· The preservation of the history of the Schwenkfeldian religious exiles and their descendants in America.

The Society of the Descendants of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles is not officially affiliated with the Schwenkfelder denomination, a religious body with five churches in Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, East Norriton, Worcester, and Palm, although some Society members are also active members of the Schwenkfelder denomination. The Society does, however, work with the denomination and the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, 105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073 in its efforts to preserve the Schwenkfelder beliefs and history.

The name of the Society is long. Frequently it is shortened to "Schwenkfeldian Exile Society" or simply “Exile Society” reminiscent of the reason why our forefathers came to this country between 1731 through 1737.

The Society of the Descendants

of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles

Dr. Allen Viehmeyer and David Luz led a group of 22 people to Germany and Poland from September 28 through October 13 visiting Schwenkfelder-related sites. The group visited Görlitz, Ossiek (Ossig), Twardocice (Harpersdorf), Herrnhut, and Berthelsdorf rediscovering their Schwenkfelder roots. The tour also went off the beaten path to places such as the convent ruins at Nowogrodziec (Naumburg) and a dinner feast in the Grodziec (Gröditzburg) Castle. The journey to America was partially traced along the Elbe River as the group took a riverboat from Dresden to Meissen and walked in Pirna, Dresden, Meissen, Torgau, and other cities. The tour also included visits to additional, non-Schwenkfelder-related cities of Zittau, Leipzig, Quedlinburg and, of course, Berlin. In this illustrated lecture, Viehmeyer and Luz will describe the trip, introduce people they met along the way, and show current pictures of important Schwenkfelder sites.

Welcome to the Society of the Descendants of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles

The Society of the Descendants

of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles