Franklin County (Pennsylvania, USA)
Franklin County, Pennsylvania, is located near the center of Pennsylvania's southern border. Its shape is roughly triangular with its base resting on the famous Mason and Dixon line. The Mennonites (Mennonite Church and Reformed Mennonites) have never been grouped in a close colony, but are scattered among the Scottish-Irish throughout much of the area. The membership of the Reformed Mennonites is small; in 1954 the Mennonite Church group had 821 members organized into eight congregations. They were members of the Washington County, Maryland, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Conference. The Reformed branch had one bishop, one minister, and one deacon.
According to an article on the Mennonites by John B. Kauffman in a history of Franklin County published in 1887 a few Mennonites found their way to the county as early as 1735. The largest influx occurred in 1790-1800. The first church was erected in 1810. The congregations were never large, and in 1878 one bishop and five ministers served five small congregations.
Bibliography
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 v. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 681.
| Author(s) | J. Irvin Lehman |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Lehman, J. Irvin. "Franklin County (Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Franklin_County_(Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=80946.
APA style
Lehman, J. Irvin. (1956). Franklin County (Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Franklin_County_(Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=80946.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 377. All rights reserved.
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