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Lake Thun, Canton Bern, Switzerland · coordinates 46.73, 7.67 (exact)
About
On Lake Thun. Jakob Ammann, founder of the Amish, lived here before moving to Alsace about 1680. Bern ordered Anabaptist wives out of the Oberhofen district in 1719; the Anabaptist papers of Oberhofen castle (1703–23) are STAB B III 194b. In parish of Hilterfingen (catalog ID 220149).
Narratives and research
- Stories: English ancestor recollection (Miller side), Lake Thun and the Oberland Anabaptists - the world that made the Amish
- History: 1693 The Amish split, 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern
- Research: 1711 Rhine exodus - full passenger roster
- Sources: Bern Taeuferakten (Anabaptist files), Bern parish registers (Staatsarchiv Bern, series K)
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.