Those particular names were easy, since those families were the original immigrants of Somerset County, and I'm related to all of them. But in general the starting point is the "bible" of Amish Mennonite genealogy, which is Gingrich & Kreider's "Amish and Amish Mennonite Genealogies." Also, the Amish/Mennonites have a long running publication that lists obituaries back to the Civil War era, and the Brethren have publications that go back before the Civil War that lists obituaries. If you are going back to the 18th Century, you really need to know your history, and understand migration patterns. Most Amish, Mennonites and Brethren traveled in groups, and settled in the same communities. To assist in the early periods there are also numerous articles and books on the Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren genealogy and history, including "Mennonite Family History" magazine. "Mennonite Family History" also includes a number of Brethren articles including a number written by Emmert Bittinger and Dwayne Wrightsman, and of course the Fellowship of Brethren Genealogists newsletters. Bill Thomas -----Original Message----- From: brethren-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:brethren-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Janet Rogers Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 9:27 PM To: brethren@rootsweb.com Subject: [BRE] Brethren -Mennonite - Amish names Almost all of these family names have Somerset County connections, and were Amish or Mennonite prior to being Brethren. May I ask how one can tell if the surname is Amish, Mennonite or Brethren? I was able to go back another 4 generations on one of my main lines and have come to NEWCOMER, which I have been led to believe is Swiss and Mennonite. How can someone tell this by the surname. Many Blessings, Janet ------------------------ 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