BRETHREN-L Archives

Archiver > BRETHREN > 2007-10 > 1192060999


From: "Emmert F. Bittinger" <>
Subject: Re: [BRE] 82 members and Rev. John Garber
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:06:14 -0400
References: <cb9.1d58c380.343bc2dd@aol.com>


Hello Richard, One major source of information about the families that came
to Flatrock Church with Elder John Garber, founder, is the old, old book
published by Zigler in 1908 called History of the Brethren in Virginia.
The information surrounding his story of John Garber and the founding of the
Flat Rock Church (oldest in Va) gives sketchy information about the families
which came before, with, and after him to Virginia, during the period of ca.
1770 to 1800. This church was located in Southern Shenandoah County, north
of Timberville a couple miles from Timberville in Rockingham County.
One needs to keep in mind the nature of these migrations. They
certainly did not happen in one year, that is, not the same year Garber
arrived, ca. 1770. Elder Garber followed a signif. number of these families
to Va., and he may have been requested to come as this growing Dunker
settlement need a minister. Second, the people that settled "at Flat Rock"
certainly did not settle all that close together. Many were in the vicinity
of the church, of course, eg. Michael Wine, Christian Myers, and their
large families of children (also married with families), and many settled a
couple miles south which would be in Rockingham county, forming the basis
for the Timberville, Broadway, and Greenmount congregations. (At the time
before 1800, all these settlements were thought of as Flat Rock, as that is
where them gathered for the Annual Love Feast, and the location from which
they were "governed." They were preaching points of 'Flat Rock for a number
of years before the "division" into north and south areas took place..
Combined together, these settlements were all designated "Flat Rock"
simply because churches were organized territorially with the name
designation Flat Rock, and these other areas as scattered preaching points
of the "mother 'Church" Flat Rock, governed by its home ministers.
A few years ago, I took the time to look up the names and land locations
of most of these early settlers, thus I have hard evidence of just where
they settled, and their locations with respect to the mother church.
When you combine these areas Dunker Families together in a total, you
easily come up with large figures such as the one mentioned above.
If there is interest, I might be able to find time away from working on
the "Unionist Books" to post the list of these families, many mentioned in
the 1908 history.
Emmert Bittinger

----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 1:29 PM
Subject: [BRE] 82 members and Rev. John Garber


> William:
>
> Well how then did somesone know there were "82" members? I take it that
> maybe there was a list at one time? I presumed that no lists of names
> would
> exist anymore. Any chance you could scan the write up of Rev. John
> Garber. The
> people I am researching were all related or connected through him. A lot
> of
> the people were originally from Lancaster Co. that I have found, but I
> have
> found no reference Rev. Garber himself spent any time there.
>
> Richard
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's new at
> http://www.aol.com
>
> ------------------------
> Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN
> ------------------------
> Support Our Sponsoring Agency
> The Fellowship Of Brethren Genealogists (FOBG)
> For further information contact Ron McAdams mailto:
> ------------------------
>
> -------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the
> quotes in the subject and the body of the message

This thread: