The Amish Princess

From Death to Life

Chapter One

From Death to LifeThe smell of death was everywhere in the steerage area of the schooner Charming Nancy. Jonas Hershberger gagged at the stench as he made his way up from the hold. He could not stand being below decks one minute more—seeing the white, tear-stained faces of grieving fathers and mothers and hearing the moans of the dying. He passed by Bishchopp Kauffman on his way forward. The once-energetic leader of their flock now sat silently, staring at the shroud-wrapped body of his youngest child. The bishchopp looked up at him and shook his head. He whispered something to Jonas.

Jonas leaned closer. “What, Bishchopp?”

The man took hold of Jonas’ arm with a painful grip. “He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.”

Jonas pulled his arm away and stood, staring at the man for a moment, and then he turned and blindly groped his way to the ladder that led upwards toward the fresh air and escape from the horror below.

The Amish people on board the ship had not expected such trials when they left Lomersheim near Wurtemburg that spring. Indeed, the Hershberger family and those who traveled with them had been full of joy as they prepared to depart. After the Palatinate and nearby areas had been repeatedly invaded by the French, the Anabaptists living there had struggled with the devastation and famine that followed, as well as the constant threat of religious persecution. When the man who represented William Penn came to their village and told glowing tales of Pennsylvania—the rich farmland, the mighty forests, the rivers teeming with fish, the abundance of game and most of all, the freedom from tyranny and death at the hands of other Christians, Jonas’ father, Mathias, had leapt at the chance to emigrate.

So the Hershbergers set out on their journey with others from their village. In the spring of 1737, they journeyed to Rotterdam and there they joined a group of Amish people who were to board the Charming Nancy and set sail for the new world. But trouble found them before they even started. On the twenty-eighth of June, while they were still in Rotterdam getting ready to set out, Bishchopp Kauffman’s daughter, Zernbli, died. On the twenty-ninth the ship went under sail but enjoyed only one and a half days of favorable wind. Then on the seventh day of July, early in the morning, the Zimmerman’s son-in-law died. The travelers landed at Plymouth, England on the eighth of July. During the nine days the ship remained in port, five more children died.

And so it went. As the endless days on the gray-green sea crept by, the list grew longer. Lisbetli Kaufmann died, followed swiftly by four more. On the first of August another of the Bischopp’s children, Hansli, died, then five more children died. On the twenty-eighth Hans Gasi’s wife died. During the voyage of eighty-three days, one in nine of the passengers succumbed, and the Charming Nancy became a death-ship. Jonas had watched his father and mother work themselves into exhaustion, nursing the sick and praying for deliverance. And now, at last they were coming to Pennsylvania.

Jonas climbed up the last steps of the ladder and staggered onto the deck. The ship was slowly making its way against the current. He felt the fresh wind that was moving them upstream and smelled the fields that lay on both sides of the great river. His hair whipped in the chill breeze, but he did not want to go below deck again, not ever. It was so good to see land again. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Then he opened them and began to look more closely at the shoreline. As the ship rounded a promontory, he saw a small figure on the bank. It looked like an Indian boy with a basket slung over his shoulder. He wore a breechclout and leggings that covered his nakedness. The boy stood silently, staring at Jonas as the ship passed. Jonas waved to him, but the boy did not wave back or make any sign. Then the boy turned and disappeared into the tall grass lining the shore. A step on the deck drew Jonas’ attention, and he turned to find his father, Mathias, standing behind him. His father’s face was drawn and lined with pain.

Jonas pointed toward the shore. “Father! I think I saw an Indian, just there. His skin was dark and he didn’t have any clothes.”

Mathias Hershberger did not answer. He stepped to the rail and stared silently at the water. He put his face into his hands, and Jonas could see his father’s shoulders shaking with sobs. “So much death, Jonas. Hat du lieber Gott aufgegeben wir ?”

Jonas put his hand out to touch his father’s arm. “God wouldn’t abandon us, would he, Papa?”

Mathias shook his head slowly and then lifted his eyes to the heavens. “So many have died lieber Gott. We fled death in the Palatinate only to find it on the sea. Why? What did we do to bring your anger?”

Jonas stood silently, staring at his father. Mathias was usually a happy man, satisfied with his lot in life and a strong follower of the Amish way. To see him like this was troubling for Jonas. Finally, Mathias wiped his eyes and turned to his son. “Forgive me, Jonas. I sound as though I am questioning the will of Gott. Far be it from me to challenge the things that der allmächtige Vater plans for our lives. I am just troubled by the many deaths on our voyage, especially among the children.”

Jonas took his father’s hand. “I know it is hard, Papa, but all of us are still alive.”

Mathias frowned. “We should not rejoice that none of our family died, while so many have lost loved ones. The Bischopp lost three of his kinder.”

The rebuke stung and Jonas was silent for a moment. Then he whispered, “I am sorry, Papa.”

“No harm, my son. It is just that we must always think of others first. That is what the Lord commands, and we must see that we obey.”

Jonas tried to turn the conversation away from death. “Will we have a large farm, Papa?”

Mathias smiled at his son. It was the first time he had smiled in many days. “Yes, Jonas. We have seven mouths to feed, and I have brought enough silver to pay for a goodly piece.”

“Where will we live, Papa?”

Mathias pointed to the west. “We will travel to the Northkill settlement. It is west of Philadelphia and slightly north. Some of our people went ahead to get things ready there and more Amish are coming. We will have a farm and live among our own kind, free from the persecution of the Lutherans and the Catholics.”

“They hate us, don’t they, Papa?”

“Yes, my son. When we refused to baptize our infants, it deprived them of tax revenue. And so they drove us out in the name of protecting the true faith, but it was really only about money. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

“That’s from the Bible, isn’t it, Papa?”

“Good, Jonas! Yes, it is First Timothy, verse six. And now, show me where you saw the Indian.”

Eighty-four days after leaving Rotterdam, the Charming Nancy sailed slowly into the harbor at Philadelphia. The surviving settlers crowded onto the deck, cheering and weeping as the city came into view. Jonas stood by his father and mother as Bishchopp Kauffman came slowly up from below and made his way to the railing of the ship. After several minutes, he turned to his flock. He had grown gaunt and pale during the voyage and his hands shook. His wife stood by him as he removed his hat and looked up at the sky.

“Das Lieben des Gottes, we look to You today for strength and comfort.” He stood silently for a moment and then turned to the people. “Many of us have suffered greatly on this journey. I have buried three of my children in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Mein Herz ist mit dem Kummer schwer, und ich werde dasselbe nie sein. But we must put our sorrow aside. Today we stand at the doorway of a new life, free from tyranny and oppression. We will live in a new land, flowing with milk and honey. As we come into our promised land, I put before you the charge of Joshua to the people of Israel. ‘Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the false gods they serve in the land beyond the sea, or the one true God who has led us through sorrow and suffering to a new day. Many of you may fall away, lured by the treasures of this new land or defeated by trials. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.’”

Jonas’ father stepped forward. He looked around at the somber faces. “Our desire for acceptance, for approval, is strong, and we don’t always live up to the convictions that we have chosen to live by. As we come to this new land, we must repent of that, for the world cannot know of its brokenness and hopelessness without a people who show a holy way of life. The world cannot know that there is an alternative to violence and war without a people of peace making peace. The world cannot know that God cares for the weak and the vulnerable without a people practicing a lifestyle centered on ministering to those who are in need. As we go forward from this day, we move from death to life, from shadow to sunlight, from despair to hope. Let us always remember that we are Amish, and we serve a God of peace. The world cannot know the unsurpassable worth of human life without a people who consistently work to protect life— the life in all people, even those who call themselves our enemies. Mai segnet der Lieben-Gott und begünstigt uns in dieser neuen Welt.”

The settlers nodded in agreement. From the back of the group, someone began the slow chant of Das Loblied, the hymn of praise. The chorus swelled as the people joined in.

O Lord Father, we bless thy name,

Thy love and thy goodness praise;

That thou, O Lord, so graciously

Have been to us always.

Thou hast brought us together, O Lord,

To be admonished through thy word.

Bestow on us thy grace.

Jonas felt the strong grip of his father’s hand. As the words of gratitude and thanks for God’s goodness lifted toward heaven, he made a promise to himself.

I will always follow the way of peace.