Faith under fire: The enduring legacy of Jacob Hochstetler’s pacifism

Many moments in the Anabaptist history have been forever remembered in art.

Perhaps the most famous is the portrayal of Dirk Willems, a Dutch Anabaptist martyr most famous for escaping from prison but then in an act of total compassion giving up his own life by turning back to rescue his pursuer who had fallen through thin ice in the pursuit.

There are countless stories like that in the book “Martyr’s Mirror,” but the recently purchased mural depicting the Jacob Hochstetler Family Attack ranks among the most defining stories of living a pacifist life, even in the face of hardship and death to the Hochstetler family.

The Jacob Hochstetler Family Attack was a tragic and well-documented event in early American frontier history, particularly remembered among Amish and Mennonite communities. It occurred during the French and Indian War (1754-63), when tensions and violence between European settlers and Native American groups were widespread in Pennsylvania.

Paul Miller, former director at the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center and member of the Hochstetler lineage, has done extensive studies on the family and the history surrounding the event. He said this painting serves as a testament to Jacob and his family’s faith.

“As the story goes, the last thing Jacob told his two sons before they were separated into captivity was never take another life and don’t ever forget the Lord’s Prayer,” Miller said. “That is a very strong encouragement for trying to make faith meaningful.”

Jacob Hochstetler was a Swiss German Anabaptist immigrant who settled with his family in Berks County, Pennsylvania near present-day Shartlesville around 1739.

Like many Amish and Mennonites, Hochstetler was a pacifist, committed to nonviolence and living peacefully with all neighbors, a trait that would play a critical role in his family during the attack.

On the night of Sept. 19, 1757, during the French and Indian War, a band of Native Americans, believed to be from a group of Delaware Indians who had allied with the French, attacked the Hochstetler homestead.

A peaceful night turned to terror — the family awakened by barking dogs and gunfire. Jacob and his sons Joseph and Christian had muskets, and while the boys were eager to defend the family and homestead, Jacob’s commitment to peace won out and he refused to allow any attempts at killing another human being, consistent with their nonresistant faith.

As the family hid in the cellar, the attackers burned the house, killing Jacob’s wife Anna and two of their children. Jacob, Joseph and Christian were taken captive and forced to travel with their captors.

Over time the captives were separated and lived among different Native communities for several years, and while Jacob grew to know and understand his Native captors, he eventually escaped and returned home around 1763, after peace was restored.

His sons Joseph and Christian were later released through negotiations and returned, although it is said Joseph desired to remain with his Native family.

The Hochstetler attack became a well-known and powerful story of faith, nonresistance and forgiveness among Amish and Mennonite descendants, and Jacob’s refusal to fight back, even to protect his family, is often cited as a model of steadfast Anabaptist conviction.

“The painting is a reminder of the values that shaped our Anabaptist forefathers, even to the point of death,” Miller said.

He said this is simply one story of faith and hardship during this time, and other families have their own stories to share, but few have been recorded in such a dramatic way as this mural.

“What makes this such a unique story is how the three of them were taken into captivity and lived to be released,” Miller said. “That and the story of their faith provide real insight into how strong their beliefs were.”

Miller said the family will continue to try to explore more about the painting, and one goal is to identify the unknown artist.

Until then the mural will serve as a historical portrayal of one family’s past and the faith they continue to embrace.

Many modern Amish, Mennonite and Brethren families trace their ancestry to Jacob Hochstetler’s surviving children, and the Hochstetler family continues to meet every five years at various locations in the Midwest.