I followed the recent postings about Bretheren,Amish and Mennonites with much interest . My Fredericks arrived in Philadelphia in 1717 as Mennonites and by 1729 some were members of the Ephrata Cloiste while others were of the Moravian persuasion.Then they migrated to the Shenandoah Valley about 1802 and Johann Friedrich was a member of the Lutheran Church in Woodstock... It is described in a quote with no source provided as, ... " a large and pretty church erected during the time of office of Rev. Muehlenberg". I sometimes wonder if they may have just joined with any available christian group. Along these lines I did not see reference to a source that has been most helpful to me .... Richard Warren Davis' book Emigrants, Refugees and Prisoners that is published in 3 volumes ... he has abandoned book publishing with his research efforts in the last few years and has all of this available as a subscription at www.mennosearch.com . Has anyone else used this source? My branch of the family returned north before the war but many stayed and fought for the Cenfederacy. My G G Grandfather William was born April 28 1829 in either Front Royal or Warren County ( different obits) but I have found no documentation. He married in Grant County ( Now WV to Annis Shell) in 1849. Any suggestions will be appreciated. John had merchant mills in Jefferson County in the early 1800s according to a quote from a book that may be titled "Historical Records of Old Frederick and Hampshire Counties"... Is this title valid ? I cannot find a copy locally. The Fredericks married Earhart sisters who were ancestors of Amelia Earhart and had large land holdings in the Valley so if someone has researched that family maybe I can get a clue to get thru a brick wall or two. I am located in Lancaster County PA and have occassional access to the Mennonit Historical Society as well as the Lancaster Historical Society.... I will try to help locate mmaterial here if anyone can provide specific sources as I am a novice both with the computer and genelogy. Bert Frederick [email protected]