Our Ancestors as Immigrants from Germany
Submitted by Bob Hill
The Holiday Island Genealogy Club, “Rooters”, meets the second Thursday of each month at the Clubhouse, lower level at 10:00 AM. Those who are interested are cordially invited to attend. The following is a story discovered while researching a family history.
The emigration of people from Germany began in the early 1700s. Times were hard and Europe had been in turmoil for a long time. Because of the feudal system, heavy taxation, wars, pestilence, famine, religious persecution and the example of others coming to America, a chance to start a new life, hard as it would be, seemed to make a lot of sense. The Germans were hard working, industrious people and were not afraid to test themselves.
Germany’s religious factions had been simmering ever since 1517 when Martin Luther tacked 95 suggestions for improved service to his local church door in Wittenburg. As opposition to the Catholic Church grew, others took up the idea of reformation. In 1536 John Calvin went to Geneva to teach his form of the new protestant religion. His ideas spread from Switzerland down the Rhine River as far as the Palatinate area of Germany, linking some parts of Switzerland and this portion of Germany by religion.
By 1600, all of Europe was divided between the Catholic and the various forms of protestant religions – Lutheran and Calvinist being the most prominent. Friction between the religious factions grew, reaching a climax when Archduke Ferdinand was elected Emperor of Bohemia. He had been educated by the Jesuits and vowed to eradicate Protestantism wherever he ruled. The Bohemian Diet, upon the urging of protestant leaders, disposed Ferdinand as King and proclaimed Frederick of the Palatinate as King. The result of this action was the Thirty Years’ War which would grow to involve all of Europe.
In 1699 King Charles of Spain died after willing his throne to Prince Philip, grandson of Louis XIV of France. The potential for France to annex all of Spain and her possessions again stirred the fears of Europe and by 1702, Europe was at war again.
When this war ended with the Treaty of Utrecht, Queen Ann of England offered Germans the privilege of emigrating to the English Colonies in America upon the condition that they pledge allegiance to the Crown in the new world. At her death, she was succeeded by George, the Prince of Hanover, and the waves of German emigration began.
There were three big waves of Germans moving to America: 1717-1725, 1732-1737, and 1748-1753. The usual method of the Palatinate Germans who chose to migrate to the new world was to build a large raft on the Rhine River or its tributaries and load it with all their possessions and household goods. Then they would float down the Rhine to Rotterdam where they would sell the boat and such belongings that they could not take with them for passage money on the English ships. The ships took them to England where they were required to take the oath of allegiance to the Crown and then they were reloaded and taken to America, mostly landing in Philadelphia.
Other immigrants made the decision to settle in America after “The Company of the West” headed by a man named John Law started distributing pamphlets in Germany telling of enormous wealth and fertile lands in America and offering transportation to anyone interested in developing the land that would be given to them. These groups made their way to Lorient on the west coast of France and sailed to the gulf coast of America and disembarked off the coast of Mobile. A good many of them settled in Louisiana, along the Mississippi River, as did my ancestors.