In doctrine and practice, the Rappites were similar to the Shakers,. Their founder, George Rapp (1770-1847), was a German peasant farmer of pietistic leanings who was persecuted in the homeland because of his refusal to adhere to the established church. He and three hundred of his pietist followers migrated to America in 1803 and 1804 to seek religious freedom and founded a communal settlement named Harmony in western Pennsylvania. The community prospered under Rapp's adminis