Alexander Mack Jr. 'Day Book' is published.

A historic Brethren document, "The Day Book/Account Book of Alexander Mack, Jr.," has been published by the Pennsylvania German Society. "Mack's day book/account book is a valuable source of information about the colonial Brethren," reported General Board archivist Ken Shaffer. "It includes information about the Germantown congregation and other colonial Brethren, information about Mack's family, details about his weaving business, and poems he wrote on his birthdays."

The original document is handwritten, some in English, but much of it in German, Shaffer said. The new publication contains a transcription of the contents of the book, a translation of the German by Edward E. Quinter, an index by Kate Mertes, and an introduction and over 500 annotations by Brethren historian Donald F. Durnbaugh.

Mack (1712-1803) came with his father and brothers to America in 1729. After his father's death in 1735, he joined the Ephrata community for several years and then spent a couple of years on the Virginia frontier. In the late 1740s he returned to Pennsylvania, married, and became an elder in the Germantown congregation. He earned a living as a weaver and is considered a major leader of the Brethren in second half of the 1700s.

The original document of the book was preserved by Abraham Harley Cassel, a Mack descendant, Shaffer reported. It was purchased from Cassel by Martin Grove Brumbaugh, who later donated it to Juniata College. "At some point it was removed from the college collection and ended up in the hands of collectors," Shaffer said. "Eventually it was purchased by the General Board and is now housed at the Brethren Historical Library and Archives in Elgin, Ill. Now that the transcription and translation have been published, the contents will be easily available to those interested in the early Brethren, the Mack family, and the work of a colonial weaver." The book is available for $20 plus shipping and handling from Brethren Press, 800-441-3712.

Source: 12/31/2004 Newsline