Uli Burgy ⁶¹⁹

  Noted events in his life were:

• History of Switzerland. ^{624,625,626,627} The Pre-Roman Era

Cutting tools have been found in the Cotencher Cave in the Canton of Neuchâtel. Farming seems to be the most common form of making a living. During the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, tracks were cut through the mountains and trade slowly developed. The first coins came into circulation around 800 BC. In the 1st century BC, we can witness the Celtic tribe of Helvetians leaving Southern Germany for the Central Plateau of Switzerland. They travelled west until they came up against the Romans. The Helvetians were pushed back onto the Plateau by Caesar's army in 58 BC.

The Roman Era 58 BC - 400 AD

The Celtic population soon became assimilated into Roman civilization and during the first two centuries AD they enjoyed peace and prosperity. The Romans built roads that led across the Great St. Bernhard Pass in the west and the Grisons passes in the east to Rome. Villages developed in Augusta, Raurica Augst, near Basle and Aventicum between Berne and Lausanne. Aventiucm became the capital of Roman Switzerland, whose fortified walls offered protection to 50,000 citizens.

400 - 900 AD The peaceful era ended with the invasion of the Roman Empire by German tribes. In 260, the Alemannians crossed the 'limes' the fortified northern boundary, for the first time and pushed on southwards. The Romans were able to re-establish a stable frontier along the Rhine and Danube for a short period of time. Helvetia and Rhaetia soon became impoverished border provinces under military occupation. Around 400 AD, Rome finally had to evacuate its Alpine territories. During the era of Great Migrations the Western part of the Empire succumbed to the Germanic invaders, the vital commercial links with the Mediterranean world were interrupted. Burgundians, already converted to the Christian faith, settled in the west, adopting the Latin language. It was a similar story for the Lombard (Langobard) tribes, installing themselves in southern Switzerland and scarcely disrupting the established culture. The largest number of immigrants was the heathen Alemannian tribe in the area between the Rhine and the Aare. The Alemannians did not succeed in infiltrating Rhaetia due to the resistance of the Rhaetian Romans. The Rhaetians had established themselves in most of eastern Switzerland, South Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Friuli. During the Middle Ages, they withdrew into high Grisons valleys to live autonomously. Without this strong survival instinct, the Rheto-Roman tongues would quickly have been absorbed by the major language groups around them.

Vulgar Latin evolved into a Franco-Provencial dialect in the lands occupied by the Alemannians. The language gradually changed from Franco-Provencial to completely German by 900 AD. The people in the southern valleys stuck to their Gallo-Italian Lombard dialects, while Romansh was spoken in the Grisons region.

The Franks conquered both the Burgundian and Alamannian tribes in the 6th century, but the two areas were torn asunder when Charlemagne's Empire was partitioned in 870 AD. Between the 9th and the 14th centuries, hundreds of castles, imposing fortresses, monasteries and new towns were built such as the frescoes in St. John's Monastery at Müstair, the 10th century Cluniac abbeys of Romainmôtier and Payerne, the Grossmünster in Zurich and the cathedrals of Basle and Schaffhausen remain the most important Romanesque buildings in Switzerland.

Medieval Feudal Society

In 1032, the Swiss territory was included in the great body of the Holy Roman Empire. The gradual decline of the Roman Empire enabled feudal dynasties such as, the families of Zähringen, Savoy, Kyburg and Habsburg to emerge as real territorial powers at the beginning of the 13 century AD. Meanwhile, Zurich and Berne were already considered as free towns by the Roman Emperor and the small isolated communities in the mountains were almost autonomous. The Waldstätte which was a forest canton by the shores of the lake Lucerne adapted to a symbolic allegiance to the Roman Emperor. The canton of Uri joined the Empire as early as 1231, since the Romans believed Uri deserved special treatment for its location on the St. Gotthard route.

The foundation of the Swiss Confederation

Switzerland encountered a threat from the House of Habsburg when the Habsburg's became anxious to ensure the effective and profitable administration of its possessions in the region by creating financial officers who would regulate the revenues of their estate without consulting their subjects. These bailiffs quickly became unpopular. The situation became critical when Rudolf of the House of Habsburg succeeded to the Imperial throne in 1273. Rudolf's death opened the prospect of a fiercely contested election and a dangerously confused political situation. The representatives of Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden met to conclude a permanent alliance "to last, if God will, forever in" in August of 1291. The pact that they made did not propose disobedience to the overlords, but it rejected any administrative and judicial system imposed by the Habsburg's and it is regarded by the Swiss as the birth certificate of their Confederation.

Back to reality: The Growth of the Swiss Confederation

In 1332, Lucerne entered into league with the forest cantons, because they wer anxious to get rid of its Habsburg overlords. They were followed by the cantons of Glarus and Zug in 1352. Zurich joined the Confederacy in 1351, as they had just experienced a revolution by the guilds and feared that the nobles might try to restore their power. In 1353, Berne agreed to the Confederacy, because it sought to protect its rear at a time when it was expanding westwards. The Confederates won great military victories on the fields of Sempach in 1386 and Näfels in 1388. The Confederate led battles dealt major blows to noble rule at a time when the league of Swabia in Southern Germany was being defeated as well.

The alliance of the Eight Old Cantons remained very shaky. Nevertheless by the end of the fourteenth century, the Confederation was on its way to being an independent state within the Holy Roman Empire. The Swiss Confederation was unique in that its strength was in its burgher class. These men took the lead in expelling the Habsburgs and in weakening the local nobility. Land and power passed from the nobles to the cities and to the country villages which included their merchants and guilds of artisans.

Inspired by their abilities in battle, the cantons decided to extend their political influence even farther. Swiss military prestige was brilliantly vindicated by the victories of Grandson and Murten over Charles the Bold, who was the Duke of Burgundy in 1476. In 1499, after the Swiss victory at Dornach, Fribourg, Solothurn, Basle, Schaffhausen and Appenzell joined the Confederation, and the Swiss gained independence from the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.

In 1513, the Confederation was at the peak of its territorial influence with even Milan under its protection. They squared up against a superior combined force of French and Venetians at Marignano in 1515 and lost. Realizing that they had over extended themselves, the Swiss decided to withdraw from the international scene by renouncing expansionist policies and declaring their neutrality. Swiss mercenaries continued to serve in other armies for centuries and earned a distinctive reputation for their skill and courage. The policy of allowing citizens to serve as mercenaries for other countries ceased when Swiss soldiers increasingly found themselves fighting on opposing sides. Meanwhile, Europe would undergo further changes in its societal structure during the Reformation.

The Christian Faith was very subtley being overcome by philosophies and practices that were not founded on scriptural truth. Biblical scholars began to stand up to the Church leadership by pointing out the error in their modus operandi. One point of contention was infant baptism which was originally instituted as an act of commitment by the infant's parents to raise their child in a godly home. However, in due time the desire for financial gain by the leaders in the church changed this sacrament from being voluntary to a legal obligation in order to ensure lifetime membership which in turn required financial support from the parishioner. Those who opposed infant baptism believed that a person being baptized should be an age in which they could be accountable for the desicions they made and that the decision should be voluntary. The sects that opposed infant baptism were called Anabaptist.

The Reformation in Switzerland was launched in Zurich first by John Calvin followed by a secular priest, named Huldrych Zwingli. In 1525, Zwingli convinced the Zurich Great Council to adopt his reforms in the Church and to adopt his demands for economic and political change. The urban burgher class was strengthened as a result of the changes made by the Great Council. Meanwhile, the Anabaptist movement was growing amongst the rural population. The Anabaptist in addition to opposing infant baptism encouraged their members not to tithe to the State Church.

The driving force behind the Anabaptist movement was within the guilds which dominated urban society. The areas that remained Catholic were predominatly in Lucerne, Zug, Solothurn, Freiburg and the central part of Switzerland which was rural. In 1528, the powerful city of Berne was decisively on the side of the Reformers and the new faith was spread over Western Switzerland. The Reformation split the Swiss Confederation into two predominant denominations. One denomination was led by a league of Catholic cantons which included one third of the population and the other was led by Protestant cities with their municipal rights. The hostility between the Swiss Protestants and their Catholic neighbours led to a breach between the Swiss Confederation and the Holy Roman Empire, which was culminized in 1648 after the Thirty Years' War.

I believe that my ancestors continued to live in Burgundy where they experienced a flux of change depending on who conquered their lands. My ancestors fled Burgundy with only the clothes upon their backs in 1572. It was during this time that they were ruled by the French Monarchy which was decidedly Catholic. Catherine de Medicis, who was a strong supporter of the Catholic Church, was in essence the governing aristocrat of France as she controlled her son, King of Navarre, Charles IX enough to make him her puppet. Admiral Coligny, one of the most prominent advisers to the King, opposed Catherine's efforts as he supported the French Protestants known in the courts as Huegenots. Admiral Coligny was invted to attend a wedding at the Parisian court whereupon; Catherine had unsuccessfully arrainged for his death along with all others who were adversaries of the Catholic faith. Catherine, furious that her attempts to rid the land of the Huegenots had failed entered the royal court and conferred with the King insisting that the Huguenots were seeking revenge upon the nobility for the attack upon Admiral Coligny. The King was frightened by her tale of woe and at once authorized the massacre of the guilty Protestants.

Charles IX signaled his decree by firing a gun from a window in his palace. Coligny along with his entire household were murdered and his body thrown out to the mob. The cry was heard throughout the streets of Paris, "Kill every man of them! Kill the Huguenots!" The streets were slippery with the blood of men, women and children. Every individual suspected of leaning towards the reformed faith was killed. The Protestants of Lyons, Rouen and other French cities were victims of this well planned massacre that was to break out at the same hour in various cities throughout France. Ten thousand people died in Paris alone. Those fleeing France found the roads impassable from all the corpses barricading the roads. This event in history became known as "The Massacre of Saint Bartholomew". The fear of this massacre caused the great over night migration of Anabaptist and other Protestants into Switzerland.

Switzerland was spared from the Thirty Years' War that took place in Europe from 1618-1648. They also managed to remain neutral during the territorial wars caused by absolutist monarchies in Europe. Authority's endevoured to curtail citizen rights in cantons where the entire population exercised sovereignty through a single commune. However, while they didn't succeed in doing away altogether with the popular assembly; the patrician families occupied an overwhelmingly strong position. The practice of inviting the people to express their opinion was quietly extinguished by the seventeenth century. Peasant unrest was quashed in 1653. However religious disputes dragged on in Switzerland in the Villmergen Wars of 1656 and 1712. The Catholic cantons were being persuaded at this time into a dangerous alliance with France that could have split the Confederation beyond repair had matters really come to fruition, but the Catholic factions reluctantly agreed to religious freedom.

Profound changes began to take place in the social and economic domain of Switzerland. The population rose from 1.2 to 1.6 million, predominantly in the rural areas between 1700 and 1800. In the textile industry in northern and eastern Switzerland, we were becoming industrious in spinning and weaving cotton, printing calico cloth, the manufacture of silk ribbons and material, and embroidery. The watch- and clock-making industry developed around Geneva, in Neuchâtel and the Jura. During the eighteenth century, Switzerland underwent an industrial revolution.

In 1648 under the Treaty of Westphalia, the Roman Empire recognized and accepted the Swiss Confederation which continued to function as a loose organizational structure. This structure included a federal diet and individual treaties that controlled each canton. The Swiss cantons sometimes have endured internal feuds.

In the 1500's and through out most of my lifetime, every canton has been seriously split by the teachings of Zwingli, Calvin and other protestants. A war broke out in the Four Forest Cantons of Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden between the Catholics and the Protestants. The Treaty of Kappel was written as a result of the Protestant defeat to preserve Catholicsm in their cantons, but national unity has all but disappeared. In spite of our lack of unity as a nation, we continue to remain neutral in the war that is taking place to the north of us in Germania (Thirty Years War.)

I mentioned that the Swiss Confederation was affected by the reformation and many were torn by "new biblical thought" Martin Luther's publications were reprinted in Basel, which then spread quickly throughout German-speaking Switzerland. His most notable publication was the translation of the Bible into German. While Luther's principle to compare reality within the church organization and her practices with scripture was widely accepted, this was not necessarily the fact with the new order Luther wanted to establish.

The immediate effect of the spread of the reformist publications was that simple priests questioned their role. Some felt compelled by scripture to take on a civil occupation, some gave up their priesthood altogether. Reformist theses began to enter sermons. Another effect was that laymen began to interpret the bible on their own, since they could now read it for themselves. Church authority showed signs of breakdown, as men began to break the fast, a number of priests married and nuns left convents.The city council of Zurich was the first to decide on the orderly implementation of the reformation. However, the church of Zurich began to experience its first schism in that same year. The Anabaptist split off from the state church. Zwingli had many opponents outside of the city, because he was an outspoken critic of the practice of permitting foreign powers to recruit mercenaries in Swiss cantons. This was a practice Zürich had abolished in 1521. Zürich was a wealthy canton and could afford to not participate in this practice. The mercenary business provided an important contribution to city revenue's in many cantons. The five cantons, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Uri, Luzern and Zug, felt their revenues threatened and emphasized their loyalty to the Catholic Church.

Bern was most active canton engaged in warfare and the mercenary business. The territory of Bern had expanded significantly in the late 15th and early 16th century. However, after a number of military defeats the reform-minded party won the upper hand in 1527. In 1528, Zwingli attended another public disputation that was being held. He was declared the winner and the reformation was introduced in Bern, where a state church after the Zürich model was created. Basel tried a different approach, passing an Edict of Tolerance in 1528, which permitted both Catholics and Protestants to perform religious services their way. In February 1529, an armed mob forced the council to accept the reform. The bishop and many Catholic-minded fled the city. Schaffhausen and St. Gallen also accepted the reformation in 1529. Appenzell and Graubünden decided to leave the decision to accept the reformation or not to the individual community.

Zwingli pushed to see the reformation introduced in all of Switzerland, a policy that brought Zürich in conflict with the other five cantons. The First Kappel War erupted in 1529, but the conflict was settled without a fight. We called this fight the Kappel milk soup. In 1531, Zwingli and many of his followers were so convinced that God was on their side that they marched out to meet the advancing enemy without waiting for their complete force to assemble. Zwingli and many of his men lost their lifes that day. Peace was restored in the Second Treaty of Kappel, which left the decision to implement the reformation to the individual canton. However, Catholic minorities had to be granted toleration in Protestant cantons, while the Catholic cantons were under no obligation to tolerate Protestant minorities. In territories subject to the Federation (Gemeine Herrschaften) change of confession was only permitted if a community intended to convert to Catholicism.

The 17th century saw severe and repressive measures by Bern authorities against minority Anabaptists beginning in 1618 and continueing throughout my lifetime. It was during my adulthood that the Mennonite faith was introduced into Switzerland. "

Menno Simons who is often considered the founder of the Mennonites was born in 1496. Menno received training for the Catholic priesthood during his youth. While in the monastery, Menno received training in reading and writing Latin and in a study of the Church Fathers, but he never read the Bible. In 1524, he was consecrated as a priest and for seven years he served in the Pinjum parish near Witmarsum. In 1531, he was transferred to his hometown where he served for five more years. His work as a priest consisted in the celebration of the mass, in offering prayers for the living and the dead, in baptizing infants, in hearing confessions of sin, playing cards and drinking. Until this time, Menno had feared to read the Bible, for Menno had been taught that only the Catholic Church could infallibly interpret the Scriptures.

In 1525, during the first year of his priesthood while he was celebrating the mass, a doubt crept into his mind as to whether the bread and wine actually became divine. This doubt led to Menno's first soul-struggle. Menno first thought that this was a suggestion from the devil and he tried by using the confessional to get it out of his system. After much worry, Menno finally decided upon a course of action. He resolved to study the New Testament where he found many discrepancies with the Catholic Church. He had to choose between following the Word of God and following the church. This was a very hard decision for him to make. He sought the help of Martin Luther's writings in solving his dilema. Menno clung to one great truth he came to understand through Luther's writings: A violation of human commands cannot lead to eternal death. Martin Luther convinced Menno that the ultimate authority in all matters of faith was the Word of God and nothing else.

In 1531, Menno Simons heard of an incident that became the occasion for his second soul-struggle. Jan Trijpmaker, a Melchiorite, had baptized a Dutchman named Sicke Freerks in 1530. This man Freerks was executed for his faith at Leeuwarden on March 20, 1531. Menno Simons was astonished by the idea of a second baptism, which was for him a completely new thought. Menno now had to wrestle with the concept of adult baptism. Is the Catholic Church also unbiblical as to baptism? Menno searched the scriptures where he could find nothing on infant baptism in the New Testament. However, Menno remained a Catholic priest while he continued to study God's word. He continued baptizing infants and saying mass. In fact, he even accepted a promotion to become head-pastor at Witmarsum.

In April 1535, Menno surrendered to God, crying for pardon and peace. Menno remained in the Catholic Church for nine months preaching evangelical doctrines from a Catholic pulpit. In January 1536, he renounced the Catholic Church and devoted himself to quiet meditation and study. During this time he probably preached on occasion but had no pastoral oversight. A number of Obbenite brethren felt that Menno Simons ought to assume the duties of an elder. Consequently, a deputation of brethren called on Menno and pleaded with him to accept the leadership of the brotherhood. Menno hesitated. The Brethren came a second time. This time Menno accepted the call. Menno was ordained as elder around 1537. Obbe Philips, the Leeuwarden surgeon and founder of Dutch Anabaptism, performed the ordination.

The "Swiss Brethren" or "Mennonites" were most numerous among the working people of the towns of Germania and the Netherlands. We strongly protested against the wrongs suffered by the poor, but our attitude toward wrong that was directed at us was one of quiet endurance. Although, we were known as Swiss Brethren we also developed churches in many places outside of Switzerland such as the lower Rhine region. After 1545, the Swiss Brethren came to be called "Mennists" after our main leader Menno Simons, a name that gradually developed into "Mennonist" and then "Mennonite."

The Anabaptists spread with rapidity. A congregation would sometimes be founded at a given place within a few hours after the arrival of an Anabaptist preacher. Anabaptism grew at such a rate that city and church officials feared that the majority of the common people would unite with this denomination. Evidence exists showing that in certain provinces large portions of the population were openly sympathetic toward the Anabaptists. In various sections of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria the evangelical Anabaptist movement surpassed in strength the Lutheran and Zwinglian movements. The Anabaptists were especially numerous in the cantons where governments accepted the Reformation of the state church. The strength of the Anabaptist movement was so strong in some states that it was difficult to carry out the bloody decrees against the Anabaptists. In 1551, the Reichstag in Germany passed a decree ordering the removal from office and punishment of judges who had scruples against sentencing Anabaptists to death. To avoid offending the general public, Anabaptists were often executed secretly.

The Roman Catholic Church has had a history of intolerance and persecution toward all dissenters from its creed. On the other hand, Luther and Zwingli who were the primary leaders of the reformation condemned the Roman Catholic intolerance. They were in the earlier period defenders of the principle of liberty of conscience. Later they agreed to a union of the church with the state, which meant the abandonment of the principle of religious liberty. The natural and inevitable consequence of this decision evolved into the persecution of the Anabaptists by the established Protestant state churches.

Anabaptism was made a capital crime in Switzerland. Prices were set on the heads of Anabaptists. To give us food and shelter was made a crime. In Roman Catholic cantons, even those who recanted were often executed. Thousands sealed their faith with their blood. When all efforts to destroy the movement proved in vain, the authorities resorted to extreme measures. Armed executioners and mounted soldiers were sent in companies through out the land to hunt down the Anabaptists and kill them on the spot without trial or sentence. The old method of pronouncing sentence on each individual dissenter proved inadequate to exterminate this faith.

It is important to note that it was comparatively easy for the persecutors to ascertain who was an Anabaptist. They simply asked the suspect if they were a Brethren or Mennonist. A true Anabaptist would disdain saving his life and burdening his conscience by telling an untruth and denying his faith.

The "church" for the Mennonites is not a building. The building is the "meetinghouse", the local group of believers is the "congregation" and the service is the "meeting". The minister is the "preacher" who is a selected brother who proclaims the gospel, not a professional pastor.

Preaching in the early meetings was simple and based on the Bible. The sermons were packed with admonitions to live a life separated from the "world" and to walk close to God. Oftentimes, the preachers were also the schoolteachers of the community and hence were leading men in the congregation. The chief work of the preacher was to conduct the Sunday services, not to furnish spiritual life in lieu of any effort on the part of his congregation. Each member was expected to stand on his own feet before God and to read the Bible for himself. It was the proclamation of the Word of God, which was to occupy the preacher.

Mennonites have been characterized historically by a love for the Word of God and by a strict demand for holiness of life. We tended to be very pious and shied away from anything that would reflect pride. The Anabaptists and early Mennonites believe that both the Old and New Testaments were God's infallible and Holy Word. In this they agreed with other Protestants. They also held that the New Testament superseded the Old Testament. They insisted that all doctrine must have a New Testament basis and great emphasis was placed on the Sermon on the Mount. It was in this view of the relation of the Testaments that they grounded their high ethical demands. They believed that the New Testament speaks against war, divorce and oath taking. Therefore, Mennonites cannot swear an oath nor serve as a soldier. Countries such as Switzerland could not accept this stance as they expected all men at a certain age to serve in their military and to take an oath of allegiance. Countries that believed similarly proceeded to try to wipe out Anabaptism by force.

The early Mennonite view of the church may be briefly summarized as follows: The New Testament church was composed of voluntary converts who had been baptized upon the confession of faith in Christ. The church was a place where discipline was excercized and members bore one another's burdens. The church must expect persecution from others since membership in Christ's spiritual kingdom entitles one but to suffering now with hope in the glory to come. Therefore, we believed the Christian life is one of following faithfully in the footsteps of Jesus and of bearing patiently the reproach of the world."

Once a person believed in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they stressed works and living a perfect life. Unfortunately, humans are unable to live a perfect life even after trusting in Christ as their Savior. It is only through the Holy Spirit living in us that He works within us to make us loving, joyful, peaceful, selfcontrolled. Our hope is in the fact that Christ died once for all of our sin including the sins we commit after giving our lifes to Christ. He forgives us our sins and no longer holds them against us, because he bore the penalty for sin, in our stead. "It is only by God's grace that we are saved and not by any works or effort on our parts, so that no one can boast about being holier than anyone else." Anything good that is performed is done as a thank you to God for what He has done for us.

• Surname History. ⁶²⁸ The Roman Empire used surnames that were passed through the males of a family; however most people didn't see a need to be identified with a surname since populations were small and everyone knew each other in their villages. The reformation brought about the need to register marriages and births in order to identify who was aligned with the reformed faith. Surnames either described the person's relationship to another as in son of or by their occupation, such as Uli the webber (weaver) or by landmark, such as Uli Burgi (Uli the mountain dweller). Hereditary surnames first came into use in the Germanic tirbes about 1000 AD, beginning in the South where it gained popularity and spread north. It began with the nobility who named themselves after their ancestral seats. However, the gentry didn't adopt surnames until the 14th century and it wasn't until the 1500's that surnames became inherited and no longer was determined by a person's occupation, location or appearance.

Patronymic surnames that evolved from a father's name were used especially in Scandinavian countries. English and Scandinavian names ending in "son", Gaelic names beginning with Mac, the Norman name Fitz, the Irish "O" and the Welsh "ap" are patronymic names

Countries that were influenced by France tended to ascribe to surnames that described their ancestral estates. If a family moved to a new location, they were often recognized by the place they came from. If they lived near a river, rock, hill, or other feature, this would be used. The surname Burgi or Buerki discerned our origin as being from the mountains or from the Germanic tribe known as the Burgundians.

Nicknames could often translate into a familial name, like Michael the strong or Peter the red for his reddish complexion. Surnames such as Stout (a large person); Broadhead (a person with a large head) and Moody (a moody individual)

The fourth way people established a name for themselves was through their occupation. Geographical and occupational names were the most popular form of identification in Switzerland. The occupation would describe the craft or trade that a family was known for. People who took the name Muller were millers, a farmer collected taxes, alderman was an official clerk of the court, and carter was a maker or driver of carts

• order issued, 1639. In 1639, an order was issued in Switzerland to arrest all Anabaptists, to confiscate all their goods and to declare all their marriages annulled and all their children illegitimate. Our Anabaptists churches considered us married and kept it's own records.

• Mandate, 17 Jan 1640. On January 17, 1640 the authorities in Bern sent out a mandate that there would be an inquisition on Anabaptists on January 23rd. The purpose of the inquisition was to find heresy and violations of laws and customs of Bern amongst Annabaptist. They decreed it was time for them to enforce their laws as the Anabaptists were prospering. Barbara and I moved to Langnau, Bern where Anabaptist were so numerous the authorities were not able to carry out their threats.

• Swiss Statehood, 1648. The Swiss statehood was established in 1648 due to the antagonism between the Swiss reformed and their German Catholic neighbors. However, my relief was short-lived; since as soon as Switzerland's statehood was established the state church instituted a relentless attack on Mennonites.

• Persecuted, 1650. The persecution in Switzerland continued to advance to the point that Annabaptist leaders wrote letters to our fellow brethren in the Netherlands for assistance. The State General of Netherlands and the magistrates of Amsterdam were so concerned about our treatment that they met with the Swiss authorities. They asked the Swiss authorities to allow us to leave the country along with our belongings.

• Peasant Rebellion, 10 Jun 1653. In 1653, the peasants in Switzerland rebelled but the rebellion was soon quashed. However, the rebellion was blamed on the Annabaptist. Authorities questioned us in the days following June 10, 1653. They wanted to know if we had helped in any way to instigate the rebellion. The peasant rebellion involved the poor rising against the plutocratic landowners who were becoming rich at the expense of their tenants. Annabaptist were suspect only because we were not inclined towards those in power.

• Edict, 9 Aug 1659. On August 9, 1659 all Anabaptists living in Bern, Switzerland received an edict. (see appendix

• Friend: Hans Meyli, Sr. ¢Hans Meyli Sr.:

Persecution broke out in Knonow, Bailiwick with great violence. During this violent time about thirty thief catchers entered the homes of Anabaptist and defenseless Christians as by storm. The thieves destroyed their homes by making watch-fires of them, by raging and storming through them, by breaking open doors, by breaking windows, and by running with bare swords through the houses. When they were done with this sport they drank and rioted worse than soldiers.

Hans Meyli was an old man whose home was one of those that was vehemently assailed. Hans was a minister of the church, who himself had been imprisoned in the year 1637. Not only did they destroy his home, they also took along his son Martin's wife even though she had an infant at the breast.

Martin's wife was bound hard and confined in the convent prison called Othenbach. She was fed for a long time on bread and water and was very severely treated as a method to induce her to apostatize. She continued steadfast in spite of her treatment and was ultimately, through the grace of God, delivered from her bonds. Subsequently, being faithful in her daily walk with God she was again apprehended and taken to the council house at Zurich. From Zurich she was taken to Otbenbach and finally into a hospital. She was made fast to a chain at the hospital until the pains of travail came upon her. She was loosed from her bonds due to her affliction whereupon seeing an opportunity for deliverance; she once more escaped the persecutors' hands.

The authorities laid their hands also on Hans Meyli's property, movable as well as immovable. They sold his property profiting from the sale in the amount of fourteen thousand guilders. They kept the fourteen thousand guilders for themselves without making any restitution.

On the May 3, 1639, Hans Meyli Jr., Martin Meyli, and their mother (the two sons and the wife of the aforementioned Hans Meyli) were apprehended and imprisoned at Zurich. During their imprisonment in Zurich, they were inflicted with much misery, vexation and harm. They were bound with fetters and handcuffs and Iron shackles were placed upon them twice in order to make them apostatize from their faith.

Meanwhile, their poor forsaken children were orphans put out among strangers, which must have caused much sorrow and anxiety to the hearts of the imprisoned parents. Nevertheless, the parents remained unchanged in their faith, refusing to apostatize, notwithstanding their love to their afflicted children, to whom they could not come. On the Friday before Easter 1641, they were delivered from their three-year imprisonment in an unexpected manner. They were delivered from their bonds together with others of their fellow brethren. Their deliverance came in such a manner that they could bear it with good conscious.

• Friend: Landis Family. ¢Hans Landis and his family:

Landis is one of the names that can be found in records that originate from the time when Menno Simon laid the tenants of the Mennonite Church in 1538. In 1614, Hans Landis preached before large crowds in forests and fields performing baptisms and solemnizing marriages against the will of the government. He was taken prisoner and when he would not promise to cease his activities in the future, he was condemned to six years' punishment on the galleys of Venice. He worked at sawing at his chains with an instrument, which a fellow believer had smuggled to him. He was able to escape from the ship and returned to Switzerland. Hans Landis traveled up the river Rhine where his family resided to preach God's word. The council of Zurich learned of his whereabouts and took him into custody again. He was taken prisoner to Solothurn to be questioned by the papist. He was to be sent to the sea or the galleys but was released from prison without harm due to the gracious help of unknown people. Subsequently, he was apprehended again, hence they ordered him to leave the country. He refused to leave saying: "God favored me with this land as well as all others and the earth is the Lord's" Furthermore, he had nowhere else to go that was safe for an Anabaptist and was an old man. He was therefore condemned to death by the council of Zurich and beheaded on Sept 29, 1614. He has been described as being a tall stately person with a long black and gray beard and a manful voice.

A friend of mine received the following letter: The letter said, "Hattavier Salr, witnessed the beheading of Hans Landis, which I also still remember well, having seen it myself in the Wolfsstadt, the whole transaction being as fresh in my recollection as though it had happened but a few weeks ago. Hans Landis was a tall, stately person with a long black and gray beard and a manful voice. When he, cheerful and of good courage, was led out by a rope, to the Wolfsstadt, the executioner, Mr. Paul Volmar dropped the rope, and lifting up both of his hands to heaven, spoke these words: "O that God, to whom I make my complaint, might have compassion; that you, Hans, have come into my hands in this manner; forgive me, for God's sake, that which I must do to you." Hans Landis comforted the executioner, saying that he had already forgiven him: God would forgive him, too; he well knew that he had to execute the order of the authorities; he should not be afraid, and see that there was no hindrance in his way. Thereupon he was beheaded. After his head had been struck off, the executioner asked: "Lord Bailiff of the Empire, have I executed this man rightly according to imperial law and sentence?

The people were of the opinion that the executioner by dropping the rope meant to indicate to Hans that he should run away, it was also generally said; that if he had run away, no one would have followed him, to stop him." It has also been described that while Hans Landis was standing in the place of execution, his wife and children came to him crying and bidding him a final farewell. When he saw them, he requested that they leave him, lest he loose his resolve and peace of heart for the death soon to come upon him

In May 1637, Hans Landis II, a steadfast minister of the church in Horgerberg, along with his daughter Margaretha were confined for more than a year at Othenbach. The authorities confiscated their property selling it for 7000 florins.

In 1640, Oswald Landis, his wife, and two daughters-in-law were imprisoned at Othenbach. Jacob Landis (son of Oswald) and all his family members were banished from the country. Oswald's two daughter-in-laws along with their infants escaped from prison. They were forced to wander about in poverty, having been deprived of their property.

Felix Landis (son of Hans Landis who was beheaded at Zurich in 1614) was also a member of the church at Horgerberg. He too was committed to Othenbach and treated with merciless rigor. They gave him nothing to eat for several days. His misery was so great that even some criminals who were confined in an adjoining apartment had compassion on him. They conveyed food to him with great difficulty through an opening in the partition. The doorkeepers upon observing this removed him to another prison. They at length gave him some food, but his digestive organs had become so impaired by long-continued fasting that his stomach refused to retain its food. Wherefore, he prepared himself for death. In this state of weakness they carried him to church during the sermon. They threw him under a bench where he immediately expired having previously commended his soul to God.

Adelheyd Egli (Felix Landis's wife) was also kept in durance in Othenbach for nearly four years. During this period they treated her unmercifully and disgracefully. They threw her into several offensive places, stripped her twice in irons, and for a time took her clothes from her every night. She afterwards escaped from prison with a good conscience. In the meantime, authorities dispersed her family by placing her children among strangers. They confiscated her house and furniture selling them for 5000 florins. But the rejected and forsaken consoled themselves in the same manner as the words of the Apostle: 'Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves, that ye have in heaven a better and enduring substance.'

The house of Verena Landis, an elderly sister in the faith, was attacked in the night. She was so alarmed by the attack, which came with such noise and tumult that she grew faint and sick. Therefore, she could not go with the beadles. She was compelled to make a promise that she would remain a prisoner in her own house. This promise she accordingly fulfilled. However, she shortly succumbs to death from the harsh treatment and the bad provisions they supplied her with. She departed her life full of hope and joy, because she suffered this for the name of the Lord. She knew he would reward her hereafter with a crown of everlasting bliss, and free her from eternal death. 'And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.

About 1660, the Landis family migrated to Germany to escape the persecution

• Friend: Hans Huber. Hans Huber:

Hans Huber who was from the Horgerberg was first imprisoned with eleven other brethren. They were imprisoned for the faith's sake from which bonds he was delivered along with his companions. He was subsequently apprehended again and imprisoned in a strong place at Othenbach. He was fettered and chained, which left no prospect for him to be released without the miraculous help of God. They were all chained, stripped of their usual garments, and forced to dress in long gray coats as a form of mockery and reproach. In the meantime, his wife along with her sister and two aged women were driven into exile, because of the faith.

Thus they persevered in this manner until the last of August of the year 1645 when we heard of them for the last time. How it further went with them, we have not been able to ascertain. There cannot be withheld from them the name of pious witnesses of Jesus Christ since they professed a good profession and suffered all this for His name's sake.

• Friend: Jacob Gachnauer. Jacob Gachnauer:

Jacob Gachnauer and his wife lived in Groeningen, Bailiwick where they were seized, the family broken up and driven out of the country. His children were expelled and thrust into poverty. His house and furniture were sold with the proceeds delivered into the hands of the authorities. Subsequently, when he undertook to come back into the country to seek his scattered children, he met the persecutors on the way. They imprisoned him in Othenbach, deprived him of his clothes, dressed him in a gray coat, fastened him to a chain, and mocked him.

• Notes of Interest. NOTES OF INTEREST

1.The records for Uli Burgy were found in "Emigrants, Refugees and Prisoners" reads as follows: "The Langnau and Eggiwil church records state that Uli Burgi, b. c1615. He was married to Barbara Roos and lived in Biglen, Bern."

2.It is interesting to note that the migration pattern for the Roos family was as follows: Spain to Netherlands to Belgium to Switzerland.

3.The Roos name can be traced to Kortrijk, Belgium. Kortrijk, Belgium was where Anpleunis Van Den Berge was imprisoned and most likely lived nearby. One possibility is that the Roos family and Burgy family knew each other while living in Belgium.

Notes Regarding the Burgi, Buerki, Bergey and Barkey name:

1.In the 1500's we can find Berge's in Belgium, but the name is referred to as Van den Berge. According to "The Origin of German Names", the name Van den Berge would suggest nobility.

2.Surnames did not come into existence until the reign of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia (1740-1786) who demanded that all common people must have a surname.

3.We find historic evidence of the Burgy family in Switzerland in the 1600's. The Daniel Burki (also spelled Buerki) family had been living in Bern, Switzerland from around 1575. Historians have not found a connection between the two families prior to Hans Burgy marrying Maria Buerki. The similarity in the spelling of the last names raises the possibility that there may have been a family connection at some point. The fact that both families lived in Bern and that patterns of migration show that as humans we choose our destination by the fact that we know someone living there, suggest this possibility.

4."Bergey was a family name among the Swiss Anabaptists in the Emmental during the 17th century. It was also present in the Palatinate Mennonite family census lists of 1672, 1738, 1743, 1752, 1753, 1759, and 1768. The 1940 census of Mennonite families in South Germany listed 18 families under four variants of the name. 5.Peter Bürki (1538) and Christen Bürki (1669) appear in the Bernese Ratsmanual as Anabaptists. Hans Bürky, a preacher, was exiled in 1710. 6.C.H. Smith lists a Christian Buercki, a member of the Amish faith, among the Pennsylvania immigrants of 1737. Six Birkey brothers of the Amish faith emigrated from Bavaria and settled in Butler Co., Ohio around 1840. Their father, Christian Bürkey, had emigrated from France. The six brothers moved to Tazewell Co., IL only a few years after they had settled in Ohio. Descendants of these brothers spread to Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and other near-by states. John C. Birky, ordained a bishop in 1890, was for many years a leader in the Western District Amish Mennonite Conference. He served as bishop of Hopedale, Illinois's congregation from 1896 to 1924. His brother Jacob Birky was bishop of the church at Beemer, Nebraska for many years but finally moved to Kouts, Indiana. 7.In 1950, at least 12 ministers with variants of the name were serving in Mennonite Church (MC) congregations. Eight of these were located west of the Mississippi. E.J. Berkey of Oronogo, Missouri, who had earlier engaged extensively in evangelistic meetings, was one of the most widely known members of the family."

8.Barkey's have been ministers in other denominations as well. John Barkey served as a minister in the Church of God in Brainerd, Minnesota; Cline Barkey served in numerous churches from the 1930's to 1980's, David Barkey served as a pastor and later a missionary in Argentina and Paul Barkey ministered to soldiers as a chaplain in the army.

Uli married Barbara Roos about 1640. (Barbara Roos was born about 1615 in Belgium ^629,630 and died about 1690 in Biglen, Bern, Switzerland.)