USA > Virginia > History of the German element in Virginia, Vol I > Part 3
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14
It is very probable that many of the German settlers mar- ried English women and thereby became anglicized.
Acquisitions of a different and decidedly unfavorable char- acter were also made to the population of the colony. One hundred criminals were, by the order of King James, sent over to be sold for a term of years as servants to the planters, and this beginning created a desire on part of some of the colonists to employ labor and the opportunity to gratify it came only too soon.
In 1620 a Dutch ship from Africa touched at Jamestown and landed twenty negroes, who were sold for lifetime as slaves, and thus the abominable institution of slavery was introduced, spreading gradually over the entire territory of the English colonies - and it became the curse of the inhabitants. In the beginning slavery was only silently tolerated, but in the course of time slave holding, slave breeding and slave trade were pro- tected by law. However, the great majority of the colonists
30
were opposed to the institution and especially to the importa- tion of negroes, and only through the influence of the large land-owners, mostly English lords, was slavery forced on Vir- ginia. Twenty-three statutes were passed by the House of Burgesses to prevent the importation of slaves, but all were vetoed by the English government. The general education was pur- posely neglected and even from the pulpit slavery was declared to be a divine institution.23) The Church was urged to keep the mass of the people in a state of ignorance, for fear, that with the progress of intellect the right of humanity might be recognized. Sir William Berkeley, who was appointed gover- nor in 1641, said in the year 1671 in a report to the English government, "I thank God there are no frec-schools or print- ing, for learning has brought disobedience and heresy and sects into the world, and printing has divulged them and libels against the best government. God keep us from both !"-And in fact, not until 1736 was the first newspaper published in Virginia.24) In 1730 a prohibitory law was issued, forbidding the German printer John Buckner, who had set up the first printing press in the mother colony, to publish in print. the laws of the government." A school law was not passed by the Assembly until 1796, and it was never carried out. In 1818 and 1846 additional laws were passed, but unfortunately,25) as in the case of the law of 1796, it was left optional with the counties to adopt or reject it, and the result was a failure to secure any State system. The census of 1860 showed only Số, 443 pupils in 3778 schools, so-called, though many were but private classes in which some public fund pupils were in- structed. Not until the year 1870 was the present excellent public school law inaugurated in Virginia and at once the en- rolment showed for that year 157,841 pupils in all schools, - an immense advance on any previous year.
Slave holding also had most injurious effects on the de- velopment of industry and commerce. As long as the mass of a people is without an own income, - as long as all the pro-
23 ) "Geschichte der deutschen Schulbestrebungen in Amerika," by Herrmann Schu- richt, p. 4. Leipzig, 1884. .
24 ) Compare, "History of Printing," by Thomas.
25.) Report of the Commissioner of Education for 1876, p 401. Washington, govern- ment printing office, 1878.
31
ducts of the soil are the property of a few, -there is no mar- ket except for farm produce and no exchange for surplus. This is shown by statistics. Of imports, the share of the South as compared with the free states before the war of secession, was like 40 to 321, and this proves, that a very small portion of the southern commerce was in southern hands. There certainly would have been tenfold more commerce and manufacture in Virginia and the other southern states, if there had been intelli- gent, industrious and patriotic free laborers, receiving pay for their work and spending their money for the necessaries and luxuries of life. But for slavery, Virginia would to-day be, as it was in 1790, the most populous state of the Union, as well as the most wealthy and influential. Slavery still had another dis- astrous effect, - it has the tendency to degrade free labor and to render the free laborer worthless. The habit of giving prefer- ence to slave-labor has operated to the prejudice of free labor. It has caused the population of little means to grow up in idle- ness, to think labor degrading, to be incapable of earnest regular work, and it kept away immigration of white workingmen, be- cause they disliked to be looked down upon and treated as ne- groes.
The German settlers, whose number was much larger than is generally conceded, were with very few exceptions opposed to slavery, - resulting to their great disadvantage. The slave- holders consequently distrusted the Germans and a new feeling of animosity towards them sprang up. Their political influence was curtailed, and the majority of them submitted in order to secure toleration and peace. In this way a valuable civil ele- ment was almost excluded from building up the future state, - but only in political respects and not in its social and economical life. In farming and in commerce the Germans became impor- tant factors, as will be shown hereafter. But outside of slavery there was another obstacle in the path of quick development of the colony, that impeded foreign and particularly German immigration.
"The feudal system," says Mr. Ben. Perley Poor,26) "was transplanted to Virginia from England and the royal grants of
26.) "History of Agriculture of the United States," by Ben. Perleg Poor, U. S. Agricul - tural Report of 1866, p. 505.
.
32
land gave the proprietors, - mostly favorites of the King, - baronial power. One of these grants or "patents," as they were called, gave the patentee the right to divide the said tract or ter- ritory of land into counties, hundreds, parishes, tithings, town- ships, hamlets and boroughs, and to erect and build cities, towns, etc., and to endow the same at their free will and pleasure, and did appoint them full and perpetual patrons of all churches, with power also to divide a part or parcel of said tract or terri- tory, or portion of land, into manors and to call the same after their own or any of their names, or by other name or names whatsoever ; and within the same to hold court in the nature of a court baron, and to hold pleas of all actions, trespasses, cove- nants, accounts, contracts, detinues, debts, and demands whatso- ever when the debt or thing demanded exceed not the value of forty shilling, sterling money of England, and to receive and take all amercements, fruits, commodities, advantages, perqui- sites and emoluments whatsoever, to such respective court barons belonging or in any wise appertaining and further, to hold with- in the same manors a court lect and view of frank pledge of all the tenants, residents and inhabitants of the hundred within such respective manors, etc."
The power being thus vested in the hands of a few lords, desirable immigrants did not come in large numbers as had been expected. Convicts and a great many indentured white servants, Irish and Scotch prisoners of war, were sent over from England in and after the year 1621, - but after a generation or two all these elements became blended into a homogeneous mass of "cavaliers,"- aristocratic because they had an inferior race be- neath them.
Still, in spite of all the mismanagement and unlucky cir- cumstances, the colony extended its lines and soon after immi- gration began to penetrate into the interior.
Until the death of Powhatan in 1618 the settlers lived fairly in peace with the natives, but after his brother Opechancanough (speak Ope-kan-kano) became the head of the confederate tribes, the relations changed. Eyeing with suspicion the increasing numbers of the palefaces, he laid a murderous plan in 1622 for their total extermination.
33
Mr. Virgil A. Lewis27) describes the cruel massacre, which also caused the death of many a German settler, as follows : "In order to avoid suspicion, he, Opechancanough, renewed the treaty of peace with governor Wyatt, and only two days before the blow was to be struck he declared that the sky should fall before he would violate the terms of the treaty. The friendly relations were continued up to the very day, even to the fatal hour. They borrowed boats from the English, brought in veni- son and other provisions for sale and sat down to breakfast with their unsuspecting victims. The hour arrived. It was twelve o'clock noon on the 22nd day of March, 1622, when every hamlet in Virginia was attacked by a band of yelling savages, who spared neither age, sex mor condition. The bloody work went on until 347 men, women and children had fallen victims at the barbarous hands of that perfidious and inhuman people." The "Colonial Records of Virginia," published by order of the Sen- ate, Richmond, Va., 1874, contain a list of all those that were massacred by the savages, and this document gives the following names of Germans, besides a very large number of doubtful names, but of probably German origin : Robert Horner, Samuel Stringer, Georg Soldan, Th. Freeman, Edw. Heyden, Edw. Lis- ter, John Benner, Thomas Sheffeld and Robert Walden.
Had not a converted Indian, who lived with a man named Pace, revealed the plot and so put the people of Jamestown and neighboring settlements on their guard, and therefore in a state of defence, every settlement would have been laid in ruins and the inhabitants put to the tomahawk. So the plan failed. There were yet 1600 fighting men in the colony and the Indians were made to pay dear for their perfidy. The English pushed into the wilderness, burning wigwams, killing every Indian that fell into their hands, and destroying the crops, until the foe was driven far into the interior. Confidence was once more restored, and a feeling of security brought a return of prosperity ; immi- gration revived and at the end of the year the population num- bered 2500."
Especially one class of the English immigrants caused the dissatisfaction and provocation of the natives, namely the pio-
27 .) "History of West Virginia," by Virgil A. Lewis, pp. 46, 47. Phila , Pa., 1889.
34
neers, who strongly contrasted with the cavalier planters and the regular settlers.28) Generally speaking, they were the younger sons, unlucky gamesters, turbulent spirits, rejected lovers and disbanded soldiers, who turned their backs on civilization to live an untrammeled life in some fertile mountain gap or rich river bottom. Game was plentiful and they were hunters and trap- pers rather than farmers, sending their peltries to market and only cultivating enough land to supply their immediate wants. This unrestrained life became a passion and frequently led to conflicts with the Indians, who claimed the forests as their hunt- ing ground, - and the peaceful and active farmers on the fron- tier, mostly Germans, suffered much on this account.
The London Company had not gained any profit by the colonization. of Virginia so far. She had sent over more than 9000 persons at an expense of about 100,000 pounds sterling, - many of the immigrants perished, others had joined the Indians or left the country, - and after eighteen years of existence the colony counted only 2500 inhabitants, and the annual export scarcely amounted to 20,000 pounds.
King James too was little pleased with these meagre results, and when the Indian troubles commenced and the very existence of the colony was endangered, he dissolved the company and in. 1624 Virginia was declared a royal province. The Colonial As- sembly was however allowed to exercise its former power, and by and by the importance of Virginia was felt. A thousand immi- grants arrived in the single year 1627 and took to farming where- ever fertile land invited them.
The "Colonial Records of Virginia" contain lists of the living and dead in Virginia on Feb. 16th, 1623, that give the following German names: William Welder, Margaret Berman, Henry Coltman, Mrs. Cultman, Petters, Richard Spurling (Sper- ling), John Landman, Daniel Vergo, Wm. Boocke, Walter Priest, Henry Turner, Edw. Bricke, Elizabeth Salter, Ch. Waller, Georg Graues, Th. Spilman, Th. Rees, John Rose, Wmn. Stocker, Wm. Kemp, George Fryer, Peter Staber, John Filmer, John Rachell and Margarett Pollentin, Adam Rumell, Nicholas Wesell, John Salter, Cornelius and Elizabeth May and child, Wmn. Cappe, Peter
28.) "History of the Agriculture of the United States," by Ben. Perley Poor, Agricul- tural Report of the U. S., p. 506, Washington, 1867.
35
Longman, Robert Winter, Richard Spriese, Sam. Foreman, Daniel Francke, Rich. Ranke, Vullentyne Gentler, Th. Horner, Cathrin Cappe and a very large number of doubtful names.
Tobacco had become the staple product of Virginia and ef- forts were made to also encourage other branches of rural indus- try. Cotton was first planted in 1621 and its cultivation was now promoted. King James I, prompted doubtless by his anti- pathy to "the Virginia weed," as he termed the tobacco plant, and having understood that the soil naturally yielded store of excel- lent mulberries, gave directions to urge the cultivation of silk and to erect silk-mills. Men of experience were brought over from France, Switzerland and Germany, and premiums were of- fered to encourage the raising of the silk-worm, and later also that of indigo, hops and other agricultural staples ; but fresh disturbances interfered.
1136035
The war with the Indians just ended, the political and reli- gious troubles in England, the immorality of the royal court, the corruption of the office holders, the animosity of the tories and wighs, the contest between the church and its opponents, and finally the establishment of a republican government by Cromwell, exercised their convulsive influences even upon dis- tant Virginia.
After the restoration of Charles II to the throne of his beheaded father, he failed to fulfill the expectations of his people, who were in hope that the king, who had gone through a school of misfortune, would give his country peace and pros- perity. But Charles II soon lost the confidence and respect of his subjects. He was incapable of resolute action and self-sacri- fice, without trust in humanity or virtue. "He was a drunkard, a libertine, and a hypocrite, who had neither shame nor sensi- bility and who in point of honor was unworthy to enter the presence of the meanest of his subjects."29)
To have the throne occupied for a quarter of century by such a man as this one, was the surest way of weakening that ignorant and indiscriminate loyalty to which various people have often sacrificed their dearest rights, and to shake the faith in the
29 ) "History of Civilization in England ," by Henry Thomas Buckle. Vol. I, p. 280 . New York, 1870.
36
continuance of public welfare. Charles II deceived the Protes- tants by favoring the Catholics, and he rushed England into un- lucky wars. He wounded the national pride of his people by the sale of Duenkirchen to Louis XIV of France, and by the defeat in the war with Holland. England, which had advanced during the republican administration to the first naval power of Europe, had to endure the mortification, that a Dutch fleet under de Ruy- ter sailed up the Thames and alarmed the city of London by the thunder of its cannon. In the treaty of Dorn Charles II agreed to adopt the Catholic faith and to support the claim of the King of France on the Spanish throne with his fleet and army, while on the other hand Louis XIV obliged himself to pay subsidies and to land an army in England in case of revolution. Henry Thomas Buckle says,30) "Politically and morally there were to be found in the government all the elements of confusion, of weakness and of crime. The king himself was a mean and spirit- less voluptuary, without the morals of a Christian and almost without the feeling of man. His ministers had not one of the attributes of statesmen and nearly all of them were pensioned by the crown of France."
The English possessed a great deal of national self-esteem and all the disgrace that the king brought over Great Britain wounded them deeply. The same effect was visible in the Eng- lish colonies and finally resulted in outbursts of indignation. This was particularly the case in Virginia, where a great number of disgusted English and Scotch refugees had settled, while the immigrants from the European continent possessed no special at- tachment to the English throne and advocated American inde- pendence. The rights of the mass of the colonists were every- where restricted. Sir William Berkeley, who had held the office of governor by the will of the people, and who had administered the colonial affairs in a liberal manner, was confirmed by Charles II in 1660, but thereupon commenced a rule of despo- tism and oppression, - the affairs of the Church were placed in the hands of vestries, - and the Assembly composed of aristo- crats made themselves permanent. Prospects grew dark !
' 30 ) "History of Civilization in England," by Henry Thomas Buckle:
Vol. I, p 275. New York, 1870.
37
During the time of the Commonwealth in the year 1651, Parliament had extended its authority to America, and in an act required all the exports from the colonies to England to be car- ried in English or colonial vessels. Virginia expected after the Restoration, in acknowledgment of her loyalty, some special marks of the king's favor, but by compulsory laws, as the above mentioned, she was required to look to England as her sole mar- ket for her exports and to receive from England alone her im- ports. In 1672 duties were even imposed upon articles carried from one colony to another, and these aggressions drove the colonists finally to insurrection.
But the great natural wealth of the land assisted, in spite of restrictions and obstructions, the progress of Virginia. Among the various strange and surprising things which the settlers found on Virginian soil, were a great variety of wild grape vines, and the London Company determined, as early as 1630, to make some experiments with the culture of the European canes through French and German experts. The favorite drinks of the Eng- lish were, at that time: portwine, sherry and madeira, and it is easy to understand, that they desired to produce wines of this character in Virginia. Premiums were offered to encourage the cultivation of vines, but the delicate European sorts did not re- sist the injuries of climate and insects, and the results were un- satisfactory.
At about the same time a German-Bohemian named Augus- tine Herrmann, from Prague in Bohemia, came to Virginia.31) His name is mentioned also with distinction in the annals of other North-American colonies, as, New Amsterdam, now New York,-New Jersey and Maryland, and in fact the Dutch colonies are principally entitled to claim him as theirs, but his services in regard to Virginia are of such great merit, that his name ought for all time to be given a place of honor in her history.
There is very little known about the early life of Herrmann, - even the year of his birth is only judged to be 1605. It seems that he came to Virginia in 1629, for in a petition addressed to the Dutch governor Stuyvesant, dated 1654, he says: "Without
31 ) "Deutsch-Amerikanisches Magazin," H. A. Rattermann. Numbers 2 and 4. Cin- cinnati, O., 1886.
38
specially praising myself, I am the founder of the Virginia to- bacco trade, and it is well known that in a short time great ad- vantages for the public welfare have been called forth thereby." This assertion of Herrmann has never been controverted, and as a memorial of the deputies of the Dutch West India Company, dated November 16th, 1629, speaks of "a large quantity of to- bacco, which now has become an important article of trade, 3 2) it may safely be accepted that the above statement in respect to the time of his arrival in Virginia is correct.
Later Herrmann removed to New Amsterdam and began business of his own and as agent for Peter Gabry & Co., Amster- dam. He was also a wholesale dealer in wine, bought and sold furs, Virginia cotton and tobacco, which he exported to Holland. It is proved by documents that he received the last · named arti- cles, by the intervention of Georg Hack in Northampton, Va., whose wife was a sister of Mrs. Herrmann, né Jeanetie Verlet, from Utrecht, and who frequently visited her relatives in New Amsterdam. In exchange for Virginia products Herrmann sup- plied his brother-in-law with all kinds of imported goods.
Georg Hack apparently was a man of energy and influence, who took an active part in politics. He was one of the sub- scribers to the so-called "engagement of Northampton,"3 3) dated March 25th, 1651, by which the county declared itself in favor of Parliament, respectively of Cromwell and the republic. This ac- tion of Hack deserves special mention, as most Virginians were at that crisis loyal royalists and bitterly opposed the "Navigation Act" enforced by the British Parliament. This law, as has been stated, prohibited export and import except to and from Eng- land and was necessarily a severe blow to the foreign trade es- tablished by Hack's brother-in-law. Georg Hack appears there- fore as a man of character, who would rather sacrifice the inter- ests of his relative and his own, than depart from his principles.
Herrmann on the other hand defended the interests of the Dutch with energy and soon gained respect and influence. Several times during the period of the Commonwealth, he was
32 ) L. van Aitzema, “Historie van Saken van Staet en Oorlogh, in ende omtrent de Vereen Nederland, etc." 4º edition Vol. II, p. 912. An English translation is to be found in : "Documents relating to the colonial history of New York." Vol. I, pp. 40-42.
33.) "Virginia Historical Register." Vol. I, p. 163.
39
sent as ambassador by governor Stuyvesant to Virginia and · Maryland, and his reports are still preserved in the state archive of New York at Albany.34)
Besides his creditable doings as merchant and statesman, he gained fame in another way. He advocated, as early as 1659, in a letter to governor Stuyvesant : an accurate geographical sur- vey of the English and Dutch colonies,35) and he was possessed of the talent and knowledge to undertake the difficult work him- self. He was well posted in literature, spoke the most impor- tant languages : German, English, Dutch, French, Spanish and Latin, and he was an efficient draughtsman, mathematician and surveyor. Edwin R. Purple calls him3 6) "a man of good educa- tion, a surveyor by profession, talented in sketching and a draughtsman, - a smart and enterprising business man, - a rare and noble man, - and an admirer of this country."
Probably the map of the New Netherland, printed by Nico- laus Jan Visscher and contained in von der Donk's book, “Be- schreyvings van Nieuw Nederland," published at Amsterdam in 1655, was drawn by Herrmann, as it is certain, that the view of New Amsterdam, which is also contained in the book, originates from him. Beyond all doubt he has drawn in 1670 the "map of the English and Dutch colonies," which was published by the government in 1673 and embraces the section between the line of North Carolina and the Hudson river. Although incorrect in several respects, it gives a very comprehensive picture of the land, mouths of rivers and inlets of the sea. Virginia is particularly well drawn, and Herrmann must have explored the tidewater - region very carefully. The map shows the likeness of its de- signer with the inscription, "Augustine Herrmann, Bohemian," and a vignette with the inscription, "Virginia and Maryland as it was planted and inhabited this present year 1670. Surveyed and exactly drawn by our own labor and endeavor of Augustine Herrmann, Bohemiensis," and at the side of which are repre- sented a young Indian with bow and arrow, and an Indian girl.
It is of great interest that Herrmann's map also gives some German names of places in Virginia, as : Scharburg and Backer's
34 ) "Dutch Manuscript." Vol. XVIII, p. 96.
35.) "Deutsch-Amerikanisches Magazin." Copy 4, pp. 535 to 536.
86 ) "The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record." Vol. IX, pp. 57 to 58,
40
Creek. This is almost proof, that in the very infancy of the colony German settlements existed. Augustine Herrmann died in 1686.
It appears also that Germans occupied high political offices, before and during the governorship of Sir Wm. Berkeley. One Richard Kempe was secretary of the land office of Henrico in 1624, member of the council of Virginia in 1642, president of this body in 1644, and during the time Sir Berkeley visited Eng- land, acting governor. The name Kempe is undoubtedly Ger- man, but some historians write him "Kemp," and claim erron- eously that this form of the name is English. Yet Kemp, as well as Kempe, are to this day German family names and the land-registers of Henrico of 162437) contain many signatures in Rich. Kempe's own handwriting-and with but one exception he signed "Kempe." Furthermore all biographies of the English colonial governors3 8) give the name of their native land, county and birthplace, with the sole exception of R. Kempe's biography, and this omission also speaks for his German origin. Surely there is no full evidence that R. Kempe was a German, but the probabilities are in favor of it.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.