As Christianity first reached into the heart of Europe, Charlemagne offered the German tribes there a choice of death or baptism. Many thousands chose to fight the would-be emperor, and were slaughtered. But for some reason, Charlemagne found a sudden change of heart with the German-speaking pagans of Lake Zürich.

Medieval spiritual and medical traditions get detailed review. Ten centuries later, the same spirits were quoted verbatim in transcripts of the Swiss witchcraft trials, spotlighting a Bachmann woman unjustly accused. The path persists even into the present day, with Swiss mountain boys dressing up as demons, and serpents made at home on the front porches of the Shenandoah Valley.

A huge, colorful chart reveals much progress on the Bachmann/Baughman D.N.A. study, with 76 specimen donors and newfound cousins across Switzerland, Germany, Finland, France, Romania, Ukraine, Canada and the United States.

An important section lists and describes the inventory of Baughman heirlooms and museum artifacts on display at a museum in the Shenandoah Valley.

"This six-book series contains a wealth of historical detail about many Anabaptist-rooted families of Canton Zürich, Switzerland. Baughman brings historical stories to life that have been buried for centuries. In doing so, his amazing drawings, maps, and ancient images enrich the narratives, making lasting impressions on the readers' minds. Ross' books paved the way for me as I researched the Swiss and Rhineland-German history of my Anabaptist Hiestand family, from Europe and all the way to their settlements in early America." - Wayne Haston, Ph.D. 

Each volume was written to stand alone, and will be offered individually as described here, or as a complete set with a 20 percent discount.

(153pp., 104 color illus., 3 maps, indexed, Masthof Press 2025.)