Some time ago, the question was asked on this list as to how life for the average German in Germany was similar to, and different from, the average Pennsylvanian in the 1720's. I would take it that the person asking the question had in mind the average German in Pennsylvania.
First, in 1720, there were not many Germans in Pennsylvania. The first group of Germans, outside of those who lived at Germantown outside Philadelphia, came in 1710 and were a small group of Anabaptists. Many of their co-religionists followed immediately, but the Lutheran and Reformed people were coming also by 1720. In 1717, probably a thousand Germans departed the Fatherland for Pennsylvania, though some of them were sidetracked to Virginia. Besides the direct transport from Germany, some Germans were moving from New York and New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Many of these had come in 1710. Still, the Germans were scattered very thinly, and they were often isolated on the frontier. At the time of settlement, it was typical not to have roads. The first Anabaptists, in what was to become Lancaster County, got to their homes by following Indian trails. The first settlers in the Tulpehocken region used waterways to move their goods.
The people who left were motivated to find something better than what they had known. It can be said that the early Germans in Pennsylvania were more motivated than those who stayed behind.
In Germany, the typical family lived in a village, and went out to their fields, which might be scattered. Due to inheritance, land had become subdivided into very small parcels. (In some cases, laws were enacted that unless a tract of ground were of a certain size it could not be subdivided.) In America, the farming Germans lived in the midst of the fields they owned, not in a central village. This isolation created problems. Visiting the neighbors was a major undertaking. One did not run next door. Second, even though a man might own 200 acres of land, perhaps only 30 acres of it was cleared. The rest was in its natural state, namely forest. Forested land was depressing to many people who were more used to the open spaces. In the 1720's, the forest had many animals living in it, such as wolves and snakes, which were not regarded as friendly animals.
Churches and ministers tended to be very scarce. Many people took these for granted, and the omission was a burden for some. In Germany, church attendance was often compulsory. In Pennsylvania, finding a church was impossible in many cases.
Germans in Pennsylvania tended to own more land and more animals. Taxes were lower and military service was less common. That hunting could be done at one's pleasure was a novelty, as was unrestricted wood gathering.
In the early days, on both sides of the Atlantic, the artifacts of life were minimal. Furniture and clothing were often scarce.
(27 Nov 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.