OUR ANCESTORS FROM THE PALATINATE
Many of our Polk County ancestors were of German stock whose
forefathers had been in America since the 1700's. They had come from an area in Europe along the Rhine River called the Palatinate. These hardy folks
had settled first in Pennsylvania and then moved on to Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois. Their children looked to the West for land and business opportunities.
Many called themselves "Pennsylvania Dutch." The following is an account
describing their journeys to America

When William Penn was granted the land in what is now Pennsylvania in 1681, Penn
traveled to the Rhine provinces in Europe to get settlers for this land. Because there
were political and religious troubles in the Rhineland, many from the area were willing
to give it a try. Other promoters also visited these lands and large numbers of men
with their families were anxious to leave Europe for America with its promise of
religious and political freedom.

They began their journey in the spring and would not arrive at a port in America
until fall, taking nearly six months. The first leg would be down the Rhine River
to a seaport. This sounds easy enough but actually there were many custom houses
along the river where the ship was held to be examined by officials, so that the
river trip took several weeks. When they arrived at the seaport, the ships were
again held causing the passengers to spend a good deal of their money before
their journey had hardly begun.

Then the ships sailed to one of the English ports and there would be another delay,
while they waited to get through customs or for favorable winds. Mittelberger's
Journey to Pennsylvania (pub. 1888) says, "the real misery begins with the long
voyage. For from England, the ships, unless they have good wind, must often sail
eight, nine, ten to twelve weeks before they reach Philadelphia. But even with the
best wind the voyage lasts seven weeks."

Passengers suffered undescribable miseries on the ocean voyage. They were usually
crowded into the hold, sometimes not being allowed on deck either because of
weather, or the captain's whim. They lacked sanitary facilities, clean water, and proper
food. Those who were not strong succumbed to diseases, especially children. A Polk
County family tells of their great grandmother who began her journey with a husband
and three daughters. She arrived in America alone, her husband and children had
died of diphtheria on the ship.

The storms which the ships encountered terrorized the people in the hold. They were
tossed about with every huge wave that caused the ship to rise and dive. A storm could last for two or three days.

When they finally arrived at an American port, the ships were held to be searched by
health officers and when disease was found, the passengers were not allowed to
disembark. Some were sent back to England on the ship's return trip.

Mittleberger says,"After the physician's examinations, the new arrivals are led in procession to City Hall and there they must render the oath of allegiance to the king of Great Britain. After that they are brought back to the ship. Then announcements are printed in the newspapers, stating how many of the new arrivals are to be sold. Those who have money are released. Whoever has well-to-do friends seeks a loan from them to pay the passage, but there are only a few who succeed. The ship becomes the market-place. The buyers make their choice among the arrivals and bargain with them for a certain number of years and days. Then they take them to the merchant, pay their passage and their other debts and receive from the government authorities a written document, which makes the newcomers their property for a definite period."

This was called "indenture" and many of our ancestors worked off the price of their passage in this way.

The above information taken from "Pennsylvania German Pioneers" by Ralph Beaver Strassburger, Vol 1.  If this book is not in your local library, it is usually available
on inter-library loan. It contains passenger lists to the port of Philadelphia from the years 1727 - 1775 and is a valuable research aid.

Last update March 4, 1997