommunication, and while it was generally not as severe as shunning, it resulted in much distress.  Disownment is rare among Quakers today, but the Amish and Old Order Mennonites still practice shunning and excommunication respectively.

Three of Pennsylvania’s plain communities—all come to the state as a result of religious persecution—similar and yet different. If you have any other questions, I’d be happy to answer them.

German Migration to the American Colonies

When my Hochstetler ancestors arrived in Philadelphia aboard the ship Charming Nancy on November 9, 1738, they were part of a great migration of Germans to the American colonies. During the 18th century, more than 100,000 Germans arrived in this country. Among them were Mennonites, Amish, Swiss Brethren, and Pietists, who were the largest group. The Amish, which included my ancestors, and the Mennonites made up only about 5,000 of the German immigrants. Most of them settled in Pennsylvania, while smaller numbers made their homes in New York, Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia. Together they became the largest non-English-speaking community in colonial North America.

German Peasants' War (1524-25), Lizenzstatus 1539

Why did so many Germans migrate here? During the 16th and 17th centuries, religious and political wars ravaged Germany and much of Europe. Armies trampled farmers’ crops, stole livestock, and put homes to the torch. Famine spread across the land and, along with ruinous taxes levied to pay for the wars and religious disputes resulting from the Reformation, made life intolerable. In addition, rulers determined what church their subjects belonged to, with no regard for personal conscience. The British colonies in North America, especially Pennsylvania under the Penns, offered them not only religious freedom and escape from constant wars, but also economic opportunity in the ability to own land, a right denied religious dissidents in Europe.

Conditions in Europe were bad, but the decision to move to America was not an easy one and required staunch determination and deep personal faith. The ocean crossing was often harrowing and could take as long as 2 months. A diary attributed to Hans Jacob Kauffman lists the deaths of many children and adults during his voyage. Below is Gottlieb Mittelberger’s vivid description of the conditions passengers endured during his passage in 1750.

The ocean crossing

“Children from one to seven years rarely survive the voyage; and many a time parents are compelled to see their children miserably suffer and die from hunger, thirst, and sickness, and then to see them cast into the water. I witnessed such misery in no less than thirty-two children in our ship, all of whom were thrown into the sea. The parents grieve all the more since their children find no resting-place in the earth, but are devoured by the monsters of the sea. It is a notable fact that children, who have not yet had the measles or small-pocks [sic], generally get them on board the ship, and most die of them. Often a father is separated by death from his wife and children, or mothers from their little children, or even both parents from their children; and sometimes whole families die in quick succession; so that often many dead persons lie in the berths beside the living ones, especially when contagious diseases have broken out on board the ship.”

Once they arrived, the troubles of the hard-pressed immigrants were not necessarily over. Many were forced to bind themselves as indentured servants until they could pay off the cost of their passage. In most cases this was voluntary, but sometimes individuals were kidnapped, bundled aboard a ship, and sold to the highest bidder as soon as it reached port in America. Either way, they often found their masters difficult or even abusive.

Others, however, moved to the frontier, where they built homes, communities, and churches. My ancestors were among these, settling along Northkill Creek in Berks County, Pennsylvania, along with other members of their Amish church, where they lived peacefully for many years. But in time they faced another tide of destruction and loss as England went to war with France and her Native allies.

I have been fortunate that many records and oral stories exist about my ancestors who came to this country in 1738. Does your family have information about your own ancestors who came to this country, whether in colonial times or later? If so, share a little bit about their history.

~~~

J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers, an author, editor, and publisher, and a lifelong student of history. Her novel Northkill, Book 1 of the Northkill Amish Series coauthored with bestselling author Bob Hostetler, won ForeWord Magazine’s 2014 INDYFAB Book of the Year Bronze Award for historical fiction. Book 2, The Return, releases in Spring 2017. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. One Holy Night, a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story, was the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year.

A Brief History of the Anabaptists

Amish Buggy

Amish romances have been camped out on top of fiction sales charts for many years now. But how much does the ordinary reader really know about the Amish, what they believe, and why they live as they do? There’s a whole lot more to this plain Christian sect than their simple rural lifestyle and close-knit families and communities. Today I’m going to give you a crash course on the history of the Anabaptists, a group of Christian believers that includes not only the Amish, but also the Mennonites, Dunkards, Landmark Baptists, and Hutterites, as well as Beachy Amish and some Brethren groups.

During the Reformation, the word Anabaptist was applied to Christians who rejected infant baptism in favor of baptizing only those old enough to profess faith in Jesus Christ for themselves. The term, which means re-baptizer, was not complimentary, just as the label Christian was used in a negative sense when it was first applied to Jesus’ disciples. At the time of the Reformation infant baptism was the norm not only in the Roman Catholic Church, but also in Protestant denominations that had split away. That meant that most people who wished to make a confession of faith and be baptized as adults had already been baptized as infants, so they had to be re-baptized.

Menno Simons

The Anabaptists first emerged in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1525. Along with Baptists, Quakers, Methodists, Moravians, and a number of other denominations, this movement arose from the desire of many believers to return to the beliefs and practices of the apostolic first-century church. Anabaptists also believed in the separation of church and state and voluntary church membership. They regarded the Bible as their only rule for faith and life and demanded that believers live a holy life.

At that time in Europe people weren’t given a choice as to which denomination to join. They were enrolled as members in the official church of their country at birth. If you were born in a Catholic country, you were a Catholic. If your country was Lutheran, then you were a Lutheran. Rejecting the prevailing church and becoming an Anabaptist led to serious persecution if not a death sentence. Many believers were formally expelled from their country or forced to flee, only to face persecution from the church holding sway in the country to which they fled.

Jakob Ammann

In spite of opposition, the Anabaptist movement continued to spread in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In 1536, a Dutch priest from Friesland named Menno Simons left the Catholic church and soon became an Anabaptist leader. He formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss Anabaptist founders, including the doctrine of nonresistance. Then in 1693, the Anabaptist preacher Jakob Ammann and his followers broke with the Swiss Brethren, led by Hans Reist, because of doctrinal issues that included matters of church discipline such as shunning, which Ammann supported and Reist did not. Ammann’s followers became known as Amish, while those who sided with Reist, along with the Dutch Anabaptists, eventually became known as Mennonites due to the leadership of Menno Simons.

During the 18th century, the continuing pressure of persecution in Europe led to the migration of many Anabaptists to the English colonies in North America, among them the Amish and Mennonites. Many members of these groups originally settled in Pennsylvania, where a large number of their communities are still located today.

~~~

J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers, an author, editor, and publisher, and a lifelong student of history. Her novel Northkill, Book 1 of the Northkill Amish Series coauthored with bestselling author Bob Hostetler, won ForeWord Magazine’s 2014 INDYFAB Book of the Year Bronze Award for historical fiction. Book 2, The Return, releases in Spring 2017. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. One Holy Night, a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story, was the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year.

The Old Order Amish: Surviving against All Odds -- by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Anna's Crossing by Suzanne Woods Fisher - An Amish Colonial novel

CFPagels: We welcome our guest, Suzanne Woods Fisher today on Colonial Quills! Suzanne has a brand new release set during colonial times and we can't wait to read it!

The Old Order Amish: Surviving against All Odds

The story of the Amish is fascinating—mainly because their survival, right from the start, is so unlikely. To understand what I’m getting at, we need to make a quick trip back to 17^th century Europe.

The Amish were the last branch on the Anabaptist family tree. A split among the Swiss Anabaptists developed in the 1690s, led by bishop Jacob Ammann, over his call for reforms. Tighter church discipline, he demanded (and he was the demanding type), and that included shunning. This little splintered-off group became known as Avoiders (for the social avoidance of shunning), Ammann’s followers, and eventually evolved into “Amish.”

Jacob Ammann was last heard of in 1712. Some scholars think he might have gone into hiding. Ponder this with me for a moment: this little young church, less than twenty years old, did not have central leadership or any kind of identity. It wasn’t an organized movement. It consisted of small groups of followers, probably families, who kept scattering around Switzerland, France, and Germany. As pacifists, they tried to avoid military consignment, but even if they were granted exemption by the governments where they lived, they were not allowed to own land. Land was, is, highly valued among the Amish. Their love of farming the land runs deep.  

            It was William Penn’s invitation to religiously oppressed Germans that brought the Amish to America. In Penn’s Woods (later known as Pennsylvania), they could own land. Unlimited amounts. The first group of Amish that had the ability to grow as a congregation (it had ordained leaders to allow for baptism and marriages, a critical necessity!) arrived in Port Philadelphia in 1737 on the Charming Nancy ship. And that is the story in “Anna’s Crossing.”

            Let’s get back to the against-all-odds survival of the Amish. From 1737-1770, more Amish trickled into the New World—right up to the Revolutionary War. More came in the 19^th century. Today, there are no Amish left in Europe. Not one.

And in America, in the late 1800s, there were about five thousand Amish. Sociologists assumed that they would assimilate into the culture as so many other small religious groups had done.

But…they assumed wrong. The Old Order Amish—those who use horse and buggies instead of cars and aren’t connected to the public utility grid—are the fastest growing population in North America. At last count, they are closing in on 300,000. By 2050, scholars have predicted they will pass the one million mark.

Now, that’s a lot of buggies.

Author Suzanne Woods Fisher 

Bio: Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of 'The Stoney Ridge Seasons' and ‘The Lancaster County Secrets’ series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is a Christy award finalist and a Carol award winner. Her interest in the Anabaptist culture can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne hosts the blog Amish Wisdom, and has a free downloadable app, Amish Wisdom, that delivers a daily Penn Dutch proverb to your smart phone. She lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can find Suzanne on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com. She loves to hear from readers!  

Giveaway: We're giving away a copy of Suzanne's new novel to one commenter!

November New Release Tea Party with Jennifer Hudson Taylor, Kelly Long, Roseanna White, and Carla Olson Gade

Source

Welcome to tea party to celebrate the releases of Jennifer Hudson Taylor's third book in the MacGregor Legacy, For Love or Liberty, Carla Olson Gade's Christmas short story, "The Memory Shop" in volume 3 of the 2014 two book set of A Cup of Christmas Cheer, and Roseanna M. White's A Soft Breath of Wind, the long-anticipated sequel to her debut biblical novel.

Source & recipe

We are serving some Scottish tea and  shortbread and a cup of Christmas cheer to get you ready for the holiday season! So please do come in and join us and be sure to leave a comment to enter our giveaways.

A Cup of Christmas Cheer (volumes 3 & 4) is a two book, hard-cover gift set of sixteen Christmas tales offered exclusively from Guideposts Books. "The Memory Shop" is featured in volume four, Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Present. Carla also had a story in last year's A Cup of Christmas Cheer (volumes 1 & 2) along with CQ founder Carrie Fancett Pagels.

Carla takes a turn from her historical writing to pen her first contemporary story, albeit with a nostalgic twist. "The Memory Shop" takes place in present day Woodbine, Iowa. The proprietor of a revitalized downtown Main Street memorabilia shop finds his own cherished memories rekindled and relationships renewed at Christmastime.

 

Carla Olson Gade is the author of Pattern for Romance (Abingdon Fiction) and The Shadow Catcher's Daughter. Her novellas "Carving a Future" and "'Tis the Season" appear in Colonial Courtships and best-selling Mistletoe Memories and forthcoming novella "Proving Up" in Homestead Brides (2/15). She lives amidst the tall pines and plentiful lakes of rural Maine. Carla loves to connect with her readers socially and on her website.

Carla is offering one copy of the new A Cup of Christmas Cheer, volume 4, as a giveaway.

~*~

Jennifer here - Hope you are enjoying the tea party, and please, have another piece of shortbread! I love the festivities of the holidays. It's such a joyous time of the year for so many people, and since joy is contagious, it eventually catches up with the rest of us.

For Love or Liberty

She wants to live in the past. He wants to step into the future. 

Will either of them recognize the love between them now?

Coast of NC to Lake Erie, Ohio (1813)

Grieving over her sister’s death, Charlotte Morgan leaves the Carolina coast for the shores of Lake Erie, Ohio, to help care for her niece and nephew. Conrad Deaton is also there to assist his brother after this devastating loss. Soon, Conrad and Charlotte are locked in a battle of wills as the War of 1812 rages around them.

While Conrad criticizes Charlotte for her interest in politics, lectures, and lack of domestic skills, she faults him for his insensitivity, rigid schedules, and harsh discipline. The two just can’t seem to get along. But could all their bickering be a sign of something more—an attraction between the two? Afraid of loving a man duty-bound to war, she ignores the growing affection between them.

Battle breaks out on Lake Erie. As U.S. Naval officers, Conrad and his brother attend their posts. Charlotte turns to fervent prayer and wills her faith to grow strong as she learns to wait upon the Lord. When neither returns, Charlotte fears the worst. 

"Taylor channels Jane Austen as Conrad's and Charlotte's bickering fuels their attraction to each other, in a manner reminiscent of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Charlotte struggles with trusting the man who left her for the sea, and Conrad fights to show his affection without further alienating the woman he loves."  Publishers Weekly

Jennifer Hudson Taylor is an award winning author of inspirational fiction set in historical Europe & the Carolinas. She provides keynotes and presentations on the publishing industry, the craft of writing, building an author platform & digital marketing.

Both her debut novel, Highland Blessings and Highland Sanctuary, received a 4 1/2 star review from RT Book Reviews. Highland Blessings won the Holt Medallion Award for Best First Book and she has had reviews appear in USA Today, Publisher's Weekly & the Library Journal. Jennifer's work has appeared in national publications, such as Guideposts, Heritage Quest Magazine, RT Book Reviews, and The Military Trader. Jennifer graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Communications/Journalism. When she isn't writing, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, visiting historical sites, parasailing, horseback riding, cycling, long walks, genealogy and reading. 

Jennifer will be giving away one package of all 3 MacGregor Legacy novels, includes "For Love or Loyalty" book 1, "For Love or Country" book 2, "For Love or Liberty" book 3. 

~*~ 

Thanks so much to everyone for coming! My characters wouldn't likely know what shortbread is...but they'd invite you to try one of Dinah's famous honey cakes! And oh, would they have some traditions to tell you about, that they celebrate with the Church of Rome at their Italian villa...

A Soft Breath of Wind

A gift that has branded her for life

Zipporah is thirteen when the Spirit descends upon her, opening her eyes to a world beyond the physical goings-on of the villa outside Rome she has always called home. Within hours, she learns what serving the Lord can cost. Forever scarred after a vicious attack, she knows her call is to use this discernment to protect the Way. She knows she must serve the rest of her life at Tutelos, where the growing Roman church has congregated. She knows her lot is set.

Yet is it so wrong to wish that her master, the kind and handsome young Benjamin Visibullis, will eventually see her as something more than a sister in Christ?

Samuel Asinius, adoptive son of a wealthy Roman, has always called Benjamin brother. When their travels take them to Jerusalem for Passover, the last thing he expects is to cross paths with the woman who sold him into slavery as a child the mother he long ago purged from his heart. His sister, Dara, quickly catches Benjamin s eye, but Samuel suspects there is something dark at work.

When Dara, a fortune-teller seeking the will of a shadowy master determined to undermine the Way, comes into the path of Zipporah, a whirlwind descends upon them all.

Only the soft wind of the Spirit can heal their scars...with a love neither divination nor discernment could foresee. 

Roseanna is offering winner's choice of paperback or digital copy of A Soft Breath of Wind (US addresses only for paperback, but everyone is eligible for the digital).

Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two small children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of 9 historical novels and novellas. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

~*~

Kelly Marie Long's new releases are the novella "A Christmas on Ice Mountain" in  An Amish Christmas Quilt and The Amish Bride of Ice Mountain. Both are part of a series set in Pennsylvania. The story line in the series revolves around the natural marvel/phenomenon of Ice Mountain.  Amish Mennonite live there and some of their customs are different from other American Amish.

This novella collection is published by Zebra, a Kensington imprint. All of Kelly's books have been published by Christian publishing houses up until now and this is her first foray into the secular market.

The Amish Bride of Ice Mountain by Kelly Long

Here are the blurbs:

The Amish Bride of Ice Mountain

Like most Mountain Amish girls, Mary King has always dreamed of her wedding day. But she never imagined that a sudden, irresistible kiss would result in marriage to the handsome Englischer professor studying her unique community. Or that doing the truly honorable thing means keeping their relationship chaste so both she and Dr. Jude Lyons can someday go their separate ways.
But when Mary accompanies her husband-in-name-only to Atlanta to meet his wealthy, overbearing family, she's tempted more than ever by Jude's kindness, humor--and vulnerability. And when a wrenching misunderstanding causes her to return heartbroken to her remote Appalachian home, she's certain she's lost the real love they have found...and the shared future she's come to want so much. But a crisis of more than faith will work surprising miracles--and show Mary that love is strong enough to make the impossible come true.

A Christmas On Ice Mountain
By Kelly Long

Matthew Beider and Laurel Lapp's secret wish to marry is a gift their feuding fathers definitely won't accept. And trying to settle their dats' long-standing quarrel is making their holiday anything but merry. Can rediscovering the joys and friendships of Christmas past finally turn their families' futures bright?



Bio:
Kelly Long is an award winning multi-published best selling Christian fiction author.  She is giving away a copy of the Christmas book An Amish Christmas Quilt, which contains her novella.



Do you have any family traditions that come from your family heritage? What are they?

The Amish in Colonial America

I was raised as a Mennonite by parents who grew up Amish, and I have a multitude of Amish relatives. With the continuing interest in this conservative denomination and the popularity of Amish romances, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the origins of the Amish church in America, especially their main settlement in the mid 1700s, the Northkill Amish Church, named for the creek that wound through it.

Northkill Marker

For the past few years I’ve spent considerable time researching the lives of my Hochstetler ancestors for the novel a cousin, author Bob Hostetler, and I have coauthored, releasing March 1. Titled Northkill, the story focuses on the family of Jacob Hochstetler, whose farm came under attack during the French and Indian War. The story of the Hochstetler massacre is well known in the Amish and Mennonite communities, and a plaque marks the site of the farm where it happened, near present-day Shartlesville, Pennsylvania. We were determined to make our fictional depiction of this story as accurate as possible 257 years later, which meant not only doing intensive research, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually living in their time. Writing Northkill has been a fascinating and emotional journey, all the more so because as direct descendents of the story’s main characters we owe our very existence to them.

The Amish came to America because of severe persecution in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries due to their insistence on believers’ baptism and opposition to military service. They were drawn to Pennsylvania by William Penn’s assurances of religious freedom and economic opportunity denied them in Europe. The Northkill Creek area in Berks County was opened for settlement in 1736, and that year a couple of Amish families settled there, with others following the next year. My great-great-great-great-great grandfather and grandmother, with two small children, were part of a group that landed at Philadelphia on November 9, 1738, aboard the ship Charming Nancy.

They soon joined other members of their church in the Northkill settlement 75 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Additional groups immigrated to the area in 1742, and again in 1749, when Bishop Jacob Hertzler arrived to provide leadership for the growing congregation. The earliest known organized Amish church in America, it included nearly 200 families at its height. It remained the largest Amish settlement in America into the 1780s, when it slowly declined as families moved westward in search of better farmland.

The Northkill settlement lay at the foot of the Blue Mountain, the legal boundary of English settlements according to treaties with the Native Americans. However, white settlers persisted in crossing the mountains into territory claimed by the French and their native allies. Hostilities finally broke out in 1754, with the French enlisting the Indians to attack the border settlements. During the French and Indian War over 200 settlers were killed in Berks County alone. The Indian attack against my ancestors’ farm early on the morning of September 20, 1757, was one of those horrific incidents.

On Monday, September 19, the Hochstetler family hosted an apfelschnitzen (apple cutting) frolic for the young people of the church. The youth traditionally stayed late into the evening to enjoy games and courting, but their guests finally left and the family went to bed. In the dark hours of Tuesday morning, the oldest son still living at home, Jacob Jr., roused when the family’s dog set up a clamor. When he opened the door, 17-year-old Jacob was shot in the leg by a member of a war party composed of Delaware and Shawnee warriors who surrounded the house.

The family managed to barricade themselves inside. Because the Amish hold fast to the commandment not to kill, Jacob made what must have been a truly wrenching decision that they wouldn’t shoot at their attackers despite the hunting rifles at hand and his sons’ desperate pleas. When the Indians set fire to the house, Jacob, his wife, three sons, and a young daughter were forced to take refuge in the cellar. During the terrifying hours that followed, they repeatedly beat out flaming embers while the house burned above their heads.

Artist's Depiction of Attack on Hochstetler Farm

At last dawn brightened the sky. Seeing through a narrow window in the foundation that the Indians had withdrawn and believing themselves safe, the family hurriedly forced their way out, barely escaping the flames. But one of the warriors, a young man called Tom Lyons, had lingered in the orchard to pick ripe peaches. When he saw them emerge from the blazing structure, he called the rest of the war party back, and they fell upon their defenseless victims.

The mother, the wounded son, and the young daughter were killed and scalped. Jacob and two sons, Joseph, 15 years old, and Christian, 11, were carried away into captivity. Their journey, described in a remarkable deposition preserved in the papers of British Colonel Henry Bouquet after Jacob’s dramatic escape, will be the subject of book 2 of the series, The Return. It will cover the captives’ lives among the Indian clans the French gave them to, Jacob’s harrowing escape and his efforts to find his boys, Joseph and Christian’s forced return home after the war, and their difficulty in assimilating into a culture they had largely forgotten, while reestablishing a relationship with the father whose decision had torn apart their lives.

The story of my ancestors is a deeply moving account of obedience, hope, and endurance, and of God’s unfailing faithfulness to His people even in the worst of trials. In the centuries since the attack, our family has been extraordinarily blessed. Jacob’s descendants have spread throughout the world and their accomplishments span a wide range of endeavors. My ancestors’ example daily inspires me to faithful discipleship, and my hope and prayer is that it will equally inspire readers in their walk with the Lord.

For more information, visit my Northkill blog.