09/08/2026
: September 8, 1778; The Bethlehem Single Brethren’s Diary: "Br. Ettwein, in a meeting of Communicants, said some people had pledged themselves to compel us to take the oath. The Justices More and Linbach, through the Constable, had sent a General Summons here for Bethlehem, Christiansbrunn, Gnadenthal, and Nazareth, that all males over 18 must report at Allentown next Monday. Van Kamper, an assemblyman, who had been here at that time, and Counselor Arndt had shown this to Bro. Ettwein on the eighth and had written to those Justices that they should wait until the proposed supplement for the Oath Act (aiming to exempt those who for conscience do not want to take oath) had been passed at the session of assembly. The Brn. Schweiniz and Bonn had taken these letters to Justice More, also and orally to protest against said summons. But because they could see from his answers and excuses that nothing further would be accomplished, they returned without going to the other Justice. Therefore Br. Ettwein, the conference agreed, will go to Philadelphia tomorrow to see whether he could take said Supplement (if it has already been published) along, or do something further in the matter, so that it would be passed this week. He went to Philadelphia on the 10th."
Image: ["John Ettwein," 1754, John Valentine Haidt, German American, (1700-1780),
Oil on canvas. From the collection of the Moravian Historical Society.]
