Groff, Hans (1661-1746)
Hans Groff (Graf), the pioneer of 1696, settled first at Paradise and later in Groffdale, West Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on 1,500 acres. His first son, Jacob, remained in Strasburg and the rest on the paternal Groffdale acres. The Groffdale church was built on this farm in 1755, the center of a thriving congregation. Hans's sons Peter and David, his son-in-law Henry Landis, together with Hans's brother Martin (d. 1760) as minister, formed the nucleus of this Mennonite community. The first-known bishop of this congregation, Christian Burkholder, married a granddaughter of Hans Groff. Hans and his son David furnished the meeting place for the congregation in the early days in their homes. Many of his descendants with various names have served the church. Abraham Grove of Markham, Ontario (1770-1836), minister here and a molder, was a descendant.
| Author(s) | Ira D Landis |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Landis, Ira D. "Groff, Hans (1661-1746)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 24 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Groff,_Hans_(1661-1746)&oldid=81464.
APA style
Landis, Ira D. (1956). Groff, Hans (1661-1746). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Groff,_Hans_(1661-1746)&oldid=81464.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 587. All rights reserved.
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