Kirschgartshäuserhof, a hamlet near Mannheim, Germany, on the road to Lampertheim, was occupied in the 18th century by ten Mennonite families, which formed a congregation and held services every Sunday. A register of 10 April 1742, listed the following names: Abraham Strickler, Stephan Brennemann, Johann Jakob Hackmann, Christian Danner, Christian Krafft, Jakob Schaub, Johannes Landes, Jr., Rudolph Schneider, Adam Danner, Diether Kieferndorf, and Jakob Landes.

It is not known when they settled here. In 1740 they were charged the protection fee, "not only the sum due for the past years, but also the increased sum for the future"—a sum they could not possibly raise. Vainly the owner of the land, Anna Sophie, widowed Countess of Sayn and Wittgenstein, appealed to the court in their behalf. They had to move out—nobody knows where they went (records in the Generallandesarchiv in Karlsruhe).

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 181. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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