View source for Nold, Jacob (1765-1834)

Nold, Jacob (1765-1834), the first Mennonite (MC) bishop in [[Ohio (State)|Ohio]], was born in Milford Township, [[Bucks County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Bucks County]], [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]], of parents who came from the [[Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany)|Palatinate]], [[Germany|Germany]], in 1754. He was ordained to the ministry 30 March 1794, and served the Swamp Mennonite Church congregation, where he was later ordained as bishop. In 1813 he and Abraham Wismer conducted a tour of preaching appointments in [[Lancaster County (Pennsylvania, USA)|Lancaster County]]. In the same year he and a few others went to [[Ohio (State)|Ohio]] evidently looking for a location. Four years later, in 1817, he moved to Ohio with his family, locating in [[Columbiana County (Ohio, USA)|Columbiana County]], just east of Leetonia. He was extremely active and energetic and is said to have been instrumental in effecting the organization of congregations in [[Medina County (Ohio, USA)|Medina]], Stark, and Wayne counties, serving these congregations as bishop, going from one to the other on foot or on horseback. [[Feetwashing|Feetwashing]] was optional in the Columbiana-[[Mahoning County (Ohio, USA)|Mahoning]] congregation in the early years, many being opposed to it. In order to have fellowship with the Wayne-Stark County Mennonites who favored it, Nold introduced feetwashing in his home congregations as the result of great effort. This counsel with the Wayne-Stark group in time grew into the [[Ohio Mennonite Conference|Ohio Mennonite Conference]]. Bishop Nold had a son, Jacob Nold (1798-1864), who was the first Mennonite deacon in the Leetonia area, and who had a third edition of [[Dock, Christopher (d. 1771)|Christopher Dock's]] <em>Schulordnung</em> published at Columbiana, Ohio, in 1861.
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