Ancestral Lines of Chester Everts Howell - (PDF ... - Adkinshorton.net

The Moravians should not be included among the many peculiar sects ofPennsylvania's early history. Of all the religious bodies that came to Pennsylvaniain the days of German pioneering, the Moravians alone professed to comefor missionary purposes, especially to evangelize the Indians. As far assectarianism is concerned, the English Church as early as 1749 recognizedthe Moravians as a Protestant Episcopal denomination.Although the proper name of the Church was Unitas Fratrum or UnitedBrethren, so many of the early members had once lived in that part of Europecalled Moravia, that the group came to be better known as Moravians. Theirfirst congregation made up largely of followers of the reformer John Huss, hadbeen organized about 1722. This happened in a village owned by the CountZinzendorf in Upper Lusatia, Saxony. In 1735 through the efforts of the Count,a small congregation crossed the Atlantic and settled near the Ogeeche Riveron land granted to them by the Colony of Georgia. In 1737 another settlementhad been made by them at Savanna. However the next year both of these placeswere abandoned because of attacks made upon them by Spaniards from Florida.Historians claim the Jesuits did not wish to have Protestant settlers nearby.Those Moravians who survived went to Pennsylvania. Here in 1742 the CountZinsendorf met the Deputies of the Six Indian Nations at Tulpehocken, Pennsylvania,and was given a belt of wampum signifying the assent of the Indiansto the missionary plans of the Brethren. Before the Count returned to Europe,he gave the Lanapi chiefs, who claimed the place, what they had fixed as theirprice for the huts, orchards and cleared land at Bethlehem (after 1752 inNorthampton County, Pa. )By the time of the Indian massacres of 1756 and 1763, the Moravians hadfounded five settlements near Bethlehem. These were Nazareth founded in1743, Gnadenthal or Vale of Grace and Friedensthal or Vale of Peace, ChristianSpring in 1749 and in 1752 The Rose. All are now historical spots and some ofthe schools established about this time are yet in existence.In 1777 during the War of the Revolution, Pennsylvania demanded of itscitizens an Oath of Allegiance concerning loyalty to the Commonwealth ratherthan to George III. This was very distasteful to members of the religious sectswho had earlier, when first corning to America, been obliged to take an oathof allegiance to the King of England. Many felt to adjure him at a later datewould be to perjure themselves before God. However means considered legalwere eventually found to satisfy the objectors who were not actually Tories. Insome cases the words "to affirm" were used as a substitute for "to swear to"and "Affirmation" for "Oath".One of these Allegiance lists, still in existence at Easton, Pa. shows thatGeorge Minier was a subscriber in Northampton Co. It is dated Oct. 8, 1778and on it George's name appears as George Minniger (perhaps in scriptMinnijer) a corruption found in documents of this time. His two sons,Christian and Daniel served in the County Militia in the 5th Battalion of Col.Jacob Stroud. In 1781 Christian's name has been copied Minegar and Daniel'sas Mernerger on the rolls. By 1782 Christian was a Sergeant and both hisname and Daniel's were spelled correctly.63