The daily gazette., 1879-06-21
SECOND EDITION
SLAVERY IN PENNsHLvANIA.
uy,storv Of the rs--An
interesting Recital.

The Redemptieners, or white slaves as
tl,ey might well be called, came from
Germany, chiefly into Pennsylvania, IN
the first part of the eighteenth century.
Refore l727 they were called Palatines.
Anxious to come to America, Pennsyl-
yania was their goal, and many started
with their little fortunes only to be rob
he'd on the way. They had property at
nome. but were plundered on the seas;
and SO hundreds, even thousands, on
their arrival at Philadelphia, Chester and
Wilmington, had to be sold to pay their
massage money. Under this system many
respectable persons became common
beagars. Many before they left their
German homes, bound themselves to
masters ON their arrival at Philadelphia,
for from five to seven years, and their
masters paid their passages. A clergy
man sometimes accompanied them
MANY persons were compelled to sell
their own children. In the case OF Abra-
ham Peters, and the little girls, one OF
whom he bought, the mother had died on
the trip. The children were sold by the
captain to the first corners. Children
under five years old could not be sold,
but were given gratuitously to any per-
son who agreed to aise them and set
them free when they were twenty-one
wears old. From 172S to l75l manv
thousands of these German Redemption
ers came into Pennsylvania, who bound
or sold themselves for period OF years.
These white slaves were the ancestors of
some very worthy and not few distin-
,,nnpla Santntphpr o1 1897 fhn
ship William and Saran arrivedin Philass J
delphia with four hundred natives OF
the Palatinate, on the Rhine, and with
them Rev. George Michael Weiss, a
German Reformed clergyman who gradu-
ated at Heidelberg. Rev. Johann Cas-
per Slower, missionary, and his son,
Johann Casper Stover, theological stu
dent, arrived in Philadelphia with ninety
Palatines, in the ship Good Will, in Sep
teinber of 112e. He was pastor for
many years of the Lutheran Church al
Lebanon, Pa, where he died in his
seventy-second year, May 13, 1779. In
1851 fifteen thousand of these Germans
came into Pennsylvania from the dis
tricts of Nassau, Waldeck, Witgensteir
and Wettereau.
When there was no clergyman OF
board, the poor emigrants were robded il
various ways, by shipowners, importers
aud sea captains, and there chests, will
their clothing and money, were put OF
other ships and left behind and thos,
who had the means were often held t
pay the passage Of the poorer. So tina
all were necessitated and held to be sole
into what was too often a severe service
or became common tramps. "This infa
nous practice was maintained for mor
Than fifty years." says "Gordon's Hi,to
ry." A list of the families thus added T.
our population contains the names G
thousands now living in all the immedi
ate eastern counties, Montgomery, Leda
hon, York, Northampton, Schnyiklll
l'erks, Northumb arland, ,Dauphin, Lehigf
and Philadelphia. They were mostI
l.itherans, or German Reformed. The
always selected the best lands. In l79C
l45 600 of those Germans were scattere
through Eastern Pennsylvania. They al
excellent farmers, bakers, shoemaker
talors, butchers, millers, tanners, wei
vers, coopers, saidlers, blacksmith
masons, and these occupations aided
the rapid development of the State, al
sent forth new contributions to the lat
republics of the West.-Forney's Pr
gress.