Immigration and STÖCKLY / STAKELY

"A book, Pennsylvania Dutch Pioneers, written by Strassburger and Hinke, and published by The Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1966, is a thorough work on immigration to America from the German states. It is a much more complete book than that written by Rupp years ago.

Conditions in Germany in the 17^th and 18^th centuries were very bad due to constant wars among the different states. Rival princes would readily commit their helpless populace to wars for the sake of avenging petty insults, real or imagined. When William Penn advertised his property in the new world as a haven from wars and religious persecution, with plenty of land, he found a receptive audience among the people on the lower Rhine and among the Franconian Mountains.

Arrivals from Germany were sparse in the late 1600’s, but in the early 1700’s they became so many that the governing authorities in Pennsylvania became concerned that a new German state of questionable loyalty would be formed. Beginning in the 1720’s, each arrival was required to swear his allegiance to the British Crown. All ship manifests were required to be registered so that no person escaped this early day loyalty oath. Thus, we have a record of German immigrants through Philadelphia Harbor.

The trip from Germany was an ordeal which only desperate people would endure. Often, years of saving would be sent entirely for passage. The trip usually started at Heilbronn, on a tributary of the Rhine (Neckar River), beginning in May. Passage was generally unobstructed, north, until Holland was entered. From that point, Dutch authorities extracted tolls to allow passage at every city along the river. By the time the last toll was paid at Rotterdam, ship passengers had little left. Usually, the next stop was Cowes, an island off the English coast, where such repairs and preparations as possible were made for the trip across the Atlantic. Once Cowes was left behind, the next land to be sighted was America, but it was a long and dangerous journey which many did not survive. Storms and scurvy took a heavy toll.

Arrival in Philadelphia Harbor came at the end of October in many cases, sometimes earlier, depending on winds. Once there, the sick were not allowed to debark, but were forced onto an island where they recovered or died. The healthy were marched to the courthouse, where they were forced to make their oaths. Then, just as cold, wet weather set in, they were released. The New World was hostile. They had no money, no jobs, no shelter, and no knowledge of the official language of Pennsylvania. They survived as best they could. Some located relatives who lent a helping hand. Others begged.

The typical immigrant became a farmer. He located a tract of unused land, built a lean-to, and began farming. Thereafter, Pennsylvania bloomed and became wealthy. The Germans were thrifty, hard-working and dedicated to good order.

The ship that brought our Stakely forebear to America was the Harle, captained by Ralph Harle. Christian Stöckly, age 25, debarked on September 1, 1736. Of the three lists containing his name, one spells it as Steckel, and two as Stöckly. There is some hint that the name might have originally have been Stöckl. At any rate, palatine pronunciation of the name closely approximates Stakely.

Christian Stöckly may have been the benefactor of several of his relatives who still lived in Germany. Others of his name arrived in 1750, 1754, 1764 and 1765. He may have saved his money and paid their passage. There is no record of any immigrant of his name before him.

In the years since that time, the Stöckly name has come to be spelled different ways. It is said that the Stokely’s of canning fame are from this name. Others spell the name as Steckel, Stoeckle, Stukely, etc. Each spelling is just as valid as that of Stakely.

Family traditions state that religious and political freedoms were the reasons why Christian Stöckly came to America. Tradition says he may have been a German Baptist. If he was, the oath of allegiance must have grated his conscience.

The identification of Christian Stöckly as the forebear of our Stakely family apparently was originally done by an W. N. Stakely of Oakville, Connecticut, and later duplicated by one Hanson S. Keller of Birmingham, Alabama. We are greatly indebted to these two genealogists."