74 HISTORY OP 



persecute others, who differed from them in religious 

 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 in 

 I^ancaster county in the year 1709."t 



The traditions, respecting the first visit to the place of 

 subsequent settlement, are discrepant. From public 

 documents and some private papers m 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 INI&ylms 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 camiot state. The pioneers were 

 Ha.ns Meylin, his son Martin:}: and John,§ Hans Herr, 

 John Rudolph Bmidely, Martin Kendig, Jacob Miller, 



*Col. Rec. III. 597. 



flm Jahr 1709, kamen etliche familien von der Pfalz welche 

 von den vertriebenen Schweizern abstammten und liesseii 

 sich nieder in Lancaster County — Benjamin Ehy''s Gesdiichten 

 der Mennoniten, p. 151. 



^Martin Meylin, son of Hans Meylin, was the first gun-smith 

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

 erected a boring-mill, on what is known as Meylin's run, on 

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



JJohn Meylin connected himself with the Siehen Taeger, at 

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



