The Germanna Colonies were to receive a large influx of additional emigrants in the year 1738. Most of them were coming from around Freudenberg, just outside Siegen. Advertising by the shippers had been strong, and more than six thousand Germans responded that year. Eighteen family units from Freudenberg and its environs totaled about fifty people. Probably some communications from Virginia had preceded the decision to emigrate. The names of the people were set down by the Freudenberg pastor in the burial record under the date of 13 March 1738 (NS). These people were most unfortunate in their choice of a ship at Rotterdam. They chose the Oliver , which was going to Virginia, and they were probably influenced by this destination.
The six thousand or so people who decided to emigrate in 1738 was one cause of the problem. It overwhelmed the shippers. The weather did not cooperate either, and the overloaded ships did not make the expected times.
The ship Oliver left Rotterdam for Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Captain William Walker of the Oliver felt, as the ship was underway, that it was too heavily loaded. He returned to port and resigned his command. His employers solved the problem, not by removing some of the load, but by finding another captain (William Wright) who was willing to take the ship. The second departure was early in July. The crossing to Cowes was speedy, only a couple of days, but the Oliver remained in port for six weeks. During this time the ship was inspected and reloaded. It was also necessary to wait for favorable winds. Upon leaving, the heavy seas damaged the Oliver and it sought refuge in the harbor at Plymouth.
The Oliver did not arrive at Virginia until early January. By this time, the passengers had been living on board the ship for more than six months. In the last days before reaching Virginia, the food and water had been exhausted. As the ship neared Virginia, the passengers rose in armed resistance and demanded that the captain anchor at the nearest land and procure water and food. While the captain was ashore with some of the crew and passengers looking for food and water, heavy seas caused the ship to pull free from its mooring and be driven against land. It sprang a serious leak and started to sink. Many of the passengers below decks were trapped. At the same time, the weather was so cold that others froze to death.
The death rate was so high that, of the eighteen family units from Freudenberg, parts of only five or six families made the journey successfully. About two out of three people who had started the journey in the Netherlands died before land was reached in Virginia.
Even John Stedman, a captain who was liked by the Germans, had a difficult journey, and he lost 120 of his passengers. His reaction was to resign from transporting Germans. Never more did he transport Germans to America. His brother had an even worse time, as he lost five-sixths of his 300 passengers.
(18 Feb 02)
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.