Rheingrafenstein, a village near Kreuznach in the former Prussian Rhine Province, now Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, is named in the Dutch Naamlijst of 1766 as the seat of the Mennonite congregation of Rheingrafenstein, Erbesbüdesheim, and Weierhof. Services were held weekly alternately at the Rheingrafenstein castle and Dimrotherhof. Ulrich Ellenberger was the elder of this congregation in 1743-67. In 1768 the congregation divided into its three component parts, each with its own deacons and preachers, but served by one elder, Jakob Galle of Uffhofen, who was ordained in 1767. In 1769 the baptized membership numbered 32. The preacher of the Rheingrafenstein congregation was Christian Moser (died 1790), who was ordained as preacher in 1766 and as elder in 1782. Jakob Schowalter was a preacher of the Rheingrafenstein congregation from 1774 and elder from 1805 until after 1820. In November 1816 the seat of the Rheingrafenstein congregation was transferred to Neudorferhof. The membership of the Neudorferhof congregation in 1956 was 138 including the children. The pastor was Gerhard Hein, of Sembach, who was also serving the Altleiningen congregation.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 315. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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