New York City

After a 4 month delay off the coast of England, the voyage across the ocean took another 2 months.  Finally the first ship, the Lyon of Leith, reached New York with 350 Palatines on board.  A total of 10 ships had left England and 8 of them arrived at their destination by the end of June.  The other 2 ships encountered problems along the way, arriving in July and August.  A doctor aboard the Lyon of Leith reported that all of its passengers had been sick during the voyage.  There are no records of how many Palatines died during the voyage, but it is estimated that upward of 500 people who boarded the ships in December did not survive.

In 1710 New York City had a population of 6,000.  As was the situation in Rotterdam and again in London, the sudden influx of 3,000 immigrants was more than the city was capable of supporting.  Because of this, it was decided that the Palatines would be settled on Nutten Island in army tents.  Governor Hunter reported that they were in a “deplorable sickly condition.”

There were many widows and orphans by the time the Palatines reached America.  Because the men would be the laborers for the Tar and Pitch project, anyone without a man in the family was considered useless.   Many widows remarried quickly to solidify their future in this new land.  However, orphaned children, as well as children of widows were apprenticed to the residents of New York City.  This created the first of many problems between Governor Hunter and the people he was supposed to be helping.

 

Reference:  “Becoming German” by Phillip Otterness

The Contract

During the last week of December 3,000 Palatines were allowed to board the ships that would carry them, at long last, to America.  Their perseverance had paid off.  Once on board the ships, however, all they did was wait; again.

Governor Hunter, in an effort to protect his own interests in this venture, felt it was necessary to have a contract that clearly spelled out the conditions of this arrangement.  He wanted to be sure that the Palatines had no doubt about their responsibility to pay back the British Government for their transportation and support.  The Board of Trade drafted a contract that was eventually approved by the Attorney General.  The Palatines were not invited to participate in this process.

The overcrowded ships sat off the southern coast of England as winter eventually gave way to spring.  After four months of intolerable living conditions aboard the ships, the Palatines heard the terms of their contract as it was read to them.  As this was one more step in moving forward, they didn’t question the contract.  They also didn’t sign it.

In the middle of April 1710, fourteen months after many of the Palatines had walked away from their homes, they finally set sail for America.

Reference:  “Becoming German” by Phillip Otterness