United Brethrens in Wisconsin
German settlers centered in Pennsylvania organized into the United Brethren of Christ around 1800 to maintain a spiritual life distinct from their native Reformed and Mennonite churches. There are two remaining bodies of United Brethren in the U.S.: the United Brethren in Christ-Old Constitution and the United Brethren. United Brethren families began settling in Wisconsin between 1836 and 1848, and on the heels of their removal, the Church assigned a corps of missionaries to the new "Wisconsin Mission." The earliest known pioneer of the Church was G.G. Nickey although Rev. James Davis is known as the "Father of the Wisconsin Conference" for organizing the first society of Brethren in 1842. In 1858, Wisconsin organized into its own Mission Conference and counted 1,461 members. The Church grew quickly with a phenomenal 288 preaching places and 34 clergymen at its height in 1860. From its inception, the United Brethren were torn by internal controversies over slavery, secret societies, revision of the Confession of Faith, and the amendment of the Church Constitution. The debate over the Constitution split the Church into "Old Constitution" and "Revised Constitution" in 1889. "Old Constitution" membership grew most rapidly between 1890 and 1906.
Wisconsin's Cultural Resources Study Units, Wisconsin Historical Society
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