Help Save a 1536 Froschauer Bible of the Schnebly and Bachman Families

Are you a member of the Mennonite Bachman or Schnebly family? You can help save a piece of family history.

A Bible, printed in 1536 by Froschauer in Switzerland, that includes genealogical information for the Bachman family of Saucon, an inscription from Hans Jacob Schnebelli (1696), and a bookplate for Matthias Schnebelli (1708) needs mending and cleaning. You can donate money to help the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville, Pennsylvania fund this project through the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts. According to the site, this Bible is considered one of Pennsylvania’s top 10 endangered artifacts.

The Bible was originally owned by the Schnebellis of Switzerland, then Alsace, then Ibersheimer hoff in the Palatinate. It was transferred to Maria Schnebelli and her husband Johan Georg Bachman who immigrated by 1727 and settled in what is now Coopersburg, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Watch the video for more information on this item and its history.