74 HISTORY OF 



persecute others, who differed from them in rehgious 

 opinion. They plead for miiversal toleration, and their 

 practice confirmed it. 



About the year 1706 or 1707, a number of the perse- 

 cuted Swiss Mennonites went to England, and made a 

 particular agreement with the Honorable Proprietor, 

 William Penn, at London, for lands to be taken up."* — 

 Several families, from the Palatinate, descendants of the 

 distressed Swiss, emigrated to America and settled m 

 Lancaster county in the year 1709."t 



The traditions, respecting the first visit to the place of 

 subsequent settlement, are discrepant. From public 

 documonts and some private papers in the possession of 

 Abraham Meylin, and others, residing in West Lampe- 

 ter township, we may confidently state that the Memio- 

 nites commenced a settlement in 1709 or 1710, at the 

 place where the Herr's and Meylins now reside, near 

 Willow Street. 



A Swiss company, to emigrate to America, and settle 

 in the wilderness, had been organized, but who the pro- 

 jector of it was, we cannot state. The pioneers were 

 Hans Meylin, his son Martini and John,§ Hans Herr, 

 John Rudolph Bundcly, Martin Kendig, Jacob Miller, 



*Col. Rec. III. 397. 



f Iin Jahr 1709, kamcn elliche familien von der Pfalz wclche 

 von den vertriebencn Schweizern abstammten und liessen 

 sich nieder in Lancaster County — Benjamin Eby^s Geschichten 

 dcr Mennoniten,p. 151. 



• 



IMartin IMeylin, son of Hans Meylin, was the first gun-smith 

 within the limits of Lancaster county ; as early as 1719, he 

 erected a horing-mill, on what is known as Mcylin's run, on 

 the farm now owned by Martin Meylin, West Lampeter town- 



^John Meylin connected himself with the Siehen Taeger, at 

 Ephrata — he assumed the name ' Amos,' or '■Bruder Amos.^ 



