There are exceptions to every rule, but a history of the Sandy Creek Congregation in present day West Virginia that was written in an 1876 issue of the 'Primitive Christian' states that they spoke German in the Sandy Creek church services until 1824. In the early days they also used a German Bible and sang German Hymns. In the 18th and early 19th Century, one could be disowned for being married out side the German Baptist church. But neither of these are absolutes. Speaking English is not a guarantee they would preach in English. For example, the Amish in 2014 preach in German, have a German Bible and sing in German, even though they all speak English. Bill Thomas -----Original Message----- From: Melanie Rice Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 8:55 PM To: BRETHREN@rootsweb.com Subject: [BRE] German Baptist marriage record questions If a couple was married by a German Baptist minister in 1827, PrebleCounty, OH - *may I presume that one or both of their families were brethren?* During that time period, in relatively newly settled Ohio, would a German Baptist minister have married couples who were not part of their church? The specific marriage record is for a Caty Sharow to a Daniel Brucker, on May 17, 1827, Preble County, OH. Also, if other couples I am researching in the same vicinity and time period were NOT married by a minister of the gospel, *may I presume the couple was not religious?* Would there be legitimate reasons that church members would be married by a JOP? I am working on a difficult family line that seems to have ties in Miami, Montgomery and Preble counties, OH, from about 1810 - 1840+. Do I understand correctly that* the designation "German Baptist" is synonymous with Dunker Brethren in the early 1800s, Ohio?* Lastly, *would the German Baptist churches in the Miami Valley have spoken ONLY German at that time? Could the churches have been bilingual? What about the members?* The family I'm working on (Sherow, etc.), came from a Scot-Irish settlement in Augusta County, VA, and appears to have been assimilated. My research so far indicates they likely spoke English by the time they arrived in the Miami Valley, about 1810. Thank you! Melanie Rice Denver, Colo. ------------------------ Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN ------------------------ ------------------------------- 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

Thank you, Bill. If I understand correctly, it is possible that Brethren church members may have spoken both English and German, but the church may have used German in the early 1800s? WOULD a Brethren minister have married a couple who were not of that faith? For example, in more remote areas where there were not nearby churches - if a minister passed through the area, would he have been likely to marry couples wishing to marry, regardless of their faith? I'm trying to understand if a marriage by a Brethren minister is a strong indicator that the couple were both from Brethren families. Thanks! On Wed, Feb 12, 2014 at 8:04 PM, Bill Thomas <wbtst2@atlanticbb.net> wrote: > There are exceptions to every rule, but a history of the Sandy Creek > Congregation in present day West Virginia that was written in an 1876 > issue > of the 'Primitive Christian' states that they spoke German in the Sandy > Creek church services until 1824. In the early days they also used a > German > Bible and sang German Hymns. In the 18th and early 19th Century, one could > be disowned for being married out side the German Baptist church. But > neither of these are absolutes. Speaking English is not a guarantee they > would preach in English. For example, the Amish in 2014 preach in German, > have a German Bible and sing in German, even though they all speak English. > > Bill Thomas > > -----Original Message----- > From: Melanie Rice > Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 8:55 PM > To: BRETHREN@rootsweb.com > Subject: [BRE] German Baptist marriage record questions > > If a couple was married by a German Baptist minister in 1827, > PrebleCounty, OH - *may > I presume that one or both of their families were brethren?* > > During that time period, in relatively newly settled Ohio, would a German > Baptist minister have married couples who were not part of their church? > > The specific marriage record is for a Caty Sharow to a Daniel Brucker, on > May 17, 1827, Preble County, OH. > > Also, if other couples I am researching in the same vicinity and time > period were NOT married by a minister of the gospel, *may I presume the > couple was not religious?* Would there be legitimate reasons that church > members would be married by a JOP? > > I am working on a difficult family line that seems to have ties in Miami, > Montgomery and Preble counties, OH, from about 1810 - 1840+. > > Do I understand correctly that* the designation "German Baptist" is > synonymous with Dunker Brethren in the early 1800s, Ohio?* > > Lastly, *would the German Baptist churches in the Miami Valley have spoken > ONLY German at that time? Could the churches have been bilingual? What > about the members?* The family I'm working on (Sherow, etc.), came from a > Scot-Irish settlement in Augusta County, VA, and appears to have been > assimilated. My research so far indicates they likely spoke English by the > time they arrived in the Miami Valley, about 1810. > > Thank you! > > Melanie Rice > Denver, Colo. > > ------------------------ > Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN > ------------------------ > > > ------------------------------- > 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 > > > ------------------------ > Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN > ------------------------ > > > ------------------------------- > 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 >

Melanie....in response to your two questions below: Yes... speaking English wouldn't necessarily mean church services would be in English.....I'm talking early 19th Century. Early Brethren ministers were seldom licensed by the state, so you wouldn't want a Brethren minister marrying you if you were not Brethren. Brethren were a tiny minority of the population even among those of German heritage, and there would have been Lutheran, United Brethren and Reformed pastors that could also marry you, who were also more likely to be licensed. Emmert Bittinger explains early Brethren marriage customs in his book 'Allegheny Passage' (page 82). However, it was not unheard of for German Baptists to be married by Lutherans or other ministers, although it was frowned upon, and often harshly. The customs of the latter 19th Century don't have much relevance with those of the early 19th and 18th Century. The church in general became far more progressive as the decades progressed, leading to divisions in some cases by the more conservative/traditional German Baptists. Bill Thomas -----Original Message----- From: Melanie Rice Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2014 8:10 AM To: brethren@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [BRE] German Baptist marriage record questions Thank you, Bill. If I understand correctly, it is possible that Brethren church members may have spoken both English and German, but the church may have used German in the early 1800s? WOULD a Brethren minister have married a couple who were not of that faith? For example, in more remote areas where there were not nearby churches - if a minister passed through the area, would he have been likely to marry couples wishing to marry, regardless of their faith? I'm trying to understand if a marriage by a Brethren minister is a strong indicator that the couple were both from Brethren families.