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Post by john thomas on Mar 31, 2006 17:12:14 GMT -5
According to an obituary of Esther Marshall, daughter of Robert Marshall, who was at Gnadenhutten, her father "was one of the 18 who formed the Line of Mercy to spare the lives of the Moravian Indians from slaughter the 8th of March, 1782, at Gnadenhutten, Ohio." Esther died on Jan. 27, 1885 at 76 years of age.
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Post by charkoch on Jul 10, 2008 14:13:27 GMT -5
I am searching for a Moravian convert named Renatus. After years of being on his own, he returned to New Gnadenhutten in 1783(?). Is anyone aware of a graveyard in this area where he might be buried? There was also a chapel bell that dates back to their days in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I would love to learn where the bell is now.
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wayne
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Post by wayne on Aug 13, 2008 22:15:05 GMT -5
Hi, I am new to this site, but do know something about the topic. Crunrine's History of Washington County, PA (1884)has a portion of the manuscript dedicated to the expedition and massacre at Gnadenhutten. Most of the militia involved were from Washington County and probably are listed in the individual companies if one could find out for sure which units were on the expedition. Col.Cfrawford was from Connelsville in Fayette or Westmoreland County. My understanding was the militia entered the village not intending to hurt anyone, however one of the people there was weareing a dress of a woman that was killed in an earlier raid into Washington County. The Moravians told the militia that the dress was obtained through trading with passing Shawnee and the militai leaders did not believe this story. I have noticed, however that the raids by the indians definitely were deminished in Washington County after the expedition. Mind, I am not sayng what was done was right, but sometimes war is brutal and the cost of peace can be high. We have all seen this in every war or conflict in history; up to and includine the war in Iraq.
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newallike
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In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.
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Post by newallike on May 4, 2009 13:52:59 GMT -5
One of the most tragic events of the American Revolution was the massacre of 96 Christian Delaware Indians at the Moravian missionary town of Gnadenhutten, OH in 1782. This brutal event was condemned by many on the frontier, even those who had good reason to hate the Indians. It was to become one of the most shameful deeds on an already bloodsoaked frontier. On March 8, 1782, a company of Pennsylvania militia led by Col. David Williamson fell upon the Moravian missionary village in eastern Ohio. The town was occupied by 50 Christianized Delaware Indians who had just happened to have returned to the village to harvest corn left in the fields in order to feed their starving people. Soon another group of fifty were captured and brought from near-by Salem village. Williamson's men blamed the Delawares for aiding hostile Indian raids into Pennsylvania, despite the fact that the Moravians had been generally supportive of the American cause. The villagers were held captive overnight until it was decided to execute them, a deed that was carried out by a number of Williamson's men by by smashing their skulls with a coopers mallet one-by-one. Only two children managed to escape to spread the word of the massacre among the other Ohio tribes. The follow-up campaign in June 1782 led by Col. William Crawford intended to finish the job Williamson had started, and also to crush the Wyandot towns at Upper Sandusky. This campaign was not successful and Crawford himself was captured and burned at the stake by the Delaware in revenge for the slaughter of their brethern at Gnadenhutten. Ironically, Williamson, who co-led the Sandusky campaign, escaped unharmed back to Pennsylvania. The Gnadenhutten Massacre is another of the little-known sidenotes to the Revolution as it was fought on the Ohio frontier but one that had great import to those involved and one that exemplified the tremendous tensions that existed between the native and white inhabitants in the trans-Allegheny region. It is interesting too in that it is one of the few events in the history of the West where an outrage commited by Europeans against the Indians was described as a "massacre", reflective of the sheer brutality of the act. A good brief history of the Moravian Missionaries in Ohio and the Gnadenhutten Massacre: www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/colonial/pioneer/chap16.htmlI am new to this site today. I found the site by googling 'Gnadenhutten Massacre'. I am interested to share information about this tragedy but do not know if this thread is still active. I guess I will wait to see before I elaborate. I am descended from the Moravian Band of the Delaware and my ancestor dedicated the obelisk commemorating the event on June 5, 1872. If this is of interest I would like to engage you folks in a conversation.
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Post by Matthew S. Schweitzer on May 14, 2009 9:24:09 GMT -5
Absolutely it is still active. If you have any questions or information to share please do! This subject has proven to be a popular and somewhat controversial one.
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newallike
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In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.
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Post by newallike on Apr 26, 2010 10:13:20 GMT -5
Absolutely it is still active. If you have any questions or information to share please do! This subject has proven to be a popular and somewhat controversial one. I'm back and happy to see that you answered my post, though it was almost a year ago! I watched for an answer for about a week and then when no one did, I went away, and you answered right after that. So, here I am and do want to discuss this at length with any interested parties but I still have the same question regarding the obelisk at the gravesite at Gnadenhutten. Does anyone know why there is a Masonic Obelisk there? More later, and thanks again!
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Post by Matthew S. Schweitzer on May 10, 2010 23:10:28 GMT -5
I know that many of the monuments that were erected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to commemorate national historic sites like Gnadenhutten were done by the DAR and to some extent by the Masons who had an interest in promoting history, but was not aware of any connection between the Moravians and Masonry. Please enlighten...
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newallike
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In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.
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Post by newallike on May 11, 2010 9:31:56 GMT -5
I know that many of the monuments that were erected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to commemorate national historic sites like Gnadenhutten were done by the DAR and to some extent by the Masons who had an interest in promoting history, but was not aware of any connection between the Moravians and Masonry. Please enlighten... I know it to be a Masonic obelisk becuase many years ago when I visited the site I was approached by a local Mason who told me they were the caretakers of the site. When I explained that Christian Moses Stonefish, my ancestor, was one of four Delaware Indians that dedicated the obelisk he invited me to the Lodge for dinner but I had to refuse as I was on my way to Washington DC and was behind schedule due to my side trip to Gnadenhutten. Count Zinzendorf is the Masonic link to the Moravians. Count Zinzendorf was the leader of the Rosicrucians from 1744-1749, important dates in the relationship between the Moravians and the Delaware Indians. He founded the Order of the Mustard Seed and Masonic dictionaries list a category of Moravian Masons called the Confraternity of Moravian Brothers of the Order of the Religious Freemasons. On the one hand the Moravians appeared to be pious Christians, and many were just that, but on the other hand, the religion of Count Zinzendorf was a strange mixture of a Druidic/Templar/Rosicrucian Protestant Christianity and the obelisk is clearly an Egyptian symbol with an occult meaning and purpose, ergo, my question. The local lodge in Gnadenhutten is the Port Washinton Lodge #202, do you know of it? Please visit the thread about Tecumseh called, Newcomb: Something missing from PBS’s ‘Tecumseh’s Vision’ as I would be interested in hearing your thoughts about that as well, from your Masonic background. Thanks!
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newallike
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In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.
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Post by newallike on May 11, 2010 9:39:17 GMT -5
I am searching for a Moravian convert named Renatus. After years of being on his own, he returned to New Gnadenhutten in 1783(?). Is anyone aware of a graveyard in this area where he might be buried? There was also a chapel bell that dates back to their days in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I would love to learn where the bell is now. Renatus is my ancestor, he was the forefather of the Stonefish family that now resides on the Moraviantown Reserve in Ontario. If you are still around and want to discuss the bell, let me know and I will respond back.
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newallike
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In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.
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Post by newallike on May 12, 2010 13:30:33 GMT -5
I know that many of the monuments that were erected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to commemorate national historic sites like Gnadenhutten were done by the DAR and to some extent by the Masons who had an interest in promoting history, but was not aware of any connection between the Moravians and Masonry. Please enlighten... When I wrote and spoke of Count Zinzendorf's relationship with Freemasony I did not have the citations quoted, here they are for you or anyone else interested in following up from Albert Mackey's Encycolpedia of FreemasonryMoravian Brethren Thye religious sect of Moravian brethren, which was founded in Upper Lusatia about 1722, by Count Zinzendorf, is said at one time to have formed a society of religious Freemasons. For an account of which see Mustard Seed, Order of. -Mackey, Albert. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Vol.II P.680 Mustard Seed, Order of. The German title id Der Orden vom Senfkorn. This association whose members also called themselves "The Fraternity of Moravian Brothers of the Order of Religious Freemasons," was one of the first innovations introduced into German Freemasonry. It was initiated in the year 1730. It's mysteries were founded on the passage in the fourth chapter of St. Mark's Gospel in which Christ compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard-seed. The Brethren wore a ring, on which was inscribed Keiner von uns lebt ihm selber, meaning in English, No one of us lives for himself. The jewel of the Order was a cross of gold surmounted by a mustard plant in full bloom, with the motto Quod fuit ante nihil, this Latin meaning What was before nothing. It was suspended from a green ribbon. The professed object of the Association was, through the instrumentality of Freemasonry, to extend the Kingdom of Christ over the world. It has long been obsolete. (See Zinzendorf, Count von Nicholas Ludwig) - Mackey, Albert. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Vol.II P.688. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry
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Post by littleindianprincess on Aug 15, 2017 0:08:47 GMT -5
Hi first I want to say thank you for your help. According to the info I had one of the Militia wrote home or to his commanding officer. Almost braging about not expending one round of Ammo during the dispatch of these people. Does anyone know this mans name? The two surviving Delaware. where they Man or women. Any idea what their names where? Thank you Again for your help Ana'Wara Ive always been told it was my my Great great grandfather Thomas Stull who was scalped and bashed in the head and left to die that escaped the hut that day there was also another boy who was hiding in the floor and escaped also trying to find his name again too!
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