At first, after their organization in Lancaster County in 1893, the Old Order Mennonites under J. H. Martin prospered. But by 1926 Joseph Wenger and his element disagreed and some formed a separate unit. This separate unit, the Groffdale Conference, had no evening services, used horses and carriages, and the same type of agricultural practices. Their language was German exclusively in the pulpit and considerably in the homes. They advised their boys in World War II days to go to jail rather than accept the Civilian Public Service alternative. They used the singing table and the German hymnal. They numbered over 1,200 in the late 1950s, mostly in eastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. At that time they co-operated with the Addison Gingrich group at St. Jacobs, Ontario, and some Wisler Mennonites in Indiana.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 917. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.