Re: History of Mifflin County, PA
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In reply to:
History of Mifflin County, PA
Sheryl Williams 1/27/07
Came across more on this family...check out the link for complete text.
"and John Hanawalt, one mile east of Mount Union. The
last named was probably the first speaker in the English language among the
Brethren in this region. He was an excellent man, decidedly original in his
habits and manner, but not a fluent speaker, and died at the age of sixty-two in
the year 1827.
Joseph Rothrock was a son of John Rothrock, who came from Northampton County
before the Revolutionary War and bought the claim of one Kishler, four miles
northeast of Lewistown, where Joseph resided until his death, at an advanced
age. He was an able German preacher and a noble example of Christian piety. He
was a minister for many years and probably the first resident bishop in the
district. His son Abraham succeeded him in the ministry and bishopric, but
afterwards moved to Kansas. Abraham was succeeded by Joseph Rothrock Hanawalt,
who presided over the congregation in 1865, when the district was divided into
its present congregations; he retained the oversight of both congregations for
some years, when he was relieved of the care of the Lewistown charge by the
ordination of Jacob Mohler.
Joseph R. Hanawalt was an able speaker in the English language and a mission
worker of untiring zeal. He was elected to the ministry September 25, 1845, and
some years previous to this the church had decided to have one-half of the
devotional exercises conducted in the English language, whereupon the membership
began to increase and prominent families became connected with the church, many
of whom could understand no German, and thus the German wore out and the English
devotions increased until about 1845, the year in which Joseph R. Hanawalt was
elected, when the whole services were conducted in the English language.
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/mifflin/history/local/mifflin-5.txthttp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/mifflin/history/local/mifflin-5.txt