Dr. Elmer Smith once noted that he had lived for twenty years in areas where the populations consisted primarily of people of German descent. Ten of these years were among the Pennsylvania Dutch in Pennsylvania, and the second ten were among the German descendants in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. He made some studies of surviving cultural traits to be found among these people. The Pennsylvania folk preserved the language the best, but he believed that more of the old ways of the German past had survived in Virginia.
In both areas, the Germans faced the prejudices of their English-speaking neighbors, who confused the language barrier with illiteracy and with stupidity. Thus arose the erroneous epithet, "The dumb Dutch." The Germans did not help their case by their political inactivity and their opposition to public education (as opposed to church-sponsored education).
Also, the Germans tended to be a modest people. A New England tavern might advertise, "The best food in the world." Compare this to what a German proprietor of an inn said, "Some say our food is good."
German origins were considered by some Germans themselves as a mark of inferiority and they went out of their way to try and hide their backgrounds. They should have been emphasizing the contributions made by their forefathers, such as:
The first Bible printed in America
The first paper mill in America
The first original scientific work
The first school for girls
The first teachers school
The first flint glass maker
In the 1740's, at Ephrata Cloister (Seventh Day German Baptists), in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, printed The Martyrs Mirror , a book of the sufferings of the Anabaptists. This was the largest book (even larger than the Bible) printed up to that time in America, and the press run of 1200 copies set a new standard also.
Many modern names are not recognized for their German origins. Charles Goodyear, Frank Woolworth, Milton Hershey, S. S. Kresge, and John Wanamaker left indelible marks on the commercial landscape. History books fail to mention that Molly Pitcher was born Maria Ludwig. The recognition has not lived up to the heritage.
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.