Because of the intense persecution of Anabaptists during this time period, the Hutterites frequently fled to different countries. In 1621, Bethlen Gabor, the prince of Transylvania and a Protestant invited the Hutterites to come to Transylvania. The Hutterites politely declined, since they were happy with their present situation. Rather than letting the matter drop, the Prince forced two hundred Hutterites to move to Transylvania, where he gave them land and promised them religious freedom. This was a blessing in disguise, where these two hundred Hutterites lived and thrived for some time in Transylvania, Hutterites in other countries were slaughtered and became non-existent.

 

  In 1755, the Hutterites were expelled from Transylvania by the decree of the new Catholic empress. The Jesuits then coerced the Hutterites to join the Catholic church and give up communal living. The Hutterites were not to die off in this fashion though, for a group of Lutherans came into contact with these people, and the Hutterites revived. Many Hutterites today are descended from this group of Lutherans that joined the Hutterite faith.

 

  In the late nineteenth century, the Hutterites migrated to North America, and set up many of their communities in South Dakota, as well as several other states and parts of Canada. When WWI came, three Hutterite young men were drafted. Since the Hutterites are pacifists, all three young men refused to fight, and were placed in solitary confinement and died in the hands of the U.S. military.

 

  Today, about twenty-five percent of all Hutterites live in the USA. There are also communes in Canada, as well as a missionary commune in Nigeria, Africa. There are three types of Hutterites in North America, the Schmiedeleut, the Lerherleut, and the Dariusleut.  These three communities contain about 40,000 members in about 450 colonies today.