Price Notes

Written by Ronald J. Gordon ~ Published September, 1997 ~ Last Updated, March, 2004 ©© This document may be reproduced for non-profit or educational purposes only, with the provisions that the entire document remain intact and full acknowledgement be given to the authors.

Puzzled by all the Brethren denominations? There are so many Christian groups using the term Brethren, that questions frequently arise concerning their relationship with each other. The purpose of this exercise is to acquaint you with a basic, non-theological outline of denominations using the word Brethren, and hopefully give you an overview of how we all fit together. One very common denominator which usually holds true for most Brethren groups is that each progenitive body originated in central Europe during the Fifteenth to Eighteenth centuries under mild to severe religious persecution. There are eight main Brethren groups, and each sub-group is listed under their progenitor. When possible, links have been included to other web sites that offer additional material, that will hopefully increase the understanding of a specific group. Reasonable consideration should therefore be exercised that opinions expressed are solely the responsibility of the editors of that site, and may not represent an official position of the governing denominational body.

The basic outline of this document was first compiled by Richard M. Judy of Dunker Springhaus Ministries, Youngstown, Ohio. It was then further researched to include commentary on each group, additional information, brief histories, reference links to other web sites, and then graphically enhanced for the Web, by Ron Gordon, Church of the Brethren Network Administrator. We hope this co-project will be helpful towards attaining a better perspective of the many Brethren groups, and especially a more keen understanding of their various subgroups. Your questions, suggestions, or any corrections to this outline are most welcome.

Although modern Germans principally use the transitive verb tauchen (plunge, immerse) or eintauchen (dive into), the obsolete tunken was the moniker applied to the early Brethren. The later substitution of the 'D' for the 'T' thus rendering dunken is most probably a New World innovation, which itself, later evolved into dunkard, and backward also into tunkard. First known as the Schwarzenau Tääufer (Baptists) or Neue Tääufer (new baptists) to distinguish them from older Anabaptists bodies, such as the Mennonites and Amish, they later migrated through the New World using the label German Baptist and then appended Brethren about 1836. Some congregations still held to the former two-word label while others accepted German Baptist Brethren, the latter officially adopted in 1871 at Annual Meeting. Variations of Tunker and Dunker have also been used by several Brethren groups beside this Schwarzenau body (see Brethren In Christ below). In fact, a 1926 splinter group from the Church of the Brethren actually uses the label Dunkard Brethren.

Established 1708 near Schwarzenau, Germany, by Alexander Mack who founded a community of eight believers through adult baptism. They were heavily influenced by Pietism, and Anabaptist conventions from an earlier century. Schwarzenau Brethren often experienced religious persecution, and found refuge among Mennonites, an older persecuted Anabaptist group who had establish havens over many years, such as Krefeld (Germany) and Germantown (Pennsylvania). Brethren were also influenced by them, and many beliefs and practices remain similar into the modern era. Following a resurgence of persecution, splinter groups evolved and the Mack party emigrated in 1729 to Pennsylvania in the wake of co-worker Peter Becker's earlier group of 1719. The first American congregation was founded near Germantown with adult baptisms on Christmas Day, 1723. Enjoying their new world freedom from religious persecution, many congregations were established.

* Johann Conrad Beissel, head Elder of the Conestoga congregation, renounces his Brethren affiliation in 1728 and later establishes his own communal living experiment with a Cloister near Ephrata in 1732. During his lifetime the community flourished, but after his death in 1768, most residents gradually began moving away. In 1814, the few remaining dwellers incorporated themselves as the Seventh Day German Baptist Church which survived until 1934. With its future in limbo, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission assumed complete ownership of the grounds in 1941, instituting a program of research, historical interpretation, and restoration.

* Old German Baptist Brethren (OGBB), representing the more conservative wing as in dress, custom, and worship could not tolerate modern innovations of the Nineteenth century in the church and left in 1881. Minor schisms followed this group with the Old Order German Baptist Brethren breaking away in 1921.

* Progressive Brethren representing the more liberal wing desired modern innovations of the Nineteen Century and especially stressed a greater emphasis on evangelism. They left in 1882 to form the Brethren Church (BC) which experienced its own schism in 1939 with the departure of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches (GB).

* Central and largest group of moderates (then called Conservatives) realizing after two full centuries that few members speak German or embrace the former sub-culture, later adopted the denominational title Church of the Brethren (COB) in 1908, also eschewing the word baptist.

"Accordingly, after the candidates for baptism had chosen Peter Becker to be their Baptizer, they were baptized in the stream Wiskohikung (Wissahickon), near Germantown, on December 25th, of the year 1723. And as these were the firstlings of all baptized, from among the high-Germans in America, their names shall here be recorded and given to posterity, namely: Martin Urner and his female house-mate, (his wife, Catherina), Henry Londes and his house-mate (Heinrich Landes and his wife), Frederick Lang, and Jan Mayle. The evening following they held the first Love-feast ever celebrated in America, at John Gomorry's (Gumre's), which created a great stir among the people of that neighborhood; Peter Becker,* * * * * ministered at the same.

At this, the first baptism by immersion held in America, "it was found that there were present seventeen persons who had been baptized in Europe. They were: Peter Becker, Johann Heinrich Traut, Jeremias Traut, Balser Traut, Heinrich Holzappel, Johannes Gumre, Stephan Koch, Jacob Koch, Johannes Hildebrand, Daniel Ritter, George Balser Gansz, Johannes Preisz, Johannes Kampfer, Magdalena Traut, Anna Gumre, Maria Hildebrand, and Johanna Gansz. These seventeen persons constituted the first Dunker congregation formed in America. They chose Peter Becker as their elder. To them were added ere that memorable Christmas Day ended the six persons baptized in the Wissahickon. Of the baptismal ceremony, Sachse writes:

Clear above the sound of the rushing waters and the rustle of leafless branches rose the solemn German invocation and the singing of the baptismal hymn composed by Alexander Mack, "Ueberschiag die Kost, Spright Jesu Christ, wann du den Grund wilt legen." Numerous as had been the mystic rites and occult incantations held on the rugged ravine and valley of this stream since the gentle Kelpius and his band settled there thirty years before, none were more fervent or brought so great and lasting results as this solemn rite upon the narrow strip of rock-bound land on the shore of the Wissahickon. There stood the administrator deep in the cold water. Before him knelt the rugged Alsatian. Thrice was he immersed under the icy flood. As he arose the last time the Segenspruch was pronounced, and Martin Urner once more entered the material world to become a factor in the religious development of his adopted country. His wife, Catherina Reist, was the next candidate, followed by the other four persons, the same scenes being repeated in each case.

"He was seventeen years of age when with his father he came to America. He was a weakly youth and his father feared he would not live to have issue. And yet so anxious was the parent to leave a name and posterity behind him that he encouraged his son to marry while still very young. It is said that an Indian girl, on account of her excellent physique and good health, was selected and became his wife.

This tradition in many forms has been firmly believed in by many of the family though denied by others. The writer on one occasion asked Abraham H. Price, No. 2293, what he knew of it and he said that he often heard his father speak of the "Indian grandmother and it is not only tradition but truth." Abraham H. Cassel, the noted historian, informed me "there was no doubt but that John Price's wife was an Indian maiden." James Y. Heckler, another local historian of note, said in 1888 : "Her parents and family resided on the farm (Price's) in a log house on the other side of the Indian Creek, until the latter part of the last century or longer. "

"Jacob Price, whom the writer well recalls, was not only a capable teacher, but a man well versed in the classics. In addition to his daily work in the schoolroom, he gave private lessons at his home in Latin and Greek. Frequently he was summoned by district school boards to examine their teachers. All in all he was much respected as will be seen later, when the board authorized the closing of all the schools to attend his funeral.