After the last Note, there was an inquiry as to what the Germans did in London in the summer of 1717. There is good information in an unpublished letter to the London Clergy in December of 1734, written by Rev. Johann Caspar Stoever. The original of the letter is in the Francke-Nachlass der Staatbibliothek zu Berlin-Preussicher Kulturbesitz (Microfilm No. 18, 363-365). Petra Stallboerger, Dipl. Bibl., assisted Andreas Mielke in finding this letter, which Andreas translated and published in Beyond Germanna (p. 845). The occasion for writing the letter was when Stoever, Michael Hold, and Michael Smith were first in London on their fund-raising trip. Since the events described here were before Stoever's time, we must assume that the sources for the information were Hold and Smith, who were in London in the summer of 1717.
"Seventeen years ago, a small group of Protestant Lutheran people - from the high principality of Wuerttemberg, and the Qualtzbach [unidentified] and the Electorate Palatinate - arrived here in London, and had themselves transported to Virginia on their expenses. Before their departure, however, they consulted with the Reverend Protestant Lutheran German preachers then present here regarding the future care of their souls. To this they added the most obedient request, to be so inclined and assist them in this matter by sending a pastor and by organizing a Christian contribution toward a divine service, the construction of a church, and such. To this, the above-mentioned Reverend Clergy also showed themselves not only to be inclined but, with the distribution of the Holy Communion, obliged them very sternly and according to duty to remain most constantly with the Protestant Lutheran truth. They assured them after news had been received of their fortunate transfer they would grant them their petition."
[Note that Virginia is mentioned as the destination, but later comments by members of the congregation make it clear that Pennsylvania was the destination, and that the ship's captain betrayed them and took them instead to Virginia. The story told to the London Clergy in 1734 simplified the history and gave only the net result. Note also that a literal reading of this says that they paid their own transportation in London. If so, this may be a reason that some of the Germans did not board the ship "Scott" in the fall of 1717. They perhaps did not have the passage money.]
"After arrival of these people in Virginia [and] as soon as it was possible after surviving the hard Servitude (to which most of whom who go there have to submit themselves because they are unable to pay their transport), they settled as feudal tenants [Lehns Leute] on the then Governor Spotswood's land."
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.