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.