John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 50

Ted Walker of Mesa, Arizona, sent material on which this note is based.  I thank him and all others who respond with comments and questions.

We are aware of Johannes Hofmann of the 1714 Colony, and of his brother, Johannes Henrich Hofmann, who came to Virginia in the period 1739 to 1745.  We were aware from Germanna Record 5 that they had a brother Johann Wilhelm Hofmann who was about three years younger than Henry (Henrich) Huffman, and nineteen years younger than John Huffman.  What was not so well known was that William (Wilhelm) also came to America, but to Pennsylvania, not to Virginia.  Even more interesting is that William wrote a short account book, or diary, in which he recorded significant events over a period from Germany to America.  This has been translated and microfilmed and is available as such as film 193014 from the Family History Library of the Latter Day Saints.

William chose to record scattered events which seemed to have had a major impact on him.  He did not record the story of his life.  Still what he has to say tells us a lot.  For example, he makes the point once that the reason he came to America was, "I left the Principality of Nassau-Siegen in Europe several years ago [written in 1760] and moved to Pennsylvania in this land America in the hope of being able to live without the burden of war."

Still there was more to his decision to emigrate than the question of war.  In an interrelated way, there were also religious questions, servitude questions, and taxation questions.  To expand on the "servitude" aspect, in 1733 when he was 22 years old, John William recorded:

"God, the creator of all things has so ordained, for every land, great or small, overlords to rule over the peasant and [they demand] services from them at their command.  Whereas it has pleased Thee, my God and Father, to make me a peasant in my fatherland, the Catholic part of which land has a government under the imperial administrators ..., may God, therefore grant health, good fortune, and abundance and permit me to live here in peace in this land .... [I] intend to record the services I give to the [overlords]."

There followed a long list of services which John William had to render to the overlords, such as mowing, making hay, hauling wood from the forest, hunting, military service.  John William owned a young horse, so many of his duties revolved around the services he could render with a horse.  For example, he had to haul stones to be used in casting a bell for the Catholic Church [the Hofmanns were German Reformed].

As a member of the German Reformed Church, living in a Catholic region, he felt the burden imposed on the Reformed members because of their beliefs.  When soldiers were stationed in the village, it was the Reformed households who had to quarter the soldiers.  Also the Reformed people had to conform to the Catholic holidays, and could not spin on the Catholic feast days.  If they did, they were fined.

Most of his outbursts of feelings were directed to the military, and to the burdens imposed by the overlords, often in conjunction with a military action.  At the same time he felt these were directed against the Reformed people just because they were Reformed.  Very severe penalties or fines were attached for failure to comply.

In America, John William lived in Lancaster County, PA, just west of the town of York.  He had little to say about life here until the outbreak of the French and Indian War, and then he recorded many events in connection with it.  Never once did he mention that he had brothers living in America.  He came about the same time as his brother, Henry, did, but it is unknown if they traveled together.

Shortly before coming to Pennsylvania, he mentions "Pastor Heltsklaw", which sounds like he might have meant Holtzclaw, a family in the First Germanna Colony.  He also mentions his brother-in-law, "Heide", in Siegen.  This is the German name of another First Colony member, Peter Hitt.