1681–1683 · event
Pennsylvania: an opening for persecuted believers
Pennsylvania offered Mennonites and other persecuted communities a place to worship and establish new homes.
Also searchable as: William Penn · George Fox · Concord · Krefeld
William Penn’s new settlement offered an opening for European believers who had faced restrictions and persecution. The exhibit associates Penn and George Fox, the Quaker founder, with invitations to religious minorities in 1681–1682. Mennonites were among those encouraged to settle in “Penn’s Woods,” where freedom of worship and a charter of liberties were promised.
The invitation became a lived migration in 1683. Thirteen Mennonite-Quaker families from Krefeld crossed the Atlantic aboard the Concord and reached Philadelphia on 6 October after a ten-week voyage. They established homes in the Germantown area. This movement joined the search for freedom of conscience to the practical work of building a congregation, earning a living, and helping fellow settlers.
Sources for this history: [1]
