Christian Stauffer, born 1579 in the village of

Eggiwil Eggiwil is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the administrative district of Emmental (administrative district), Emmental in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. History Eggiwil is first mention ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, was a leader in the

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

movement during the 17th century.

Personal life

Christian Stauffer was the eldest of eleven children of Niclaus Stauffer (b. abt. 1555) and Cathrinia Lehman. He was born and raised at Luchsmatt Farm in the village of Eggiwil. Christian first married Adelheid Opplinger (born 1588) June 18, 1610 in Rothenbach, Bern, Switzerland. They had 11 children from 1611 to 1629.

Prison and exile

In 1644, Christian who was an Anabaptist preacher may have been potential prey during a great "Täufer-Jagen" (Baptist Hunt) along with

Uli Zaugg Uli or ULI, may refer to: Places *Uli, Anambra, Nigeria; a town *Uli, Iran; a village People and figures *Uli I of Mali (Yérélinkon; 13th century), emperor of Mali Germanic name Uli is a name, short for Ulrich or Ulrike (disambiguation) and c ...

and Uli Neuhaus. They were all captured and placed in

Thun Castle Thun Castle () is a castle in the Thun, city of Thun, in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Bern. It was built in the 12th century, today houses the Thun Castle museum, and is a Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional signifi ...

, where the authorities were warned to keep obstinate preachers out of Emmenthal valley (where Eggiwil is located). The Emmenthal valley was a hub for Anabaptists and their numbers were growing which alarmed the authorities in Bern. Authorities arrested and exiled anyone who was thought to be a follower or supporter of the Anabaptist movement. Christian and his second wife were exiled from Eggiwil in the fall of 1671 to

Dirmstein Dirmstein () is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. ...

, Germany.

Death

A few months after his exile, (April 6, 1672) Christian died of old age in Dirmstein, Germany. He was 93 years old.

Descendants

Stauffer is connected to family members that eventually headed to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

: *

Abraham Stouffer Abraham Stouffer (January 8, 1781 – October 27, 1851) is the founder of the town of Stouffville, Ontario. Background and early years in the United States, 1781-1804 Abraham Stouffer was born January 8, 1781, near Chambersburg, Lancaster ...

American born settler founder of what is now

Stouffville, Ontario Stouffville () is the primary urban area within the town of Whitchurch-Stouffville in Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is situated within the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of the Golden Horseshoe. The ur ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stauffer, Christian 1579 births Swiss Anabaptists 1672 deaths Swiss exiles