1600's: From the Glassmakers to Pastorius
Who would want to leave Germany? Well. In the 1600's, a lot of people did mostly through the ports of LeHavre, Rotterdam and London. Some were searching for religious freedom in the United States after Martin Luther split from the Catholic Church. Others were in search of a better life after the devastating Thirty Years War (1618-48). But all of them were hopeful. Hopeful that the New World would provide a brighter future for themselves and their families.
1607 |
In the beginning. Jamestown, Virginia was established as the first permanent English settlement in America. |
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1608 |
The ship came sailing in. It was called the "Mary and Margaret", and the first German immigrants were on board. They arrived on the East Coast and settled in Jamestown. At that time, the town was nothing more than a small wooden fort on the James River, near Norfolk Virginia. These guys didn't come empty handed. They came with valuable skills like glassmaking and carpentry. The glassmakers, sometimes called "Dutchmen" were especially important to the new colony not only for providing glassware, but also for their ability to teach the craft to others. |
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1609 |
Germans are survivors. Although the colony was hit hard with famine and sickness, they came anyway and found a way to persevere. They engaged in agriculture and raised crops to feed the hungry settlers and improve overall health conditions. |
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1620 |
Germans on the Mayflower. Inspired from those who fled before them, German mineral specialists and saw-millwrights came to live and work in the states. In fact, the first sawmill in the U.S. was opened by German millwrights came over on the Mayflower from Hamburg. |
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1683 |
Franz Daniel Pastorius and thirteen families, made up of Mennonites and Quakers, settled in Pennsylvania. It was six miles north of Philadelphia and they called it Germantown. They came from Krefeld, seeking religious freedom. But along with their search, they gave Germany a good reputation by using their skills to produce local goods. There were weavers, carpenters, locksmiths, shoemakers and tailors. |
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1689 |
Approved. Germantown became an official town and Pastorius the first mayor. |
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1690 |
William Rittinghausen established the first paper mill. Also, the Germantowners built three structures that would fulfill spiritual needs, bad behavior and education- a church, a prison and a school, where Pastorius held classes. |
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1693 |
Another religious move. Eleven families follow religious leader Johann Jacob Zimmermann from Hamburg to Pennsylvania to pursue deep religious convictions. |
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