In the early-to-mid-1600s Crefeld was home to a number of our families – the Op den Graeffs, the Tyson/Tiesen/Thiessens, and the Sellens. Crefeld sits near the Lower Rhine River almost on the Dutch border. Many of the names associated with Crefeld were of Dutch origin although the language spoken and written by our family members…
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This is not the complete story of the Protestant Reformation, the Anabapists, or the Mennonites. It is a short history to explain their, and our, arrival in Germantown. The Anabaptists Anabaptists (Greek ανα (again, twice) +βαπτιζω (baptize), thus “re-baptizers”) are Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish,…
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As I worked on the family tree it has become clear that no one religion defines us as a family. Of course in the current family our main religion has been Evangelical Lutheran, but in both the recent and distant past our people have also been Presbyterian, Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, Mennonite, Quaker, and at least…
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