Editing Jakob Ammann (section)

== Personal life ==

The full facts about the personal life of Jacob Ammann are incomplete and have been mostly speculative until recent decades.<ref>[https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ammann,_Jakob_(17th/18th_century) Ammann, Jakob] at [[Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online|GAMEO]]</ref> Since the late 1990s, more research has filled in some of the gaps and a basic outline of his life is now conceivable.
	
=== Early life and family ===
Jakob Ammann was born on 12 February 1644 in [[Erlenbach im Simmental]], [[Canton of Bern]], [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Switzerland]] to Michael and Anna (née Rupp) Ammann. Erlenbach church records note the baptism of a Jakob Ammann on 12 February 1644, who was probably Ammann.<ref name="Identifying Jacob Ammann" /> His grandfather has been identified as Ulrich Ammann. All three Ammanns were tailors. Jakob was third in a family of six children.<ref name="Unser Leit">{{cite book | last=Beachy | first=Leroy | title=Unser Leit ... The Story of the Amish | publisher=Goodly Heritage Books | place=Millersburg, OH | year=2011}}</ref>{{rp|p.26}} He probably received limited formal education. On 37 official documents signed by him, only his initials appear, with most of them having a nearby note that Ammann was not able to write so he only "made his mark". However, on three documents, his signed name does appear, although twice it was probably written for him by someone else; once, with the same style of writing as his initials, appear the poorly formed letters "J. AMME", which is assumed to be his own writing.<ref name="Baecher Patriarche" />{{rp|p.155}} Because he asked for letters to be read in one meeting, it is assumed he was not able to read or could do so only poorly. He did better financially than the average person of his time.<ref name="Identifying Jacob Ammann" />
[[File:Jakob Amman's house from the 17th Century (Photo appr. 1900).JPG|thumb|Jakob Amman’s house (dismantled in 1955) from the 17th century in Thal Erlenbach (Photo appr. 1900)]]
[[File:On an old painting.JPG|thumb|Jakob Amman’s house in Tal Erlenbach on an old painting including the barn]]
[[File:Barn Tal Erlenbach.JPG|thumb|The barn in Tal Erlenbach from the 17th century today]]
[[File:Gafner2.JPG|thumb|The new house built in 1955 with the barn from the 17th century on the left]]

Jakob was married to Verena Stüdler, but very little is known of her beyond her name. They had at least one daughter<ref name="Baecher Patriarche">{{cite journal |last1=Baecher |first1=Robert |year=2000 |title=The "Patriarche" of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines |journal=The Mennonite Quarterly Review |volume=LXXIV |issue=1 |pages=145–158 |publisher=The Mennonite Historical Society }}</ref> and one son, Baltz.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gratz |first1=Delbert |year=1951 |title=The Home of Jacob Amman |journal=The Mennonite Quarterly Review |volume=XXV |issue=2 |pages=137–139 |publisher=The Mennonite Historical Society }}</ref>

Jakob’s father and one of his sisters also joined the [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] movement. His brother Ulli, 18 years his junior, was also an Anabaptist and is known for his moderating tone in the attempts at reconciliation between the Amish and Reist sides.<ref name="Letters Roth" />{{rp|p.81–101}}

[[File:Simmental switzerland.JPG|thumb|left|View of Simmental valley, birthplace of Jakob Ammann]]

=== Conversion to Anabaptism ===
On 12 March 1671, he is noted as the sponsor for a baptism in the state church. In June 1680, government correspondence from [[Oberhofen am Thunersee|Oberhofen]] asked for counsel from authorities in Bern on how to deal with a Jakob Ammann who had "become infected with the Anabaptist sect". This is the first known reference to Ammann as an Anabaptist. This indicates a conversion to Anabaptism sometime between 1671 and 1680.<ref name="Identifying Jacob Ammann" /> Sometime between his conversion and 1693, he was ordained to the ministry, possibly by [[Hans Reist]] who would later become one of his greatest opponents.

By 1693, Ammann had moved from Switzerland to [[Heidolsheim]], [[Alsace]] where his father died and was buried in the neighboring village of [[Baldenheim]].<ref name="Baecher Patriarche" />{{rp|p.146}} Apparently shortly after the death of his father, he moved to the head of the valley at La Petite Lièpvre (Klein Leberau), near Markirch (today [[Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines]]), Alsace, remaining there until October 1712 when all the Anabaptists in the area were expelled by an edict {{Citation needed|date=May 2015}} of [[Louis XIV]]. After this date, no more records concerning Jakob Ammann have been found. He probably went to live with friends or relatives somewhere in Lower Alsace.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

=== Death ===
The date and place of Ammann's death are unknown, but in 1730 his daughter requested baptism in the [[Reformed Church]] in Erlenbach and stated that her father had died. It is not recorded when or where the death had occurred.<ref>There is no record that the requested baptism took place.</ref> Ammann's involvement in church matters had dropped off considerably before his disappearance from the records in 1712, possibly from old age since he would have been approaching 70 years of age when he moved away from the Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines area.