USA > South Carolina > History of the German settlements and of the Lutheran church in North and South Carolina : from the earliest period of the colonization of the Dutch, German, and Swiss settlers to the close of the first half of the present century > Part 5
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settlers from their native country. Seckendorff wrote his history but twenty-four years previous to the last Protestant exodus from the Palatinate.
In connection with this fact we have the addi- tional proof, that the most of those twelve thousand Palatine Germans, who fled to England to enjoy Queen Anne's protection, and who settled in New York and other provinces, were members of the Lutheran Church, and it is but reasonable to con- clude that their brethren in North Carolina were of the same faith with themselves.
The story of their religion in their newly adopted country is soon told, which may be gathered from the correspondence between De Graffenreid and the Bishop of London, published in Hawks' His- tory, and reads as follows :
"MY GOOD AND EXCELLENT LORD :
"The misfortune I met with in all being unexpect- edly hurried away from London to New Castle to meet my Swissers, in order to transport them into North Carolina after those six hundred and fifty Palatines I had sent before, which unlooked-for arri- val of them so far north, gave me notice to pay my duty to your lordship, whom then, I was told, was neither in London nor at Fulham. I can assure your lordship no person of any rank is unacquainted with that great and good character your lordship has and merits. So I can make no excuse on that behalf, but heartily beg pardon, and at the same time humbly request your lordship to accept of me and my people, and receive us into your Church under your lordship's patronage, and we shall esteem ourselves happy sons
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of a better stock, and, I hope, shall always behave ourselves as becomes members of the Church of Eng- land, and dutiful children of so pious and indulgent a father as your lordship is to all under your care, in all obedience. Craving your lordship's blessing to me and my countrymen here, I make bold to subscribe, " My lord, yours, &c., "C. DE GRAFFENREID."
The answer of the Bishop of London to this epistle is contained in a letter to the Secretary, an extract of which is furnished us by Dr. Hawks.
"FULHAM, 12th January, 1711-12.
" SIR :
"As to the letter of Baron Graffenreid, whereby you may perceive that they are all ready to conform to the Church of England: if the Society will be pleased to allow a stipend for a chaplain to read Common Prayers in High Dutch (German), I will endeavor to provide one so soon as I have their reso- lution, which I would willingly hear so soon as pos- sible, that I may send him over with Mr. Rainsford.
"I am, sir, yours, &c., " H. LONDON."
It is presumed that the bishop was successful in sending to this German and Swiss colony a clergyman of the English Church, who could minister to them in their native language, and thus these German Protestants glided gradually into the Episcopal Church. They may have been induced to take this step from the following mo- tives : they had no pastor of their own faith, and
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thus were destitute of the means of grace; they had been kindly treated by the English sovereign and her people, and a feeling of gratitude for their benefactors led them to think very favorably of the religious faith of the English people; and furthermore, the Church of England was the established religion in the Carolinas.
Some of the names of these Germans are still on record; in the list of jurymen, in Craven pre- cinct, dated 1723, we find, among others, the follow- ing undoubted German names: Christian Eslar, Christian Slaver, John Lecher Miller, Jacob Miller, Matthew Rasenober, John Dipp, John Simons, Henry Perk, Henry Perlerbo, John Wixedell, Michael Resabel, and Martin Franke. " An old document, signed by the Palatines," says Dr. Hawks, " gives us the following German names, yet familiar in Craven and the adjacent counties : Eslar (now Isler), Grum (Croom), Rennege, Mohr (Moore), Eibach (Hypock), Morris," and a number of others. " Of the Swiss, we find Coxdaille (Cog- dell), from whom, on the maternal side, descend the North Carolina branch of the families of Stanly and Badger."
Section 8. The German settlers in Charleston, S. C.
We will now direct our attention to one more German settlement along the seacoast, whose history must not be omitted, and then we will turn our faces inland. James Island, S. C., oppo- site Charleston, has had our attention; New-
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berne, N. C., came next; no settlement of any note was as yet established along the Cape Fear River, and Wilmington, N. C., had no existence at that early date; but Charleston, the principal seaport of the Carolinas, was a flourishing town, and commanded a considerable share of the emi- gration to America ; and the Germans, who sought and found a habitation in so many parts of Amer- ica, during the commencement of the eighteenth century, also found a home in this locality. We have a few facts upon which we can build a very safe conclusion as to the probable date of the ar- rival of German settlers in Charleston, but no direct testimony has as yet been discovered, in which the year and day of their landing is men- tioned.
Queen Anne of England caused lands to be do- nated in the Province of South Carolina to the German refugees from the Palatinate, as Dr. Haze- lius informs us in his History, p. 25; this must have been done before the 31st of July, 1714, when her majesty departed this life. And we ask, would this grant have been made if there were no German Palatines remaining in her realm, or expected soon to arrive, for whom this location was provided ? Or, is it likely that none of these Palatine Germans came to the port of Charles- ton, when they were landed at the seaports of other provinces in America, especially as an abun- dance of land in the Province of South Carolina was provided for them, and in order to reach the locality of that grant they had to be landed in
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Charleston, even though they did not occupy, at that time, the lands of that grant, as we are in- formed by Dr. Hazelius ?
The colony of the pious Salzburgers, with their pastors, Bolzius and Gronau, landed first at Char- leston in the early part of March, 1734, before their arrival at Ebenezer, Georgia; and in Rev. Bolzius' journal, found in Force's Collection of Historical Tracts, we have the following state- ment, dated " Charleston, March 7th, 1734:" " We found here some Germans, who were very glad of our arrival, and will come to us, in order to receive the sacrament."
Next comes the statement of Strobel's History of the Salzburgers, p. 59: " Remaining in Charles- ton a few days, the Salzburgers re-embarked on the 9th day of March."
In Urlsperger's Nachrichten, Rev. Bolzius gives us a lengthy account of his visit to Charleston, in company with Baron Von Reck, in the following May; he arrived there on the 23d of May, 1734, and left again for his home in Ebenezer, May 26th. Here we have the following record : " A certain glazier and his wife, who are from the Palatinate, went with us to the Holy Supper, and manifested great attention and earnestness ; their love for the word of God and the holy sacraments is so great, that they are determined to remain no longer in Charleston, and have concluded to remove to Ebenezer as soon as possible. They have many children, which will enlarge our small school.
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Both these parents will be very useful to us in our house arrangements."
The above records settle the matter conclu- sively, that there were Germans residing in Char- leston previous to the early part of 1734; that they were then sufficiently numerous to have the word of God preached to them, and to enjoy a communion season ; and that some of them were from the Palatinate.
But how far back we are to date their arrival in Charleston is uncertain; they could not have settled there before 1708, as the exodus of Palat- inate refugees into England did not take place until that time, and after the Queen's proclama- tion, inviting them to the hospitalities of her realm; and they certainly were living there in 1734.
These Germans did not occupy the lands granted them along the Congaree River, and for a very good reason ; those lands were located too far in- land for that period of time, being about one hun- dred miles remote from Charleston ; that location would have been an unsafe dwelling-place at the time, for even Orangeburg County was not much settled until 1735, and that locality is much nearer the seaboard than the Saxe-Gotha grant on the Congaree River. The presumption then is, that when the Palatine Germans arrived at Charleston, they remained there and in the vicinity.
A number of Germans having thus located them- selves in Charleston, and their wants having be- come known to the pastors of the Salzburg colony
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as they passed through to Ebenezer, these holy men resolved to do something for the spiritual welfare of their beloved brethren of the same faith in this town. Accordingly, on the 23d of May, 1734, Rev. Bolzius accompanied Baron Von Reck, Lord Commissary of the Ebenezer colony, as far as Charleston, on his return to Europe, where they remained a few days; and from Rev. Bolzius' journal we quote the following account of the first communion administered there among the Ger- mans.
" May 23, 1734 .- We were informed in Savannah where we could best lodge in Charleston, and we likewise found very friendly people in the hotel, with many accommodations there for reasonable charges. Several Germans of our Evangelical Confession mentioned to me and our Commissary their desire to commune at the Lord's table, for which they have had a great longing for a long time. I therefore determined to remain here over Sunday, and prepare the people from the word of God for this solemn exercise.
"May 25 .- Many persons of distinction in this place showed us great attention, and constrained us to dine and sup with them, which we would rather decline, as in so doing we would be sub- jected to many dissipations of mind and heart. To-day those persons came to me, who had noti- fied their intention to commune, in order that I might hold some scriptural conversation with them; as far as time and opportunity permitted, I discoursed with them on the importance and
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benefit of the Holy Supper, as well as the require- ments of true Christianity. We deemed it advis- able that, as those persons would hear us but once or twice, to press home upon their hearts the most needful truths, and to instil upon their memory ' the order of salvation,' together with several im- portant Scripture passages.
" May 26 .- This day a fine opportunity presented itself for me to return, and arrive at Ebenezer in a few days, consequently, I was compelled to leave Charleston to-day. I therefore assembled the com- municants early, at 5 A.M., when we all sang sev- eral hymns, and I discoursed upon some of the important and practical truths from the gospel of to-day. After sermon we all fell upon our knees, and the Lord Commissary prayed very fervently to God in the name of the whole congregation. After the absolution and the celebration of the Lord's Supper, I prepared myself for the home- ward journey. It was very remarkable to me, that a certain German shoemaker had also noti- fied himself as being desirous to commune, but he came to my room after the services were ended, because, as he remarked, the house where I lodged had been locked. Afterwards I learned that this very man was a drinking character, who associ- ated himself with low company, but which I could neither discover in his outward appearance, nor from his conversation, and had presumed something good of him in my short intercourse with him; I was, therefore, rejoiced that he was prevented from coming to the table of the Lord. A certain
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glazier and his wife, who are from the Palatinate, went with us to the Holy Supper, and manifested great attention and earnestness ; their love for the word of God and the holy sacraments is so great that they are determined to remain no longer in Charleston, and have concluded to remove to Ebenezer as soon as possible. They have many children, which will enlarge our small school. Both these persons will be very useful to us in our house arrangements."
In 1742 the Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, D.D., visited Charleston ; he had been sent from the Mission Society of Halle, in Germany, to labor in Pennsylvania, but it was made his duty first to visit the colony at Ebenezer, Georgia, and landed at Charleston on 21st of September, where he re- mained but three days, and then proceeded to Ebenezer.
Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg did not remain long with the pastors of the Salzburg colony, and, as soon as he had somewhat refreshed and strengthened him- self from the effects of his perilous and wearisome voyage to America, he returned to Charleston in company with Rev. Bolzius, who had intended to accompany him to Philadelphia, and there induct him into his office; however, as no vessel was ex- pected to sail from Charleston to Philadelpha for several months, Rev. Bolzius, after having remained a few days, returned to his own field of labor in Ebenezer.
Rev. Muhlenberg was a man of no idle habits, and, from the time of this, his second arrival in
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Charleston, October 20th, 1742, whilst waiting for an opportunity to reach his destined field of labor, to November 12th of the same year, when he set sail in a very small and frail vessel for Philadel- phia, he employed himself in laboring for the spiritual welfare of the Germans in Charleston. During his stay he made his home in the family of a painter, named Theus, the brother of a Ger- man Reformed minister, who labored in Saxe- Gotha, South Carolina, along the Congaree River. On Sundays Dr. Muhlenberg preached to several German families that had congregated themselves in Mr. Theus' house, and during the other days of the week he catechized their children, who were thus instructed in all the principles of the Christian religion, according to this excellent and ancient custom.
Eleven years later, A.D. 1753, the Revs. Chris- tian Rabenhorst and M. Gerock, A.M., arrived at Charleston, upon the same vessel, from Germany, on their way to their respective fields of labor ; the former having been appointed by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in Foreign Parts as the third pastor at Ebenezer, and the latter, as the Lutheran pastor in Lancaster, Penna .; both of these ministers labored a short time in Charleston whilst they tarried there.
Section 9. The Swiss colony at Purysburg, S. C., A.D. 1732.
In Beaufort County, S. C., some thirty miles inland from the seacoast, and situated on the east
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bank of the Savannah River, there was once a flourishing German town and colony, named Purysburg. The inhabitants came from Switzer- land, and under circumstances very similar to those of the settlers of Newberne, N. C .; for, what De Graffenreid and Mitchell were to the colony on the confluence of the Neuse and Trent Rivers, that Purry, Richard, Meuron, and Ray- mond were to the Swiss settlers on the east side of the Savannah River.
In the year 1731, "John Peter Purry, of Neuf- châtel, in Switzerland, formerly a Director-Gen- eral of the French East-India Company, having formed the design of leaving his native country, paid a visit to Carolina in order to inform himself of the circumstances and situation of that province. After viewing the lands," and satisfying his own mind, by means of personal observation, of the fertility of the soil, eligibility as to climate and situation for a settlement of his countrymen, "he returned to Britain. The government there en- tered into a contract with him, and agreed to give him lands, and four hundred pounds sterling for every hundred effective men he could transport from Switzerland to Carolina." ( Mills' Statistics of South Carolina, page 369.)
Whilst Mr. Purry was in Charleston, he drew up the following flattering account of the soil and cli- mate of South Carolina, and of the excellency and freedom of the provincial government, and on his return to Switzerland published it among the people. It reads as follows :
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" PROPOSALS BY MR. PETER PURRY, OF NEUFCHATEL, FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF SUCH SWISS PROTESTANTS AS SHOULD AGREE TO ACCOMPANY HIM TO CAROLINA, TO SETTLE A NEW COLONY.
"There are only two methods, viz .: one for persons to go as servants, the other to settle on their own account.
"1. Those who are desirous to go as servants must be carpenters, vine-planters, husbandmen, or good laborers.
"2. They must be such as are not very poor, but in a condition to carry with them what is suf- ficient to support their common necessity.
"3. They must have at least three or four good shirts, and a suit of clothes each.
"4. They are to have each for their wages one hundred livres yearly, which make fifty crowns of the money of Neufchâtel, in Switzerland, but their wages are not to commence till the day of their arrival in Carolina.
"5. Expert carpenters shall have suitable en- couragement.
"6. The time of their contract shall be three years, reckoning from the day of their arrival in that country.
"7. They shall be supplied in part of their wages with money to come from Switzerland, till they embark for Carolina.
"8. Their wages shall be paid them regularly at the end of every year ; for security whereof they shall have the fruits of their labor, and generally
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all that can be procured for them, whether mova- bles or immovables.
"9. Victuals and lodgings from the day of their embarkation shall not be put to their account, nor their passage by sea.
"10. They shall have what money they want advanced during the term of their service in part of their wages to buy linen, clothes, and all other necessaries.
"11. If they happen to fall sick, they shall be lodged and nourished gratis, but their wages shall not go on during their illness, or that they are not able to work.
"12. They shall serve, after recovery, the time they had lost during their sickness.
"13. What goes to pay physicians or surgeons shall be put to their account.
" As to those who go to settle on their own ac- count, they must have at least fifty crowns each, because their passage by sea and victuals will cost them twenty to twenty-five crowns, and the rest of the money shall go to procure divers things which will be absolutely necessary for the voyage." (Carroll's Collections, vol. ii, pp. 121, et seq.)
Here follows also, from the same author :
"A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. DRAWN UP AT CHARLES-TOWN, IN SEPTEMBER, 1731.
"The King of Great Britain having about three years ago purchased this province of the Lords- Proprietors thereof, has since studied to make
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agriculture, commerce, and navigation flourish in it. His Majesty immediately nominated Colonel Johnson, a worthy gentleman, to be Governor thereof; who, at his departure for Carolina, re- ceived divers orders and instructions, &c. His Majesty further grants to every European servant, whether man or woman, fifty acres of land free of all rents for ten years, which shall be distributed to them after having served their master for the time agreed on.
"In consequence of these instructions, Mr. Purry was permitted to go and choose on the borders of the river Savannah land proper to build the town of Purysburg upon; and having found it such as he wished, the government made him a grant thereof under the great seal of the Province, dated 1st September, 1731, and at the same time pub- lished throughout the whole country a prohibition to all sorts of persons to go and settle on the said land, which is already called the Swiss Quarter.
"In order to facilitate the execution of this undertaking in the best manner, the Assembly granted to the said Mr. Purry four hundred pounds sterling, and provisions sufficient for the mainte- nance of three hundred persons for one year, pro- vided they be all persons of good repute and Swiss Protestants, and that they come to Carolina within the space of two years.
" The river Savannah is one of the finest in all Carolina, the water good, and stored with excellent fish. It is about the largeness of the Rhine, and
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there are two forts already built upon it, which the Indians have never dared to attack.
"The town of Purysburg will be situated thirty miles from the sea, and about seven miles from the highest tide. The land about it is a most de- lightful plain, and the greatest part very good soil, especially for pasturage, and the rest proper enough for some productions. It was formerly called the great Yemassee Port, and is esteemed by the inhabitants of the Province the best place in all Carolina, although never yet possessed but by the Indians, who were driven from thence by the English several years ago, and have never dared to return thither. All sorts of trees and plants will grow there as well as can be wished, particularly vines, wheat, barley, oats, pease, beans, hemp, flax, cotton, tobacco, indigo, olives, orange trees, and citron trees, as also white mulberry trees for feeding of silk-worms.
"The lands will not be difficult to clear, because there is neither stones nor brambles, but only great trees, which do not grow very thick, so that more land may be cleared there in one week than could be done in Switzerland in a month. The custom of the country is, that after having cut down these great trees, they leave the stumps for four or five years to rot, and afterwards easily root them up in order to manure the land."
The remainder of Mr. Purry's description of South Carolina is of so general a character that it would add nothing to the interest of this sketch. He gave such a flattering account of the country
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that many Switzers were induced to emigrate with him to Carolina. This document published in pamphlet form was then signed by four gentle- men, and extensively distributed. The conclusion reads as follows :
" We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, do attest that all which is contained in this account of South Carolina is the real truth, having been eye-witnesses of the most part of the particulars therein mentioned.
" Done at Charlestown the 23d of September, 1731.
" JOHN PETER PURRY, of Neufchâtel, " JAMES RICHARD, of Geneva,
" ABRAHAM MEURON, of St. Sulpy, in the county of Neufchâtel, "HENRY RAYMOND, of St. Sulpy."
After Mr. Purry's return to Switzerland, and his proposals having become generally known, the people flocked to him without delay, and he soon made every preparation necessary for the safety and comfort of the colonists, who placed themselves under his charge. Mills, in his Statistics of South Carolina, page 369, states : "Immediately one hun- dred and seventy Switzers agreed to follow him, to be transported to the fertile and delightful prov- ince, as he described it," so that in a few months they were ready to enter upon their long voyage, which was doubtless a prosperous one; for they left England about the 1st of August, 1732, and arrived in Charleston during the following Novem- ber.
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The Governor of South Carolina, agreeably to instructions, allowed them forty thousand acres of land for their settlement, which was surveyed and located on the east side of the Savannah River, where a town was laid out for their accommoda- tion, and named Purysburg, after the founder of the colony and the promoter of its settlement. The interest in favor of this new enterprise continued in Switzerland for some time. Not long after- wards some two hundred more settlers were added to the new colony, who likewise arrived safely in Carolina.
It was the intention of the Swiss settlers, in con- nection with the other more necessary articles of husbandry, to plant the vine, and also to give their attention to the rearing and manufacturing of silk, for which this Province appeared to be admirably adapted, as the climate was warm, and the soil very productive for the growing of a variety of grapes, and the planting of the white mulberry tree, on which the tender silk-worm feeds. The Governor and Council likewise were happy in the acquisition of such a force, who, by their knowl- edge of these various branches of industry, gave promise of great service to the Province. "They allotted to each of them a separate tract of land, and gave every encouragement in their power to the people. The Swiss emigrants began their labors of raising silk and planting the vine with uncommon zeal and energy, highly elevated with the idea of possessing landed estates." (Mills, p 370.)
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Rev. Bolzius visited Purysburg on his way to Charleston, in May, 1734, not two years after its settlement, and speaks highly of it in his journal as follows: "This town is built upon the more elevated banks of the river, and, as many wealthy people reside here, it is hoped that in a short time it will become a considerable town. The inhabi- tants labor industriously in their gardens and fields, and persons can already procure here fresh meats, eggs, garden vegetables, even more than in Savannah. We were shown all kindness, and sev- eral of the inhabitants besought us to return soon again, and administer the communion."
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