The Homestead - Newsletter
Summer 2010
printable pdf of newsletter - click to download
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Come before Winter
Stones from Isaac Stoltzfus’ barn wall at Landis Valley were delivered June 24, 2010, by driver Rich Hoshour for Sam Kurtz, and by Isaac’s son, Durrell. They will be laid by Merv Stoltzfus (MS Masonry) as David Esh would determine...when the remaining needed funds are in to build!
Upcoming Event
Connecting with Nicholas
August 25, 6:00,
only $5
White Horse Fire Hall, 111 White Horse Road, across from W.H.Machine, on 897
Dinner provided to include old fashioned corn mush, corn on the cob, along with Balony, sausage, and hot dog sandwiches. Offers to assist welcome. Call 717-768-8218 or 717-367-3906
Free admittance.....Donate for the Barn
Program:
-Zach Stoltzfus will have additional to say about the political affairs in the Germany Nicholas left behind.
-Jack gives his documentary with recent discoveries on the house
-Merle reports on the barn plans
-Jeff Stoltzfus describes the Heritage programs
-Family Charts: Coordinated by Raymond Beiler
Tables will be available to display family records and items of interest. Bring family charts and show how you connect with Nicholas
Omar and Fannie Beiler family visit, May 8,
By Shawn Smucker, son of Merrill and Verna Beiler Smucker
I sat at the picnic table outside and watched as 45 of my relatives wandered around the old stone house. I could see some of them through the windows. Others meandered through the surrounding woods. But even though I was sitting there on that beautiful spring day, my mind was far away – perhaps not far away, but long ago.
I wondered what it would have been like when Nicholas Stoltzfus first found that plot of land beside the river. Without the neighboring highway, and the planes flying overhead, would the natural silence he would have experienced been peaceful? Pleasant? Ominous?
He had left a life, after all: family and home and friends were left behind. And in those days, there was little hope of ever seeing any of them again. Yet he came. And because he came, we exist. Because of Nicholas Stoltzfus, and people like him, our country is what it is.
Without them, what would our world be like?
Maintaining a sense of who we are can be difficult these days – modern day traffic is loud, and it seems we’re always on the move. But as I sat there at that picnic table, I heard not just the traffic but also the river and the birds in the wind through the trees. Preserving Nicholas’s house, dedicating that spot as a place to quietly reflect on where we have come from: it’s such a good thing.
Thoughts inspired by Theron’s visit
In a story that developed in Old England, King Arthur promoted a code of behavior that was highly regarded. When his illegitimate son rebelled, the code was violated, and poor King Arthur was giving up. Then a teenage boy came to the King, hoping to learn of the code of the Roundtable. David Holliday, acting as King Arthur, once portrayed his agony: here, when he was about to back off, he could not disappoint the hope of this boy.
One day I made calls to have more enroll in the “Family Effort”. None gave this a thumbs up. They had given or helped in some way, but could not give this deeper consideration. I wondered if the reality is that we are harping on something not really so important.
May 31, at 11:00, I met with Theron Stoltzfus and his bride, Megan at the Stoltzfus House. He just passed his CPA exam, and recently married. I was amazed at their interest.
I thought about the boy in Camelot. King Arthur did not want to let him down. Yet the mess he was in conflicted him. His aspirations were springing up in the boy.
It is for the Theron’s of the family we must go on. (Theron is the son of Clayton and Kim Stoltzfus of Meade, Kansas.)
An Unexpected Stoltzfus Story
Folks gathered April 2, 2010 in the new Millwood Cemetery – laying to rest the body of Leroy Stoltzfus, Jr., (1948-2010) after serving his difficult life sentence for a murder he “did not commit”. What is not evident in the picture is the crowd of motorcyclists on the opposite side. About four benches of them, dressed in pagan clothes, had sat thru the service as we sang “O, how I love Jesus”, and as Luke Sensenig related the seven sayings on the cross to Leroy’s experience.
A Graybill niece portrayed Leroy’s life in clear detail; her brother read a tribute from a fellow inmate. These, along with the cards (Leroy’s parting message: KEEP THE FAITH), pictures, and art creations left a testimony, even after his dropping out of school, joining the air force, and then the pagans.
The pagan cyclists created a background for the funeral. As I approached Millwood on Buena Vista Road from the east, the motorcycles lined the parking lot along the old graveyard. Then there were several cyclists waiting in line for the viewing, and as time for the service drew near, Ike Huyard ushered cyclists in groups as they entered the front left anteroom door, filling several benches.
Brother Ron had witnessed Leroy’s confession in prison. He also knew Leroy’s harsh prison conditions of the last years. Ron said, “He left more of a testimony in his death, free at last”.
Ike describes it thus: “Funeral service was attended by about 50 pagans which arrived on their motorcycles. Most would not have known Leroy but it was a place to gather. Pastor Sensenig preached an evangelism message maybe the one and only sermon these people will ever hear. There were tears and respect shown by those coming in for the service.”
Numbers Numbers
By Merle Stoltzfus
Ninety-six thousand from One Hundred sixty. Quotient is Six Hundred. Twenty-five thousand from Two Thousand. Quotient is Twelve and one-half. One Million living descendants computes that 99.984 percent are missing out on this opportunity. Are you one?
After more than two years of fund raising for the NSH Barn it should not surprise me when the most common question at my family reunion is “How’s the Barn coming?” My answer of the past three months is, “we’ve entered a new phase; the small gift phase”.
No, really, it has become our goal to involve as many family members as possible in our closing phase of our campaign. My cousin said, “I really wanted to give to this project but didn’t think my little gift was worth anything”. We are really much more excited about finishing out with many small gifts rather than a few big ones. To date, 160 donors have given an average of $600; thank you and thank you. We would love the final phase to involve hundreds of family members. We will be more excited if thousands would be involved. We want to start now. Why not take the envelope in this newsletter and send us $10, $15, $20 or $25 dollars. By giving, express to the NSH Committee your appreciation of their leadership in preserving your heritage in honor to your parents and for the education of your children.
Yes, we’re interested in Twenty-five more thousand and we will be grateful if it would come from as many as possible. Send it today and watch just 2,000 of us give a little gift and get this barn fund finished. You do the numbers, two thousand is only two tenths of one percent of the living descendants. Now you see why we’re interested in numbers. Too many are missing out. Take the opportunity and become just a number. And, do it today so we can get started. And, a big thank you!!
By My Own Choice
Ron Stoltzfus went with a ski group to Germany mid 1970’s, and instead of skiing he searched archives and conversed with historian Paul Schowalter. He gave the documents to Noah Good who translated them. Here is the petition to marry. Note the phrase "by my own choice". It was unlawful for Anabaptists to proselytize, so Nicholas may have given this so as not to arouse suspicion. Or, does this show there was more to it than just to marry, that he became a true believer?
On January 14, 1744, Nikolaus Stoltzfuss makes the following appeal to the duke; In reference to the request to marry the daughter of a Rinkweiler Hoffman, an Anabaptist, directed to the honorable duke to announce the intention to marry:I have been advised to apply for permission because my parents were not onhand, because in Saxony, from where I have come here, my father died, Cnristoffel Stoltzfuss, and my mother the wife of the forest worker, Bellaire, Lutheran by religion, and after I returned to the land of my mother after having worked away from home for a time, and during the first part of my service on estates in and around KroneiBenburg I stayed as I had opportunity. And since there were only Anabaptist land owners in this area I had constant contact with them and came to the point of being received into their religious group by my own choice and tomarry one of them and continue longer with them, and to go to the Ringweiler Hof to people of this faith, indeed to marry into that family, and as I am 25 years old and cannot look for anything from my parents, and through this marriage I can come to the point of sustaining myself. So I live in the hope that the circumstances will not stand in the way to grant permission for this marriage, which I request in all submissiveness. Most humbly I appeal to your lordship for this consideration. Nickolaus Stoltzfuss
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Thanks to Carol Kissinger for years of fireplace cooking! |