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Excerpted from Early Life of the Pennsylvania
Germans, by A. Monroe Aurand Jr., Aurand Pree, Lancaster PA, abt
1945 EUROPEAN
BACKGROUNDS OF THE GERMANS SETTLED IN PENNSYLVANIA THE HISTORY OF THE
PENNSYLVANIA GERMANS This is a most interesting subject. It began more than
three hundred years ago, and the end is not in sight. One of many things to be remembered about the people
called Pennsylvania Germans (or Dutch), is that they came here of their
own free will from the Old World, and supported themselves without any
help from what might be called the mother country. Not so in other
instances, viz: Spain was in Florida; France had a good chunk of Canada
and Louisiana; Holland was in New York; England was firmly rooted in
Massachusetts and Rhode Island; Sweden had a foothold in New Jersey, and
the governments of those respective countries pushed the colonization
ideas to the limit. It has been estimated that before the Revolution there
were 100,000 Germans and Swiss in Pennsyl- vania alone, with many others
in Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and New York. The Germany of that day (the Germany still to be), was
made up of a number of more or less loosely related independent
principalities, etc., without a central government such as had England,
Spain and France. Thus it was that these many thousands of pioneering
people, the cream of her population. fell under the influence of other
governments; the mother country did nothing toward colonizing. This
policy of neglect was so unlike the Germany of a hundred years later. Excuses have been offered, the main one being the
demoralized condition of the country after the terrible religious and
civil wars which were so common at that time in Europe. About half of
the German-speaking people finally were merged with the peoples of
Hungary and Bohemia, forming Austria, the other half being split up into
small kingdoms, or principalities, etc. The Reformation. - One of the real reasons for
the original and almost spontaneous emigration to America goes back to
the Reformation. It was after that upheaval that the Protestant movement
grew ever stronger, until through its many clashes with other faiths and
civil authorities, many of these be- lievers in the new freedom of
worship, cast longing eyes on the possibilities of the New World. The German people who went through the Thirtv Years'
war experienced all of the ravages that war can bring, since most of
those old conflicts usuallv resulted in untold misery and suffering unto
death. They did not have in those early days the all 'round type of
warfare that we now know, but history records the damage to the physical
man, to his mind, and to Mother Earth. Before the Thirty Years' war the peasants enjoyed life
about as well as any ordinary folk, for they had plenty of this world's
goods; they could store-by for the "rainy days" that might
come-that surely did come. Soon everything was to be destroyed-everything but the
indomitable spirit of men and women. They, like people in our most
recent war, lived in caves. in marshes, woods-everywhere but in houses,
or barns. Destruction was so complete that it took two hundred years to
rebuild as many houses as were destroyed, and as for the population,
more than that many years to reach the same level. The Palatinate. - Much of the population which
we know as Pennsylvania German today, came from a section of Germany
called the Palatinate. Its inhabitants were descended from a group of
German tribes called the Rheinfranken, with an admixture of Alemanni. There seems to be little doubt but that the farmers in
the Palatinate section of Germany were the world's best farmers. They
were in their day, but their offspring in America are not such bad
farmers by whatever method of comparison. The great water-ways of Europe
traversed their lands, and travelers said that they not only could farm
well, but credited them with a reputation for keen wit, indomitable
industry and a high degree of intelligence. About three hundred years ago, during the years
1635-36 there was great suffering and misery due to the wars and famine.
The eating of grass and roots, even cannibalism, was noted. Another "peace" came along in 1649, at
Westphalia, and the map was settled to the satisfaction (supposedly) of
three faiths-Catholics, Lutherans and Reformed. This was of short duration for the Palatinate had
became as desolate as the desert. But nature would have her way, and
again farms produced, people built new houses, and church memberships
grew. Under Karl Ludwig, the Mennonites, who had heretofore been
outrageously oppressed, were given freedom of worship. These people knew
how to farm, and before long there was prosperity in the land. War Between France and Holland. - In 1674-75
war between France and Holland brought destruction again to the
Palatinate. Again in 1685 to 1689 more devastation for these poor
unfortunates, who were always caught in civil or religious embroiltnents
that were so bitter and destructive as to stagger the irnagination; or,
to compare it with the latest tortures we know of, we need but look at
the bestial butchery of World War II. This is fresh in mind, and must
picture what had happened long before. That is war! It was at this time (1685) that Lutherans and Reformed
were pretty much at loggerheads, and much blood had been spilt. This
went on for some time, and it pleased the Catholics, no end. There was little left of the Protestant church in the
Palatinate after the cessation of the wars between France and Germany,
ending with a peace treaty at Ryswick in 1697. Most of the property of
the Protestant churches was taken over by the State, or more
specifically the Catholic church. Protestants were tolerated, more or less, but thev
enjoyed little rights in the matter of church property, and were
compelled to bend the knee at the passing of the Host. Exclusion from the Palatinate. - Up to this
time many Huguenots, Walloons, and Swiss Mennonites had found their way
into the Palatinate; now they were driven from the land; some went to
Prussia, others to Holland, and some to America. Inasmuch as the conditions brought about by the
warring civil and church leaders extended to Zweibrilcken and Wurtemberg,
and others in the vicinity of the Palatinate, the inhabitants of those
parts started the trek to other parts and lands. Switzerland was a country which was spared the horrors
of the several wars. It received oppressed peoples, churchmen, and
others, from neighboring borders. But not everything was milk and honey
in little Switzerland. Until the French Revolution Switzerland was little
better than an aristocracy, with the offices in the hands of the same
families for generations. Menial services of all sorts, high taxes, and
other complaints gave impetus to the idea among the persecuted that if
there could be freedom to worship as they pleased elsewhere, there they
would go. Mennonite Beginnings. - Much of the background
of the Mennonite movement is to be traced directly to Switzerland. This
movement was active back in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and
records indicate attempts to root these people out because of their
refusal to bear arms, a trait they adhere to today with all the tenacity
they can command. The government in time of war can make Mennonite and
Amish boys rake leaves, but can't get them to bear arms! One student reaches the conclusion that the Amish and
Mennonite roots go back to the days of the early Christians who sought
haven in the catacombs at Rome. The Reformed churchmen didn't like the Mennonites from
the beginning, and many of the latter were subjected to persecution of
all sorts, some being sold as galley slaves to the Turks. Mennonite communities had existed in the Palatinate
since 1527, and to these places like-believers in Switzerland would flee
across frontiers; by 1671 a considerable emigration took place when
seven hundred persons left their native home to settle on the banks of
the Rhine. We are now approaching the time when these early
Mennonite settlers in the Palatinate and the newcomers agreed to help
their compatriots in Switzerland who left there in after
years--willingly, or otherwise. They finally found themselves under such
a heavy yoke that they decided on a large movement of their people to
America, and the settlement at Pequea, in Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, resulted. Zurich and Berne, in Switzerland, published decrees
forbidding emigration, the latter city rescinding a policy previously
planned, for a Swiss colony to settle in Georgia, and up through the
Carolinas. The main reasons for emigration from Europe to
America, by the Germans, motivated and included also the Huguenots; the
latter got into this picture by reason of the Revocation of the Edict of
Nantes, by Louis XIV, in France, in 1685, when many of France's most
substantial citizens went to Holland, Germany and Switzerland, all in
fear of their lives. In connection with the subject of enforced slavery it
may be noted that Huguenots from France were likewise sold as galley
slaves. In 1896, Henry S. Dotterer, editor of "Historical Notes
Relating to the Pennsylvania Reformed Church," was making some
researches in the archives of Dordrecht, Holland. Here he discovered a
printed list of Huguenot galley slaves who had been released by order of
Louis XIV of France, on condition that they leave the realm. There was another list of many who were not so lucky.
This list numbers 39,336 names as Huguenots who were not released! And
this is but a fraction of those who were enslaved. Historians, almost with one accord, agree that this
exodus caused such a severe blow to the economic religious and other
forms of expression common to man, to the country of France, that it
finally led to the first Revolution. The depriving of her people of the
right to worship as they pleased caused France a mortal blow from which
she never recovered. Penn Advocates Emigration. - William Penn
traveled in Germany, and his pamphlets describing his "Holy
Experiment" (published in English, Dutch and German), were
scattered in large numbers in parts of Holland and Germany. Queen Anne and her "Golden Book" caused a
flood of Palatines to proceed to London in 1709. From this movement
developed the settlements about the Schoharie and Mohawk in New York,
and later the Tulpehocken, in Berks county, Pennsylvania. In addition to stirring up of interest by Penn and
others, once the early arrivals were here, they sent some capable person
back to the Fatherland every so often, to tell others of this new land
of great opportunity. Likewise, the shipowners lost no time in noting
the increase in their profits, and they sent out agents to intrigue more
and more people to sail the great Atlantic, often making statements
about the easy life in Pennsylvania that were far from the truth. These Germanic people, the Swiss and Huguenot
elements, constitute the people who, generally speaking, came to
America's shores before the Revolution, or before 1800. They form the
back-bone of what are called "the Pennsylvania Germans," or
"Dutch." Social and literary groups require heredity in their
organization to be based on immigrant arrivals before the year 1800. Those Germans who came soon after that year have been
well assimilated, but after that date new arrivals are not counted as
being from the same parts of Germany, nor with the same general
characteristics and aspirations. Later arrivals found more room in cities to the West,
and they contributed nothing to the art, culture, or customs of
Lancaster and the many other counties in Pennsylvania settled by those
who arrived on the earlier dates. IMMIGRATION
TRENDS ARE DIVIDED INTO THREE GENERAL PERIODS
The German Immigration Into Pennsylvania was by far
greater than in any of the other States previously mentioned, but, for
the purposes of keeping the record straight, when we speak of the
"Pennsylvania Germans" we might just as readily include the
Germans settled early in the history of Maryland, Virginia and New York. The Germans settled in those states had the same
causes for leaving the Fatherland, and, in the case of Maryland and
Virginia, many were for some time residents of Pennsylvania before
removing southward. As mentioned previously, the pioneers arrived here in
the main prior to the Revolution. They came in what may be called three
waves: 1683-1710, beginning with the founding of Germantown to the
coming of the Swiss Mennonites; 1710-1727, at which time im- migration
was reaching large proportions, and when publishing of statistics was
begun; 1727-1776, at the outbreak of the Revolution, which, of course,
put an end for the time being to all immigration. Few came during the first period, the second
increasingly, so that some sort of control seemed in order, and the
third brought in large numbers. The First Period; 1683-1710. - Like the
Pilgrims, the Pennsylvania Germans had their own " ship," for
in the year 1683 the "Concord" landed at Philadelphia with a
small number of German and Dutch Mennonites, who came from Crefeld and
Kriegsheim. It is with this group that the interesting story of the
Pennsylvania German people begins. Like many other great movements of history, re- ligion
was back of this small beginning. Already we have noted that William Penn was greatly
instrumental in that movement which came to make the Province named for
him a noble experiment in religion, the arts and sciences. As we know, the politicians and ruling families of
England and the continent always found it convenient to have some sort
of "religion" handy, for emergencies, if not the motivating
principles of their lives. The Reformation did to England what it did to other
countries-it upset the apple-cart. It should be explained that in the
case of the Lutheran church in Germany, its counterpart in England was
the Church of England; the Reformed (or Calvinists) were matched by the
Puritans (or Presbyterians) ; the continental Mennonites, or
Anabaptists, were like unto the English Quakers and Baptists. The Quakers Were Like the Mennonites. - Barclay
says of George Fox, founder of the Quakers: "We are compelled to
view him as the unconscious exponent of the doctrines, practice, and
discipline of the ancient and stricter party of the Dutch Mennon- ites."
The late judge, and one time Governor of the Commonwealth, Samuel W.
Pennvpacker, a keen student of history, says: "To the spread of
Mennonite teachings in England we therefore owe the origin of the
Quakers and the settlement of Pennsylvania." Penn was a zealous missionary, making at least two
trips to Holland and Germany, the second in 1677. His companions were
George Fox, Robert Barclay, and George Keith, and they landed at Briel,
in Holland, with the purpose in mind "to extend the prin- ciples
and organization of the Quakers in Holland and Germany." Penn
visited the German cities of Frankfort-on-the- Main, Kriegsheim (near
Worms) on the Upper Rhine, and Muhlheim-on-the-Ruhr, and we can thus
appreciate wh it was that residents in those parts were among the first
to come to settle what is now Germantown, in Philadelphia. Penn Awarded Grant of Land. - Charles II, of
England, owed Admiral Penn, father of William, a debt of L16,000
sterling, and to rid himself of this obligation the king tendered, in
1681, an immense tract of territory to the son. The wording of the grant caused some bitter fighting
at times between men from Maryland and Pennsylvania, since it was
mentioned in the grant that the land was situated between New Jersey and
Maryland. The land was named "Pennsylvania" by the
king, over the protests of Penn. Having thus fallen heir to such a vast holding of real
estate, the Quaker who was fired with a missionary spirit, planned what
he called a "Holy Experiment" in government. Here was to be
the nearest thing to Eutopia thus far planned on earth; religious and
political freedom should here be the lot of all. To make the experiment, he set about at once to
attract the necessary colonists; these are the ones mentioned above, in
the Valley of the Rhine. Numbers of them remembered their visitor of
years before, and it was but a short time until their minds were made
up, and they were enroute to the New World. Francis Daniel Pastorius, of Germantown fame,
was one of those in Germany who, having heard of Penn and his plan for a
place where religious freedom might be in fact, as well as in name,
obtained consent from his father to sail for America-and a sum of money. Pastorius consulted with the leaders of the intending
settlers at Kriegsheim, Peter Schumacher and Gerhard Hendricks and
others, regarding the plans for the long journey, something not done
every day in the year. He conferred with Thomas Kunders, Dirck Herman,
the Op den Graeff brothers, and others, at Crefeld. These followed him
across the terrifying Atlantic some six weeks later. Pastorius became agent for the Frankfort Companv of
men from the two above-mentioned cities. He sailed June 6, 1683, and
arrived in Philadelphia August 16, warmly greeted by Penn. The Good Ship "Concord" sailed July 24, with
thirteen men and their families, reaching Philadelphia on October 6,
1683, at a time when that place had about 80 houses and cottages. This
group settled at what is now Germantown, then separated from
Philadelphia by a thick forest, with a bridle-path the only connection. Under Pastorius, a learned man and scholar, far ahead
of his times, the settlement cleared land, built houses, and after many
hardships had a prosperous community in good season. But the first
winter or so was a hard one for the newcomers, since good, warm
accommodations could not be made ready at once. The success of this original settlement became known
as fast as word and messengers could be dispatched to the old
settlements. New arrivals came every year, and in 1694 an interesting
band of mystics settled on the banks of the Wissahickon. Some forty in number, under the guidance of Johann
Kelpius, they came here to await the coming of the Lord, believing He
would appear here probably where they elected to sojourn, on or about
the turn of the century. In addition to practicing spiritual perfection,
etc.i they built an astronomical tower from which to further search out
signs for the coming of the Lord. The Wissahickon Community wasted away in a few
vears, to be succeeded by another "community experiment," that
at Ephrata, under the famed Conrad Beissel. This, too, because it
discouraged propagation of the race, eventually passed from the scene.
Today we note but the remains of buildings erected by human hands, and a
religious offspring which worships elsewhere, but which propagates by
means of the body as well as the mind. The Second Period; 1710-1727. - This period is
chiefly concerned with the coming of the Swiss Mennonites in 1710. The
movement is closely connected with that of Germantown. The Mennonites of
Holland and Switzerland had always been friendly, and close; protests
were made by the former to the Swiss authorities regarding persecutions,
and monies were raised to alleviate sufferings of their fellow believers
in the Palatinate. The Holland group were doubtless instrumental in
getting their Swiss fellows to go through their port of Rotterdam to go
to America. Of the Swiss Mennonites, it is said that they were, if
anything, quite "stubborn." By that is meant, they would
refuse to bear arms for the State, and it seemed that wars were
conducted then, as now, for the benefit of the few-the propaganda
philosophy being that "the majority are to reap the rewards."
Whether the Swiss were actually engaged in wars or not, they had to have
a goodly number of men under arms, especially if any of her neighbor
countries were engaged in armed conflict. Exiled time after time, these Mennonites would again
return to Switzerland. Then a plan was tried to force a large number of
them to proceed through Holland, hoping they would thence be deported to
America. But Holland would have none of this, nor would England. In 1711 the Mennonites of Berne got a break-they were
permitted to sell property, take their families with them with free
passage down the Rhine- if they would promise never to return! Many of them agreed, and later others did likewise.
The trek began about the middle of 1710. On October 23 of that year Hans
Herr and Martin Kiindig, agents for others, took out a patent for ten
thousand acres of land on Pequea Creek, Conestogoe (subsequently
Lancaster county, organized 1729). Figures seem somewhat elusive, for few were kept, as
to the number of those early arrivals. For some years there were
probably only a few scores a year, up to 1710 (the year of the Pequea
settlements), when perhaps several thousand all told arrived. In 1717
the numbers seemed to alarm the authori- ties, who were afraid there
would be too many Germans here, eventually leading to a preponderance of
the wrong kinds of people, so far as the authorities were concerned. Tulpehocken. - Another important colony in the
second period is that of the Tulpehocken, in Berks county. Failure of certain plans for the enforced emigration
of what might be termed refugees in Holland and England, which
eventually' forced numbers of them to go to Ireland and America, brings
us to the Germans settled in New York State. Difficulties among those
settled in the Schoharie and Mohawk valleys of New York, including their
right to titles to the land on which they had built homes after years of
hardship, forced them out of the State bounding Pennsylvania on the
north. Coming by the water route via Binghamton and
Wilkes-Barre, down the Susquehanna to the mouth of the Swatara, they
followed that stream to what we know as Tulpehocken, upwards of some
thirty families arriving in 1723. The Third Period; 1727-1775. - On October 14,
1727, the Provincial Council did something for the Germans in
Pennsylvania and their descendants, of great and lasting value to
historians and genealogists. Council adopted a resolution requiring all masters of
vessels importing Germans and other foreigners to prepare a list of such
persons, their occupations, and place from whence they came; further,
these immigrrants should sign a declaration of allegiance and subjection
to the king of Great Britain, and of fidelity to the Proprietary of
Pennsylvania. Such lists with names, over thirty thousand in number,
may be found in print.* They are also of interest to the amateur
researcher. These lists contain also the names of the vessels, captains,
port from which last sailed, and date of arrival in Philadelphia. The
lists are not too detailed as to the specific parts of Germany, or
wherever, that these people hailed. Generally the names are of men, from
age 16 upward, women of that day not being too able to write their
names, a short-coming noticeable on the lists as they pertain to men,
too, by reason of the familiar "X". A number of the lists did state that the arrivals were
from this, or that place, and, for a time toward the middle of the
1700's, the lists would state the number of Protestants and Catholics on
board. But After 1754 practically no such information is given, probably
due to the excitement prevalent at that time relative to the French and
Indian War. Catholics in Canada were suspected of trying to deal
with the Germans living here, but the latter would have no commerce with
the French Catholics, having too vivid recollections of their
persecutions in France over many long years before. The immigration through the port of Philadelphia by so
many people of the same characteristics, and with much the same objects
in life, soon crowded the sections more or less adjacent to that growing
city. Penetration was not long in coming, through dense forests in
Lancaster, Montgomery and Berks counties. Wherever there was limestone or black walnut trees,
there you would soon find Germans either farming, or setting up a home
prior to turning the soil, for they liked limestone. This for the reason
it made fine stone for building homes and churches, as well as lime for
fertilizer. Walnut trees growing in healthy stands were also a good sign
of fertility of the soil. Lands Quickly Taken Up.-Once the lands on the
east side of the Susquehanna were well taken up, the movements went to
the west, and to the north, York and Cumberland timber falling early
under the axe of the pioneer farmer and woodsman. The spread was not
long in coming, once the troubles with the Indians were controlled. The Revolution was to prove that the Germans were
loyal to the land they had come to populate and to cultivate. And if
they fought against the principles and demands of the English crown,
they did it alongside hardlaced and stiffbacked Presbyterians whose
veins were filled with blood like that of the enemy they fought. But you must give the Germans their due: they were not
among the last to fight--but among the first. It was not the Mennonite
who fought with ball and musket--he fought with the plow. Others of his
countrymen who had no scruples about "bearing arms" were the
ones who went out with Washington to wallop the would-be
"tax-leviers." Those who did not fight were self-sustaining and
self-sufficient, and their efforts at farming and making warm clothing,
and those who made shot and shell, contributed no little in making a
revolution of the people an American independence indeed. In this group of arrivals after 1710, there must be
noted that a number of Pennsylvania Germans under the leadership of Jost
Hite, moved down the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, to settle the
counties of Frederick, Rockingham and Shenandoah. The west- ern part of
North Carolina had a large number of such settlers emigrate from
Pennsylvania. The French and Indian War was still simmering when some
Pennsylvania Germans went to Ohio, to be followed bv larger numbers at
the close of the Revolution. Then to Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa,
Kansas, Texas, California, etc. People in those states to
the west of us probably feel that they are "Westerners," but
would it be improper to say that they are in a large sense "Western
Pennsylvania Germans?" or "Pennsylvania Germans in the
West?" PIONEER
IMMIGRANTS WERE FARMERS AND TRADESMEN Farmers Were Kept Poor. - The Pennsylvania
German farers were good farmers by practically all standards. They were
descended through thirty generations of tillers of the soil. All things
being equal in their Old World haunts they would have been on the
average well-to-do. But the wars kept them poor, or, if they were on the
wrong side of the political or religious "fence" they again
were likely to be mulct of what they had. Those who undertook to pay off their passage under a
bond which sometimes took twenty years to redeem, would be termed "redemptioners."
This took on a form of "white servitude" in the early days,
and much of interest may be read about the subject. Fine Soil Ready in Pennsylvania. - It has been
pointed out that the situation greeting the newcomers was pretty nearly
made to order. There was little barrenness; fertilization was not
necessary in the same degree that it was in Germany, where tilling for
many years required more attention. The farmers were smart enough to rotate their crops;
they grazed cattle for fattening and got back fertilizer quite precious.
They fed their horses well, so that they could do twice as much work in
a day as horses underfed; they were kept warm in winter, and were
excused from doing extra work, such as dragging logs, or pleasure
driving. "Swiss Barns" Erected. - The early
pioneers first cleared sufficient land to get a start on farming; then
came an immense barn, well built, of the "Swiss" type. The
first barns were built of logs. Later there were some of stone, then
frame or brick. Interesting features of some of the barns included the
stars on the sides and ends; also the ventilator designs obtained by
omissions of bricks which formed the designs, or cut-outs in the odd
shapes of hearts, diamonds, quarter-moons, clubs, etc. Most barns were double-deckers, and allowed for
threshing-floors, mows and lofts for storing bay. The complete barns had
a granary on the upper floor, a cellar under the drive-way, in addition
to the usual stalls for horses and cattle. They ranged from 50 to 60
feet wide, and 60 to 120 feet long, with an overhang of 8 to 10 feet
beyond the stable doors. Originally barns and houses had thatched roofs; in
later years they were shingled, slated, or tinned. If painted, it
generally was of deep red, for lasting qualities. Lumber could be obtained on the spot; likewise good
building stone might be found nearby, needing but the blows of the stone
mason to dress them for use. But it might be a decade or two until they
got around to the building of a substantial house. Houses built by the pioneers
were generally of logs, if the builder was pioneering some miles away
from centers of population. These could be built in a few days after a
clearing was made. Two-story houses were the general rule at the out-
set, with the familiar two-and-a-half-story to follow. The first with
pitched roof, and with cornices run across the gables and around the
first story. Types of Construction. - The English and Scotch
fashion was to build the chimney at the gable-end, but the German style
was to bring it right up through the center of the house. Most of them
seemed to be spacious, with open fire-places in most rooms, and with
deep-set window and door frames. Window weights were used quite early. Travelers usually note on these older houses the odd
inscriptions, verses, dates or initials found well up on the gable wall.
This is a hangover from customs in Germany and Switzerland. There are many variations held by people today as to
the meanings of the decorations on barns, cer- tain markings found here
and there on houses and necessary outbuildings; even on cooking
utensils, etc. Gaudy Colors and Designs. - It will hardly
suffice to say that the farmer liked to have his barn look attractive,
and to be in good state of repair, as a sign of his progress and
success; nor that his wife was odd, in that she had a lot of dishes with
gaudy decorations of birds, flowers, alphabets, scenes and verses
painted thereon; nor that the good housewife had these same decorations
on her bed linens, and her furniture as well. Most of the decorative schemes came from the Old
World, a throw-off, or hand-me-down from ancient Persian and Chinese
ideas. We are informed that German houses today have on their walls
counterparts of many of the ideas expressed by our own native artists
with a slight touch or blend of native instinct which do not in the
least detract from the value or interest of the items in question. The farmers were not
alone the great builders. We had the well-known preachers and teachers;
scientists and astronomers; inventors and many others. A catalog of
German firsts in Pennsylvania is an imposing array of talent and
accomplishment. LANGUAGE
AND EDUCATION AT FIRST NEGLECTED, THEN PROMOTED German Language Remained with Newcomer. - Of
the language and literature of the Pennsylvania Germans we had at best
be brief-the students and scholars are still trying to define and settle
the matter. The remarkable thing about the "dialect" as
it is called, is that there should remain so much of it in use today in
sections where there is likewise an abundant use of English. Two hundred
years ago there was every reason for them to continue using the only
language they knew. With all the intermarriages of these people with
English, Scotch and Irish families, the "Dutch" will
"out." From the days of their residence in Europe, until
comparatively modern times they have been without the benefit of any
grammar or book of guidance for the use of the "dialect"
conversation on the street or in the home. Early Printers. - The Pennsylvania Germans had
printing shops in operation in larger centers of population almost as
soon at they could get the material to set up shop. Thus the press of Christopher Sauer had printed three
editions of the Bible, complete, in little Germantown, before there was
one edition of the same book printed in Philadelphia in English. A few
years before his first Bible Sauer had printed a large hymn-book
entitled "Zionitischer Wayrauchshugel," containing 654 hymns
in 33 divisions. Conrad Beissel and his Ephrata "Breuderschaft"
were responsible for the publishing of a number of remarkable books for
those times, including a complete translation of Van Bragt's "Blutige
Schauplatz oder Martyrer Spiegel" in German from the Holland Dutch,
at the Cloisters, at Ephrata. Fifteen men worked for three years to
complete translations, make the paper and print and bind this massive
work, up to that time about the largest single book published in the New
World. Education was at first frowned on by the farmers who
thought their children needed little more than to be able to read and
*rite and figure a little bit. In later years they found that education
was the best bet, and with the exception of the Amish, most other
denominations and sects have gone over to college education. The German language, or dialect as it is more
familiarly known, gave way in part to English as the official language
of the Commonwealth in 1836. But it did not "give way" in many
homes, and towns! RELIGIOUS GROUPS WERE
NUMEROUS BEFORE THE REVOLUTION Variety of Faiths: - The religious background
and life of the Germans is varied, to say the least. We have little
space to detail them at length, but separate ac- counts may be found in
libraries for particular readers. The German Baptists, or Brethren, are a
denomination of Christians who emigrated to this country from Germany
between the years 1718 and 1730; they are commonly called Dunkers; but
they have assumed for themselves the name of "Brethren." The United Brethren in Christ came into
activity in the United States about 1755, differing in name from the
Moravians, or Unitas Fratrum, (or United Brethren's Church) by adding
"in Christ." The former mentioned denomination enjoys a
healthy membership scattered throughout the country. The Moravians (Unitas Fratrum), or United
Brethren's Church, dates from 1722, descendants of the Bohemian and
Moravian Brethren who were persecuted in their native country, and who
founded a colony under the patronage of Count Zinzendorf, on an estate
of his in Upper Lusatia. American history is replete with accounts of
activities of the Count, and David Zeisberger, who labored among and
learned so much from his association with Indian tribes. Their
establishments in the early days were primarily at Bethlehem, Nazareth
and. Lititz. The Schwenkfelders take their name from Casper
Schwenkfeld von Ossing, who was born seven years after Martin Luther,
with whom he had manv disagreements. This denomination arrived in
Philadelphia on September 22, 1734, settling principally in Montgomery,
Berks, Bucks and Lehigh counties. Ephrata Cloister. - One
of the most notable of the early pietist movements was this Ephrata
community, under Conrad Beissel, who was born in Eberbach, in 1690. He
was a baker, as was his father. He came to America in 1720, becoming a
hermit on the Cocalico. Others built cabins around him and imitated his
ascetic life. But any religion that prohibits race propagation soon
eliminates itself. THE DERIVATION OF FAMILY
NAMES IS ALWAYS INTERESTING A Knowledge of Family Names is not only of
passing interest but may be of great value to students and researchers.
Names, as we know, undertake to make many changes, even in the same
family, even today. "Pennsylvania German family names may be divided
into three classes: first, those derived from personal names; second,
those derived from occupation; and third, those derived from the place
where the individual lived (including house signs) or whence he came'
" says Kuhns,* and "in this last class may likewise be
properly included nicknames, or those due to personal peculiarities,
physical or mental." The smaller type following is an excerpt from Kuhns'
book: These personal names exist today in Pennsylvania, some of them but
little changed; such are Albrecht- of distinguished race (P.G.*
Albright); Arnwald: one who rules as the eagle; Bernhard. strong as a
bear; Conrad: bold in council; Dietrich: ruler of people; Eberhart.
strong as a boar; Eckert: strong sword; Garman: spearman; Gebhard:
generous giver (P.G. Kephart); Gerhard: stong spear; Gottschalk: servant
of God; Hartman: strong man; Heidrich: of noble rank; Hildebrandt:
battle-sword; Hubert: bright of intellect; Irmintraut: friend of the
Walkyrie Thrudr (P.G. Ermentrout); Liihr: war-people; Reinhard- strong
in counsel; Reinhold: ruler of council; Trautman: follower of the
Walkyric Thradr. In most cases, however, these double-stem names were
shortened by dropping the second stem, whence such names as Kuhn (from
Kunrat), Hein (from Heinrich), Ott (from Ottman), Traut (from Trautmann),
Bar, Barr (from Berhard). To these stems diminutive suffixes were added;
thus from "i" we have the forms Burki (from Burkhard), Ebi
(from Ebarhard), Egli (from Agilbrecht), Higi (from Haginbert), Lichti
(from Ludger: P.G Light), Staehli (from Stahal), Welti (from Walther),
Geisle (from Gisalhart: P.G. Yeissley); from "'izo" we get
Boss and Butz (from Bodomar), Dietz (from Dietrich ), Fritz and Fritschi
(from Friedrich: cf. Barbara Frietchie), Heintz (from Heinrich), Kuntz
(from Kunrat: P.G. Koons and Kuhns), Landis, Lentz, and Lantz (from
Landfrid), Lutz (from Ludwig), Seitz (from Siegfrid: P.G. Sides), Tietz
(from Dietrich), Waltz (from Walther), from "iko" we get Frick
(from Friedrich), lllig and the genitive Hilleges (from Hildebrand),
Kundig (from Gundobert)' Leidig (from Luithart); from "ilo" we
get Ebli and Eberli (from Ebarhard), Bechtel (from Berchtold), Bickel
(from Botger), Diehl (from Dietrich), Hirzel (from HieruzIeip: P.G.
Hartzell), Hubeli (from Hugubert), Markel and Mirgli (from Markwald),
Meili (from Maganhard), Nigeli (from Nagairich), Rubli (from Hrodebert:
Robert), Schnibeli (from root Sneo-snow: P.G. Stavely); from
"z" plus "I" we get Kiinzel (from Kunrat), Reitzel
(from Ricohard: Richard), and Tietzel (from Dietrich). From all the above forms patronymics in "rnann,"
"inger," and "ler" are formed: Bausman, Beidleman,
Denlinger, Dietz- inger, Gehringer, Grissinger, Heintzelman, Hirtzler,
Hollinger. In addition to the purely German personal names we
have also many names taken from Biblical characters and from the lives
of saints: Bartel (from Bartholomaeus), Klause (Nicholas), Martin,
Theiss, and Theissen (Matthias), Peters, Hensel (Johannes), jiggi and
jickii (Jacobus- P.G. Yeagy and Yackley), jbrg, jorges (George: P.G.
Yerrick and Yerkes), Brosius (Ambrosius), Bastian (Sebastisn), Flory (Florus),
Jolist (Justus: P.G. Yost). The second class of Pennsylvania-German family names
are derived from the occupation of the individual; among the best known
are Becker (baker), Baumgartner (orchard- grower), Brenneisen
(blacksmith), Brunner (well-digger), Dreher, Trachsel, Trechsler
(turner), Fischer, Gerber (tan- ner, currier: P.G. Garver), Glbckner
(bell-ringer: P.G. Klackner, Kleckner), Heilman (doctor), Huber (one who
owns a "hube"-a small farm), jaeger (hunter), Kircher
(carter), Kohler, Koehler (coal-burner): P.G. Kaler, Cayler), Kaufman
(merchant), Kufer and Kufner (cooper), Kiister (sexton), Maurer (mason),
Metzger (butcher), Lehmatin (one under feudal tenure), Leineweber
(linen-weaver), Miiller, Probst (provost), Reifschneider,
Riemenschneider (harness-maker), Sauter, Suter (shoemaker), Schaffner
(.steward), Schenck (cup-Dearer), Scherer (barber), Schlegel (one who
hammers), Schmidt (smith), Schneider (tailor), Schreiber (writer),
Schreiner (joiner), Schiitz (shooter, or archer: P.G. Sheets), Schultz
(mayor), Siegrist (sexton), Spengler (tin-smith), Steinmetz
(stone-cutter), Tschudi (judge: Swiss), Vogt (bailiff), Wagner (wagoner),
Wannemaker (basket-maker), Weber (weaver), Wirtz (landlord), Widmeyer,
Widmer (one who has land from church or monastery), Ziegler
(brick-maker), Zimmerman (carpenter). The first subdivision of names in the third class
comprises those which denote the place where one lives or whence one
comes; such are Algauer (from the Allgau in Switzerland), Altendorfer
(from village in St. Gall, Switz.), Amweg (beside the road), Amend (at
end of village), Bach, Bacher, Bachman (who live near a brook), Berner
(from Berne, Switz.), Basler (from Basel), Berger (lives on mountain),
Beyer (a Bavarian), Biemensderfer, Blickensdorfer (from village in
Canton Zurich), Boehm (a Bohemian), Brechbuhl (unploughed hill: P.G.
Brightbill and Brackbill), Breitenbach (village in Solothurn, Switz.),
Brubacher (village in Zurich), Biittigkoffer (from village Buttikofen,
Berne), Detweiler (village in Canton Zurich), Diefenbach (Tiefenbach, in
Canton Uri, Switz.), Dieffenderfer (from Tiefendorf), Flilckiger
(village in Canton Berne), Fahrni (village in Berne), Frick (in Aargau,
Switz.), Haldi, Haldeman (from Halden, comnion name for village in
Switzerland), Hofstetter (name of several villages in Ziirich, St. Gall,
and Berne), Eschelman (from Aeschi, villige in Canton Berne), lmgrund
(in hollow land), Imboden (in bottomlands), Imhof (in farmyard),
Kollicker (village in Aargau), Longenecker (village in Berne), Mellinger
(village in Aargau), Neuenschwander (village in Berne), Oberholtzer
(several villages in Berne), Ruegsegger (Berne: P.G. Rickseeker),
Schollenberger (castle and village, Zurich), Schwab (a Swabian, P.G.
Swope), Urner (from Canton Uri), Zug (Canton Zug), Zurcher (from
Zurich).* During the Middle Ages the houses were not numbered as
now, but had signs painted on them, something after the manner of hotels
at the present time. From these many names were derived: Bar (bear),
Baum (tree), Bieber (beaver), Bischof (bishop), Engel (angel), Fasnacht
(Shrove-Tuesday), Faust (fist), Fuchs (fox), Fiinfrock (five-coats),
Haas (hare), Hahn (rooster), Helm (helmet), Hertzog duke: P.G. Hartsook),
Holtzapfel (wild-apple), Kalb (calf: P.G. Kulp, Culp), Kaiser (emperor),
Koenig (king), Krebs (crab), Munch (monk), Oechsli (little ox: P.G.
Exley), Pfaff (priest), Ritter (knight), Vogel (bird), Voegli (little
bird- P.G. Feagley), Warfel (die, cube), Wolf . Finally we have names given from personal
peculiarities. Such are: Braun, Durr (dry, thin), Froelich (cheerful:
P.G. Frailey), Frei (free), Freytag (Friday), Gut (good), Hibschmann
(handsome), Hoch (tall),Jung (young), Kahl (bald), Klein (small),
Kleindienst (small sevice), Krause (curly), Krumbein (crooked legs),
Kurtz (short), Lang (long), Leibengut (good-liver: P.G. Livingood), Rau,
Rauch (rough), Reich (rich), Roth (red), Rothrock (red-coat), Rothaermel
(red-sleeve), Schwartz (black), Seltenreich (seldom rich), Weiss
(white). These German names almost all came from the Palatinate
and Switzerland. Even today we can trace the Swiss origin of many-for
instance, Urner (from Uri), Johns (Tschantz), Neagley (Naegeli), Bossler
(Baseler). Some are of French Huguenot origin, which by combined
German and English influence have often received a not very elegant or
euphonious form: examples are Lemon (Le Mon), Bushong (Beauchamp), and
Shunk (Jean); the original Fierre was changed to German Faehre, and
later became anglicised into Ferree.* The number of different ways of spelling even the
simplest names is often surprisingly large: thus, for the original Graf
we find today Graaf, Graff, Groff, Groft, Graft, and Grove. So Baer
gives us Bear, Bare, Bair. Of course the vagaries of English orthography
are largely responsible for this. |