6119 Germantown Avenue

Naaman Keyser, Manuscript Notes for v. 2 (north of Chelten), History of Old Germantown, pp. 54-56
Germantown Historical Society

Included are unpublished typewritten notes:

"The Mennonite Church
On the north side of Germantown Avenue, just above Herman Street, stands the modest little church building of this denomination...

"Franklin's estimate, that, of the 136000 whites in Pennsylvania in 1766, one third of them were English Quakers and one third were Germans.

"Among these early settlers, so nearly were the Mennonites allied in religious belief with the Quakers or Friends, that they assimilated readily with them, and indeed they have sometimes been called German Friends. This term, however, is scarcely correct, as they differed from the Friends in regard to certain church ordinances, notably baptism, the Lord's supper and the washing of feet. In those earlier years, however, there was so much in common upon which the various sects in and about Germantown were united that it was not at all uncommon for Mennonites, Friends, German Reformed, Moravians, and Lutherans to assemble together for worship. At first these meetings were held in private houses, but finally there arose a desire for a house of their own, and on the 10th of February, 1702, Arnold Van Fossen delivered to Jan Neuss on behalf of the Mennonites, a deed for three square perches of land for a meeting house on the Main Street. It was not, however, until 1708, that the first house was built. It was constructed of logs, and stood on the south- western part of the lot. In this log church Christopher Dock, sometimes called 'the pious schoolmaster of the Skippack' kept a school for many years.

"...Something of historic interest, also, attaches itself to this graveyard, as it has been stated that at the time of the battle the British General Agnew was killed by a man named Hans P. Boyer, who had concealed himself by the church. This account, however, is probably incorrect, as the statement rests entirely upon the evidence of Boyer himself, who was a half-witted fellow. The servant of the General who accompanied him gives quite a different version of the affair, and one that is far more likely to be correct. He states that the General's death was caused by a volley fired by a party of Americans, about one hundred in number, that rushed out from behind a house in front..."

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