Very recently, we were discussing the petition of the Rev. Stöver, Michael Smith, and Michael Holt, which was made directly to the English king, George II. This would seem to be a most unnatural thing at a first glance.
A little ago we were discussing the idea that the English were, at the heart, Germanic. Starting with George I, who came to the English throne after Queen Anne died, there was a series of kings and queens in England who had a distinctive German background. At the same time, they were descendants of people who had a claim to the English throne. Even before these German kings, Queen Anne in England was married to Prince George of Denmark in 1683. After William III died in 1702, Anne ascending to the throne, with a husband who followed the Lutheran religion. From this marriage there were many implications for European and American history. Anne was very favorably inclined to the Protestant religion and to Germans. The result was that the large scale emigration of Germans to America started during her reign.
Though Anne had six children, none of them survived her, and when she died the Stuart line died out. To find a Protestant successor, before she died, the English government offered the job to her cousin, George, who was Elector of Hanover. George accepted, even though he did not speak English. He brought his Lutheran religion with him, including court preachers. Lutherans were already established in London to serve Prince George and, even though he died before Anne did, the Lutherans maintained a presence in London which King George augmented.
Some of these Lutheran ministers had the ear of King George II. When Stöver, Smith, and Holt came to London, they would have sought out the Lutheran ministers. Most likely they were in contact with the Rev. Frederick Michael Ziegenhagen, a native of Pomerania. It is certainly the case that Ziegenhagen mentions the Palatines from Virginia in his letters, and especially Stöver. Probably, Ziegenhagen suggested the petition to the King and perhaps he even carried the petition directly to the King. [There is nothing like working from the top down.]
In Virginia, where the civil authorities worked against all churches other than the established Anglican church, they did not hinder the Lutherans. In fact the Anglican and the Lutheran churches worked together. The Assembly of Virginia even voted a one-time stipend to Rev. Klug for his work on behalf of the Anglicans. When your king is a Lutheran, it does not pay to oppress the Lutherans.
The “German” kings did have a problem in that they were the head of the Anglican church. There was a serious question as to whether one could be a Lutheran and be the head of the Anglican church, but clerics were found who approved the arrangement. Eventually the German kings did become Anglicans.
The petition of Stöver, Smith, and Holt sailed through because of the influential Lutheran presence in London which had the ear of the king.
(06 Oct 01)
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.