By
\nLarry Pearce
\n12\/23\/03<\/p>\n
My wife Susan\u2019s great-great grandmother was Elizabeth Brenneman (1816-1890), who married Thomas Lee, Jr. (see “E-Gen: Lee”). Elizabeth\u2019s parents were Daniel (1769-1842) and Maria Bender Brenneman (1782-1856), and her grandparents were Nicholas (1736-1789) and Barbara Kurtz Brenneman (c.1736-1770). Some believe that Nicholas\u2019 parents were Jacob (b.1710) and Susannah Evans Brenneman (b.1714), but recently, German sources reveal that not only might Nicholas\u2019 father have also been named Nicolas (1697-1785 according to McKenzie), but that Jacob and Susannah were probably his aunt and uncle and the Nicholas\u2019 Jr\u2019s grandfather was probably Adam (b.1673) who married Katharina Wurtz. Geberich, the most widely read family genealogist, agrees that our family\u2019s earliest know ancestor was a Melchior Brenneman (b.1631), Adam\u2019s father. Melchior married Christina Reusser (b.1636), the daughter of Steffan Reusser and Elsbeth Eicher of Stiffsiburg, Switzerland.<\/p>\n
At this point we could relate how some of the first names appear again and again in our family tree: Nicholas, Susannah, Elizabeth [or Elsbeth], and Daniel. We could remind the reader that Bach and Handel were both alive and famous during the lives of our early Brennemans and that Beethoven was born the year Barbara died. All this is to impress upon the reader that these folks lived a very long time ago and yet they are a part of our family and we know something about them, at least their names. We are fortunate in this part of the United States to have the genealogical collection and early American pioneer life exhibit at the Springs Historical Society and Museum in Springs, PA, Their regular publications, The Laurel Messenger<\/span> and The Casselman Chronicles<\/span>, contains stories and photos of many of the Brennemans and other of Susan\u2019s relatives. Without the distraction of modern conveniences, especially television, it seems that those Amish and Mennonites were particularly thorough in preserving family history. This introduction to this part of our family is simply a compilation of various articles that have been written about our Brennemans and some stories that have been handed down by word-of-mouth when the printed word wasn\u2019t available. Let\u2019s begin by attempting to answer the question, \u201cWhere did the name come from?\u201d<\/p>\n According to the Geberich history, we can only guess, but traditionally at least six guesses are most popular: Bender believes that the final guess is likely: Other spellings, including Broennemann, are perhaps a way of Anglicizing the umlaut. Bender goes on to answer the question of our supposed German heritage by reminding us that many Germans fled to Switzerland to avoid persecution as Anabaptists before coming to America. And don\u2019t forget that German is still one of the four official languages of Switzerland.<\/p>\n Amish and Mennonite historians and genealogists, Geberish and Bender included, are quick to point out that the combination of large families, small communities, intermarrying, and duplicate names can lead to great confusion. For example, The Brenneman History contains 19 Samuels Brennemans and 24 Daniel Brennemans, many over several generations. When middle names or initials are not available, as is usually the case before the mid-19th century, exact birth and death dates are all there is to go on, and as you can see from our Nicholas, Adam, and Melchoir, we\u2019re sometimes only guessing.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s read what has been passed down about some of these earliest known ancestors. According to Bender, Melchior was a form of the popular name Michael. Gerberich lists 10 Melchiors and 4 Michaels in his book. He distinguishes our ancestor as \u201cMelchior, the Refugee\u201d [other translations refer to him as \u201cThe Exile\u201d] and says: Gerberish cites a letter written from Griesham, where 53 families lived in equally \u201cdestitute conditions.\u201d Apparently, from research done in thee cantonal archives at Bern, our Melchior was born in Switzerland and lived at Ober-Diessbach on the north slope of the Buchhalterberg. Gerberich says that the appendix of the book found in the archives contains \u201ca complete collection of interesting references to the Brenneman family in Canton Bern, going back as far as the year 1479.\u201d He reminds us of the persecution this family faced by following Menno Simons\u2019 beliefs, including adult baptism, opposition to the state church, and refusal to take oaths or bear arms. Not only were they condemned, but some faced execution by drowning, burning, and beheading. Under state law they could be legally sold to other countries as galley slaves. He says, \u201cThe mildest sentence was exile and confiscation of property, forbidding a return to Switzerland on fear of death. Melchoir Brenneman refused to abjure his beliefs, was warned, and finally imprisoned in the castle of Thun in 1659.\u201d He fled to Germany in 1671, probably at the invitation of Ludwig of Heidelberg, whose lands had been devastated by the Thirty-Years War [see “From Germany to America: From Persecution to Opportunity” under Krause]. McKenzie says, \u201cAlthough not enjoying full privileges in their new land, the Mennonites were allowed to worship freely,\u201d Gerberich believes that he was living in Griesham in September, 1677, when William Penn visited that part of Germany announcing a plan to found a colony in the new world, a \u201chaven of refuge for the persecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n One of Melchior\u2019s other sons, who carried the same name as his father, has been referred to as \u201cMelchoir, the Pioneer.\u201d He settled in Lancaster County, PA, in 1709 and built a large estate there. Two other sons, Christian and John, received their inheritance before their father died. One story says that a sister had bright red hair, and the Native Americans \u201cstood in awe of her.\u201d<\/p>\n Gerberich says of our earliest known Brenneman: Another of Melchior\u2019s sons mentioned in his will was Adam, probably Nicholas\u2019 father and our ancestor, but we know little about either of them. McKenzie\u2019s German sources tell her that Adam was born in Enkenbach in 1673 and married Katharina Wurtz. On the other hand, we know that a Nicholas Brenneman was born in 1736 and lived on the family estate, or Hofgut, Braunshardt near Damstadt in Germany. McKenzie believes that there were two Nicholases, a father and a son. The younger Nicholas was married twice. Our ancestor was Barbara Kurtz who produced six children: Jacobina, Samuel, Jacob (probably died in infancy), another Jacob, Johannes, and our Daniel.<\/p>\n According to Gerberich, these children\u2019s names and a knowledge of naming customs in Germany may suggest that Nicholas\u2019 father was Jacob. He named his daughter AND two sons after Jacob. Wife Barbara died in 1770 and Nicholas remarried a year later. His second wife, Mathalena Untzinger [or Magdalena Unzicker], produced another half a dozen children for the household. Apparently, our Daniel was the only descendant of Nicholas and Barbara who came to America. Records indicate that the rest remained and died in Germany. No research has been done on the six half siblings, however. McKenzie\u2019s German sources tell her that Nicholas and Barbara moved to Braunshardt in 1760 and that his father, who was also named Nicholas, was originally from Karlshauserhof in Hurlauch (Karlsruhe) but spent his last days on his son\u2019s farm. He died in 1785 at age 88.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, Daniel D. Brenneman was the father of our Elizabeth, who married Tommy Lee. He was born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, in 1769. He married Maria Bender of Bosenhausen in 1803. They had eleven children: Jacob (who died in infancy), Jacob, Maria, Anna, Katrina, Johannes, our Elizabeth, Lena, Christian, Daniel, and Barbara. The family sailed to American and settled in Berlin, Somerset County, PA, where, as the story goes, the youngest child, Barbara, was born in a hotel. Their first farm was in what is known as \u201cThe Glades\u201d in Elk Lick Township, a lowland, perhaps even swampy during some parts of the year. Having worked hard and saved enough money, Daniel bought a farm of 100 acres just over the Mason-Dixon line near Grantsville, MD. Gerberich tells Daniel\u2019s story this way: But, the Brennemans maintained their Amish Mennonite faith and convictions. They dressed in plain fashion as their ancestor had for centuries. They drove horse and buggy, did as much work as possible by hand, and rejected the \u201cworldly\u201d or \u201cEnglish\u201d ways. Daniel Brenneman, it is said, \u201cknew the old ways of growing flax and making linen\u201d (Bender 4), Perhaps he was practicing his Great-great grandfather Melchoir\u2019s trade as a weaver. Supposedly, some pieces of the \u201cDaniel Brenneman linen\u201d still exist in that area, possibly among the Amish community.<\/p>\n Daniel and Maria, having lived a happy and productive life, died before the American Civil War, in 1842 and 1856 respectively, some 14 years apart. They are buried on a hill overlooking the land that he worked and the little town of New Germany, MD. The cemetery is adjacent to what are known as the \u201cTwin Churches.\u201d Esther Bender says: Our story of Daniel and Maria\u2019s daughter Elizabeth resumes with her marriage or Thomas Lee (see “E-Gen: Lee”), but the Somerset, PA, and Garrett County, MD, phones books contain dozens of Brenneman descendants. Ask about that name in these parts and someone will probably mention Mark Brenneman, the Amish harness maker along Rt. 669 near Springs. Several years ago he received national attention for constructing a special set of competition harnesses for Bob Decker\u2019s famous Clydesdales. Another Brenneman, Nelson, was known as \u201cThe Blacksmith of Springs.\u201d He opened a shop there in 1902 and his first customer was David Keim who paid 15 cents for services rendered. In those days, according to his ledger, the price of a cold chisel was 10 cents and a set of four horseshoes was one dollar. Nelson would also trade his services at the following prices: potatoes, 50 cents a bushel; beef, 8cents a pound; pigs, two-dollars a head; and hay, 12-dollars a ton. Nelson had worked on the first steam automobile in Somerset County before setting up shop for himself. Four years later, however, he moved his family to McHenry, MD, to begin farming. He was elected to the State House just before World War II and served eight years. He lived to be 87 years of age.<\/p>\n As many as eleven generations of Brennemans from Melchior in early 17th century Switzerland [12 generations if you count Christina\u2019s parents, Steffan and Elsbeth Eicher] to my children born in late 20th century Somerset County, PA, is as long a list as our family\u2019s genealogy holds. New information is being unearthed continuously. For example, author Richard W. Davis has announced a new subscription website, www.MennoSearch.com<\/a>, with over 2800 pages of news and data on Swiss and German Mennonite emigrants and their families. Davis\u2019 books include Emigrants, Refugees and Prisoners. And, of course, don\u2019t forget the Brenneman Family Genealogy Forum<\/span> for daily chatter and updates. Not all sources agree, but the Internet has made the quest practical and convenient, and someday most of our information will come together.<\/p>\n Works Cited<\/p>\n Barb. Posting on \u201cBrenneman Family Genealogy Forum.\u201d 14 May, 2001<http:\/\/genforum.genealogy.com\/brenneman>.<\/p>\n Bender, Esther. Samuel D. Brenneman Family History and Directory<\/span>. Grantsville, MD: McClarin Printing,1993.<\/p>\n Brenneman, Webster. \u201cNelson Brenneman: The Blacksmith of Springs.\u201d Casselman Chronicle<\/span> spring and summer, 1968: 12.<\/p>\n Gerberich, Albert H. The Brenneman History<\/span>. Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1938.<\/p>\n McKenzie, Peggy. Posting on \u201cBrenneman Family Genealogy Forum.\u201d 28 October, 2002 <http:\/\/genforum.genealogy.com\/brenneman>.<\/p>\n Schrock, Alta. Ed. Casselman Chronicle<\/span>, 1961-1970. Berlin, PA: Berlin Publishing Co., 1970.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Larry Pearce 12\/23\/03 My wife Susan\u2019s great-great grandmother was Elizabeth Brenneman (1816-1890), who married Thomas Lee, Jr. (see “E-Gen: Lee”). Elizabeth\u2019s parents were Daniel (1769-1842) and Maria Bender Brenneman (1782-1856), and her grandparents were Nicholas (1736-1789) and Barbara Kurtz … Continue reading
\n\u2022 First, a distiller of alcohol, a \u201cBrandy-man;
\n\u2022 A person from the Brenner Pass through the Tyrolean Alps of Austria and Italy;
\n\u2022 An extension of the name \u201cBrandi\u201d;
\n\u2022 A polisher or Burnisher of Armour, Brunni-man;
\n\u2022 A charcoal burner, Burni-man; or
\n\u2022 A resident of Brendi, a small town near Belp in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
\nThere were Brenneman families living, since the 1600s, at Brendi, Canton Bern, and throughout the Aare Valley of Switzerland. The Bronnimann, Brennemann, and Brenneman families each had a [similar] coat of arms.<\/em> (2)<\/p>\n
\nOn January 1, 1672, there was living in the colony of Swiss Mennonite refugees in the town of Griesheim, twenty miles north of the city of Worms in Germany, one Melchior Brenneman, age 40, together with his wife (aged 35) and seven children between the ages of 1 \u00bd and 15 years. His worldly possessions consisted of one horse, one trundle bed and bedding, and forty-three reich-dollars.He had been fortunate to escape with his life from the religious persecution then raging in Switzerland against his sect, and was but newly arrived<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\nBecause Melchior [The Pioneer] Brenneman stood like a rock while the flood of terror and bigotry swirled around him, and because his wife stood at his side with unflinching loyalty, we are able to say with pride that our ancestors participated in the founding of the American nation.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n
\nWith pluck and sturdy energy he proceeded to clear it and put it under cultivation. Long before his death he had done so and had also provided well for his children. Daniel Brenneman was of a retiring disposition and somewhat taciturn, but known as a good friend and neighbor.
\n<\/em>
\nBoth Daniel and Maria had been members of the Amish Mennonite church since their youth. That community of faith continued to grow near the Pennsylvania-Maryland border as other German families joined them. The National Pike (now Rt. 40 and I-68) was bringing settlers to Pittsburgh 25 years before the first railroad was built in that area. One of the famous stops was the tavern at Little Crossing, just beside the arched bridge below Grantsville. Bender says that Meshach Browning, a noted hunter and woodsman, had built a cabin and a mill there. Later, the Stone House farm was constructed with slave labor and mail service began between Cumberland and Uniontown. History records that of the remaining Indians left in the area, 15 were converted to Christianity at the nearby Blooming Rose Catholic Mission and Grantsville got it\u2019s first full time worship center, the old log Methodist Episcopal church.<\/p>\n
\nCome from the church house door and walk straight ahead to the edge of the field. Look to the left at the fencerow of trees that march across the top of the hill at the far end of the field. The tombstone is not hard to find if you simply walk to the fencerow and search on the near side of it in the field where the hill curves out of sight.<\/em><\/p>\n