Evening star., 1933-10-15
BY DR.. PAUL SCHWARZ.


TIME occasion teing celebrated this
month by Americans of German
descent-the 250th anniversary
1 of the founding Of the first Ger
man settlement on this CONT
nent-is a timely reminder of an in
teresting and sometimes forgotten
chapter in the history of America. For
the voyage of the Mayflower is such
a classic that it is apt to overshadoW
the memory Of the Concord, which
brought to this soil the band Of Ger
man pilgrims led by Franz Daniel Pas
toriuS just $50 years ago.
As a matter CT fact, they were not
the first Germans to come here. though
they Gid constitute the first substa~-
tial group Peter Minuit-or Minre-
wit-who governed New Amsterdam for
the Netherlands and lated established
the New-Sweden colony on the Della
ware, wcS born at Wesel. Germany.
John PrintZ, Governor of New-Sweden
from 1912 to 1853, is believed to have
been really German noble named
Johann, Prince of Buchau, and to have
commanded division under Gustavus
Adolphus in the Thirty Years War.
Johann Lederer did considerable eXplor-
ing in Virginia and the Carolinas IN
1659-70.
Dates Back to 1913.
The story of the voyage of the Con-
cord with the Mennonite pilgrims in
1888 begins really in 1648 with the
Peace of Westphalia. That ill-con-
ceived treaty was as ruinous for Ger
many in the seventeenth century as
was the Treaty Of Versailles in modern
times. One Of the cruelest Of its pro-
visions was that which concerned re-
ligion. It professed to establish re-
ngious liberty, but actually 1t did moth
ing Of the sort. Only Catholics, Luth-
erans and those Of the Reformed
Church were recognized as Christians.
AL others were considered hereucs
and treated accordingly. It would be
more accurate to say mistreated. The
brunt of these prosecutions fell upon
the peace -worshiping Mennonites and
the sect known as Pietists. Six thou
sand of them were wiped out almost at
one stroke by the harsh Spanish rulers
of the Netherlands and in South Ger
many some 5000 perished at the stake.
The first considerable emigration OF
these quiet, pious folk came about
through a meeting between gallant
and studious young Pietist named
Franz Pastorius and William Penn.
Pastorius's real name was Schaefer
which means Shapherd, but accord
ing to the affection of the time in the
~Marned circles Of the middle classes
one Of his forebesrs translated his
patronymic into Latin. Pastorius
Strassburg and Jena, after which he
Travelled extensively through his own
country. through France, Italy. the
low countries and England. On his
Journeys he became acquainted with
several leading Quakers and with Will
liam Penn himself. In 1852 he settled
at Fraakfurt-but not for long-and
became a member Of the Piet;st con-
gregation.
Penn Visited Germany.
Penn Rad made several trips to Ger
many. lie was first sent abroad by his
fathe-- Admiral Penn. presumably in
the hope that travel and contact with
ether nations would cure him of his
religious eccentricities. But young Will
lam took advantage cf the occasion not
to be converted but to spread Quaker
doctrines wherever he went. Among
the Pietists Of Frankfurt he found sew
eral sympathetic friends. for in truth
the Quakers and the followers of Philip
Jckob Spencer had much in common.
died. with the English government
owing the neat, round sum of $4,000
sterling, In the seventeenth century
this vas fortune. Also a severe
strain on the war-depleted treasury Of
England. So the government made a
compromise with the heir Of Admiral
Penn. The young man was modest.
In lieu of the $4,000 he accepted a
piece of land-"north Of Maryland"-
now the State of Pennsylvania.
OF course, at the time it did not seem
to be such bargain-just lot of un-
improved real estate exceedingly far
removed from civilization. Soon after
receiving his charter and the royal
patent appointing him governor, the
shrewd young Quaker set sail to look
over his kingdom.
Intelligent Sales Campaign.
Then followed what would pass today
for a really intelligent sales campaign.
Penn quickly realized that his tremen-
douS estate, an estate the size of three
OF the largest German principalities,
would afford an admirable asylum for
such of the prosecuted religious sects
of Europe as chose to take advantage of
1t. So he had them freely circularized,
with glowing descriptions Of the scenic
beauty. the climate and the potential
fertility of Pennsylvania Evidently
they were effective, for the Pietists of
Frankfurt promptly bought $4,000 acres
OF Pennsylvania, while some $4,000 were
sold to the Mennonites of Krefeld in the
Rhineland.
A corporation was organized called
the Frankfurt Emigration Co., of which
the legal adviser and leader was young
Franz Daniel Pastorius. On April 2,
1888, he left Frankfurt, with his fathers
consent. and went by way of Cologne
and Krefeld to Rotterdam and thence
to England. In Krefeld he stopped to
consult with some Mennonite would
be emigrants and in Rotterdam he saw
Benjamin Furley, one of PENIS agents.
He was accompanied to England by a
small group Of future Pennsylvanians.
On June 6, 1888, they set sail from