Oberholtzer, Jacob (1767-1847)
Jacob Oberholtzer (1767-1847): a Mennonite (Mennonite Church) minister, who (according to tradition) lived in Bucks County, PA and moved to what is now Mahoning County, Ohio in 1806. He was the first ordained Mennonite minister to take up residence in Ohio. He organized the congregation in Mahoning County in 1815, and in 1833 he contributed land for church, cemetery, and school.
The Mennonites of Beaver Township supported a church school. In 1828, when legislation was enacted by the state whereby taxes could be levied to establish public schools, dissension arose within the congregation on the question of private or public schools. A group, led by Jacob Oberholtzer, favored church schools in order to preserve the German language. When the issue was decided in favor of public schools in 1834, Jacob Oberholtzer moved to Ashland County, Ohio, and served the congregations there until his death. He was a forceful speaker. He was married twice. His first wife was Catherine Baughman (d. 1806), to whom were born seven children, and his second Elisabeth Mellinger, of Mahoning County, to whom were born thirteen children.
| Author(s) | Wilmer D Swope |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Swope, Wilmer D. "Oberholtzer, Jacob (1767-1847)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Oberholtzer,_Jacob_(1767-1847)&oldid=113564.
APA style
Swope, Wilmer D. (1959). Oberholtzer, Jacob (1767-1847). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Oberholtzer,_Jacob_(1767-1847)&oldid=113564.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 12-13. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.