Chapter One

Chapter One

THE KAUFFMANS COME TO AMERICA
1600 to 1753

The American journey of our Paternal ancestors, the Kauffman/Coffman family begins in the fine City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Often known as the city of brotherly love, it was established in 1681 by William Penn, a Quaker by faith. Having experienced persecution for his spiritual beliefs, he chose this new land of Penn-Sylvania, “Penn’s Woods” as a haven for religious freedom. This not only included fellow Quakers, but persons of all faiths and nationalities. It was he who extended a most gracious invitation to others who likewise had suffered religious persecution. Consequently, many of these original settlers, including our forefathers, emigrated from European countries where the religious freedoms we now enjoy were not tolerated.

History records that many religions were not recognized or accepted by the European states, one of these being the Mennonite Church. The origin of the Mennonite faith dates back to 1536 when the first congregation was established by a Dutch clergyman and former Catholic priest named Menno Simons. The people of this faith were originally known as Swiss Brethren, but would later be referred to as Anabaptists, Quakers or Mennonites. Their Tenets of Faith included the doctrine of non-resistance, baptism upon salvation, separation of Church & State, Christian simplicity and scriptural allegiance. As a result, persecution became so horrendous, that in many cases, faithful servants of God were put to death rather than renounce their beliefs. These events took place up until the 1600’s and had a profound influence on their historic migration to America.

Among this group were the Knoufmans/Kauffmans, a clan of merchant families, who held the beliefs of the Mennonite faith. Some of the earliest records of the Kauffman lineage begin with them living near the city of Erlenbech, Switzerland. During this period of time, there were Cantons or groups of German speaking people residing in Switzerland. For approximately 350 years from 1307, Switzerland had been a republic but considered these other religions to be a threat to both their government and the State recognized Reform Church. This ultimately led to persecution which included the seizure of property and children, torture and many times, death. Records show that at least four generations, from Jacob Kauffman in 1556 to Isaac Kauffman in 1675, lived in Switzerland before the family was permanently exiled and migrated to Germany.