[Nearing the destination of the single Moravian brothers to their land in North Carolina, 1753.]
Nov. 14. We went very early to the river [Dan] to see whether we could cross, but it had risen two feet and had a very rapid current. While we waited, we spent our time in improving the bank of the river which was very steep. Several brethren went hunting but returned empty handed. An Irish man visited us and wanted us to come to his house and baptize his child. Bro. Gottlob pleaded he could speak very little English. The man would not accept this and said he did not care how it was done, if it were only done.
Nov. 15. More hunting but still empty hands. Brothers Haberland and Loesch went ahead to scout our land and find the best place to camp while we explored the land in more detail. A German boy came to us who lives on the Yadkin. He had bought eleven quarts of salt at the Smith River for half a dollar.
Nov. 16. We rose early to cross the river. To go down the bank, we tied a tree to the wagon and then removed it when we got to the water. The current was still swift and almost got into our wagon but we reached the other shore safely. We could not get up the bank. We had to unload half of the baggage and then we tied ropes to the tongue so we could help pull the wagon. In a short distance we came to a swamp and then a hill. At four o'clock we had gone only ten miles from our last camp as this was almost the worst part of the trip. Our scouts came back. We were very tired and exhausted.
Nov. 17. We rose early after a very cold night. It looked like snow. Several brethren worked with picks and axes to improve the road and to level the banks of the creeks. We came to the new road which runs through our land to the Yadkin River. Some people presented us with pumpkins and said we could have a whole wagon full for nothing. Two miles from our land! One mile from our land we ate dinner. Some of our new neighbors gave us several bushels of turnips. At one o'clock we came to our boundary line. The scouts had found an abandoned house on our land and we made our way to it by cutting a road. The hut was just large enough so that we [fifteen] can all lie round about along the wall. We at once made preparations for a little love feast, during which the wolves howled fiercely. With gratitude to God we lay down to rest, our dear Gottlob sleeping in his [beloved] hammock.
[The journey had started in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on October 8. Considering the traveling conditions, they made good time.]
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.