Living in difficult, crowded conditions in their small parishes, where relationships to the authorities were often tense and difficult, they (Germans in general, but especially the Kraichgau residents) read the promotional literature on Pennsylvania and the letters of previous emigrants from their villages and chose to seek a better fortune there. At first, the emigrants knew little of the difference between New York, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, or other of the English Colonies but the letters from America were strongly in favor of Pennsylvania and so that became the Colony of choice for emigration.
A few people from the Northern Kraichgau had emigrated in 1709, but some of these ended up in New York under unfavorable circumstances. That same year, a small group of Mennonites from the Northern Kraichgau also emigrated, but to Pennsylvania. They liked it and immediately began to recruit their fellow religionists in the Kraichgau. There was a social interchange between the Mennonites and the Lutherans (or Reformed and Catholic) and so the word spread to the non-Mennonites. The farm where Hans Herr, a 1709 Mennonite emigrant, had been living appears to have joined the Wagonbach farm where George Utz and the Volcks were living. In fact, the 1717 emigration of the Germanna colonists from southwest Germany, so late in the year, was motivated at least in part, I believe, by the departure of Mennonites earlier in that year.
A relatively small number of Germans preceded the vast majority who emigrated during the third phase from 1717 to 1775.
The northern Kraichgauers and all Germans tended to emigrate with other family members and villagers on the same ship and in the same year. In this period of time, there were 305 emigrants from Schwaigern. Only 2% of these traveled alone. 87% of the Schwaigern emigrants were traveling with the same surname and the same ship. Just looking at the same year, 97% of the Schwaigern emigrants traveled with fellow villages. (I believe these numbers are based on those having permission to leave; those who left quietly were not counted.)
This is why so many genealogy researchers say study the lists. Any list from that time that is preserved would be worth studying including the land records. In America, study the communities because once the Germans arrived here they tended to live together. If the village of origin for an immigrant cannot be found, see if the associates of the person can be found.
Unfortunately, I do not believe that all Germans went to church. We find missing surnames in Germany, often in the villages of known people, but we cannot find the missing people in the church records. A case in point is my Ludwig Fischer who is even a sponsor once but otherwise leaves no record (that I can find).
(22 Jun 06)
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.