Christian Gehman

  Noted events in his life were:

• Family Event, 1673. My daughter, Magdelena, was baptised in 1673, and I was identified as an Anabaptist. ontents/A4584ME.html

• lived, 1678. I lived in Oberthal, Switzerland, in 1678.

• Guardian, 1684. In 1684, Gilgan Aeschliman was made guardian over our children. The documents list me as Christian Gauman an Anabaptist of Scwendli in Oberthal.

• lived, 1685. In 1685, I lived in Schwendli.

• lived, 1687. In 1687, we lived in Schwendil in Oberthal where the authorities recorded that I was a hard necked Wiedertaufer. Widertaufer means Anabaptist.

• Meeting, 1693. ⁷⁶¹ My brother Peter and I were Anabaptists who were at an Anabaptist meeting with Jacob Amman and Hans Reist in the summer of 1693 in Switzerland at Niklaus Moser's barn at Fridersmatt hof in Bowil Grosshochstetten.


“The specific order of events of the division, which occurred in late July or early August 1693, is as follows. Elder Jakob Ammann of Erlenbach had started to hold the communion services twice a year instead of only once, as had been the practice in Switzerland. Two elders, Hans Reist and Benedict Schneider, opposed this innovation although it was decided to permit it. Ammann and Reist thus became the leaders of opposing factions on this issue. Shortly, however, the main issue of the controversy between the two men shifted rapidly to the Meidung question by Ammann's asking two preachers (Niklaus Moser and Peter Giger), who were called by Reist to help settle the communion controversy in his own congregation, to ask Reist what he believed concerning the Meidung. Learning that Reist opposed it, Ammann took three ministers (Uli Ammann, Christian Blank, and Niklaus Augspurger) with him on a tour of the churches to find out what the ministers in Switzerland believed about the Meidung. Discovering that only a few of them agreed with him, Ammanm decided to call a meeting of all the Swiss ministers in Niklaus Moser's barn near Friedersmatt, to which however not all the ministers came. Among the absentees was Hans Reist. Since the meeting was inconclusive, a second meeting was called for two weeks later. This meeting was fairly large, but again Hans Reist did not appear, although Ammann had twice requested him through intermediaries to indicate his stand on the Meidung. (Reist did write a letter rejecting the Meidung and asking his readers not to pay too much attention to Ammann.) The controversy hastened to a climax. Ammann laid before the meeting a letter listing six charges against Hans Reist, and when he had read the charges declared Hans Reist to be excommunicated. After further controversial discussion, Ammann excommunicated Niklaus Moser and Peter Giger and shortly thereafter Peter Habegger, Jacob Schwartz, and Peter im Gul (Ingold) after all these men had refused to accept the Meidung. At this Peter Zimmermann said, “There you have it,” and the meeting broke up, the Ammann party leaving the building without shaking hands. A little later seven of the “Amish” held a meeting nearby which can be viewed as the first Amish party gathering. Shortly after this, Ammann expelled by letter Benedict Schneider and Hans im Wiler, who refused to accept the Meidung. Niklaus Baltzli was expelled personally on the ground of teaching that truehearted persons would be saved. Either shortly before his tour through Switzerland or shortly thereafter, Ammann expelled a number of the members of the church at Markirch in Alsace because they did not admit that attending services in the state church was wrong.

Various attempts were made by both ministers and lay members to persuade Jakob Ammann to recall his hasty action of excommunication, but to all he turned a deaf ear. Soon some persons from the Emmental wrote to the brotherhood in the Palatinate describing what happened and asking for help. On Oct. 16, 1693, some of the Palatine ministers wrote to the Amish asking them to seek reconciliation. The Palatine ministers also at this time wrote a letter to the ministers in Alsace who had written them about the troubles at Markirch, advising the Alsace ministers not to pay too much attention to Jakob Ammann and his new teaching. On Nov. 22, 1693, Ammann answered the letter from the Palatinate with the approval of a number of ministers in Alsace where he was at that time staying. The signatures on the letter are, besides Ammann, Jakob Kleiner, Jakob Kauffman, Hans Moyer, Peter Zimmermann, Hans Bachman, Hans Neuhauser, Felix Hager, Nigli Ausperger, Heinrich Gerei, Christle Steiner, Ully Oswalt, and Uli Ammann. About this time also Ammann sent out his Warnungsschrift, a letter or broadside in which he asked all church members either to report to him that they accepted his view on the three controversial issues or to prove to him that he was wrong. They were asked to report before February 20, 1694, and were to be excommunicated if they did not do so by March 7, 1694.

A major attempt at reconciliation was made in the second week, in March 1694 at a meeting called at Ohnenheim in Alsace at the request of the ministers of the Palatinate, at which both sides were to be represented. Ten men came from Switzerland and seven from the Palatinate, but the number of “Amish” present is not known. The Palatines begged the Amish not to continue acting so rashly, but the latter insisted that the opposing side accept the three major points of the controversy. When neither side would yield the Palatines proposed a compromise yielding the two minor points of the controversy, but not surrendering on the Meidung. Some minor difficulties were also discussed. When no agreement could be
reached, the Amish left the meeting. On the following day the Swiss ministers decided to agree with the Palatines and drafted a joint statement giving the reasons why they could not agree with Jakob Ammann, dated March 13, 1694. The list of signers was as follows: For the Swiss, Hans Reist, Peter Habegger, Ulrich Falb, Niklaus Baltzli, Peter Geiger, Dursch Rohrer, Jakob Schwartz, Daniel Grimmstettler, Ulrich Blatzley; for the Palatines, Jakob Gut, Hans Gut, Peter Zolfinger, Christian Holi, Benedikt Mellinger, Hans Heinrich Bär, Hans Rudi Nägeli.

About this time Ammann placed the opposing Palatine ministers under the ban and also numerous other persons whom he had never seen. This is the climax in the story of the division. Now the entire Mennonite brotherhood in Switzerland, Alsace, and South Germany was divided into factions. A large majority of the churches in the Palatinate and Switzerland were against Ammann, but practically all the Alsatian churches followed him. North Germany was not directly involved although a letter by Elder Gerhard Roosen of Hamburg was sent to a friend in Alsace in 1697 expressing a concern about the outcome of the controversy.

Various attempts at reconciliation were undertaken between 1694 and 1698, both by correspondence and in meetings, but all failed. The Amish finally decided they had been too rash with their use of the ban, in having acted without the consent of their congregations and accordingly placed themselves under the ban (probably in 1698). When after a time the Amish indicated that they would like to be received into the church again, the other side stated they would receive them, but when the Amish insisted again that the other side agree with them on the Meidung and the other issues, negotiations broke down. Later, after the Amish had been received into the church fellowship by ministers who had not participated in the original division, and their several attempts at reconciliation had begun to bear some fruit, the matter of the literal observance of footwashing as the Amish practiced it became a bone of contention and proved to be a barrier on the road to peace, since the Swiss Mennonites had never practiced this ordinance before. On February 7, 1700, some Amish leaders again decided to put themselves under the ban, but this move failed to produce the desired peace. No other attempts at reconciliation are recorded until 1711. On January 21st of that year a group of Amish from the Palatinate came to Heidelsheim in Alsace desiring to make peace with the brotherhood there provided they would be allowed to practice the Meidung and footwashing. The Heidelsheim congregation then wrote to Switzerland for advice, and finally decided, in spite of a negative answer, to receive Uli Ammann and Hans Gerber, two of the petitioners, into fellowship again. This had no effect on the larger division, which continued unresolved.

Throughout the controversy, which in essence lasted from 1693 to 1698, Jakob Ammann appears as the leader of the radical party and Hans Reist as the leader of the continuing 'regular” group, who refused to follow Ammann. For this reason at times the Amish referred to the other party as the “Reistleut.” However, this did not persist. 1t is fair to say that the Amish party was a deviation from the main body in as much as they introduced two practices, which were foreign to historical Swiss Mennonitism, namely, Meidung and footwashing, as well as more rigid regulations on matters of costume. Ammann and his party represent a rigidly conservative point of view, which insisted upon sharp discipline and inflexible adherence to the practices, which they considered essential to a true Christian church. It is this inflexible conservatism which has marked the Amish ever since and which has resulted in an unchanging perpetuation of forms of worship and church organization as well as costume, customs, and language.

• Imprisoned, 29 Sep 1710. I was of Hochstetten when I was put in jail on September 29, 1710 at the island in Bern with my second wife, Anna Brenzikoffer.

A list of prisoners on September 29, 1710:

Upper Hospital men: Peter Hertig, Hans Gasser, Peter Luthel, Ulrich Trussel, Daniel rothenbuhler, Peter Gerber, hans Zahn, Hans Schonauer, Hans Frutiger, heinrich Schilt, uli Brechbuhl, Daniel Neukomet, Hans Wissler, Michael Russer, Hans Kreybuhl, Bauman the younger.

Upper Hospital women:

Gertrud Rugsegger, Barbara Rugsegger, Margrit Gerber, Elsi Brast, Barbara Steiner, Luzia Wymann, Barbara Rohrer, Margret Schurch, elisabeth Aebersold, Gertrud Parli, Vreni Aeschlimann, Stini Trussel, Anna Salzmann, Anna Moser.

On the Island, Men: Hans Schenider, uli Bear, joseph Brobst, Claus Baumgatrner, Christian Gaumann, Christian Gaumann the Younger, Martin Strahm, Peter Blaser, Benedict Lehmann, Ulrich Schurc and Hans Fluckiger

Women: Anna Brenzikoffer, Ann Habegger, Vreni Rubin, E. Heimann, Anna Bear, And Margret Oberli.

Eshleman, H. Frank [View Citation] [Table of Contents] Historic background and annals of the Swiss and German pioneer settlers Lancaster, Pa.: unknown, 1917 pg 173

Christian and his family were among those fleeing Switzerland in 1711. The command over the flotilla was confided to George Ritter and his two superintendents, Gruner and Haller. He was also to be advised in important matters by two prominent Mennonite Brethren, Daniel Richen and Christian Gauman, the elder, who had been appointed for this purpose. Besides this there were on the ships a few brethren centrusted with the supervision and care of the emigrants - Hans Burki, Jacob Richen, Emanuel Lartscher, Michael Lusser. Hans Meier and Peter Zehnder (Mueller 302) Each vessel had its experienced melmsman or pilot and the necessary crew from the brethren of whom twenty reported as experienced oarsmen. Experienced pilots were taken along from one place to another according as they were familiar with the river at different points.

pg 180

The fugitives who had arrived at Amsterdam were most part members of the Amman faction, that is the Amish. The adherents of Reist had nearly all decamped en route.

In the Emmenthaler ship most of the prisoners had been placed. The overseers were Hans Burki, christen Gaumann the Elder and Jacob Richener. There were eighty nine persons on the ship Ementhaler. The other ship names were the oberlander,Thun and Neuenburger.. A toltal of 346 people traveled up the Rhine river. The goal of the emigrants was to push on to America but a number of them never reached American shores.

Martin Strahm, of Hohsteten, left the ship at Bresach; so did Hans Burki of Langnau, Peter Hartig of Lauperswyl; Peter Gerber and wife Verena Aeschlimann of Langnau; Joseph Propst of Lauperswyl; Daniel Rothebubler of Lauperswyl escaped at Mannheim; so did Hans Schwarentrub of Trub; Ulrich Beer of Trub escaped at Breisach; so did Hans Gasser, teacher and his wife, Katrina Stauffer, and a young son of Lauperswyl. Hans Zann escaped at Mannheim; so did Hans Fluckinger of Lutzelfluch and Niklaus Baumgartner of Trub, and nicklaus Haberli of Luchsee, and Ulrich Trussel and his daughter Katherina of Sumiswald. Christian Gaumann the elder and his wife, Anna Brezikoffer of Heoctstetten. Christian Gauman the young er his wife, Katharina Streit, with two sons, five and eleven years of age, respectively and two daughters of six and three years of age respectively of Hochstetten, arrived at Amsterdam.

page 184-188

In Earnest Muller's book page 290 may be found a list of the prisoners mentioned in a letter from Alsace) who were in the jail of Bern July 27, 1710, consisting of twenty-three brethren and seven sisters, of the Anabaptist or Mennonite faith. They are as folows: Peter Gerber, a servant in the Word of God lines in chains.

From the dominion of Trachselwald: Peter Blaser, Hans wisler, Hans Schneider, clauss Baumgartner, ulli Bear, Peter Hertig, Peter Leuti, Ulli Brachbul, Hans Grasser, Joseph Probst, Daniel Rotenbuler, Hans Zahn. From the dominion Sumiswald: Ulli Trussel, Ulli Schurch. From the cominion Brandiss: Hans Fluckinger. From the cominion Signau: Martin Stramm, Christian Gouman, the younger, Hans Holtzer, Leuperswell; district of Solothurn. Hans Kuoubuler from Dissbach. Hans Frutiger from the dominion of Thun. Niclauss Haberli of Buchsi. the sisters imprisoned are: Vernea Aeschlimann, Catrina Bieri, Christina Trussel, Margret Scher, Margret Oberli, Anna Bretzighoffer, Anna Moseri.

Cunonheim in alsace, July 26, 1710. "Have received a letter from Switzerland and understand from it that twenty-three brethren and seven sisters are imprisoned at Berne, and that they are willing to take them down the Rhine on a ship, therefore, we, the undersigned deacons and elders in Alsace beg of your deacons and elders in the Palatinate, namely, Tillman Kolb and Hans Jacob Schnebeli, very friendly to pay attention and see to it, when the ship arrives at Breisach. But we may not know when they will arrive. We are Willing however, to send people to Bresach who will let us know as soon as they arrive there. We ask of you kindly if it be your pleasure that you will write to the friends in Holland. We are afraind if they have a further passport from the king we can hardly accomplish anything.

Martin Egli Hanss Blumm christian Rupp page 171

• Friend: Jacob Amman. He was born near Erlenbach in the Simmental south of Thun in 1644. The record states that Jacob Amman, son of Michel Amman and Ann Rupp(en) was baptisted Feb. 12, 1644. If this is correct, he was baptised as an infant, and therefore the son of Reformed parents, rather than anabaptists. He probably was converted to the Biblical way in his youth. He moved to a homestead near Bowil in the Emmental, and was well acquainted with church elders there. So perhaps he was ordained there not only to minister, but also to bishop. "Jacob Amman was a prominent Mennonite bishop in Switzerland, who about the year 1673 moved to Alsace, France."

A government document that mentions Jacob Amman, a statement in the Bern State Archives in 1730, says he was an Anabaptist minister. This document states he died "out of the country" and this is information taken from his daughter.

1644: Jacob Amman born. February `12, Erlenbach 1644: Baptised as an infant. February 12 16??: Coverted as a young man 166?: Moved to near Bowil, Emmental 1673: Fled as a refugee to Alsace, France 1673-93: Served as bishop, Alsace 1693: Sent on tour back to Switzerland 1693-1711: Involved in Amish division 1696, 1703, 1708, 1709: At Markirch, Alsace. 1712: Anabaptists expelled from Alsace 1723: 14 families still at Markirch but did not include Jacob Amman 1730: His daughter states that he died abroad but does not say when or where 1730: An oral tradition among the Amish claims Jacob Amman, Jr., emigrated to Pennsyvania, later to North Carolina.

In the late 1600s, a Swiss Mennonite named Jacob Amman founded the Amish church after he and other Mennonites failed to resolve their differences over the issue of shunning -- the practice of ignoring those persons who had been expelled from the church. Amman believed that excommunicated sinners ought to be avoided entirely -- to be considered, for all intents and purposes, dead. Other Mennonites took a more moderate stance, one that the conservative Amman could not accept. So he and his followers formed a church that would, in its early days, shun sinners even to the extent of conducting "funerals" for them following their excommunication.

Amman insisted upon a strict interpretation of dicipline. For his practices he appealed to Menno Simons’ writings and to the Dordrecht Confession of Faith of 1632, which, as for the Mennonites, has become the recognized statement of doctrine for both Amish and Old Order Mennonites in America. The Dordrecht Confession says the Bible is the source of belief, and places prime importance upon the believer’s direct encounter with the living Christ and the work of the Spirit within them. The Dordrecht Confession insists that the church is the basic society for the true Christian.

In his preaching, Amman stressed the practice of avoidance. A member whose spouse (ektefelle) was under the ban (forbud) was either to eat nor sleep with him or her until the ban was lifted. Amman also reintroduced footwashing. Non-religious customs of the period – hooks and eyes instead of buttons, shoestrings instead of buttons, bonnets and aprons, broad brimmed hats, and beards and long hair – became identifying characteristics of the church and were seen in terms of religious conformity.

All of the Mennonites during Amman’s time were in a loose federation and strove to remain of one mind. Amman’s strict interpretation of the "avoidance" clause in the ban led to a division among the Mennonites, with some following Amman and separating themselves from the others. Amman placed under the ban all who disagreed with him. After a few years of separation, Amman and his associates tried to reconcile with the other Mannonites, but the reconciliantion efforts failed. Since then, the Amish have been independent of the Mennonites.

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One of the other things for which Ammann contended was uniformity in dress, which included the style of hats, garments for the body, shoes and stockings. He also taught against the trimming of the beard and attending services in the state church. In fact he excommunicated a number of persons in the congregation at Markirch because they would not confess with him that it was wrong to attend services at the state church. Some of the other disputes that arose during the course of the controversy concerned to which side a meetinghouse belonged and who had the higher authority, Reist or Ammann. Smith says, "There seems to have been some dispute also regarding the use of tobacco," but there is no mention of tobacco in any of the documents in the three printed collections. The main issues of the controversy were the first three mentioned, namely: (1) Meidung, (2) whether those who speak falsehoods should be excommunicated, (3) and whether one could say that true-hearted persons would be saved.

• Friend: Hans Reist. ⁷⁶² Hans Reist was from the Oberthal, Emmenthal also of Bern, Switzerland. He was the leader of the Reist or leytischen Mennonites of the Emme Valley of which many of our ancestors belonged. He was born February 18, 1660 in Switzerland and Died 1723 in Montbeliard, France. He was married to Barbara Ryser in 1689 in Durrenoth, Bern, Switzerland.

He was a Swiss Mennonite Leader in the Emme River Valley east of Bern. About 1700 Hans and Barbara Reist confessed the Mennonite religion in Durrenroth, Berne, Switzerland. The Mennonites were persecuted at this time because they would not serve as soldiers or take an oath. On Feb 6 1701, Hans promised to renounce his faith, but could not bring himself to do so and was driven from the country. Barbara probably accompanied her husband but returned to look after her children. Hans, too, returned, though secretly, for in May 1704 they were at a Mennonite meeting. This became known and Hans again fled the country. Barbara remained with the children, but in Jun 1706 she was accused of making converts and left to avoid imprisonment. In their wanderings Hans and Barbara went to the Principality of Basel and later to Montbeliard, France.

The authorities expelled Hans and his wife from their village of Rotenbaum. Reist broke exile after a few years and returned home, hoping to live in peace. In 1701, officials again arrested Reist and he promised to attend the state church and take the sacraments. Reist knew how to survive tough times. He sympathized with the failings of others and allowed his congregation a lot of spiritual latitude.

Reist held out the possibility that people might be saved without confessing God's grace and receiving baptism. Reist also did not practice social avoidance against those who left the Church; he was comfortable with merely excluding such from communion. Reist's congregation included some members that clamored for more frequent communion. Reist called on fellow ministers Niklaus Moser and Peter Giger for counsel.

Ammann asked Moser and Giger to find out what Reist really believed about shunning. Reist answered with the words of Jesus: 'What enters the mouth does not defile the man, but what comes out of the mouth.' Reist had no intention of shunning errant members. Thus followed the meeting in Niclaus Mosers barn. Hans Reist did not appear at the meeting, but sent word to those at the barn that he was harvesting and too busy to be bothered. Upon hearing this, Ammann 'became enraged' and excommunicated Reist

• Friend: Niklaus Moser. ^763,764 He was an elder and minister in the Mennonite church whom Amman excommunicated. “In another letter Ammann asked all persons to report to him how they believed on these three issues. (He did not specify the case of the woman who admitted speaking a falsehood but spoke of disciplining falsehood in general.) He actually excommunicated preachers Niklaus Moser, Peter Giger, and some others on the charge of falsehood because they had once said they believed in Meidung and then when they saw that Reist and Ammann disagreed on the interpretation of the teaching, they refused to accept the doctrine with Ammann's emphasis.”

Christian married Madlena Keller about 1672.⁵⁸⁶ (Madlena Keller was born about 1643 in Grosshöchstetten, Switzerland and died about 1684.)

Christian next married Anna Brentzighoffer before 20 Nov 1685. (Anna Brentzighoffer was born about 1643.)