Historical Data Just what is a "Palatine"? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines Palatine (among other things) as: "a native or inhabitant of the Palatinate" or "a feudal lord having sovereign power within his domains". It defines "Palatinate" as: the territory of a Palatine". 

So much for dictionaries... its no wonder the term is not understood. Generally speaking, a "Palatine" is someone who came from the region of Germany called "The Palatinate". Germany as a country has not existed very long. Prior to 1871, what is now Germany was a number of separate states, such as Württemberg, Prussia, Bavaria, etc., whose boundaries changed frequently as a result of war and other causes. The Palatinate was one of these states, and was located along the Rhine River, roughly where the modern German state of Rhineland-Pfalz is located. In the 18th and early 19th century, the term "Palatine" was used in America to describe immigrants from "The Palatinate" and other adjoining German-speaking areas. Finding an American reference to someone being from the "Palatinate" may not point to a specific place of origin, but rather an approximate location in or near western or southern Germany. 

Palatines to America is an organization for people researching the origins of their German-speaking ancestors, no matter where they originated. Many of the German-speaking people that came to North America did not come directly from what is now Germany. Many of them came here after spending time (from a few months to a few generations) in other countries, such as Switzerland, England, Russia, Ireland, France and other countries. Our members are researching immigrants from many of these areas. A More Technical Description of the Palatinate (as posted to soc.genealogy.german newsgroup by Robert Sminkey) Palatinate, Or German PFALZ, was, in German history, the lands of the count palatine, a title held by a leading secular prince of the Holy Roman Empire. 

Geographically, the Palatinate was divided between two small territorial clusters: the Rhenish, or Lower Palatinate, and the Upper Palatinate. The Rhenish Palatinate included lands on both sides of the Middle Rhine River between its Main and Neckar tributaries. Its capital until the 18th century was Heidelberg. The Upper Palatinate was located in northern Bavaria, on both sides of the Naab River as it flows south toward the Danube, and extended eastward to the Bohemian Forest. The boundaries of the Palatinate varied with the political and dynastic fortunes of the counts palatine. 

During the War of the Grand Alliance (1689-97), the troops of the French monarch Louis XIV ravaged the Rhenish Palatinate, causing many Germans to emigrate. Many of the early German settlers of America (the Pennsylvania Dutch) were refugees from the Palatinate. During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the Palatinate's lands on the west bank of the Rhine were incorporated into France, while its eastern lands were divided largely between neighboring Baden and Hesse. After the defeat of Napoleon (1814-15), the Congress of Vienna gave the east-bank lands to Bavaria. These lands, together with some surrounding territories, again took the name of Palatinate in 1838. 

The winter of 1708-1709 was very long and cold in the Rhineland. It was a very bleak period. People huddled around their fires as they considered quitting their homes and farms forever. By early April, the land was still frozen and most of the Palatines' vines had been killed by the bitter weatheralatines were heavily taxed and endure. Since 1702 their country had been enduring war and there was little hope for the future. The Thirty Years War lay heavy on their minds, a period in which one out of every three Germans had perished. There was religious persecution. 

As the people considered their future, the older ones remembered that, in 1677, William Penn had visited the area, encouraging the people to go to Pennsylvania in America, a place where a man and his family could be free of the problems they were now encountering. To go to America meant a long, dreadful ocean voyage and a future in an unknown land, away from their past and family. Everyone knew that the German Elector would stop any migration as soon as it was noticed. Only a mass exodus from the Palatinate could be successful. Many wondered how they could ever finance such a journey even if they wanted to attempt it. Small boats, known as scows, would have to be acquired for the long ride down the Rhine River and then there was the price for the ocean voyage. While some of the people had relatives that could assist them financially, many were very poor. Soon enough, their minds were made up for them as France's King Louis XIV invaded their land, ravaging especially the towns in the Lower Palatinate. 

In masses, the Palatines boarded their small boats and headed down the Rhine for Rotterdam. It was April 1709 and the first parties were afloat on the Rhine, many with only their most basic goods and their faith in God as their only possessions. The river voyage took an average of 4-6 weeks through extremely cold, bitter weather. By June, 1709, the people streamed into Rotterdam at a rate of one thousand per week. The Elector, as expected, issued an edict forbidding the migration, but almost everyone ignored it. 

By October, 1709, more than 10,000 Palatines had completed the Rhine River journey. The Duke of Marlborough was assigned by Queen Anne to transport the immigrants to England. British troop ships were also used. The Queen assumed these Protestants would help fuel the anti-Roman feelings developing in England. The ships from Rotterdam landed, in part, at Deptford and the refugees were sent to one of three camps at Deptford, Camberwell, and Blackheath outside the city wall of London. Many Londoner's welcomed the Palatines, but the poor were not, as they felt their English food was being taken from them to feed the Germans. British newspapers published mixed accounts of the Palatines, some praising them while others cursed them. Over 3,000 of these Palatines were sent to Ireland, again to reinforce the Protestant faith in that land. 

The trip from England to Ireland was short, taking only about 24 hours. Included among these immigrants were a line of my possible ancestors, Sebastian ROCKEL (later called RUCKEL, RUCKLE, and RUTTLE)and his wife and children. They settled on Lord Southwell's estate near Ballingrane in County Limerick, Ireland. Several branches remained in Ireland, becoming known as the RUTTLE's. Other branches came to New York in the mid-1700's. Meanwhile, streams of Palatines went to America, with most going to Pennsylvania. 

The ocean voyage was harsh, with over-crowded, under-supplied, and unsanitary ships. What provisons were supplied were generally the least expensive available to the ship's master. Water frequently ran out, as did food. Dreadful mortality occurred on many voyages. In addition to those woes, the Palatines faced robbery, deception, and worse from those transporting them. Estimates on the number of Germans in Pennsylvania during this period varies from author to author, but a common estimate is 10,000-15,000 by 1727 and 70,000-80,000 by 1750. A good source for reviewing German arrivals to Pennsylvania is Rupp's "Thirty Thousand Immigrants in Pennsylvania" which contains numerous ship passenger lists and has an excellent surname index. Another good resource is Walter Knittle's "Early Eighteenth-Century Palatine Emigration". Immigrants not only came from Germany, but also Bohemia and Switzerland. Most were either Lutheran, Reformed, or Mennonite in religious belief. 

My earliest known Pennsylvania Palatine settler was Johanne Balthasar ROCKEL who was born in Germany in 1707. His exact arrival in Pennsylvania is unknown. The earliest records I have found is a 1755 tax record in Allen Township and a 1760 baptismal record for his son, Johanne Jurg ROCKEL at Schmaltzgass, in 1760 at Northampton County. 

I. Introduction In the early days of the settlement of the English colonies, Some of the major destinations of the English and European Protestants were Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia. The Germans especially were developing colonies in these areas, and those colonies have their counterparts even today. Washington County, Maryland was essentially discovered by German colonists traveling between Pennsylvania and Virginia. Washington County has rich farm land, and streams to power mills for grinding flour. It is no surprise that the German farmers were attracted to this area. To understand the people who settled here and became the "Maryland Dutch", we have to go back to their origins in the old country, and become familiar with the forces which drove them out of their original homes. In 1776 Washington County was formed from Frederick County, Maryland. For a brief over-view of Early Frederick County history, see: Frederick County. 

II. The Source of the Migration 

A. The Palatinate was situated west of the Rhine and north of the French (Alsatian) border. Before 1800, it used to include large areas east of the Rhine, including Mannheim and Heidelberg. Those of us today trying to find the Palatinate of the 1700s on maps, and trying to understand what was meant by the terms German, Deutch, and Palatine or Palatinate on colonial records, usually end up confused and frustrated. There is a reason for that. The historic Pfalz always did have rather vague boundaries and once consisted of 44 different countries. http://www.genealogy.com/gene/reg/BAD-WUE/BW.html contains links to maps of both Baden and Wuerttemberg in the late 18th century. The Baden map includes the Palatine territories east of the Rhine. In the northern and western parts of the Palatinate the terrain is mostly gently rolling hills, and it is valuable farming land. To the east there is the Rhine valley (very fertile land), and to the south you have the large Palatine Forest, with only small agricultural spots around the villages. The Palatinate is now called Pfalz. The present state of Rheinland-Pfalz consists of the Palatinate, parts of the former Prussian Rhine province (Rhineland), plus some smaller territories including Hohenzollern. The slope of the Palatine Forest (Pfaelzer Wald) is one of the biggest wine-producing areas in Germany. There is a new bilingual book which has recently been reviewed in the Palatine Immigrant which goes into great detail on the Palatine migration and conditions that led up to it. I haven't seen this book yet, but it is recommended by the editor of the Palatine Immigrant, Dr. John Terence Golden, 2609 Summit St., Columbus OH 43202-2432, who was kind enough to review this page for me. 

B. Elsass Elsass, was another area from which came a large number of people who were involved in the migration with the Palatines. Elsass was in essence, the upper Rhine River Valley and a good part of the Vosges Mountains in what is now France. The Vosges mountains were the western border and on the South was the Swiss Alps. The Rhine was the eastern border. This land has been claimed and fought over by both France and Germany for centuries. 

III. The Times 

A. Liberal Thought 

1. Scientific Humanism Europe and Great Britain in the 1500's were going through a number of changes. Worldly knowledge was growing, and a philosophy of Scientific Humanism was developing and spreading. Scientific Humanism taught that the workings of the universe were controlled by natural processes and laws which could be understood and even controlled by man. This philosophy also taught that the human body worked very much like a machine, and that the processes of the body could also be understood and controlled by man. The Catholic Church felt that it was being challenged in some of its basic beliefs by the Humanists. At the same time, the Catholic Church itself was becoming more worldly and more corrupt, and the Protestant movement was growing in strength. I know there were many devout Catholics, and many good church leaders during this time, but politicians and others in power abused their connections with the churches to further their own goals, and many church leaders allowed this abuse of power, not to mention the issues addressed by the Articles which Martin Luther posted on the door of the famous cathedral. 

2. Fashion As at any other time when liberal thoughts and beliefs are in vogue, the spirit of the times even affected the mode of dress. Hemlines were edging up, and tunics were getting shorter. No, not on the women……..on the men! By the time of King Henry VIII, men required cod pieces to keep from showing off some very private pieces of anatomy. Pants had not yet been invented. The legs were covered with hose that reached up to the groin area and then were tied around the waist, to keep them up. The space between the hose and the ties was called the breaches. (pronounced, "breeks") If a man wearing the fashion in the late 1600's & the early 1700's bent over, he would often "show the breaches and all that was in them", in spite of the fact that he was wearing a cod piece in the front. 

3. Catholic Retaliation Since the Catholic Church felt its authority being chipped away, it started fighting back. In many areas open warfare was waged against the Protestants. Scientific leaders and the leaders of the Protestant groups were declared heretics, and many were executed. Armies laid siege to Protestant communities, and many were killed. Others were imprisoned, tortured and executed. 

4. The Anabaptist Reaction In the light of all this change, turmoil and strife, it is not surprising that a group sprang up which wanted to chuck the whole mess. The Anabaptists got their name from their opposition to infant baptism. They stated that a person should be baptized only after he had learned the gospel and made a personal decision to follow the teachings of Christ. However, they went on from there. They wore their tunics long, to cover themselves modestly as in a former time. Their dress was only decorated with the craft of their own hands. They refused to take oaths, opposed capital punishment, rejected military service and gave no allegiance to any king or pope. The authorities saw them as subversives, and decided that the Anabaptists should be exterminated. Diaries of some of our ancestors who were involved in the Palatine migration give accounts of people being burned at the stake, fried on flat rocks, chained together and thrown into lakes to drown, and many other forms of torture and execution. One account gives record of a woman whose tongue was screwed to the bottom of her mouth to stop her from preaching. Dr. John Terence Golden points out that the Anabaptists were one the more radical groups which came into being during this time period. And actually, most of the Palatines were Lutheran or Reformed, and there were even some Catholics living in the Palatinate. Also one of the things which did produce a lot of extra strife for this people is the fact that not all of the Anabaptists were peaceful. There was a militant branch of the group which caused a lot of havoc in the cities and towns around the Palatine Provinces. Unfortunately, the strife which came upon this territory and this group of people did not discriminate as to which were the trouble makers and which were the innocent. All the Protestants were lumped in together by those who would persecute them, and the troubles of the land itself did not make any distinctions, but were applied to all equally. 

B. Mercantilism 

1. General Principles At this same time, a philosophy of trade was developing among the sea-faring nations. This philosophy was called mercantilism, and it was based upon colonialism. In essence, this philosophy was based upon the idea that a country could increase its wealth by having colonies. The colonies under this plan could be absolutely controlled by the parent country, but they would be occupied by people who were not citizens of the parent country. Therefore the colony would be self-sustaining at no cost to the parent country, but the colony would produce goods for sale at a premium price only to the parent country. The colony could also be taxed without representation and without being provided reciprocating services. Luxury items which the colony could not produce for itself could only be bought from the parent country, which absolutely controlled the prices of such goods. 

2. English Colonies England set up several such colonies, at least one of which (Australia) was actually a penal colony. Several of these colonies were set up in America, and in 1681, the English Quaker, William Penn, was granted the charter for the Province of Pennsylvania. Within the next year, William Penn founded the city of Philadelphia, and in 1683, he made a peace treaty with the Delaware Indians. William Penn then advertised that there was a place of refuge for the persecuted Protestants of the world. 

C. The Final Settings to the Stage 

1. The 30 Years War In 1685 the Edict of Nantes, a document granting equality under the law to Protestants as well as Catholics, was revoked. With the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the authorities, and particularly the French, really put the pressure on the Anabaptists and the Huguenots, who were the French version of the troublesome Protestants. The objective of the 30 Years War was the balance of power between the Catholics and the Protestants in all of Germany. However, the war was fought very hard in the Palatinate because the Palatine Elector was one of the most powerful of the Protestant rulers. After the 30 Years war, most of the population were killed. There were almost no survivors in the Palatinate. Many people immigrated into the Palatinate at this time, especially Protestants, as the Elector promised them religious freedom. 

2. Catholic Rule in the Palatinate The Palatine Emigration started when a Catholic Elector took over the rule, and persecution of the Protestants was started once again. Thus the stage was completely set for the Great Palatine Migration. The ones who didn't leave on their own were forced out by war and religious persecution. Apparently, even many of the Protestants in the jails were released and forced to emigrate. Almost all of those that left were stripped of their valuables, and many had nothing but the clothing on their backs as they started down the Rhine River to the Netherlands. 

3. The Weather Even those who were not forced to emigrate, were affected. In 1709 the winter was so severe, that the Rhine froze over and people were starving in the Palatinate. This was when Queen Anne advertised in the Palatinate that England would accept all German Protestants for immigration. Catholics who tried to enter England were given 5 guilders and sent back to Hannover. This was also when the tent city refugee camp outside of London was set up. 

IV. The Emigration Route 

A. The Palatinate to The Netherlands 

The first part of the emigration route was down the Rhein river to the Netherlands. Few would have been able to make the trip without help. An underground railroad was established, and Protestant families along the Rhein gave sanctuary to the refugees as they made their way to the new world. 

1. Origin of the Hans Michael Rohrer Family The family of my immigrant ancestor, Hans Michael Rohrer originated from the Rhein valley in Switzerland. Hans Michael Rohrer was married and his children were born in Markirch, Elsass, Germany, which is now called Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, Haut-Rhin, France. Johannes Rohrer, his last born son while he was in Markirch, was born 1 Nov 1701. It was customary in that area and at that time to give children the names of saints, thus every male child would be named after the patron saint of the family. Sometimes every girl child will also be found with the same common first name, but not so often as the boys. Then every child would have a distinct middle name by which he would be known. Thus it was common for a German family to have all of its sons named some form of John with all but one of them having middle names. Some family traditions say that this way when the devil came for a child, he would become confused as to which John was which. Two sons of Hans Michael were named Hans Jakob and Hans Michael. The next two sons were given the name of Johannes Jakob and Johannes. Actually we now have five Johns, but I am going to focus on the two named, Johannes. 

2. Flight From Markirch The family of Hans Michael Rohrer, Sr. was forced about the year 1711 to move from Markirch to escape religious persecution. Johannes Jacob, the third son was captured by the French while he was trying to save some of the family possessions. He somehow escaped from prison, and he followed the usual route of the Palatine Emigrants. He escaped into Southern Germany. His final destination was Holland and the Dutch followers of Menno Simmons, the Mennonites. The Mennonites helped the Palatinates to emigrate to the American Colonies, usually via London. Actually the ship owners usually sold the emigrants to England for their passage fees. Most of the Palatines were then put in one of two refugee camps: there was one outside of London, and when that one got too full, one was set up in Ireland. There is still a colony of Germanic people in Ireland to this day. From the refugee/concentration camps, the English would ship people to any one of a number of its colonies throughout the world. Family tradition states that Johannes Jacob studied veterinary surgery in London, and then migrated to the colonies and settled in Lancaster County, Pa. Another story states that he was sold into bond slavery, he ran off and then he married the daughter of a rich land owner, Maria Souder. Actually a family Bible states that John Jacob married Maria Souder in Mannheim in 1732 which is the same year that he arrived in Lancaster, Pa. with his bride and her father. Mannheim was a Protestant and French Huguenot refuge in Germany. We can assume in this case that the bride's father paid for their passage. 

3. Flight From Strasburg In the meantime, Johannes Rohrer, the fourth son, went with his family as they escaped the French and they settled in Strasburg. About the year 1725, religious persecution forced the family of Hans Michael, Sr. to once again flee its home. As they left Strassburg, Johannes was attempting to save some of the family possessions from their home, when he was separated from his family. He was captured by the French, and he was the second son that the family lost in this manner. He later escaped or was forced to emigrate. At this time he was about 24 years old. He too, probably followed the route of the Palatine Migration, and he was most likely the Johanne Roer who landed at Philadelphia in the ship "The Mortonhouse" on 24 August 1728. It is speculated that he worked for four years on an English plantation near Philadelphia to pay off his passage fee. The next heard of him was in the year 1732 when Johannes went to Lancaster Co., Pa. and found his brother Johannes Jacob Rohrer. Johannes married Elizabeth Snavely about 1735 and settled near his brother in Lampeter twp. He bought a farm on the Conestoga Creek, 8 Oct 1763. 

B. England 

England saw the German refugees as being worth their weight in gold. However, England had to ensure that the European refugees would not cost too much for upkeep. They were also not to be allowed to become citizens. That was the reason for the refugee camps. 

1. Refugee Camps The camps were as refugee camps always are. They were tent cities that were too crowded, too dirty, and too unsanitary for comfort. Most of the history books (of the ones that even mention them) assure us that the English Queen graciously provided the essentials required for living in the camps, but I am sure that it was not a comfortable time for the Palatines. 

2. The Trip As soon as a boat became available, it was packed with refugees to capacity and beyond. The voyage to the colonies was miserable. The boats were over-crowded, there was no privacy, the drinking water was polluted, and the food was vermin-ridden. Only enough food and water was supplied to provide for the longest average trip. If a boat was delayed by the weather, the refugees, who were considered as cargo, were in trouble. Consider the description of a rather severe ocean voyage by the Ulster Scots, who shared many of the privations of the Palatines: Voyage. In spite of all the difficulties, many of the people made the trip in relative good health. At least they did arrive at their destination in the new world. Well…..not always! Most of them arrived in Pennsylvania, which was their primary destination. Some were let off in New York, and some were let off in Virginia, but there were others who were dropped off in places like Australia, and even in Brazil. In the case of the German colony in Brazil, which is still in evidence in modern times, the ship was driven off course by storms, and the captain just dropped off his passengers, without even trying to recoup his losses by continuing on to the English colonies. Once the ship arrived at any port, the captain of the ship sold the refugees into bond slavery. 

C. The Bond 

1. The Contract In many cases, the officials at each point along the way held up the emigrants for various fees and charges. Some of the most onerous of the officials they encountered were the ship captains. Before boarding the ship, the Germans were made to sign a contract. Since the whole migration program was essentially an English project, and the destination was an English colony, the contract was in English. Many of our ancestors couldn't have read it even if it were in German. They were just told by mouth that they would be required to a time of service in the colonies at their destination. As it turned out, the contract was for a certain amount of money to be paid at their disembarkation. Even if a man or woman died on board the ship, the spouse was obligated to pay for the passage fees of the deceased. If both parents died, the children were held to the obligation to pay for their parents. The trip usually lasted from 3 to 6 weeks. Many got sick on the way, and in the book, "Erster Teil der Geschichte der Deutschen Gesellschaft von Pennsylvanian" by Oswald Seidensticker, estimates that, in one year, over 2000 died on the way. 

2. Disembarkation When the ship reached a harbor, the ones who could pay the disembarkation fees, were allowed to leave the ship immediately. Those who could not pay and who were healthy were kept on the ship until a person who would buy the bond for the full amount of money owed came onto the ship, examined the "redemptioners" chose one or more, and paid the fees. At this point many families were separated when family members were bought by different "masters". This process may take days or weeks, while the sick ones were still on the ship, with the poor conditions and little or no medical care. Once all of the healthy ones were sold at full price, then the sick ones were auctioned off for whatever price they could bring. The trials were also not over for those who could pay their own fees. Many ports, especially in New York, charged their own disembarkation fees. 

3. Bond Slavery As for the "redemptioneers" the usual amount of time that a Palatine spent in bond was four years, but even that at times was variable. Many of the children, especially those who were orphaned, or who were separated from their parents and lost contact with the rest of the family, had to serve until they were 21. Some of the bond holders kept the Palatines, and the Irish, who were treated in much the same way, for as long as it took for the immigrants to pay off their debts. Also some of the bond holders were very creative in the way they computed the debts of their bonded, and charged for such things as room and board. 

V. The Palatine Colonists 

Once the Palatine emigrants got established in the colonies, they in turn, started helping out other emigrants. The Palatines of America monitored the schedules of ship arrivals, and many of them met the ships which were due to have Palatines on board. In this way many of the colonists were able to pay for the passage of family members and literally to buy them out of slavery. Johannes Jakob Rohrer was one of the Palatine emigrants who met ships of docking Palatines at the harbor. One day, he lucked out, and one of the first passengers whom he met coming off one of the ships, turned out to be his father. Johnnes, who now called himself John, immediately recognized his parent, but the latter did not know his son. Johannes Jakob's mother had died and his father was married again, and had two or three sons by his second wife. They were destitute of means and expected to be sold for their passage money. John paid the demands, brought his father and his father's family with him, and aided his half brothers to property near what is now Hagerstown, Maryland. I am descended from Martin Rohrer, one of the sons, who was set up on land in what is now Washington County, Maryland. Thus the event in history known as the Great Palatine Migration came to an end for my family.