Struth Mennonite Church near Saverne, Lower Alsace, France, was probably established soon after the end of the Thirty Years' War by emigrants from Switzerland. Its members were increased by refugees who had been driven out of Markirch by the decree of 1712. It appears in the Dutch Naamlijst of 1768 and following as "Stroeter Gemeente." It was located in the midst of a sym­pathetic Protestant population, which resulted later in mixed marriages, which may well have account­ed in part for the ultimate disappearance of the congregation. Leading names in the community indicate previous Mennonite origin, such as Haury, Zehr, Biehler, Hunzinger, Kempf, Lehmann, Springer, Muller, Maurer, Martin, and Risser. It was represented at the Essingen Conference in 1759 by Uli Sommer, and in 1779 by Christian Nafziger and Hans Schertz. It participated in 1809 in the collection for defraying expenses of the delegates to Paris in the matter of nonresistance. The Naam­lijst of 1802 lists Christian Naftziger, Jr., as elder. By the middle of the 19th century Struth had died out.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 646. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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