I thought we might review the letter which Stoever, Hold, and Schmid wrote to the London Lutheran pastors. Since Stoever was not present in 1717, the early history would have come from Holt and Smith (using English versions of their names). They were members of the 1717 emigration and would have known the facts first hand. They would have been plenty of time to discuss this history as the trio sailed eastward across the Atlantic. So we should regard this letter as contemporary documentation.
We are puzzled when they say the party came from Wuerttemberg and the Palatinate and Qualtzbach. The last name is completely unknown to us. One possibility is that in 1717 the people used this name but it passed into oblivion with the passage of time. There are two regions that it might have referred to, namely, Baden and the lands of the Bishops of Speyer, if we were to consider what is known about the origins of the people. The village of Neuenbuerg sent about 20% of the people in 1717 and it was in the lands belonging to the Speyer Bishops. Baden sent a lot of people, for it included Gemmingen, Wagenbach, and Sulzfeld. Another possibility is that the Kraichgau region was not well organized politically, being under the control of several very minor princes. Perhaps this is what was referred to as the Qualtzbach.
The Gemmingen Sexton was well aware that many immigrants were leaving from other villages besides Gemmingen. Perhaps there was more organization than we realize, or there may have been more relationships among the people. We are inclined to think that the individual village groups came together as they traveled down the Rhine River. In London, St. Mary's Church may have been a focal point which helped to secure bonds.
We read recently that the members participated in Baptismal Services as parents and sponsors. The letter seems to tell us that a special Communion Service was held for the group. Certainly, the group left London believing that the London pastors would help them find a pastor when they were in a position to support one.
The letter has a statement that the transportation across the Atlantic was "on their expenses". This would seem to say that they paid in advance. In the second paragraph, there is a feeble attempt to explain why they became feudal tenants of Spotswood. One interpretation is that they had not paid in advance and therefore the servitude was a means of paying for the transportation. Another interpretation is that Spotswood had promised a fee to Capt. Tarbett and that Spotswood demanded a return in the form of labor. In other places, Spotswood referred to these Germans as "free", but then he used their headrights to help pay for a tract. So there are very mixed signals.
(01 Apr 05)
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