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
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1809.
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 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. History of Shanesville (approx. 3.9 miles away); Flame of Freedom (approx. 3.9 miles away); Giant Cuckoo Clock (approx. 4.7 miles away); Baltic (approx. 5.8 miles away); Colonel Bouquet's Trail and The Port Washington Road (approx. 5.9 miles away); Bouquet’s Trail, 1764 / Port Washington Road (approx. 5.9 miles away); The Bouquet Expedition / Henry Bouquet (approx. 8.1 miles away); Calmoutier (approx. 9.8 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 December 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on November 14, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,296 times since then and 289 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 14, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
