The Migration of the Schoharie Germans to Pennsylvania and the History of Tulpehocken Township

Notes on The Meaning of Tulpehocken: Sources: Dick Creps, Judy Thayer, and Dave Becker

Tulpehocken...which means "Land where the turtle sang and wooed"...also the name of a Creek in Eastern Berks County. The Swatara, a tributary of the Susquehanna, led to the Tulpehocken Creek, which "fed" into Lancaster Co. Now, a distinct area of research within Berks and Lancaster Counties, and into an even larger area.

When the Palatinites went to New York, and got fed up with the British attitudes toward them, Weiser, and others began to look for other better places to settle. Apparently, Wm. Penn's folks had contacted them, offering land in the western part of Pennsylvania. Seemingly, the ulterior motive for the Penns was to provide themselves (in Eastern Penn) with a westerly buffer against the Indians. The PA authorities didn't throw down so many roadblocks against German Settlement, as did the British (who allowed only 10 acres per family and was not sufficient for adequate farming). The story of the Palatinates migration is mythical. You might like to order Earl W. Ibach's "Map".

Conrad Weiser (father and son) knew about the Tulpehocken area of Berks County through numerous contacts with the Indian peoples of that area, and trips made to the region. It is unknown how long the negotiations took, but the decision was finally made to make the move to the Tulpehocken area. A petition exists which names those original migrants. This migration took place in 1723, when 33 families left New York upon the invitation of Governor William Keith of Penn. And settled in the Tulpehocken area. The following petition to Governor Keith from these Palatinates who would eventually settle along the Tulpehocken Creek in Eastern Berks County.

"To his excellency, William Keith, Baronet, Governor of Pennsylvania...The Honorable Council...The petition to us, the subscribers, being thirty-three families in number, at present inhabiting Tuplehocken Creek, Humbly Sheweth that your petitioners being natives of Germany about 15 years ago were by the great goodness and royal bounty of her late Majesty, Queen Anne, relieved from the hardships which they then suffered in Europe, and were transported into the colony of new York, where they settled. But the families increasing, being in that Government confined to the scanty allowance of ten acres of land to each family were on they could not well subsist. Your petitioners being informed of the kind reception which their countrymen usually meet with in the Province of Pennsylvania, and hoping they might, with what substance they had, acquire larger settlements in that Province, did last year (in the Spring of 1723) leave their settlements in that Province, and came with their families into this Province, where upon their arrival they applied themselves to his excellency the Governor, who, of his great goodness, permitted them to inhabit upon Tulpahaca Creek, on condition that they should make full satisfaction to the proprietor of his agents for such lands as should be alloted to them, when they were ready to receive the same. And now, your petitioners, understanding that some gentlemen, agents of the proprietor, have ample power to dispose of lands in this province. An we, your petitioners, being willing and ready to purchase do, humbly beseech your Excellency and Council to recommend us to the favorable usage of the proprietors agents, that upon paying the usual prices for lands at such distance from Philadelphia, we may have sufficient rights and titles made to us for such lands as we shall have occasion to buy, that our children may have some settlement to depend on hereafter, and that by your authority we may be freed from the demands of the Indians of that part of the country, who pretend a right thereto. And we humbly beg leave to inform your Excellency and Council, that there are fifty families more who, if they may be admitted upon the same conditions, are desirous to come and settle with us. We hope for your favorable answer to this our humble request, and as in duty bound shall ever pray.

The above, as well as the portion to follow, is taken from "The German Emigration from New York Province into Pennsylvania: Part V of a narrative prepared at the request of the Pennsylvania German Society," by Reverend Henry Richards, D.D. and presented in 1899.

This next section deals with the long journey from New York to Pennsylvania, which these original settlers made: "Guided by the Indians, and not under the leadership of either the elder Weiser, or his gifted son, as some suppose, both of whom came later, the pioneers of 1723, with much toil and labor, cut their way through the forest, after which, with their wives, little ones, and animals, they followed, by day, the scanty track they had made in the woods and slept at the foot of it's trees, wooed to slumber by it's ceaseless noises, during the night, until the forty or fifty miles, which separated them from the (Susquehanna) river had been traversed. Then came the building and launching of heavy rafts, to contain their domestic utensils, and of the light and speedy canoes for themselves, on which they were to continue their long journey to the haven of rest, accompanied slowly by their cattle, driven along the river's banks. As forest and open space, trees, rocks, and sandy beach, succeeded in each other, with tiresome monotony, and as camp-fire at the close of day, they little reckoned that they had swept by the spots where the flourishing towns of Binghamton and Oswega were, later, to stand. As they rounded the curve where the Lackawanna joins the Susquehanna at Pittston, who was the wizard of their number whose divining rod would point to the priceless diamonds beneath them and tell them that their dumb animals were treading underfoot riches of far greater value to mankind than all the pears and rubies for which the world was striving? Whose fancy amongst them all would have pictured or imagined the beautiful city of Wilkes-Barre, and the cola breakers everywhere rearing their heads into the air as though they were indeed giants issuing from their long slumber in the bowels of the earth? As they exchanged greetings with the Indians, in their village of Shamokin, can it be that there rose up before any one of them a picture of the hideous scenes of their near future, or any foresight of their murdered sons, and daughters and the blackened ruins of the homes towards which they were hastening, or did the troubled dreams of any other reveal to him the fort at Sunbury, no longer Shamokin, filled with it's soldiers, and sound into his astonished ears the booming to it's guns? Down the Grand Stream, which was bearing them, they slowly floated until their watchful eyes caught sight of a long log cabin on its shores, where now stands the capitol city of Pennsylvania, (Harrisburg) and as they looked upon the home of John Harris, it is altogether probable they saw, for the first time in all their journey, the dwelling of a white man. Cheered by the sight on they went, until they came to where the Swatara Creek joined it's waters with those of its mighty brother, and at the spot where Middletown now stands, our wanderers at last changed course and entered the stream which told them they were drawing near the goal towards which they had been hastening for so many weary days. To reach this goal, was to endure a few more hardships and trials, and when, in the lovely Tulpehocken (which means "land where the turtle sang and wooed.") region, nestling at the foot of the Blue Mountains and wavered by its numerous streams, they pitched their camp for the last time, it was HOME.

Outside of the surrounding Indian villages, we have no record of previous settlements, so that, in very truth, they had taken up "vacant lands." Thus is the connection of the Tulpehocken Settlement with the region of Schoharie, New York.

Later in the same paper, Rev. Richards wrote:

"There were constant accessions to the number of the first feeble band. In 1728, other families left Schoharie, and settled (in Tulpehocken), amongst whom were:

And in an even later work, Rev. Richards writes:

"Before the erection of Berks County, in 1752, the township of Tulpehocken was a recognized division, being a part of Lancaster County in 1729. Because of its great size, in 1734, another township was laid off from it and erected, called "Heidelberg" to commemorate that part of the fatherland from whence many of the settlers came. The early inhabitants, therefore, of the old Townships of Heidelberg and Tulpehocken, were composed, mainly (though not entirely) of the immigrants from New York Province.

Rupp names the following as amongst the first settlers:

Copyright © 1997 by: Judy Thayer for use in the USGenWeb Archieves.

Further information:

Many of the records that we use to learn about the 1709 -1710 group in New York are taken from a Lutheran Minister, Reverend Kocherthal, born Josua Harrsch. In the book by Roland Paul, PALATINES IN AMERICA, on page 39, he states that this Lutheran Parish Register, which began in 1708 on board ship and kept until his death in 1719 is the oldest parish register in the United States written in the German language.

My ancestors who came to PA from New York helped start other Lutheran Churches in the Tulpehocken area.

There are many excellent books, and societies that tell the history of the people who came to PA. The Tulpehocken Settlement Historical Society has published much information on the families.

My WENRICH and SCHAUER, and allied families were part of that group who came. To my knowledge, most of them were Lutheran or Reformed not Mennonites.

Contributed by: Joan.

I find the Schoharie Colony, est 1709, very interesting since I was reared not far away in upstate NY and to my recollection there was nothing in the history books about it and there was quite a bit about other early communities. These were German-speaking Swiss Mennonites who had suffered religious persecution and had been exiled to locations all over Europe and England. I quote from a paper by Eshleman:

"1723 -- German Palatines of New York Come to Pennsylvania"

"In the great German Exodus of 1709, of which we have spoken before, Governor Hunter brought 3000 of those Palatines (who were landed and stranded in England in the Exodus) to New York. They camped or lived in New York till the fall of 1710, and then the Queen of England provided for their transportation to a wilderness near Schoharie, New York, where it seems one of the chiefs of the Five Nations gave a tract of land, because this chief and several of his tribe (who were in England to get England to send a Force to reduce the French in Canada) saw the destitute condition of these Germans, while they lay in England in their poverty and their misery. The laws of New York did not suit the Germans -- and therefore, in 1723, they asked permission to come to Pennsylvania. They were allowed to do so, and settled on Tulpehocken and Swatara Creeks -- becoming the foundation of some of the best German stock of Upper Lancaster, Dauphin, and Montgomery Counties.... The petition of these people for permission to come to Pennsylvania is also found in the Colonial Records."

These people were German-speaking Swiss Mennonites. There were "camps" for them, one just outside of London and another in Northern Ireland. I have read elsewhere that the Mennonites were part of the "Barbarian" tribes that toppled the Roman Empire -- they may have originated in Eastern Europe, i.e. in Silesia on the banks of the Odder River. After conquering western Europe, most of them settled in Switzerland, and became Christians, following the teachings of Menno Simons. After the Reformation they were known as "Anabaptists"-- they did not believe in infant baptism. They suffered extensive religious persecution from the State Church of Switzerland. (I also find the history books lacking on this subject.) But I suspect knowledge of what went on in Europe at this time is the reason that later the American founding fathers insisted on separation of Church and State in the constitution.

Additional information

A Brief Sketch of the First Settlement of the County of Schoharie

Contributed by: Doug Garber.

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