The recent discussion of Schneiders on the Ship Allen has focused on Anna Margaretha, wife of John Mack, and her brother Jacob Schneider. Both were a part of the Brethren party led by John Mack's father, There were four other Schneiders on the Allen, two men--Christian and Mathias--and two women--Susanna and Magdalene. Unlike some observers, I am not prone to think of the three Schneider men on the Allen as brothers, or even close relatives, with the exception of Jacob and Christian. They were listed one after the other on two of the three ship lists along with other known Brethren men, and separated by only one man in the third list. Mathias Schneider was listed by himself among men not known to be Brethren. Correspondingly, Susanna Schneider was listed with the known Brethren women, indicating that she may have been related to Jacob and/or Christian. Magdalene Schneider was listed among the women not known to be Brethren. She was possibly related to Mathias Schneider. There are a number of undocumented theories about who Christian Schneider was, none of which is compelling in my opinion. In comparison, less is said about the Mathias Schneider on the Allen. I will be giving a paper on the Brethren who came over in 1729 on the Ship Allen at the annual meeting of the FOBG in Richmond, Virginia, in July of this year. One of my objectives is to differentiate the passengers on the Allen who were known Brethren from those who were not Brethren. Many believe that all of the passengers were Brethren because, unfortunately, Martin Grove Brumbaugh listed all the passengers as Brethren in Chapter 5 of his 1899 book "A History of the Brethren." Contrary to Brumbaugh, it is fairly easy to prove that many of the passengers were not Brethren. The more difficult part is to differentiate between a few of the passengers who represent question marks. I would appreciate hearing from those of you who have ideas about this endeavor. Dwayne Wrightsman

-----Original Message----- On Behalf Of Dwayne Wrightsman: Contrary to Brumbaugh, it is fairly easy to prove that many of the passengers were not Brethren. The more difficult part is to differentiate between a few of the passengers who represent question marks. If you tell us about your "Question Marks," we might have some useful comments. Donna