Abbeyville Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church) was located on what is now the western edge of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. With the coming of three Hans Brubakers, John Meyers, a Christian and two Andrew Hersheys, Benjamin Road, Peter Swarr, and others, 1717-1727, who settled west and northwest of "Lancaster Town," there were too many Mennonites to worship in private homes. By 1750 John Jacob Brubaker and Ulrich Roadt, ministers, received a deed for one acre on the south end of the farm owned in 1955 by Christian B. Herr, whereon a meeting house was soon erected. The foundation wall could still be struck in plowing in 1955 and a few Erisman, Binkley and Hershey tombstones were still intact. Here these people worshiped until 1792, when a larger church called Brubaker's was built a mile north of Rohrerstown. Bishop Benjamin Hershey, Lancaster Mennonite Conference moderator during the American Revolution, worshiped and is buried here. Undoubtedly the first Lancaster conferences were held alternately with the Mellinger and Abbeyville congregations.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 6. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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