Hello: I am descended from a Hessian soldier (Christian Strohl) - The below might be of assistance. As a prisoner of war Christian was held in Va, Md and PA. My understanding is that at the end of the Revolutionary War, the Hessians had the option of being deported or being an indentured servant. Many took the indentured route - a great opportunity for a new life. He was Lutheran. However, where he lived in Page Country, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia is surrounded by Church of the Brethren Churches. I know that my great-grandparents were Church of the Brethren and when they went by wagon train from Virginia to Kansas for cheap land in the 1870's, they continued to be Brethren. Christian Strohl is buried on his farm on Grove Hill along with other family members. His experience may relate to others and shows that people move as opportunities are presented to them -- The below is from Find-a-grave: Christian Strohl was likely one of the Hessian prisoners held at Charlottesville, Virginia and, after sent to Frederick, Maryland, and then Reading, Pennsylvania, took up the offer to become an indentured servant in exchange for his freedom from POW camp. He offered himself into indenture while at Reading, Berks County, Pa. on September 11, 1782. Michael Kiser purchased the indenture. Like Strohl, Kiser himself was a native of Rumpenheim, having been born there, likely a son of Valentine and Maria Eppart Kiser. Kiser had left Germany in 1750. Kiser was also a veteran of the American Revolution, having served in Capt. Philip Krick's 8th Company, Fourth Battalion, Pennsylvania Line (possibly militia). Kiser's name appears on a list of fines assessed in the years 1777-1778 for being absent from muster or drill. Nevertheless, the purchase of Strohl's indenture by Kiser may not have been purely coincidence as the Reformed Lutheran church records from Rumpenheim show that the Kayser and Strohl families lived near each other, attended the same church, intermarried, and witnessed each other's baptisms. The Strole birth and baptism certificate shows that Christian Strole was confirmed at this church in Rumpenheim in the spring of 1772. It appears possible that Michael purchased Christian's indenture and subsequently freed him because their families were closely linked in Germany. Not long after purchasing Strohl's indenture, sometime in 1783, the Kiser family, having purchased 1030 acres of land along the south fork of the Shenandoah River in what was then Rockingham County, Virginia, left Berks County, Pennsylvania for Virginia (the part of the state that is now Page County). Strohl, still being bound by his three year indenture, accompanied the Kiser family. Days before the expiration of his indenture, on September 7, 1785, Christian Strole purchased from Martin Strickler, 300 acres of land between the Shenandoah River and Peaked Mountain (in what was then Rockingham County, Virginia, and is now Page County). The home which he soon after built still stands today. On April 8, 1788, just over five years since Christian had been indentured to the Kiser family, he married Kiser's daughter, Elizabeth. In all, Christian and Elizabeth had fourteen children between 1789 and 1814. Christian died on March 18, 1841 and was buried in what is now known as the Christian Strole cemetery near Grove Hill in Page County, Virginia. Elizabeth died October 27, 1854. From: Find a Grave Created by: June Standley Record added: May 02, 2008 Find A Grave Memorial# 26541374 Here also is a website recently moved http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~amrevhessians It is just about Hessian soldier during the American Revolution. Happy researching. Tina Zogott

This has been an interesting relationship to me. My ancestor, Johan Georg Harter was married in a Lutheran church (1752, Lehigh County, PA) and in 1769 the family showed up in Frederick County, MD Lutheran Church records. There is evidence that they may have begun to associate with the Brethren there, and about 1790 they moved to a Brethren community in Franklin County, VA. They were definitely Brethren by the time they moved to western Ohio after 1800. I have often wondered about the reasons for the change in association. Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: <TINHOW@comcast.net> To: <brethren@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 9:40 PM Subject: [Norton AntiSpam][BRE] Hessian Soldiers - Additional Information > > Hello: > > I am descended from a Hessian soldier (Christian Strohl)........ > He was Lutheran. However, where he lived in Page Country, Shenandoah > Valley, Virginia is surrounded by Church of the Brethren Churches. I know > that my great-grandparents were Church of the Brethren and when they went > by wagon train from Virginia to Kansas for cheap land in the 1870's, they > continued to be Brethren. >