Near Walnut Creek in Holmes County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Jonas Stutzman
"Der Weiss" 1-31-1788 -- 10-18-1871
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 25, 2009
1. Jonas Stutzman Marker
Jonas Stutzman, from Somerset County, Pennsylvania, came to this site in 1809 to clear land for farming and to build a log home for his family. He was the first permanent settler in the eastern portion of what would in 1825 become Holmes County. Jonas and his wife Magdalena Gerber Stutzman were of the Amish faith--descendants from a group of strict Protestant Anabaptists with origins in Switzerland and Holland and dating from the 16th -century Protestant Reformation. Some of their beliefs, including separation of church and state, refusal to take oaths, pacifism, and believer's baptism, were perceived as threats to the state[,] church and government. Persecuted by both Catholics and Protestants, Anabaptists migrated and some came to the New World, many at the invitation of Pennsylvania's William Penn. The Stutzmans and other early Amish pioneer setters - Millers, Hershbergers, Hochstetlers, Weavers, Masts, Troyers, and Schrocks - founded here what has become the largest Amish settlement in North America.
Erected 2002 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, German Culture Museum of Walnut Creek, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 1-38.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion
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Location. 40° 31.883′ N, 81° 43.345′ W. Marker is near Walnut Creek, Ohio, in Holmes County. Marker is on County Road 114, 0.1 miles west of State Route 39, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4545 County Road 114, Walnut Creek OH 44687, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Peace Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); History of Shanesville (approx. 3.9 miles away); Flame of Freedom (approx. 3.9 miles away); Tom F. Miller (approx. 4.7 miles away); Milton Blickensderfer (approx. 4.7 miles away); Lt. Gen. Donald L. Putt, U.S.A.F. (approx. 4.7 miles away); The Putt Memorial (approx. 4.7 miles away); Giant Cuckoo Clock (approx. 4.7 miles away).
Also see . . . Jonas Stutzman. (Submitted on November 14, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 25, 2009
2. Jonas Stutzman Marker
Looking west.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 25, 2009
3. Jonas Stutzman Marker
Looking east toward OH Route 39.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 17, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 14, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,432 times since then and 124 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 14, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
