Helmstadt, a village (1925 pop. 1,111) in the Sinsheim district of Baden, Germany, with 22 Mennonites. In the Mennonite lists of the Palatinate Helmstadt is mentioned for the first time in 1717 with eight Mennonite families. In Goldruthen zur Geschichte von Helmstadt (Karlsruhe, 1867: 21), Pastor Ludwig says that in 1727 a Mennonite, Hans Schmutz, settled in Helmstadt; his descendants farmed the estate "Wasserschloss," belonging to the counts of Berlichingen, until the beginning of the 20th century. About 1731 there was in Helmstadt a Mennonite congregation of 12 families; their preachers were Hans Schmutz (presumably the above-mentioned) and Christian Schmutz (Müller, Berner Täufer, 209). Later the church was merged with the Hasselbach congregation. In the last quarter of the 19th century the meetings of the Badischer Verband elders were held almost exclusively in the "Wasserschloss" at Helmstadt.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 696. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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