1776 Schwenkfelders: Why they came to America

by Allen Viehmeyer

Today’s Schwenkfelders trace their roots to Caspar Schwenckfeld (1489/90–1561) of Silesia. Inspired by Martin Luther but with a more spiritual focus, Schwenckfeld was declared a heretic in 1529 and spent the rest of his life exiled in Southwest Germany.

Persecution

Although Schwenckfeld’s followers in Silesia faced persecution for their faith, their community continued to expand. In Harpersdorf and surrounding villages, both Lutherans and Schwenkfelders lived side by side. In late 1719, Jesuit priests Karl Regent and Johann Milan attempted to convert the Schwenkfelders of Harpersdorf to Catholicism. The Schwenkfelders vigorously opposed these efforts, repeatedly petitioning the emperor for religious freedom between 1721 and 1725. After their appeal was ultimately refused, they eventually emigrated to Pennsylvania. Very small groups left in 1731, 1733, 1735, 1736. and 1737, but in 1734, a large group of 210 men, women, and children made the journey. Drawn by Pennsylvania’s reputation for religious tolerance, that colony was their purposeful destination.