The story of the 1710 Palatine immigration to New York, or, in general, the 1709 emigration from Germany, is important to the study of German emigration in the Eighteenth Century. It had an effect upon the 1713 emigration from the Nassau-Siegen region. These first emigrants to Virginia made such a favorable impression on Lt. Gov. Spotswood of Virginia that he abetted a ship’s captain in bringing a shipload of Germans, which constituted the Second Colony in Virginia. [On a personal level, the ships which arrived in New York in 1710 brought some of my wife’s ancestors. She can say that her ancestors were here first. Then we have to ask who met the boat.]
Did the 1709 emigration have an effect on the Nassau-Siegen emigration of 1713? Hank Jones identified more than 200 people from the vicinity of Siegen who left in 1709 and I don’t believe he found nearly all of the people. A few names from the sixth party which departed from Rotterdam in 1709 include (remember these names were written by the Dutch):
Johan Fredrik Heger, the son of Henry Hager of Virginia. The son was ordained in London as an Anglican minister and charged with trying to convert the Palatines to the Anglican faith. He worked hard along the Hudson and was ill supported from London.
Some other names include:
Henrig Hoffman, vr. (&) kinderen [Henrich Hoffman, wife, and children (2)],
Johan Bast [Sebastian] Fischbag [Fischbach],
Anonius Lueck,
Tieleman [Tillman] Schriber [Schreiber or Schneider],
Johan Henrig Stuel,
Johan Henrig Arendorff & vr & kind’,
Albert Becker & vr. (&) kinderen,
Peter Heydee & vr (&) kinder (1) [Heite or Heide],
Hans Henrig Becker,
Hans Willem Sneider & vr (&) kinderen (6),
Jacob Kolb & vr (&) kinderen (2),
Johan Jacob Schneider,
Diderig Fischbaeg,
Johan Diderig Schniter & vr (&) kinderen (6),
Johan Wilgellem Sneiter, Johan Becker & vr (&) kind (1),
Johannes Junge wed [widower] & kinder (5),
Joost Fischbag, Henrig Schneider (&) vr (&) kind,
Johan Nikel Jung & vr
For anyone who has read the history of Oberfischbach or of Trupbach, the above names sound like homecoming week. Naturally, the departure of so many people from the area would set those who remained behind to thinking about the possibilities for themselves. What the fate was of these people who are named above is uncertain except for Frederich Haeger, who did go to New York. Hank Jones did identify about 200 people from the Siegen-Dillenburg area who made it to New York.
I started this miniseries because I wanted to bring to your attention the pioneering work of Rev. Sanford Cobb in recording early German immigration. One sees his work in later works. Here I did not use the book he wrote but used the speech he read before the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society in 1897. There were a few points where Cobb erred but he did help to give the Germans their just due in the history of the Colonies and America. In this Note, I have added material not to be found in Cobb’s work to bring it closer to home.
(18 Oct 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.