Page News & Courier

Heritage and Heraldry

The plight and flight of Page County's German immigrants

Article of October 21, 1999

In a previous article, you may recollect that we left our friends of The Palatinate (many of whom ultimately found their way to the area that became Page County at a much later time) in the midst of a most horrific Thirty Years War. As you will also recall, this was not the end of their hardships in Germany. While there was indeed a brief intermission between wars, by 1688, The Palatinate was once again in the midst of yet another war - the War of the Grand Alliance. Once again, troops of the French monarch Louis XIV ravaged the Rhenish Palatinate, causing the first great effort by Germans in that region to take leave of their homeland. Many of these people ultimately made their way to America, creating the first of the group of people later better known as Pennsylvania Dutch.

But this one was just one of two that the residents of the Palatinate would endure until 1697. The War of the Palatinate or War of The League of Augsburg, began in 1688 when Louis XIV laid claim to The Palatinate. Ultimately, havoc ruled and the Palatines were devastated until the wars drew to a close in 1697. Though the Palatines had sustained unspeakable hardships, there was more yet to come – specifically the War of the Spanish Succession that began in 1702 and lasted until 1713. To make matters even worse, the winter of 1708-1709 was extremely severe, destroying many of the lush vineyards of the region.

Therefore, the time was ripe for an exodus from Germany. Beginning with an invitation from Queen Anne in the spring of 1709, approximately 7,000 Palatines sailed down the Rhine to Rotterdam – a trip that took from 4 to 6 weeks with tolls and fees demanded by authorities of the territories along the way. Rotterdam, in turn, would be the main “distribution point” for all emigrants bound for America by a special situation worked out by William Penn. Soon overflowing with approximately 1,000 Palatines per week, Rotterdam was overcome. While some took a direct route to America, others were making the transit via England. However, overcome there too, the British government issued a Royal proclamation in German that all arriving after October 1709 would be sent back to Germany. Despite the action, London had swelled with 32,000 former Palatines by November 1709. Most were forced to winter over in England until arrangements could be made for transportation to America.

While the majority made flight toward the “New World” full of hope and promise, a sizeable amount ended up in Ireland as permanent residents in order to strengthen the protestant interest on that unstable island. Many of these people, however, opted later to make their way to Pennsylvania and Canada.

Therefore, an abundant number of these hard-shipped Palatines, at least those fortunate enough to have survived wars and winter, desired to take their chances in a new and alien world. Some left for individual reasons, many left for a combination of reasons (did I forget to mention taxation as an added incentive to leave?) Nevertheless, the English colonies offered another chance at survival, in what would hopefully be less hostile. But did they really realize the hardships that lay ahead since they would form a nice buffer between the English and French in an untamed environment with hostile Native Americans?

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