In 1727, Hans Jorg Dieter and his wife Maria Margaretha Luttman of Schwaigern wanted to emigrate to Pennsylvania. They went to the police court to get permission and to pay the necessary taxes. There an inventory of their possessions was made. The list is interesting for what it contains. At the time Hans Jorg was in his late twenties and Maria Margaretha was in her middle twenties. They should have had one child, Johann Michael, at this time. The court minutes state that, "Hans Jorg Dieter, son of Schwaigern Mayor Hans Michael Dieter, has decided in furtherance of his expected success to render himself to Pennsylvania under Royal British Sovereignity."
They did arrive in Philadelphia later in the year and lived for a time in Lancaster County in PA. By 1736, he has taken a land patent for 200 acres in the Robinson River community among the Germanna people. The choice of the location is not unusual as Schwaigern was the home of several Germanna families. In the colonies, he became known as George Teter but he should be distinguished from the George Teter who lived at the same time in Opequon.
Returning to the possessions, the value is quoted in two denominations, Gulden and Kreuzer. I do not know the relative or the absolute value of either of these. But in the list below, values will be quoted in Kreuzer except those which specifically say Gulden (G). More to the point is what they did own:
George's property included a black coat (3G), a new gray parker (10G), a pair of leather trousers (2G). This is the only pair of trousers that he owned. Quoting now in Kreuzer, George also owned a hat (30), two pairs knitted white stockings (30), a cotton necktie (15), three shirts (15 each), and two working shirts (40 each). He also owned a book given to him by his father.
Mary's property made a longer list: one good brown skirt (1G), one worn out skirt (30), a red bodice (50), a medium brown hat (40), a heavy cap (50), a cotton Schurz (15), a white one of the same kind (20), a black Damst(?)(25), white worn sewed up cap (15), another of the same kind (10), three good skirts (30 each), two bad skirts (20 each), two good veils (30), a white neckcloth (11), pair white woolen stockings (15).
Note that no shoes are listed for either of them. Household property was listed by name but not value. That sub-list included: linen, tin pans and pots, copper pans and pots, iron pots to prepare cakes, wooden pans and pots, a bed, tables, kitchen furniture, one chair. Two new church songbooks were also included.
More of their assets were in livestock and feed: one brown cow was worth 18 Gulden, one pig at one G, one male sheep at 20 G, four zentner of hay at 2 G and 40 bands of straw at one G.
There should have been clothing for Johann Michael, the young son, but none is listed. Perhaps he had died which would be consistent with a lack of records for him in America.
Richard Phares was helpful in providing information about the family.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.