History of the Church of the Brethren of the Western District of Pennsylvania

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The title of this book does not hint at the extent of interest that will center in it. Herein is a well-prepared account of the rise and development of the congregations of the Church of the Brethren of Western Pennsylvania; but interwoven in it is an inevitable thread whose strands reach almost Brotherhood-wide.

In Western Pennsylvania the Brethren labored long and well in behalf of the Master. Through many hardships in earlier days they established the faith in the midst of the beautiful Alleghanies. No service has ever been rendered more cheerfully and hopefully than theirs. But the valleys were too narrow for all their children and scattered throughout the West in almost even State one finds Somerset County stock prosperous and flourishing. All these scattered descendants will be interested in the story of beginnings in the old home District; and thus the usefulness of the book grows and grows until who can forecast where its presence will not be felt?

The author is well fitted to write the book. Born and reared in one of the stronger congregations of the District, breathing fully the spirit of his environment, in full sympathy with the ideals of the people who have built up the organization, he could fully enter into a proper appreciation of all the data gathered and give due stress to salient facts.