From: soren@ithake.bu.edu (Soren Ryherd)
Newsgroups: soc.roots
Subject: German Palatinate
Summary: yup, a summary
Keywords: palatine, germany, rheinland-pfalz, huguenots
Date: 12 Nov 92 17:14:50 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Boston University


  A few weeks ago I asked about immigration from the Palatine region of
Germany at the time around the start of the eighteenth century.  Here
is a summary of the responses I got in case this is of interest to
others with ancestors from that place and time.  Please don't flame me for
any errors, this is just a summary and I did not do any fact checking:
----------------------------------------------------------------------

  The Palatinate occupied the current part of Germany known as Pfalz-Rheinland
just north of the northeast corner of France.  This area was Protestant
and was involved first in the thirty-years war (1618-1648) with the
French.  Later this area was involved in the war of Spanish Succession,
which may have been the motivating factor for emmigration to the New
World around 1700 or so.

  Frank Deis notes that there was movement from Switzerland into Alsace
and the Palatinate for religious regions, including Dunkards, Brethren,
Amish, and Mennonite.  Many of these groups moved on to help settle
Pennsylvania and surrounding areas.

W.R. Cummins notes that many 18th century immigrants were called
Palatines even though they actually were Huguenots or Swiss as well as
German, and that some immigrants came through Rotterdam on their way
to Britain, and then to Pennsylvania.

Vivien Hick, an expert on the Palatinate, notes that many Palatines
settled in Ireland in the first decade of the eighteenth century, and at
the same time a group came from Ireland to New York.  She also passes on
the following references:

Albert Bernhardt Faust, `The
 German Element in the United States' which is in 2 volumes and was
first published New York 1927 (reprint 1969).
 Then have a look at Walter Knittle's, `Early eighteenth century
palatine Emigration', Philadelphia 1939 (reprint 1965)
You could at the same time examine Henry Z Jones, `The Palatine Families
of New York', 2 vols. New York 1985.

Patrick McCurdy also recommends the Henry Jones volumes.

Karen Fenton notes that many Huguenots settled in the Palatinate and
intermarried with the Germans there.  They were later forced to emigrate
to England and ultimately, America, when the Palatinate became unstable.
She notes that many settled near Kingston and New Paltz, New York and in
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  She also recommends Rupp's History of
Lancaster County, published in 1844, for research on immigrants in that
region.

Donna Reiner passes on that the Palatinate state archives are currently
housed in Speyer, south of Heidelberg, and recommends Pennsylvania
German Research, in Sugarloaf PA (18249) for assistance in accessing
this valuable data.

Thank you's to the following people for passing on valuable information,
and my apologies on the amount of time that has passed since my first
enquiry:

     	Bill Kelly	Fred Deis
	W.R Cummins	Donna Reiner
	Vivien Hick	Patrick McCurdy
	Karen L. Fenton	


-Soren Ryherd		soren@crsa.bu.edu
 Boston University Center for Remote Sensing
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: (no subject given)