Jacob Engle
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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 Switzerl ...
in the time of their emergence. Engle was born in
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 ...
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 Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Jura bernois (administrative district), Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking part of the canton in the Ju ...
to
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
to flee religious persecution. They sailed from
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
and arrived in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
on October 1, 1754. They established a homestead in northwest
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; ), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States ...
. In the 1770s, a religious awakening swept through the settlements of
Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
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. Falling within the Anabaptist tradition of Christianity, the Brethren in Christ Church has roots in the Mennonite church, with influences from the revivals of Radic ...
.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 men centenarians Immigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Swiss emigrants to the United States 19th-century Anabaptist ministers 18th-century Anabaptist ministers River Brethren {{US-reli-bio-stub