To Stay or To Leave

When Johann Weiser returned from England in 1723 he found that the Schoharie Palatines were a much divided community and many felt that Schoharie was not the Promised Land of which they had dreamt.  Among those disenchanted with their lives in Schoharie was Johann’s son, Conrad.  Several families left and began new settlements along the Mohawk River in areas known as German Flats and Stone Arabia.  In 1729 Conrad Weiser and his family joined at least 33 other Schoharie Palatine families who had resettled in Tulpehocken, Pennsylvania.  Johann Weiser, who spearheaded the move to Schoharie and spent much of his life defending the Palatines’ right to be there, died in 1746 in Tulpehocken, Pennsylvania.

Not all the Palatines left Schoharie.  Those who remained either purchased or leased their land from the Seven Partners.  My ancestors, the Schaeffers, chose to stay.  As a tenth generation descendant, I am ever grateful for the decision they made.  Their tenacity inspires me, and I am encouraged as I witness the eleventh and twelfth generations begin to show interest in their Palatine heritage as well. 

This will be the final post for this blog, and please forgive the delay in making it.  I had been struggling with how to wrap this up, because the Palatines’ story doesn’t end here.  It doesn’t end at all.  At the Palatine House Museum in Schoharie we are often visited by other descendants of the original Palatines.  We share our knowledge of those forefathers and make lasting friendships.  The Palatine roots create ties that bind.

References:  

“Becoming German” by Phillip Otterness

British Board of Trade

In 1720 New York had a new Governor, William Burnet.  Former Governor, and the nemesis of the Palatines, Hunter, was back in England and had not given up his fight against them.  Johann Weiser and Wilhelm Scheff finally had their voices heard by the British Board of Trade, but Hunter was there to refute everything they said.  They petitioned that the Schoharie Palatines “…be secured in the Land they now do inhabit or in some near adjoining lands remaining in the right of the Crown in the said Province of New York."

Hunter argued that the Palatines had been given plenty of good land at the Camps when the Naval Stores project had been suspended.  He blamed all the problems on a few troublemakers, Johann Weiser in particular whom he described as “a very seditious and turbulent man.”  According to Hunter Weiser was the ringleader who, against his orders, took a large group of the Palatines to Schoharie and laid claim to land that rightfully belonged to others.  Posturing himself as mediator, Hunter told the Board of Trade that he had negotiated special terms with the Seven Partners on behalf of the Palatines.  Those terms, he claimed, had been accepted by most of the Schoharie Palatines while Weiser was away in England.  He further countered that Weiser was acting on behalf of himself alone.

The Board of Trade’s final decision stated that if the Palatines wished to remain in Schoharie they must purchase or lease their land from the Seven Partners.  For those who chose not to, Governor Burnet was to find suitable land to which they could move.  The Board also agreed with Hunter that several of the Palatines had behaved in an undutiful manner toward the Crown.

Weiser and Scheff still did not give up and remained in London hoping to obtain a better outcome.  In 1721 they began to have differences between each other and Scheff left for New York.  Two years later Weiser followed, having accomplished almost nothing in the five years he had been gone. 

References:  

“Becoming German” by Phillip Otterness

“Documents Relative to the Colonial History of New York”

“Journal of the Commissioners for Trade and Plantations”

Return to London

In 1718 the Schoharie Palatines frustration over not having title to the land they had settled for the past five years had reached an epoch and a division was developing within their community.  Some felt that it would be easier to pay the Seven Partners and live without fear of losing their farms, yet there were still those who refused to give in to Governor Hunter.  That group decided to send a delegation to London and appeal to the crown.

The three men chosen for this task were Johann Weiser, Wilhelm Scheff, and Gerhardt Walrath.  Choosing to stay out of the reach of Governor Hunter they avoided New York City and travelled to Philadelphia, where they set sail for London.  Once underway the ship was raided by pirates who robbed everyone on board.  The Palatine contingent managed to hide a small amount of their money from the pirates, but not enough to sustain them for long.

Once they arrived in London things got worse.  Their earlier benefactor, Queen Anne, had died and her husband had taken over the throne.  Unfortunately, King George showed no interest in hearing their case.  Gerhardt Walrath, realizing the situation was hopeless, decided to return to Schoharie but died on the voyage home.  Having run out of funds, Weiser and Scheff were thrown in debtors’ prison where they had to wait until the families in Schoharie could send more money.

Finally in 1720, two years after they arrived in London, Weiser and Scheff were able to petition the British Board of Trade to hear their case regarding the land in Schoharie which they felt rightfully belonged to the Palatines.  By this time Governor Hunter had arrived in London as well.

Reference:  

“Becoming German” by Phillip Otterness

Stalemate

By 1717 the Palatines were enjoying the fruits of their labors, which only continued to irritate Governor Hunter since they still had not paid the Seven Partners for the land.  He sent a message to Schoharie that the Palatines were to send three men from each village to Albany to meet with him.  When those men arrived Governor Hunter posed three questions to them, which were later recounted as follows.

Why had the settled in Schoharie when they had been told they could not?

“…the utmost necessity and poverty forc’d them to remove thither to earn their bread for the maintenance of their Wifes and Children.”  The Governor had left them to fend for themselves, and from the beginning their goal was to find land on which they could support their families. 

Why hadn’t they reached an agreement with the Seven Partners?

“If they serv’d any body, it must be the King and not a privat person.”  The Palatines continued to claim loyalty to the Crown, while refusing to pay back the debt they owed it.  They also felt that they had invested much labor into improving the land, and the Seven Partners were demanding too much money. 

Why did the Palatines concern themselves so much with the Indians?

“…they were oblig’d to keep fair with the friendly Indians amongst Whom, they dwelt, which was the only way to be protected and live in peace.”   Since the Governor offered them no protection, keeping the Indians as their allies was the safest course.

Governor Hunter agreed to have the Schoharie farms assessed of the improvements the Palatines claimed to have made.  Until the assessments were made and the land purchased at an appropriate price from the Seven Partners, however, the Palatines were forbidden from planting any more crops.  The assessors never arrived and the Palatines continued to farm the land.

Neither side gained an advantage.  The Governor was unable to control the Palatines, and they still did not own any land. 

 

References:  

“Becoming German” by Phillip Otterness
“Documentary History of the State of New York”

Skimmington Ride

The Palatines relationship with the Mohawks was considered a threat by Governor Hunter because they were acting outside the control of the British government.  In an effort to regain control, Hunter singled out Johann Weiser as a miscreant, and in July 1715 issued a warrant for Johann’s arrest.

A sheriff named Adams was sent from Albany to arrest Johann, but when he arrived in Schoharie things went terribly wrong.  Nothing could have prepared the poor sheriff for the gang of Palatine women who decided to take justice into their own hands.  Led by Magdalene Zee they attacked the sheriff, horribly beating him, and dragged him through the mud until they had dumped his battered body outside the boundary of the Schoharie settlement.  That taken care of, the women went back to their farms and continued with their chores.  Amazingly, Sheriff Adams survived the attack and somehow made his way back to Albany.

In eighteenth-century Europe the term “skimmington” was used to describe a man who allowed his wife to dominate him.  As a form of peasant justice, the man would be shamed by being forced to ride through the community facing backward on a donkey.   In Schoharie County folklore, what happened to Sheriff Adams was described as a “skimmington ride.”

What happened to the women involved in this violent act?  Nothing.  It was believed that women fell prey to their emotions and couldn’t be held accountable for their actions.  The Palatine men, however, steered clear of Albany for a while.

 

Reference:  

“Becoming German” by Phillip Otterness

Seven Partners

By 1715 the Palatines were at last settling into comfortable communities and farming life, but their problems were far from over.  A group of land speculators were issued a grant of ten thousand acres of land in Schoharie which covered the entire area where the Palatines had settled.  These men, from some of New York’s wealthiest families, were referred to as the Seven Partners and were all political allies of Governor Hunter.  The Seven Partners sent word to the Palatines that they would need to either purchase the land from the Partners or move.

A battle of words ensued.  The Germans believed that “the land was the King’s and that the(y) were the Kings Subjects and had no power to agree to any thing about his Majesty’s lands without his special order.”   The Partners countered that they were kings of the land where the Palatines were living.   In a sudden and convenient burst of loyalty to the British government, the Palatines responded that their “King was in England, and that the land shou’d not be taken from them without his Majesty’s particular order.” 

The Seven Partners decided to try another tact.  They approached the Mohawk Indians with gifts of money and rum in an effort to convince them to turn over to the Partners their rights to the land.  The Palatines had no choice but to counter by also sending gifts to the Mohawks.  With little to offer, they nonetheless gave what they could in the hope that the Indians would remain on their side. 

 

Reference:  

“Becoming German” by Phillip Otterness

“Document History of the State of New York”

Communities

The Palatines, looking for some permanency in their lives, began to purchase from the Mohawks the land on which they had settled in Schoharie.  There were several steps required for individuals to purchase land from Indians; petition the government, obtain a license, have the land surveyed, and receive a letter patent for the land.  Whether the Palatines were ignorant of the process, or they chose not to acknowledge it, they did none of that.   They seemed to prefer dealing directly with the Indians than going through the colonial government.

They established seven communities referred to as dorfs.  The translation of dorf is village, however, the Schoharie dorfs were hardly that.  With no infrastructure such as stores, mills or Churches, these communities were merely groupings of family farms.  They relied upon Schenectady and Albany for supplies and mills.  Religious practices were held in farmhouses and barns.

Acknowledging the Listmaters, who had established themselves as leaders early in the journey, the Palatines named their small communities after them; Kneskerndorf, Gerlachsdorf, Fuchsendorf, Schmidtsdorf, Weiserdorf (also known as Brunnendorf), Hartmannsdorf and Oberweiserdorf.  Giving names to their settlements was a big step for a group of people who had been migrants for four years. 

 

Reference:  

“Becoming German” by Phillip Otterness