Beverly: I saw John's response, but wanted to add this. Many of the early Brethren of Somerset County were originally Amish and Mennonite. The three groups lived in the same general region in the vicinity of Meyersdale and Berlin. The Meyer and Lichty families were originally Mennonite, while the Beeghley family was originally Amish. The Brethren that emigrated from Europe were very limited in number. These early Brethren were very good at evangelism, and their ranks grew quickly by converting people of various German oriented denominations to the Brethren faith (Amish, Mennonites, Reformed, Lutheran). Some of the early settlers of Somerset County were Amish who came from Berks County. One Amish historian notes that one reason they came to Somerset County was to escape the Brethren influence in Berks County. If that was true, they moved right into the heart of the Brethren Stony Creek Congregation! Bill Thomas -----Original Message----- From: brethren-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:brethren-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Bb43@aol.com Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 3:01 PM To: brethren@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [BRE] Brethren history resources Thanks, Judy. I don't think I made myself clear in my post. My family is intertwined with many in the Somerset region of Pennsylvania, with many Meyers, Lichtys and Beeghleys in the line. When I read posts it's like one large family in the late 1700s. They moved on to Illinois, then Kansas, but also Iowa and California. Obviously information in these areas are of great interest to me. And I do have specific questions I will be posting in the future. My main interest in this post, though, is a more general interest. I am confused about the beginnings of Brethren - they are co-mingled with Anabaptists, Mennonites and Amish in many catalogs and books. I can't semm to figure whether they are splits form each other, or developed parallelly in the same region of Switzerland/Germany. Their seem to be many of the same family names in these groups. And I know some of them switched from one to another - due to geogrqaphical reasoons? Or marital situations? And later in this country there were many splits, it seems, and I can't seems to get a handle on the differences between the groups. I suppose theological differences, but perhaps also how they presented themselves to the world? I am also interested in how the Brethren practice today. I checked my state (CA) and the closest church looks to be over a hundred miles away, so I really can't even visit easily, certainly not regularly if I should be so inclined. I have a catalog from Masthof Press and there is a great selection. I don't know what to order. I did purchase and read a book entitled "Old Brethren" by Lehman. Interesting and quaint. I enjoyed it very much. And I bought Two Centuries of Brothersvalley (not sure that's the exact title) by Cooper, and I am reading that. But I don't think it addresses the general issues I am interested in. Just thought someone might have a book they're reading now, or have bought recently that they would like to recommend - a history of the church through time, not necessarily ancestors. Beverly **************Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your area - Check out TourTracker.com! (http://www.tourtracker.com?NCID=aolmus00050000000112) ------------------------ Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN ------------------------ Support Our Sponsoring Agency The Fellowship Of Brethren Genealogists (FOBG) For further information contact Ron McAdams mailto:McAdamsr@hotmail.com ------------------------ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BRETHREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message