Jacob Engle, born Jacob Engel (1753–1854), was the most important leader of the

River Brethren The River Brethren are a group of historically related Anabaptist Christian denominations originating in 1770, during the Radical Pietist movement among German colonists in Pennsylvania. In the 17th century, Mennonite refugees from Switzerlan ...

in the time of their emergence. Engle was born in Switzerland as the fourth son of Ulrich Engel and Anna née Brächbühl. As an infant he emigrated with his family from the

Corgémont Corgémont is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking part of the canton in the Jura mountains. History Corgémont was first mentioned in 1178 as ''C ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to flee religious persecution. They sailed from

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

and arrived in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

on October 1, 1754. They established a homestead in northwest Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In the 1770s, a religious awakening swept through the settlements of

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radi ...

s of Swiss and South German origin along the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, PA, that resulted in the forming of the River Brethren. Jacob Engle, assisted by his brother John, became the leader of the emerging River Brethren. In 1776 the River Brethren group was organized and Jacob was made the first bishop. In the mid 1800s several groups split from the River Brethren and the largest group took the name

Brethren in Christ The Brethren in Christ Church (BIC) is a River Brethren Christian denomination with roots in the Mennonite church, Radical Pietism, and Wesleyan holiness. They have also been known as River Brethren and River Mennonites. The Canadian denominat ...

.Engel, Jacob (1753-1833)
at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online

References

Literature

* Morris M. Engle: ''History of the Engle Family in America 1754-1927'', Hummelstown, PA, 1927. 1753 births 1854 deaths American Anabaptists American centenarians Men centenarians Swiss emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies 19th-century Protestants 19th-century Anabaptist ministers 18th-century Protestants 18th-century Anabaptist ministers River Brethren {{US-reli-bio-stub