Evening star., 1933-10-15
GERMAN PILGRIM LANDING
25O YEARS AGO OBSERVED
Descendants Mark Occasion of Concord's
Arrival With Mennonite Families.
Bought Site Now Germantown.


Joseph Wasey. and reached Philadel-
phia August 20. One Of his fellow pas
sengers was the Welch Quaker, Thomas
Lloyd Now Pastorius knew very little
English and Lloyd could not speak
word Of German, but they were both
Latin scholars On the voyage across
the Atlantic they struck up friendship
which lasted until death.
The first sight of 1858 Philadelphia
was a shock to the exiles from the
Fatherland. A few shacks hastily put
up was all the new City of Brotherly
Love had to offer. Pastorius, though
already quite a travelled person. was
accustomed to cities. He frequently
got lost in the thick woods on the
banks of the Delaware and the Schuyl-
kill.
Landing Main Body.
The main body Of the emigrants, l3
families from Krefeld and Krisheim,
left Gravesend on July "a on the Con-
cord. carrying also "a guns. landing IN
Philadelphia on october 6 A couple
Of weeks later, having surveyed the
district, they settled on IA lots on the
bank Of the Schuylkill, at that time
some two hours away from Ph1ladel-
phia. The place was given the name
Germantown" but soon it got the
nickname "Armentown," which means
"Poortown" In 1851 Germs atown was
Incorporated with its own municipal
government under Pastorius as Its first
bailiff.
His achievement as leader Of this
little colony in the wilderness was the
more remarkable when you consider
that he was mentally and physically
of the scholarly type. No picture OF
Pastorius has come to light IN the
archives. william Penn. who admired
him immensely, describes him as being
slipht. spare OF figure and OF fraN ap-
pearance. His outstanding feature was
a tremendous nose. Gov. Penn treated
the young German with warm friend.
ship and hospitality, even If they did
once or twice have arguments over the
completion Of the payments for the site
Of Germantown.
It is interesting to observe that the
first public protest against slavery was
made by those Pennsylvania Germans.
This document was drawn up and pub
lished in $685. Indeed, a few years
later, in It'll. the Pennsylvania Legis-
lature passed an act prohibiting the i'm
portation of Negroes and Indians into
the province as slaves. 1t was vetoed
by the English crown.
Pastorius opened the first school in
Germantown, and the textbook called
the Pastorius Grammar was published
at the same time. Previous to this,
however. William Rittenhaus-ances-
tor of the Rittenhouse family. as the
name is spelled today-establishe the
first paper mill in America. Kaspar
Wuester was the founder OF the first
glass factory on the continent. He an
ticipated Stiegel. although the beauty
Of the latter's work is today the more
famous.
Ending of Lcng Service.
Pastorius died in 1719, having served
two terms as Assemblyman and twenty
six years as Justice of the Peace.
Two other important pioneers were
the printers, Christopher Saur and his
son. The father was responsible for
the first German calendar printed in
America. also the first Bible. Chris
topher Witt built the first church organ
in the country and the first American
piano was made by German named
Johann Behrent in IT'S.
One Of the best tributes to the Ger
mans of Pennsylvania is entitled:
Memorial of the ease of the German
immigrants settled in the British COL
onies of Pennsylvania, and the back
parts of Maryland. Virginia and so on"
Its author was BENJAMIN Franklin.
One of the spectacular incidents OF
the Revolution occurred in Woodstock,
Va. A young German preacher, having
concluded his sermon. a stirring appeal
fer freedom. stepped down from his
pulpit and dramatically threw of his
ministerial robes and appeared before
his congregation in military uniform.
He told the men Of his flock that the
time had come to defend themselves
and their homes. The male parish
toner's Immediately focked to him and
he recruited company on the spot.
Later he became known in the pages
of American history as Gen. Peter
Muehlenberg.
do not propose to prolong this mar
and achievements of Germans and peo-
pie of German antecedents in the
United States. Every school pupil
knows of the parts played by Won
Steuben and Baron de Kalb in the
Revolution and by Carl Schurz and
Franz Sigel in the Civil War. Perhaps
not so many know that Gen. Custer
wss the son of Hessian soldier named
Keuster, who fought on the side Of the
British. On the other hand, most peo-
pie know that the Brooklyn Bridge was
built by the RoebliEgs
If you scan the history of German
immigration you will find that the best
additions to your population. the first
types Of immigrants. were produced by
spasms of persecution, religious or po-
litical. These spasms seem to occur in
waves and they always follow a period
Of war;
I maintain that the people of Ger
man origin have a legitimate pride in
certain chapters from the history Of
this country I like to think that the
Germans Of Pennsylvania were the first
to take up arms against the British
and as Bancroft remarks: THE Penn
Sylvania Germans were always to be
found on the side of freedom" And
Gouveneur Morris himself said that he
dated American liberty from the valor-
GUS fight for the freedom of the press
made by John Peter Zenger