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Journeys from Germany to Pennsylvania, 1734 to 1775
The following document comes to us from Ella Mae Judd who found
it among her mother's files. This, like the document Early Protestant Settlers Had Terrible Time in N.S., by
Bessie F. Mason, tells of extremely trying times German immigrants had in sailing on the
early ships in the 18th century in their journey to the Americas. As nearly as we know,
this document was written by Harvey H. Wimmer, or a name similar to that. See note at the
end of the article regarding authorship.(This document retyped and submitted by Ella Mae
Judd.)
[Most of us have some ancestors that originated in Europe. I came across a little
booklet describing some of the experiences endured by these faithful pioneers, even before
their ordeal of arriving in America and crossing the plains. This booklet confirmed the
reason some of my own ancestors arrived in America with an indebtedness that had to be
worked off by one of the daughters. Ella Mae Judd.]
( Headings by Wallace F. Gray)
Introduction
While searching for records of the early Pennsylvania German pioneers, I came across
letters and reports made by the pioneers of their journey to America which I considered
worth copying. The people of these modern times have no idea nor can they realize the
hardships and sufferings these people had to endure even under an ordinary good journey
across the Atlantic. But these poor, unfortunate souls that happened to get one of those
hard-hearted murderous devils for their captain, that starved or killed a ship load of
people with bad food and water, just to get their belongings. There are no words to
describe their sufferings, nor the wickedness of the captain who did not want to land, but
sailed around in a circle on the ocean and waited for the passengers to die. We are often
horrified by the crime stories of today. I remember stories told by the old folks when I
was a boy, when banks were few and the people hid or buried their money for safe keeping,
and when the robbers came by night and tied up the people in bed, then burned their feet
with a hot poker, or tortured them until they told them where the money was. Horrible as
it was, I don't think it can compare with the months of torture with hunger and thirst,
and being compelled to eat rats and mice to keep alive.
Three Parts to the Journey from Germany to Philadelphia
Many did not survive the journey. The journey from Germany to Philadelphia was a
three-part journey. The first part was the trip down the Rhine from Heilbrenn to
Rotterdam, Holland. Germany consisted of 26 small provinces, and at all of which the ships
had to stop to be inspected. This was done at the convenience of the customs officials.
The trip down the Rhine took about six weeks. This was a racket. The ships were detained a
long time at each province so that the passengers had to spend much money for supplies,
and the prices were high. When the ships reached Rotterdam they were detained from five to
six weeks more. By the time that they left Rotterdam, the poor people had spent all or
nearly all that they had, or what under ordinary conditions might have taken them to
America. At Rotterdam they changed to an ocean vessel.
The second part of the journey was from Rotterdam to one of the ports in England, often
Cowes. Here was another delay of three or four weeks. Here supplies were taken on for the
trip across the Atlantic, and another custom inspection, often followed by a wait for
favorable winds. But when the ships for the last time weighed anchor in England, the real
and third part of the journey started. Of course the captain of the ship had a lot to do
with making the journey a fairly good one, or a very bad one.
To begin with, some of the pirate captains sailed up the Rhine River, anchored their
ships, then sent their agents out to solicit passengers for Philadelphia. Those that said
that they did not have the money were told that they did not need any money, that they
would get someone in Philadelphia to pay for their passage. But when they arrived in
Philadelphia the captain claimed their belongings then sold them for their passage and
other debts.
An Ordinary Journey
Conditions of an ordinary journey from Germany to Philadelphia taken from the diary of a
pioneer
A group of Schwenkfelders left Silesia, Poland; a group of 179 persons fled to Saxony, and
then to Pennsylvania. They fled on account of the religious oppression at Silesia in 1726.
They began to withdraw from Silesia. After obtaining permission of the Crown of England.
Preparations were made for the far journey. 1734 in the morning of May 17, we disembarked
at Altona and found shelter in a house provided for us by a rich friend who also provided
all necessities during our entire stay which lasted 11 days. Concerning our belated
voyage. The ship was crowded, but was a swift good enough. We had the fire the entire day
that we could cook what we wished and had free refreshing drinks. We were on good terms
with the ship's officers and sailors. On May 28 we shifted our belongings on three Holland
ships and toward evening we embarked. On May 29, all three ships departed. We had a good
wind. We rode 13 miles, then cast anchor. Two of the ships not being so heavily laden
sailed away from us and we did not see them until we arrived at Haarlem. In the meantime a
fierce storm arose that the Captain had to raise the anchor so that we drifted back four
miles into a river. The storm continued until evening. May 31, we came into a harbor and
were obliged to lie there all day on account of contrary winds. June 1, we came within 16
miles of Hamburg. On the 2nd in the morning, with a strong wind blowing, we passed Brocum,
when during the night we were driven back 12 to 13 miles. In the afternoon, with contrary
winds, we arrived at Friesland, a Holland Province. On the 3rd we entered Friesland, then
to Stavoren where we laid at anchor all night. On June 4 we safely entered the harbor of
Amsterdam where many large ships lay at anchor. Here we had a 30-hour delay.
On the evening of the 5th, we rode as far as Spardam, two miles from Amsterdam, and
remained till noon of the 6th, as it was quite calm and no winds in the sails. We finally
arrived at Haarlem where we lay 15 days. Now what happened on our journey from Altona to
Holland regarding sickness, let it be known that nearly all were sick for a few days. Mrs.
Georgorus Meschter was presented with a little son the second day from Holland. She was
lodged in special quarters and was cared for. June 19th, we left for Rotterdam and at 4
P.M. on the 20th arrived at Neuse River. On the 21st we went into the English seagoing
vessel called "Andrew." During this time God presented David Schuberts with a
son. Here we received foodstuff and refreshments. On the 28th toward evening we departed
in the midst of much cannonading, but after going a half mile we anchored again. On the
29th the ship came upon a sandbank whereupon all passengers were ordered to the one side
of the boat in order to free the boat. The boat was freed in this manner, and we sailed
till noon, when we were obliged to wait for the tide. Toward evening we sailed a little
farther, then dropped anchor. On the 30th of June and July 1, we were obliged to lay near
Dordrecht on account of contrary winds. On July 2nd we sailed past Dordrecht in the
afternoon with a tack wind. Toward evening all men went on shore in order to draw the ship
through a narrow channel up to the custom house where we remained till the 8th. On the 8th
Melchoir Schultz came on board and besides, a small load of wares were loaded on our boat.
On the afternoon of the 9th we sailed away and toward evening cast anchor. On the 10th of
July we sailed a short distance then cast anchor. But toward noon the anchor was raised
and we tacked until evening. When we came to Scheveningen, on the 11th, Schultz returned
to Haarlem and we sailed with a good wind out to sea. In the afternoon we had very strong,
contrary winds. The boat rocked badly and nearly all became sick. On the morning of July
12th Christopher Kreibel's youngest child died, which after a few hours was put in a bag
with some sand and buried at sea. On the 14th we still had strong contrary winds. On the
morning of the 13th we cast anchor in the channel between Dover, England, and Colois,
France. At noon the anchor was raised and we had favorable winds till noon of the 15th.
After which we had side winds and had to tack for the most part to the evening of the
16th, we had favorable winds. Then we struck a calm. On this day six women and two men had
a fight; the reason was a poor one, and the woman that started it was deservedly punished.
On the 17th we arrived safely in the harbor of Keymouth, Plymouth, England, where we laid
12 days. Here we could not buy much as everything was too dear. But we could get fresh
water on land. On the 23rd a young fellow died. He was a rope maker and was going to
Pennsylvania. He was buried on the shore in a very poor coffin. On the 29th we set sail,
but on account of bad winds we had to lie still. But on the 3rd David Hubner's youngest
child died and was buried at sea, somewhere off the coast of Spain. A hymn was sung. On
the 4th the wind was poor, but toward evening the wind became very strong, and it lasted
to the 6th. The waves often washed over the ship. During the night a Palatinate woman gave
birth to a child. The wind was so strong that the ship made nine English miles per hour.
August 9th toward noon it became very calm. On this day the child of Georgorus Schultz
died, it was born on the first day of the journey, age 16 weeks. Again a mother and
daughter quarreled. The calm continued during the 10th so that washing could have been
done. Still August 10th at noon they hauled up the sails, but the wind was too weak, but
toward evening it became stronger. A very large fish was seen. It spouted water high into
the air as if it came out of pipes. During the same night, Abraham Jackal's youngest child
died, age one and three-fourths year, and was buried at sea on the 11th. The children died
of scarlet fever.
We had a southerly wind, not too strong, yet it broke off our main mast. The wind
continued till noon on the 12th, then it became stronger and by night quite boisterous,
when many waves were thrown over the ship. This continued till noon on the 13th when a
soft north wind arose which drove the ship a little, but we could not make much progress
against the rough sea. On the 14th, Melchoir Meschter's child died, age one year and eight
weeks. At 6 o'clock we met a French ship coming from the West Indies. We had an east wind
and rain till bedtime. Then it became wind still, but it rained hard and the waves
continued to rage. On this day, toward evening, the mast was rigged up. Another ship
passed by. On August 15th, very hazy and foggy, it thundered toward the northwest. An east
wind arose and we had rain all day and night. On the 16th we had favorable winds, but on
the 17th, contrary, accompanied by thunder storms. Most of the storm passed by us but the
waves were huge as mountains.
On the 19th contrary wind growing stronger. On the 29th many waves were thrown over the
ship. Toward evening the wind changed and became milder, but the ship faced opposing waves
so that it rose and fell ten ells. The wind continued till the 21st when we had a calm so
that the rudder was tied fast so that the ship could drift or remain still. We had some
favorable wind during the night, but another calm on the 22nd. Maria Schubert died
suddenly while giving her children soup. In the afternoon she was lowered into the deep on
a plank.
September 8th, the wind still strong, the sea very wild. Continued till the evening of the
9th when a cheerful splashing rain fell after which the wind became variable, sometimes
quiet, then strong, accompanied by heavy thunder. This continued till the 10th where we
got into a real storm which was so severe that all sails had to be furled and the rudder
tied up so that the ship was given over to the fierce wild sea. It is scarcely possible to
describe the distress. Every place where there was a hole or a window was nailed up, and
we were confined without any air and in the midst of the great heat. In addition to this,
the boat rocked terribly and water poured in everywhere. God be praised; the storm lasted
only eight hours, for without air we could not have endured any longer. There were about
300 souls aboard the ship. In the afternoon the ship was opened again, but we had strong
wind during the night, likewise on the 11th when we made from six to eight English miles
per hour. On the 12th we still had favorable winds, but grew weaker during the evening. On
this day an English ship came upon us. It was loaded with sand and was going to Maryland
for a load of tobacco. On September 13th the wind became very weak. Four large fish sailed
about the ship. The sailors tried to catch one, but the line broke and it fell back into
the water.
On the 14th we had contrary wind, turning northwest during the night. On the 15th,
forenoon, almost wind still; in the afternoon, we had a north wind. We met two ships
today. They sounded to find the depth, but no bottom was found. On the 16th we saw a small
ship pass by. In the afternoon a large bird seated itself on the top mast; a man shot it
and it fell into the water. We also saw many flying fish.
On account of the extreme heat on this day, the captain gave us two tankards of water in
addition to the allotted amount at five different times. Each day we were allowed one
tankard of beer and one of water until we had been on the ocean 14 days. Then the beer
gave out. Then we received two tankards of water, but it was very foul and unpalatable,
but there was no other. In the coffee it could be changed somewhat, but in the foods, not.
On the 23rd and 24th we had contrary winds, in the morning a wave was hurled on the ship
knocking the people down, and wet the sails on the mast, and flooded the sleeping
quarters. As the gangway was not closed, the winds ceased; but we had rain at night and on
the 26th so that much rain water was caught for drinking and cooking. On the 27th and 28th
we had contrary winds. During the night George Hoffman's son died, named George, age 20
years. He died of malarial fever. In the afternoon he was buried at sea. During the
evening we had mild winds. They continued during the 29th and 30th. During the day we met
another ship bound for Portugal. Winds were favorable.
On October 1st, contrary wind lasted till the afternoon. On the 2nd we had northwest wind.
In the morning a very large bird hovered over the ship. We sailed eight English miles per
hour. The wind continued till the 3rd, changing to north on the 4th but became calm during
the night continuing during the 5th accompanied by terrific heat, because according to the
captain's statement the former winds drove us as far south as the 35th parallel, so that
the heat could hardly be endured.
On the 6th we had southwest wind. Two ships came toward us, not close. During the day the
wind increased until it became strong. When such a tack wind blows, the ship veers to one
side so that one cannot walk or stand without holding onto something.
October 17th. In the morning they found the bottom to be 20 fathoms, at noon 18 fathoms. A
sailor on the mast cried "Land! Land!" We had favorable wind, but the night wind
still and rainy. On the 18th, contrary wind, and we had to tack back and forth toward land
all day. Toward evening the wind became strong, had we been on the high sea, we would have
had a storm. During the night the anchor was cast toward the east in the Delaware. The
following day, the 19th, the wind continued strong and bitter cold, that one had doubts as
to whether we had come to a warm country. At 7 o'clock a boatman came rowing who remained
with us aboard ship. Also a vessel sailed down the Delaware. At 9 o'clock in the evening
the widow Reinwald from Armenruh died. At 10 o'clock she was lowered into the water. On
the 21st of October it was again calm, and the anchor was dropped near New Castle. Here we
obtained our first fresh water from the river. The captain rowed to shore and brought back
some apples and shared them with the passengers. At noon the anchor again was raised, but
the wind was too weak, we drifted along with the current. On the 22nd thank God, we came
safely to the harbor of Philadelphia, the anchor was cast, and the cannons were fired,
whereupon many people came on board ship, together with George Schultz and Messrs. Klemm.
George Schultz distributed many apples among the passengers and provided us with fresh
beer.
October 23rd. All males past 16 years of age had to go to the Court house and take the
oath of allegiance to the ruler of the country, namely to the King of Great Britain and
his succors to the throne of England. We Silesians who could not take the oath on account
of our conscience were excused and were permitted to pledge our allegiance with a clasp of
the hand.
Our board on the vessel was as follows: Sundays - beef; Mondays - rice and syrup; Tuesdays
- pork and peas. As a rule we had good meat,, but it was salted too much. Wednesday - meat;
Thursday - beef and barley. We preferred meal to meat. On other days we had dried codfish,
syrup and peas. Thus we completed our long and dangerous journey in the name of the Lord.
October 22, 1734 After having spent almost a half year on the journey
A Journey with Few, If Any, Survivors
A horrible story from which there were no survivors except possibly the captain. A German
immigration ship ran aground off the east coast of Long Island possibly by accident, yet
it may have been intentional. After the ship was grounded, a group of men went out and
raided the ship, killing some of the passengers. Then after the raid, they set the ship on
fire. The crime has never been solved. No one knows if the captain was killed or whether
he joined the raiders. A farmer living near where the tragedy occurred was suspected as
one of the raiders as each year, on the anniversary day of the tragedy, he went absolutely
mad. He would rehearse the horror of the men and women and children on the burning ship
from which no one escaped. The rest of the year the man seemed to be normal.
Another Journey
A letter from John George Jungman has given us the following account of his journey. We
sailed from Falmouth, England, where we had stayed three weeks. Here we loaded many
necessary supplies. Twelve days after we had left the port, the captain told us that we
had covered half of the journey, which revived our courage. Then we had a calm for several
days. This was followed by a severe storm. After traveling eight weeks, water and bread
were curtailed, and during the last six weeks we received no bread and nothing else from
the captain, except a pint of water daily for myself, father, and sister. From this one
can infer how we lived. Every sensitive heart will shudder when I say that the rats and
mice and water were our only food, a rat sold for 11/S[?], a mouse for 6/d. The captain
knew that the passengers brought only their most valuable possessions with them. Hence he
did not want to land us, but tried to starve us to death, then he would claim our baggage.
In this he had a big success, as out of 156 souls only 48 reached America's shore, and
hardly a single person would have survived if the remaining passengers had not revolted
and seized the captain and threatened to cast him overboard whereupon, after three days in
the week before Christmas, we landed not far from Rhode Island after 26 weeks on the
journey. I was in such a miserable condition that I could not stand erect, but almost
crawled on my hands and feet to shore.
A Voyage of Suffering
The following is a letter written by Mr. Mittelberger describing his journey which was on
another ship
He says: The ocean voyage was marked by such suffering and hardship, without proper food
and water. The passengers soon became subject to all kinds of diseases, such as dysentery,
scurvy, typhoid, small pox, etc. The children were the first to be attacked and died in
large number. Thirty-two were reported to have died on this ship. Mittelberger reported
other heartless cruelties and practices. He gave this example. One day during a heavy
gale, a woman was to give birth. She was far in the rear of the ship and could not be
brought forward because of the cargo of freight and the passengers being packed densely
like herring, also because of the storm. They took her and pushed her through the porthole
out into the sea. The voyage was much aggravated by frequent storms; the misery reached
its climax when a gale raged for two days and nights so that everyone believed that the
ship would go to the bottom. When in such a gale, the sea raged and surged so that the
waves often rose like mountains, then fell over the ship. The ship was constantly tossed
from side to side so that one could neither walk or sit or lie, and in the closely packed
berths they tumbled over each other, the sick and the well. It will readily be understood
that the people were not prepared for such hardships and did not survive the journey. The
passengers called the captain a wicked murderer. Governor Gordon referred to the horrid
barbarity toward the passengers by the captain, but could do nothing about it.
The captains did everything that they knew to discourage other captains from coming to
America. They had a good thing and wanted to keep it. When a ship was lost, they always
blamed a sea monster for destroying the ship. The Kraken was a foul colossal beast of a
shapeless body with arms 80 feet long and covered with suckers to hold fast with. He does
not content himself with attacking other denizens of the ocean; he lusts after the flesh
and blood of man. It would embrace the masts and riggings of the ship with its giant arms
and with its infallibility capsize it. The sole means of escape was by severing its
tentacles with an axe which also was a dangerous undertaking.
It is easy to understand the terror with which the reports of the frightful exploits of
such an enemy must formerly have inspired ignorant minds prone to superstitious fancies.
There were different kinds of sea monsters. An old writer tells of a sea serpent 600 feet
in length with a head resembling the head of a horse, having canine teeth. These would
rear up alongside of a ship, like a mast, making a hissing noise, seize a man off the deck
and make off with him. Then there was a cuttler-fish, the polypus, etc. These pirate
captains were successful to a certain degree in scaring other captains from coming to
America.
Declarations of Allegiance
Documents brought to America by some of the German pioneers prove that not all people
could leave Germany at will or without a permit or a release. A serf, who was a low-class
servant or slave in the Middle Ages, was attached to a piece of land, and if a transfer
was made, they were also transferred with it. These had to obtain a release. The following
- a letter of manumission and a permit to emmigrate, issued by the Arch Bishop of Mayence
to John Valentine Greisheimer, April 28, 1730 reads as follows:
"We, by the Grace of God, Frances Lewis, Arch bishop of Mayence, Chancellor and
Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Administrator of the Grand Masters office in Prussia,
Bishop of Worms and Breslau, Dean and Lord of Ellwanger, Count Berg, Prince of Moers,
Count of Valendentz, Sponheim, Marck and Ravenspurg, Lord of Ravenstein, Freudenthal,
Cullenberg, etc.
"Herewith we let it be known that whereas our subject at Lampheim, John Valentine
Greisheimer, for himself, his wife, and four children, namely Caspar, Anna Margaret, John,
and Jacob has asked that we might be pleased in view of good fortune that awaits them
elsewhere graciously to release all of them from serfdom to which they are subject and
graciously to grant their submissive petition and manumit and dismiss them. Therefore they
are herewith and by virtue of this letter from now on and forever afterwards, released and
freed from their serfdom. Yet with this explicit reservation, that if the above mentioned,
John Valentine Greisheimer, his wife, and children, shall sooner or later return and
settle again in our land or under our jurisdiction in which we have inherited the right of
serfdom, that they shall ipso facto be subject to their former serfdom, and without
further process shall be subservient unto us.
"In testimony of this certificate of manumission our seal has been affixed. Given to
Worms, April 28, 1730.
"The Electorial Government of Worms. "John Adam Schrench, J. G. Gigant. (SEAL)
When at last the Delaware River was reached, and soon the city of Brotherly Love was in
sight, where all their miseries were to end, another delay occurred. A health officer
visited the ship and all people had to submit to a doctor's examination. If any persons
with contagious diseases were discovered they were removed to a camp one mile outside of
the city. After the doctor's examination, they were taken to the City Hall and there
rendered an oath of allegiance to the King of England.
"The First Oath "At a Council held at the Courthouse of Philadelphia.
"September 21, 1726 "Present "The Honorable Patrick Gordon, Esq.
"James Logan Lieut. Governor "Richard Hill William Fishbourn
"A paper being drawn up to be signed by those Palatines who should come into this
province with an intention to settle therein, pursuant to the order of this board, was
this day presented, read and approved and is in these words. We Subscribers Natives and
Late Inhabitants of the Palatines upon the Rhine and places adjacent having transported
ourselves and families into this province of Pennsylvania, a Colony subject to the Crown
of Great Britain in hopes and expectation of finding a retreat and peaceable settlement
therein, I do solemnly promise and engage that we will be faithful and bear true
allegiance to his present majesty King George The Second and his Successors Kings of Great
Britain, and will be faithful to the Proprietor of this province; and that we will demean
ourselves peaceably to all his Majesty's subjects and strictly observe and conform to the
Laws of England and of this province to the utmost of our power and the best of our
understanding."
This declaration of allegiance is found at the head of all papers bearing the signatures
of immigrants beginning August 19, 1729. The immigrants were also required to sign two
additional declarations.
"The Declaration of Fidelity and Abjuration
"Adopted by an act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania May 10, 1729. All persons
aliens being sixteen years or upwards shall within fourty-eight hours, after coming into
this province, by land or water, shall appear before some judge, or justice of the peace
of the said province." They were required to take two oaths. The first. "I do
solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will be true and faithful to King George
the Second and do sincerely and truly profess, testify, and declare that I do from my
heart abhor, detest, and renounce as impious heretical that wicked doctrine and position
that Princes Excommunicated or deprived by the Pope or any Authority of the See of Rome
may be deposed or murthered by their Subjects or any other whatsoever. And I do declare
that no Foreign Prince Person Prelate State or Potentate hath or ought to have any Power,
Jurisdiction, Superiority, Preeminence, or Authority Ecclesiastical or Spiritual within
the Realm of Great Britain or Dominions thereunto belonging."
The third oath, "I do solemnly sincerely and truly acknowledge, profess, testify, and
declare that King George The Second is lawful and rightful King of the Realm of Great
Britain and all others his Dominions and Countries thereunto belonging, and I do solemnly
and sincerely declare that I do not believe the person pretending to be Prince of Wales
during the life of the late King James and since his decease pretending to be and taking
upon himself the Style and Title of King of England by the name of James the Third, had
any right or title whatsoever to the Crown of the Realm of Great Britain. And I do
renounce and refuse any allegiance or obedience to him, etc."
After they had rendered their oaths they were brought back to the ship. Those who could
pay for their passage and for the supplies they received on the trip were released, but
even for those the miseries had not ended, for it was in the fall of the year when these
ships arrived with the rough and severely cold winter before their door. They had to find
shelter and food, which was no easy matter when all their money was gone. Few had friends
here. Others who could not pay were kept on the ship and advertised to be sold. The ship
became the marketplace. Rich land owners came, made their choice, and bargained as to the
number of years they would work for them if the land owners paid their debts. Some had to
work up to fourteen years. After an agreement was reached, the land owner paid all their
debts, then received a written document from the government, making the newcomers their
property for a definite period.
Refugees and Pioneers
The rates according to one captain's report from Germany to America were as follows:
"One adult - $164.10, a boy nine years old ½ freight - $82.05. This captain listed
his passengers as freight. Man and wife passage - $329.00." This was quite a sum of
money which the poor could not afford to pay, unless they spent many years working off
their debt. This was the only captain that reported his rates, but I suppose all the rates
were about the same.
These Pennsylvania pioneers, our ancestors, were more than mere immigrants in the everyday
sense of the word. They were more than refugees from a beloved and despoiled homeland;
they were pioneers in that they came not to a ready-made republic of opportunities, but to
a virgin land. They blazed the trail that helped to transform that land into the America
of today. They built our institutions and moulded American character. Many were men of
eminence in the fatherland; others came up from the penury and virtual slavery of the
redemptioner system. Together they worked and won. They led in public service, industry,
science, education, inventions and in the art of agriculture, which is the very foundation
of our national wealth and of human progress. They helped to fight America's wars. Many
were here but a few years and gave their lives to make America free. My great, great
grandfather, Christian Drauger, was 51 years of age when he volunteered for service in the
American army of the Revolution. He and his son served together. He was my grandmother's
grandfather. These were the men that made Pennsylvania the Keystone State. I thank God for
such ancestors, as their main reason for coming here was to serve God as they believed
right. Among these was Francis Daniel Pastorius, a leader of a colony of German Mennonites
which landed in Philadelphia on August 20, 1683. German Baptists (Dunkerds),
Schwenkfelders, and many Lutherans, a group headed by Rev. Anthony Jacob Henckel and his
son-in-law Valentine Geiger. They arrived in September, 1717. Henry Melchoir Muhlenburg
arrived in Philadelphia in 1742. It was reported that by 1730 there were 15,000 Reformed
Confessors of the Palatinate in Pennsylvania. There also was a group of Swiss Mennonites
who arrived in 1710. They settled in Lancaster County.
These pioneers continued to come until the war of the Revolution, when immigration ceased,
but by then it was reported that 300,000 Germans were in America.
Declarations After the Revolutionary War
The following oath was required after the Revolution. After the war of the American
Revolution the immigrants were required to take and sign an oath of Allegiance and
Fidelity which was adopted on the 4th day of March, 1786, by an act of the assembly and
before Jonathan Penrose, Esq.:
"We do swear or solemnly sincerely and truly declare and affirm that we renounce and
refuse all allegiance to George the Third, King of Great Britain, his heirs and
successors, and that we will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania as a free and independent state, and that we will not at any time do or cause
to be done any matter or thing that will be prejudicial or injurious to the freedom and
independence thereof, and we do further swear or solemnly sincerely and truly declare and
affirm, that we never have since the Declaration of the Independence of the United States
of America voluntarily joined, aided, assisted, or abetted the King of Great Britain, his
Generals, fleets or armies, or adherents (knowing them to be such), whilst employed
against the said United States or either of them (meaning either of the states)."
The following is an after-the-war agreement between a sea captain and his passengers.
Quite a contrast from the former captains.
Obligations of Honor
"October 7, 1803. Amsterdam. Nathaniel Ray, Captain Ship Commerce. Agreement. I,
Nathaniel Ray, Captain, on the one part, and we the passengers on the other part, accept
and obligate ourselves as persons of honor. We passengers are obligated to behave
ourselves quietly and as good passengers during the voyage, and be fully satisfied with
the food below specified agreed upon between the captain and ourselves. In the second
place we agree to pay our passage with the following stipulations: Those who are in
position to settle (for the passage money) in Amsterdam to pay for one person, whether man
or woman. (Children under four years begin free.)
"Those who pay their passage in America shall be bound to produce it within ten days
and shall not be allowed to leave the ship. For those who could not pay the ship became
the marketplace. The buyers make their choice among the arrivals and bargain with them for
a certain number of years and days. They then take them to the merchant, pay their passage
and their other debts, and receive from the government authorities a written document
which makes the newcomer their property for a definite period of time, usually seven
years, to work off their debt.
"If a passenger dies on the voyage, the family of such a person shall be obligated to
settle for his passage, if he dies beyond the middle point of the voyage. If he dies on
this side of the middle, the loss shall be to the account of the captain.
"On the other part, I, Captain Nathan Ray, obligate myself to furnish them with the
necessary convenience of the ship, and further to provide food herein below specified. For
this conveyance the above mentioned passage money must be to me. Distribution shall be
made daily among these passengers, to wit, to one full passage (a half passage in
proportion, for children nothing). Sunday, a pound of beef with barley. Monday, a pound of
flour with a pound of butter good for a whole week. Tuesday, a half pound of bacon with
peas. Wednesday, a pound of flour. Friday, one-half pound of rice. Saturday, peas, a pound
of cheese and six pounds of bread for the week and half pound of bacon. A quart of beer
and a quart of water per day. Vinegar also is to be taken along on the ship, not only to
keep the ship clean in order to insure good fresh air, but also for the refreshment of the
passengers.
"Since beer sours during the voyage, and is then very harmful to the health of the
passengers, only enough beer for a part of the voyage will be taken, and when this is gone
a double portion of water will be given, half of the water will be supplied for cooking.
Each morning a small glass of Holland gin, and each week, now and then, some vinegar.
"We promise to fulfill all the above mentioned, and to this end bind our persons and
property as of right."
Conclusion
These stories of the atrocities of those sea captains are only a few of which I have
records. There are others, but they are not recorded in my books. Whether they were better
or worse, we do not know. We will never know the truth until the sea shall give up her
dead. Then the sea captains shall receive their just reward.
Authorship
[In the back of the little booklet is the signature of "Harvey H. Wimmer, Harvey
W. Wimmer, or Harvey M. Wimmer-can't be sure. Also, since no other author is indicated,
perhaps he was the author of this little booklet with the title, "Journeys from
Germany to Pennsylvania, 1734 to 1775. EMJ.]
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