The
Mennonites are another religious group who
developed out of the Anabaptist movement. They
take their name from Menno Simons, a former
Catholic priest who converted to Anabaptism
in 1536. In that year he began to gather Anabaptists
who had been scattered around Europe during
the Munster Revolt. Simons brought the refugees
to Holland where they were protected by Prince
William of Orange who extended the Treaty of
Utrecht to allow the Anabaptists religious freedom.
These Dutch Anabaptists became known as the
Mennonites. The Mennonites gathered many followers
and dispersed around northern Europe. In the
late 18th century, Catherine the Great of Russia
invited thousands of Mennonites to settle on
land recently won from the Turks. This led to
a significant Mennonite presence in Ukraine.
The Mennonite
immigration to the United States took place
over a long period of time. Unlike the Hutterites,
the Mennonites widely dispersed themselves,
immigrating at different times. Mennonites arrived
in Pennsylvania throughout the 18th century.
They gradually migrated to the west and to the
south, settling in Maryland, Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, and Canada. In 1870, the Mennonites
who settled in Russia at the invitation of Catherine
the Great were no longer welcome. They decided
to immigrate to America where they settled on
railroad land in Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas.
The
late 19th century saw a split in the Mennonite
church. Some believed that too many new innovations
were filtering into their lifestyle. They decided
to limit the impact of technology on their lives
by resisting certain innovations. These more
traditional Mennonites became known as Old Order
Mennonites. Other Mennonites assimilated into
mainstream society, but the Old Order still
exists today as a separate and visible group.
The Old Order is further divided into those
who use automobiles and those who do not. Those
who do not use cars are called Team Mennonites.
Today, the Old Order Mennonites are overwhelmingly
outnumbered by other Mennonite groups. The estimated
Old Order Mennonite adult population is 17,000,
while the estimated population of non-Old Order
Mennonite population is 224,000.(4)
Despite this, the Old Order groups have kept
a steady lifestyle by separating themselves
from modern society. The Team Mennonites, who
are the most traditional and separate from mainstream
society, have a population, including children,
of about 24,000.(5)
|
Location
|
Population
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
9,650
|
| Ontario |
6,900
|
| New
York |
1,800
|
| Virginia |
1,550
|
| Missouri |
1,000
|
| Ohio |
800
|
| Wisconsin |
800
|
| Indiana |
700
|
| Kentucky
|
400
|
| Iowa |
300
|
| Michigan
|
100
|
| Table
2: Estimated Team Mennonite Population(6) |
The
Amish share a similar history with the Mennonites.
The Amish, who take their name from Jakob Ammann,
broke with the Mennonites in 1693. Ammann introduced
several new practices, such as shunning, that
led to the separation of the Amish from the
Mennonites. The Amish immigrated to the United
States in two waves during the 18th and 19th
centuries. The Amish first settled in Pennsylvania,
but over time migrated to Ohio, Indiana, and
further west. Like the Team Mennonites, the
Old Order Amish groups in America are more traditional
and separate themselves as much as possible
from mainstream society and certain technologies.
The 20th century saw huge growth within the
Amish colonies. The population rose from approximately
5,000 in 1900, to over 180,000 today. Most of
the Old Order Amish live in the mid-west, but
there are congregations in the south and in
Canada.
|
Location
|
Number
of Congregations
|
|
Ohio
|
328
|
| Pennsylvania |
278
|
| Indiana |
219
|
| Wisconsin |
69
|
| Michigan |
58
|
| Missouri |
40
|
| New
York |
34
|
| Kentucky |
33
|
| Iowa |
32
|
| Illinois |
29
|
| Ontario
|
22
|
| Minnesota |
13
|
| Tennessee |
11
|
| Delaware |
8
|
| Kansas |
8
|
| Maryland |
6
|
| Oklahoma |
5
|
| Montana |
3
|
| Virginia |
2
|
| Arkansas |
1
|
| Florida |
1
|
| Mississippi |
1
|
| North
Carolina |
1
|
| Texas |
1
|
| Washington |
1
|
| West
Virginia |
1
|
| Total |
1204
|
| Table
3: Number of Amish Congregations in the
U.S. and Canada (7) |
The Brethren, also known as the Old German
Baptist Brethren or the Dunkers, is the last
group that formed from the Anabaptist movement.
The Brethren are somewhat different from other
Anabaptist groups because they descend from
a mixture of Anabaptism and German Pietism.
The first group of Brethren was formed in Schwarzenau,
Germany in 1708. They re-baptized each other,
like Anabaptists, and were sometimes called
Dunkers for that practice. Several congregations
were formed in Germany, but persecution and
bad economy stimulated their immigration to
America in the early 18th century. Hardly any
Brethren remained in Europe; almost all Brethren
immigrated to Pennsylvania and New Jersey where
they lived among Mennonites before they spread
to the west. During the 19th century, the Brethren
expanded westward into Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana
and Ohio. As more land opened for settlement,
the Brethren spread further into Illinois, Kansas,
and to the Pacific coast. Like the Mennonites
and the Amish, some Brethren also made the decision
to stick with the traditional practices, while
others joined mainstream society. Today, there
are approximately 6,000 adult members of the
Old German Baptist Brethren, if children and
non-member spouses are counted, the number increases
to 20,000. The majority of Brethren congregations
are in the mid-west, but there is also a significant
population on the Pacific coast.
|
Location
|
Number
of Congregations
|
|
Ohio
|
16
|
| Indiana |
9
|
| Virginia |
5
|
| Kansas |
5
|
| California |
4
|
| Washington |
2
|
| Florida |
2
|
| Maryland |
1
|
| West
Virginia |
1
|
| Georgia |
1
|
| Mississippi
|
1
|
| Michigan |
1
|
| Wisconsin |
1
|
| Missouri |
1
|
| Oregon |
1
|
| Total |
51
|
| Table
4: Number of Brethren Congregations in the
United States (8) |
All
of the Anabaptists groups who came to America
have flourished. They have successfully spread
across the nation, but their stronghold is in
the mid-west. The groups fit into a unique aspect
of immigration, and make up a different group
of pioneers. All of the Anabaptist groups started
small in America, but through hard work, strategic
community and social planning, and dedication
to their religion, they have grown tremendously
and spread into Canada. Their choice of rural
settlement areas has allowed them to easily
stay separated from the rest of society. These
Old Order congregations are successful, living
historical examples of group/chain immigration.
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