Germans in the Colonies

One of the largest ethnic groups to settle in what would become the United States were the Germans. They normally had a persistent work ethic that enabled them to thrive in less than ideal situations and didn't mind settling in the backcountry. When the best land had already been taken, they moved into western areas. Therefore, regions, such as the Southern Appalachians, have a strong German influence. This is one of the reasons I chose a German family, the Mortzes, in writing my Appalachian Roots series, set in the North Carolina Blue Ridge. Of course, they intermarry with families from other origins - the Cagles, O'Learies, Morgans, and Whitleys. Most of us who have an Appalachian heritage have some German in our family trees.

Of course, Pennsylvania had the largest percentage of German settlers of any of the early colonies. The majority of these came from the Palatinate, a fertile area in the Southern Rhine that had had its share of problems. Feudal lords heavily taxed the people to pay for exorbitant lifestyles, and invaders from the Thirty Years War spilled into the region. In addition, religious persecution became commonplace if practices differed from those of the local lord.

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Hoping to find people to settle the colony of Pennsylvania, William Penn personally visited the Palatinate in 1682, and Philadelphia became the port of choice for German immigrants to the New World. In the spring of 1709, about a thousand German immigrants arrived in the thirteen colonies each day. Edgar Moretz's relatives arrived this way in the Appalachian Roots series, and Stanton Klein's grandparents and father did in the historical novel set in colonial Pennsylvania, When Winter Is Past.

Later, there would be a big push of German settlers into the western half of the colonies south of Pennsylvania, especially Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. The Great Wagon Road became a heavily traveled pathway into the Southern colonies and journeys often continued on after the almost 400 miles of the official road. This all became an important part of our country's history.

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