Mennonite Bishop Valentine Klemmer, our ancestor, was born in Affoltern, Canton Zurich, Switzerland in 1655. His family attended a Calvinist Church and he most likely was baptized in that church as an infant according to state law.

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According to a Clemmer descendant, Valentine's great grandfather was a French Calvinist (Huguenot) who lived in Montbeliard, France. Klemer or Klamer is

a French name. Many Protestants lived in Montbeliard until the Roman Catholic King decided to rid his country of Protestants in the 1570's.

 

The Klemmers fled to Zurich and were members of the Reformed Church in Zurich for almost 100 years.

 

Valentine's older brother Jacob Klemmer moved down the Rhine River from Zurich to the town of Ludwigshaffen, Germany. About twelve miles west of Ludwigshaffen is the small village of Friedelsheim and in 1678 Jacob married a local girl and 

settled in Friedelsheim, Germany.

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The same year Valentine married Barbara Bar in Ottenbach, Zurich, Switzerland,

not far from Affoltern, but soon after joined other family members in Friedelsheim, Germany.

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A large community of Anabaptists settled in Friedelsheim before1682 when Elector Charles Louis leased his Friedelsheim estate, about 1,000 acres, together with the dwelling houses and farm buildings (now called"Mennonitenhof") to Christian Herschi, Ulrich Weydmann, Jose Erbsal, and Hans Burgholder.

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At some point Valentine met the Anabaptists (Rebaptizers) and became a leader in the Mennonite Church named for Menno Simons. We know that most of his family remained in the Reformed Church.

 

Just as his great grandfather was persecuted for his Protestant faith, Valentine faced persecution for his understanding and practice of baptism  and his refusal to bear arms.

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