June 1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

experiences as pioneers in the region they settled-- almost all followed agricultural pursuits. Both the Dunkard Church and the Ullery Cemetery developed after 1868 to meet the religious, community and burial needs of this particular group. However, the 1920's witnessed a significant change, wherein the Dunkard Church became the Community Congregational Church and the Ullery cemetery began to be referred to as the Roseland Community Cemetery, both intended to serve the needs of the larger community in and around Roseland. For a better understanding of the pioneers associated with the origins of the church and cemetery it is important to understand the origins of the Pennsylvania Dutch group. The Pennsylvania Germans are frequently referred to as Dutch --the English derivative of "Deutsch." Most of them arrived and settled in the New World between 1684-1835. There emerged two distinct sub -groups within the Pennsylvania Dutch settlers --the "Church Germans" composed of the Lutherans and the German Reformed settlers and the Anabaptist or Brethren who were opposed to formalistic religion and formed the "Plain Folk." The Church Germans and the Anabaptists and Brethren formed the core of the agricultural Pennsylvania Dutch folk.[7] The majority of people who migrated to settle in Clay Township were of the Brethren (German Baptist) group. The "Plain Folk" preserved many ethnic traditions. For example, most of the settlers developed and spoke a dialect known as Deitsch, which was quite different from hoch Deutsch, standard spoken German. Under Pennsylvania English Law Deitsch was acceptable in wills, deeds and court testimony. The group also retained their religious values and customs which were primarily Mennonite, Amish or Brethren, with an emphasis on Pietism. The Plain Folk, Pennsylvania Dutch were primarily rural and agrarian in lifestyle. This was an extension of their Swabian origins --the German version of "hillbilly mountaineers." They carried this tradition to the New World and engaged primarily in agricultural pursuits. A cornerstone of their culture was an emphasis on frugality and ecological awareness. They refined the art of being thrifty by harnessing the natural resources available to the maximum without wastage. The German farmer in Pennsylvania practiced soil conservation by valuing the "well dunged field." He also fully utilized the fertile limestone soil found in Central and Southeast Pennsylvania. The Plain Folk shared the Puritan work ethic and out of sheer diligence became important food and grain producers for America. The Pennsylvania Dutch generated a sense of community unique to an ethnic settlement in an unfamiliar environment. They typically provided the support mechanism for those young couples that needed assistance in "barn raisings." In their endeavors to help the community they formed farm harvesting cooperatives. The Pennsylvania Dutchman did not believe in impersonal government, instead he depended on a system of private, volunteer charities 4