died circa 1655 in Buchhalterbergh, Switzerland?? Conflicts with info that she was alive and went to Germany with her husband

IThe following are excerpts from "The Brenneman History" by Albert H. Gerberick, Mennonite
Publishing House, Scottsdale, PA 1938:

"Melchior Brenneman ["The Exile"]seems ... to have been born is Switzerland about 1631. Research in the cantonal archives at Bern seems to establish the fact that his home was at Ober-Diessbach on the north slope of the Buchhalterbert."

"From the very beginning of the Reformation there were religious leaders among the Protestants who did not believe in infant baptism, convinced that the Scripture taught that the ceremony should be postponed till riper years, when the candidate could recognize the spiritual significance of the act, the washing away of sin. In Holland and Switzerland there arose important congregations of these so-called Anabaptists. In the latter country the co-operation of Anabaptists with the great reformer Zwingli assisted greatly in the establishment of Protestantism. They later separated from him when he made it manifest that he intended to set up a state church. Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the Anabaptists (frequently called Mennonites from Menno Simons, their leader in Holland and Germany) suffered continuous persecution in Switzerland. In addition to their insistence upon adult baptism and their opposition to a state church, their refusal to take oaths or bear arms had made them objects of condemnation. Many were executed by drowning, burning and beheading, down to the martyr biship Hans Landis in 1614. Others were sold to neighboring countries as galley-slaves. The mildest sentence was exile and confiscation of property, forbidding a return to Switzerland on pain of death."

"In the appendix it will be noted that Melchior Brenneman refused to abjure his Mennonite belief, was
warned, and finally punished by imprisonment in the castle of Thun in the year 1659. We next hear of his flight to Griesheim in the year 1671, unquestionably due to the severe government mandate of 1670, which caused exiles to leave Switzerland for Germany in large numbers."

"One of the sons of Melchior Brenneman the refugee was likewise named Melchior ["The Pioneer"].
Family tradition gives the year of his birth as 1665 and the place of his birth as Canton Bern,
Switzerland. Like his father, he learned the weaver's trade. He was a young man of great energy and
intense religious conviction, and became a preacher in the Mennonite church, serving various
communities of refugees in Rhein-Hessen and the Pfalz. He and his brother Christian were the first of the family to emigrate to America. The cause of his decision to come to the New World was the
renewed persecution of his people by the Elector Palatine, after Louis XIV had overrun and conquered
the land of his adoption in South Germany. The idea had, however, been long smouldering in his mind.
He was a little lad when William Penn visited the Mennonite settlement where his father lived and urged the weary Swiss to settle in his new colony of Pennsylvania, where they would find peace and plenty of toleration of their beliefs."

"Tradition gives the year of his [Melchior, the Pioneer's] arrival in Pennsylvania as 1709."

Resided on the north slope of Buchhalterberg, Canton Bern Switzerland
between 1631 and 1659. Was a prisoner due to his anabaptist beliefs in
1659 in the Castle of Thun, Switzerland. He resided in 1663/64 in the
Parish of Buchhofferberg. He emigrated to Alzeny District, Griecheim
(aka Chriessum,Kreigsheim), Rein-Hesse Germany in 1671 where he was
residing on 1 Jan 1672.


Here is a short summary of the results of my research on the Brennemanns in archives in Germany:

The Mennonites Melchior Broennimann (born 1631 in Oberdreissbach, Canton Bern, Switzerland) and his wife Christina Reusser (born December 18, 1636) fled Switzerland in about 1672. They were being persecuted because of their religion. They had 7 children at the time in the ages of 1 1/2 to 15 years. They first came to Kriegsheim near Monsheim in the Palatinate. Their total possessions included one horse, bedding and 43 Reichstaler. The 7 children
were:

Elsbeth b. abt. 1656
Johann b. Oct. 10, 1658 in Steffisburg, Switzerland
Anna b. abt. 1660
Barbara b. abt. 1662
Melchior b. 1665
Christian b. 1667
Abraham b. abt. 1670

In Germany they had two more children:

Adam born 1673 in Enkenbach
Stephan abt. 1675 born in Enkenbach

By 1700 Melchior was one of 4 inheritance leaseholders of the Enkenbacher Klostergut together David d'Arm, Jean Migeot und Hans Krayenbühl.

Sons Johann and Adam settled also in Enkenbach. Adam married Katharina Wurz.
Sons Melchior and Christian emigrated to Pennsylvania
Son Stephan was in Otterberg (near Sembach)
Daughter Anna married Hans Steiner and also emigrated to Pannsylvania
Son Abraham married Magdalena Engel

Adam was the father of Nicholas This Nicholas was the father of Nicholas (born 1736) who settled in Braunshardt near Darmstadt. This Braunshardt branch was Amish. Peter , last son of Nicholas of Braunshardt and his 2nd wife Magdalena Unzicker emigrated to Canada with his wife Magdalena Güngerich

The spelling of the name became Brennemann by around 1700.

There are many descendants of Melchior living in the Palatinate today. Brenneman is a well-known Mennonite name.

Note: just to clear the records, Melchior and Christian did not emigrate to Pennsylvania because they were persecuted in Germany. They left to seek their fortunes in a new land. The persecution was in Switzerland. Swiss Mennonites were invited by Ludwig of Heidelberg to settle his lands in the Palatinate that had been devastated by the 30-years war. Although not enjoying full privileges in their new land, the Mennonites were allowed to worship freely. -- Source Peggy McKenzie mckenzie@t-online.de