Wenger (Wanger, Winger) family
Wenger, a Swiss Mennonite family name occurring among the Swiss and North American Mennonites, occurs most frequency among members of the Mennonite Church (MC) branch. The progenitor of a large number of North American Wengers was Christian Wenger, who immigrated to Philadelphia in 1727 and located in Lancaster County, where he married Eva Grabill. Two of their sons settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. From this branch of the family came the well-known evangelist and college president Amos D. Wenger (1867-1935) and Old Order Mennonite bishop John Dan Wenger, son-in-law of Bishop John Geil (1799-1899). In the Pennsylvania branch of the family, which has been primarily located in the Lancaster Conference, a large number have served as ministers and deacons in the church. Jonas G. Wenger (1840-1922) of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was a superintendent of the Old People's Home at Marshallville, Ohio. Martin D. Wenger (1841-1901) of Lancaster County worked for John F. Funk's Mennonite Publishing Company in Elkhart, Indiana. John C. Wenger taught at Goshen College Biblical Seminary starting in 1938, and served as deacon, preacher, and bishop in the Indiana-Michigan Conference (MC). His great-uncle, John S. Wenger (1843-1916) of Weaverland, Lancaster County, suffered from blindness yet was widely known for his mechanical ability and for his devotion to the church; his biography is included in the booklet Overcoming Handicaps. Samuel S. Wenger (b. 1903) was an attorney at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Paul A. Wenger (1889-1969) served as a missionary in India. Frank and Harry Wenger were both leaders in the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite.
Bibliography
Gratz, Delbert. Bernese Anabaptists. Scottdale, PA, 1953.
Wenger, J. G. et al. Descendants of Christian Wenger. Elkhart, IN, 1903.
| Author(s) | John C Wenger |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Wenger, John C. "Wenger (Wanger, Winger) family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Wenger_(Wanger,_Winger)_family&oldid=120495.
APA style
Wenger, John C. (1959). Wenger (Wanger, Winger) family. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Wenger_(Wanger,_Winger)_family&oldid=120495.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 916. All rights reserved.
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