The Floyd County Historical Society presents
German Baptist Brethren, Faith & The Unionist Underground Railroad
A story of faith, bravery, non-violence, and martyrdom during the Civil War.
Following the Society’s Annual Membership Meeting, November 18, 2023 10:00 am
The program will begin at 10:30 am with Dr. Sheilah Elwardani
This is a free event. The public is invited.
Sheilah Elwardani is a historian of American religious and Appalachian history. She holds a PhD in American history from Liberty University. She is an Associate Professor of History at Virginia Western in Roanoke, Virginia.
Program held at Floyd Center for the Arts, 220 Parkway Lane (Route 8 South). Handicap accessible.
Dr. Elwardani will explore the role the German Baptist Brethren played in the organization and operation of the Unionist Underground Railroad during the American Civil War. The peace-church principles and opposition to both secession and the institution of slavery placed the German Baptist Brethren of Southwest Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley in a precarious position at the outbreak of the Civil War.
As non-resistor, peace-church people, participation in the war—for either army—was prohibited. The enactment of conscription laws in the Confederacy placed many German Baptist Brethren in a position of forced enlistment.
This research explores the progression of Brethren response to the developments of the war and the operation of an ‘underground railroad’ to aid conscription evaders and deserters escape north out of the Confederacy.