NOTE:
During the CAP project to reconstruct I95 in center city Philadelphia, the Exile marker near the Independence Seaport Museum has been removed and put into storage by the construction company. They will reinstall it along Walnut Walk at conclusion of the project, hopefully Spring 2028.
Check out:
Annual Meeting Programs 1921 to present
Schwenkfelders in Pennsylvania/Pennsylvania State Senate Honors Schwenkfelder
Annual Day of Remembrance (Gedächtnistag)
September 24, 2014
About Us/Background of The Exile Herald
The Exile Herald was an early publication (April 29, 1921 to January 1954)
of the Exile Society which contained scholarly papers presented at their meetings
About Us/Table of Contents for The Exile Herald
Links to PDF copies of The Exile Herald
Projects/Genealogical Record
You can now complete on-line and print out a
Schwenkfelder Families Genealogical Record Supplement sheet,
save as a PDF file, and email to us at:
exile@schwenkfelder.org
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The primary objectives of this Society are:
· The preservation of the history of the Schwenkfeldian religious exiles and their descendants in America.
· The promotion of social interaction among its members.
The Society of the Descendants of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles is not officially affiliated with the Schwenkfelder denomination, a religious body with four churches in Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, East Norriton, Worcester, and Palm, although some Society members are also active members of the Schwenkfelder denomination. The Society does, however, work with the denomination and the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, 105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073, in its efforts to preserve the Schwenkfelder beliefs and history.
Become a member! Download our Exile Society Membership Form.
Schwenkfeldian Exile Society | 105 Seminary Street | Pennsburg, PA 18073
Phone: 215-679-3103 | Fax: 215-679-8175 | Email: exile@schwenkfelder.org
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2025 Exile Society Annual Fall Meeting & Presentation
Sunday, October 26, 2025
2:00 p.m. – Annual Fall Meeting
2:30 p.m. – “Decorated Barns of Southeastern Pennsylvania” presented by Patrick Donmoyer, Director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University, a folklife museum and research center on the Kutztown Campus.
Based on over a decade of field research throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania in six counties, Donmoyer’s survey of decorated Pennsylvania Barns reveals a diverse and colorful tradition of folk art that has persisted to the present day and overlaps with many other artistic, ritual, and architectural traditions. Donmoyer will provide insights into the lives of specific barn painters and their distinctive works and processes. In addition, the content of the designs will be compared to trends in Pennsylvania German folklore, especially as it pertains to beliefs and practices associated with the agricultural lifestyle, religious expression, and observations of the heavens.
Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, 105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073
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OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST TO
SCHWENKFELDER DESCENDANTS
Annual Salford Pilgrimage
6:00 p.m., Sunday, June 7, 2026
Salford Schwenkfelder Meetinghouse, Fretz Road, Lower Salford Township, PA
Ice cream social to follow
Gedächtnistag (Annual Day of Remembrance)
3:00 p.m., Sunday, September TBD, 2026
Location: TBD
This traditional service of Thanksgiving is the oldest continuous celebration of thanks in the United States. It commemorates the arrival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 13, 1734, of some 180 Schwenkfelder immigrants fleeing persecution in their native homelands of Silesia, Germany. Upon arrival, they paused to give thanks to God for the safe arrival to a place where they would find freedom to practice their faith as they pleased. Every year since, the Schwenkfelders gather to remember their faith and reflect upon their struggles and opportunities. Following the service, the day concludes with a traditional meal of bread, butter, apple butter, and water – a reminder of that very first gathering in 1734.
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Society of the Descendants of the Schwenkfeldian E 
Are Copys of Adolf Pannash Painting available for purchas? My Grandfather X6TH came over on that ship in 1737.
Michael Beckel (Tobias Bockell)
Copies of the Pannash print, “The Landing of the Schwenckfelders from the St. Andrew” (shown under above tab: Schwenkfelders in Pennsylvania) are available through the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center (www.schwenkfelder.com or call 215-679-3103) for a cost of $3.00 + PA tax $0.18 (if PA resident) + $1.50 S/H per print.