tANd'AST^R COtTNTT. 455 



CHAPTER XIl. 



Heligious Deno3iinations — Early missionaries among the Conestoga and 

 other Indians — The Mennonites — The Friends or Quakers — The Ornish 

 or Amish — The Episcopalians — The Presbyterians — Tiie German Bap- 

 tists — Tlie German Seventh Day Baptists — The Lutherans — The German 

 Reformed — The United Brethren or Moravians — The Roman Catholics — 

 The Metliodist Episcopal — The New Jerusalem (church — The Evangeli- 

 cal Association or " Abrecht's Leute " — The Reformed Mennonites — The 

 Universalists — The Seceders— The United Brethren or "Allgemeine 

 Brueder"— The Church of God — The Calvanistic Baptists— The Mor- 

 mons, &c. 



If diversity of creeds, or multiplicity of religious sects serve 

 as a standard of deep toned piety and christian benevolerce, 

 then may the people of Lancaster county lay claim to a goodly 

 share ; for there is no spot upon earth, with so limited a popu- 

 lation and the same confined territory, that counts more de- 

 nominations, than Lancaster. But with all this diversity, there 

 are few, if any, irreligious controversies, that usually charac- 

 terize bigots, among the inhabitants. Each seems to promote 

 his own and his neighbor's welfare, and therewith appears 

 content. 



In this chapter we shall attempt a succinct sketch of the seve- 

 ral religious denominations found in this county. We regret 

 it, that only a few of the score of ministers whom we addressed 

 to furnish religious statistics, have seen proper to comply.* 



At an early period missionaries of the Swedish church visited 

 the Indians, within the present limits of Lancaster county. — 

 The Friends also paid some attention to the Indians. As early 



*For an accurate and impartial account of the /listori/ and doctrines of 

 aJl the religious denominations in the United States, the reader is referred to 

 a work entitled He Pasa Ecdesia,orthe Whole Church in the United States^ 

 every article of the work quoted has been expressly written for it by eminent 

 theological professors, ministers or distinguished lay members of each re- 

 spective denomination. It is the only work extant that can be relied on as 

 being impartial and authentic. Rupp, ('lyde, Williams & Co., of Harris- 

 burj, Pa., are the publishers. The wotk is in press. 



