Zoar was settled in 1817 by German religious dissenters. German Separatists left southeastern Germany to escape persecution for their religious beliefs. The Separatists thought that the church should be simple, and they emphasized a mystical and direct relationship with God. In 1819, they organized a self-sufficient society—the Society of Separatists of Zoar—which operated in Tuscarawas County until 1898 when the group disbanded. The Zoarites of Tuscarawas County were among the many communal groups that rejected capitalist society. Citing private property as a source of discontent and jealousy, they held all property in common. In 1898, the few remaining members of the community divided the assets and disbanded.
Many materials related to the Society of Separatists of Zoar, including Hymnals, were written in German and have not been translated.
Below are lists of select archival and library materials related to the Society of Separatists, available for research at the Ohio History Connection Archives & Library. Review the catalog links below, or explore our Online Collections Catalog using a specific church name or related search terms for more information [example search terms: "Society of Separatists", "Society of Separatists of Zoar"].
Society of Separatists at Zoar Papers, 1839-1857. [MSS 984]
Society of Separatists of Zoar records, 1811-1946 (1816-1942). [MSS 110]
Deed of The Society of Separatists of Zoar. 1898 [MSS 1671 AV]
Zoar, Ohio photograph collection [graphic]. [ca. 1870 - 1960] [AV 9]
Society of Separatists (Zoar, Ohio), n.d. [OVS 1851]
Jack and Pat Adamson Collection, 1709-1975. [MSS 1276]
Jack and Pat Adamson collection photograph series [graphic]. [186-? - 1931] [MSS 1276 AV]
Lillian Ruof Bimeler Sturm photograph albums [graphic]. [186-? - 192-?] [MSS 110]
Nixon Family Papers. 1816-1936 [MSS 680]
The Separatists of Zoar by James F. Currie [PA Box 759 4]
The Society of Separatists at Zoar, Ohio, 1817 to 1898; an annotated bibliography by Charles A.P. Hansen [016.9771661 H198s]
A brief history of Zoar, or, The rise and fall of communism in America by S.O. Mase [977.166 M15]
The Zoar story by Hilda Dischinger Morhart [977.1661 M824z 1981]
The Society of Separatists of Zoar. Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of philosophy in the Graduate school of the Ohio State University, 1933. by Edgar Burkhardt Nixon [977.1661 N654s]
Zoar : an Ohio experiment in communalism [977.1661 Oh3z 1970]
History of the Zoar society, from its commencement to its conclusion; a sociological study in communism by E. O. Randall [335.9 R158h]
A brief history of Zoar by Howard A. Sarbaugh [PA Box 738 35]
Zoar and its people in 1878 : notes of a recent visit to the queer little city hidden in an apple-orchard [PA Box 736 8]
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