Mennonite Handbook of Information/Chapter 10
CHAPTER X
SIDE LIGHTS TO MENNONITE HISTORY
After the first permanent colonies had been established by Mennonites at Germantown, Skippach, Lancaster, and other points in Pennsylvania, as referred to in previous chapters, there came the strong inclination, in the hope of obtaining the choicest lands and freedom from molestation from neighbors of different nationality, for our people to penetrate farther into the interior of the country. William Penn's treaty with the Indians had the effect for Quakers and Mennonites to feel entirely immune from attack and readily choose to neighbor with the Indian and share with him a common hunting ground.
This venturesome spirit took many of our Mennonite people far beyond the border of regular settlements, and in fact some groups of families often located in the deeper recesses of the wilderness. In this way Mennonites found their way at very early periods into sections of the Cumberland valley of Pennsylvania and Maryland and the Shenandoah valley of Virginia, and where, for a whole generation, not a drop of Quaker or Mennonite blood was ever shed at the hands of the Indians.
At such times and with the really primitive conditions by which they were surrounded, each Mennonite home could worship the God of heaven, and earth under its own vine and forest tree.
Where it was convenient, two or more families joined in a season of worship on Sabbath days. In such homes the large quarto-sized family Bible held first place on the center table. Still there were other books constituting the library of these pioneer homes, such as the Book of Martyrs, Psalm books and Prayer books, the Wandering Soul and others, most if not all of which were in German, and were brought along over seas from Europe.
Up until a certain period in the History of America it is evident that as a nonresistant and nonproselyting people the Mennonites are known to have more often fallen victims to persecution and disturbance from their white brethren of different customs and practices from their own, than from Indian attack.
It is evident that the six hundred Palatinates who were sent to the Carolinas as mentioned in the story of Rudolph Cronau, penetrated into the interior of the states until they came in full view of the Blue mountains in what are now Guilford, Yadkin, Watauga and Catawba counties, where the family names of Heatwole, Hildebrand, Weaver, etc., prevail that are familiar with Mennonites in other states.
This section of North Carolina, in years past, was visited by John S. Coffman, M. S. Steiner, J. F, Brunk, and C. K. Hostetler, and they found people who were religiously nonresistant in sentiment and faith, but otherwise and to all appearance have long since been swept wholly into the common mould of Americanism.