For those of you unfamiliar with the little book, Christoph von Graffenried's account of the founding of New Bern, I am pasting into the body of this email letter a synopsis of the parts that have special significance to us as we seek the history of our ancestor's probable origin and landing date in America. Unfortunately, our ancestor's name, Kornegay, Knegi, Gnagi, or any other variation of the spelling is not found in his book. We can only gather general information that might help narrow the search or add to our dates. ****************************************************************************** ************************* Christoph von Graffenried's account of the founding of New Bern (A brief summarization of the initial emigration with annotations by Matt Ward) After the colonization of New Bern and the subsequent failures of Graffenried to make it successful financially, he returned to his homeland and wrote a defense of his efforts. He had been severely criticized for the many hardships and deaths that the colony had suffered and had been accused of undertaking the colonization imprudently to the disadvantage and ruin of many. His treatise has been published under the title Christoph von Graffenried's account of the founding of New Bern. The volume from which the summary below was taken was reproduced from a 1920 edition (German and French versions, with an English translation of each) in the North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,. It was reprinted in 1973 with permission of the North Carolina State Office of Archives and History by The Reprint Company, Spartanburg, South Carolina; ISBN 0-87152-141-5; Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 73-2697. I have recently learned (June, 1998) that reprints are available for $12.95 plus postage from the Tyron Palace Museum Shop, Phone (252) 514-4900. ****************************************************************************** ************************* A large section of colonial America was granted to eight favorites of England's Charles II. He wished to reward them for their assistance in helping him to the throne after the downfall of the Cromwells (Oliver and Richard). These eight men: Edward Earle of Claredon, George Duke of Albemarle, William Earl of Craven, John Lord Berkeley, Anthony Lord Ashley, Sir George Cartaret, Sir John Colleton, and Sir William Berkeley were thereafter known as the "Proprietors". Their grant covered lands in America from 29¡ to 36¡30' north latitude (roughly, from northern Florida to northern North Carolina). They were given almost absolute power including the power to create an order of nobility among the inhabitants of their domains, but the titles were not to be the same as those used in England, and the laws they made were not to be opposed to those of England. They were given discretionary powers with regard to freedom of conscience, and could grant religious liberty and toleration as they chose. Around 1709 a Swiss group known as the Ritter Company was proposing to bring over to America some religous prisoners of the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. It was agreed that 10,000 acres of land on or between the Neuse and Cape Fear rivers in North Carolina should be set out for the Proposers or their heirs, they paying to the Lords Proprietors £10 for each 1000 acres. The colonists were to have an option for 12 years to purchase an additional 100,000 acres at the same price per 1000 acres during the first 7 years and thereafter through the 12th year "according to the custome of that part of the Province" (market rate). Christopher Emanuel de Graffenreid (Christoph von Graffenreid) was the eldest son of Antony De Graffenreid, Lord of Worb and descendant of a De Graffenreid who was a follower of Duke Berchthold V, founder of the city of Bern. ( This ancestor built the family castle of Worb, six miles from Bern, which was inherited by Christopher in 1730 after his return from Carolina with broken fortune.) About 1709, Christoph von Graffenreid affiliated with Francis Ludwig Michel (Lewis Mitchell) also of Bern, and the two were engaged by the Ritter Company of Bern to make a purchase of land from the Proprietors and lead and govern the colony in the New World. Graffenreid purchased 5000 acres which included the right to a "title" of "Landgrave" (German: Landgraf) which, according to some dictionaries is the equivalent of "Count", however he was later known as "Baron" (an English term for the lowest level of nobility), a title which was bestowed upon him by Queen Anne of Great Britain. In this period, 1709, a large number of Swiss and Germans who had been subject to religious persecution had fleed first to the Palatinate of Germany. Still starving there, many had been invited by Queen Anne of England to come there temporarily. 12,000 Palatines went to England in the summer of 1709 and encamped in tents near London. Graffenreid made arrangements with the Proprietors to take a large contingent of these poor Palatines encamped in London with him to the land in Carolina he was negotiating to purchase. The Queen agreed to help (she was glad to gracefully get out of the burden her invitation to them was costing) by promising 5£ 10 shillings for each emigrant to pay their passage and gave each 20 shillings worth of clothes as a present. She also bestowed upon Graffenreid the title of "Baron". On October 10, 1709, it was allowed for Graffenreid to take 92 families (600 people) and on Oct 21, 50 more people were added. He had the privilege of choosing among them and he picked out young, healthy, and industrious persons of various trades. The palatines were put on 3 ships which left for America on January 10, 1710. Even though Graffenreid took conciencious effort to assure adequate food and accomodations for them, many died en route because of some overcrowding and the salted food which did not aree with them. Crossings usually took 6 to 8 weeks, but due to being overtaken by terrible storms the voyage lasted 13 weeks! Over half of them died at sea. This would put their landing in the new world at approximately April 11, 1710. They landed in Virginia, probably in Portsmouth. The travelled by land to Col. Pollock's in Albemarle Co., North Carolina on the Chowan river, then crossed the sound into Bath Co., and by May or June were located at the site of New Bern. In the meantime, Graffenreid himself, who had not sailed with the Palatines of London in the first crossing, had been arranging the second voyage to consist of the Ritter Company colonists from Bern, Switzerland. He also arranged for additional items of commerce and farming implements to be brought with this second voyage. This group departed Bern, March 8, 1710 and came ashore also in Porsmouth, Virginia, September 11, 1710. Graffenreid met with the Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia (Governor Spotswood was away at the time), and also met with Edward Hyde who had been sent by the Proprietors to be governor of North Carolina. Graffenreid and his people then set out over land for the Chowan river where they expected to find boats to take them to their tract on the Neuse and Trent rivers. ****************************************************************************** *** Graffenreid left Berne, Switzerland and first visited Holland. From there he went to England and describes the following: At this very time there came over 10,000 souls from Germany to England, all under the name of Palatines, but among them were many Switzers and people brought together from other provinces of Germany. This is confirmation that the so-called Palatines were, in fact, from several German speaking provinces and not merely from the Palatinate (Pfaltz), and included some Swiss. After contracting with the Queen and the Proprietors of the colonial areas, he was alloted from the Queen 4000£ sterling to provision ships and transport "a considerable number of these people" to America. He goes on to indicate what great care was taken to select healthy, industrious people and among them those of all sorts of trades necessary for the undertaking. He also tells of the care to make sure the ships (3) were adequately provisioned and supervised. The ships sailed from Gravesend, but he could not sail with them as he was waiting for "the little colony coming on from Berne, as well as for some of my associates..." This first contingent of ships left Gravesend in January. Then, he explains, because of rough winds and storms it took thirteen weeks to arrive in Virginia. This, along with the salt food to which the people were not accustomed, and the fact that they were so closely confined, contributed very much to the sickness and death of many upon the sea. The one ship which was filled with the best goods and on which those in best circumstances were traveling, had the misfortune, at the mouth of the James River, in sight of an English man-of-war, which however lay at anchor, to be attacked by a bold French privateer and plundered. After the surviving colony had regained health in Virginia where they were received very kindly, they betook themselves about twenty English miles towards Carolina, all of which, along with the goods cost a great deal. And now when they came into the county of Albemarle to the home of one Colonel Pollock upon the river called Chowan, a member of the council and one of the wealthiest in North Carolina, he provided these people, (but for money or the worth of it) with ships, so that they were conducted through the Sound into the County of Bath upon the River Neuse, with provision for only the most urgent necessity; and there the Surveyor General settled them on a point of land between the Neuse and the Trent River. This place called Chattoka is where the city of New Bern was afterwards founded. Next, Graffenreid describes additional hardships endured by this initial contingent of "Palantines". But he follows with: ...the poor people had to live in great distress until fall, when I came... Consider how my Bern people, who in every other respect had had a favorable passage with me in a good and favorable time of year, with plenty of room, and not one sick on the way, looked on this tragedy, where sickness, despair, and lack of the most necessary things reigned supreme This paragraph is revealing in that it tells the approximate arrival time of the second contingent...the ones he said he had to wait for (the reason for not being able to sail with the first three ships from Gravesend). Elsewhere in the account, he says they came in sight of land on Sept. 10, and came ashore on Sept. 11 (1710). And, he again refers to the second group as "my Bern people." This suggests that this second group probably were a fairly homogeneous group geographically...from the Bern area as opposed to the description of the first group as , "all under the name of Palatines, but among them were many Switzers and people brought together from other provinces of Germany." These Swiss were made up, in part, of 100 persons who left Bern, March 8, 1710. To them there was to have been added at some stage of the journey, the 56 convicts, men who had been in prison now two years because of their Anabaptist views. Passes through England had already been secured, but it was not until March 12 that the Swiss Ambassador to Holland, St. Saphorin, was instructed to get the consent and assistance of the Dutch authorities in bringing the prisoners on their way. On March 18 the little band of convicts started by boat from Bern under Michel'' care. The States General had not yet given their consent and showed no signs of doing so, as they had no sympathy with the Anabaptist persecutions, for in Holland people of this sect were welcomed on account of their industry and orderly lives. On the trip down the Rhine, fully one half of the prisoners became too sick to continue and had to be left in the Palatinate. By the laws of Holland (which was sympathetic to the cause of the Anabaptists and welcomed the sect on account of their industry and orderly lives), these prisoners on reaching Dutch territory would thereby become free and able to choose their on destiny rather than being bound to deportation to America in order to gain their freedom. When the remaining 28 got as far as Nimwegen, Holland, the vigilance of the Dutch Anabaptists discovered the prisoners; complaint was made; and they were immediately released and allowed to go back to their friends in the Palatinate, or wherever they would, in search of their families form whom they had been so long separated. It appears only one of this sect kept on to America. Below is a summary of the letters from colonists in New Bern to their friends and relatives back home in Switzerland. I have extracted that which might be of use to genealogists trying to find surnames mentioned among the colonists or their relatives in Switzerland. Also included are some of the content to give us all a better prospective of their hardships. Most of their letters tell of how they are fairing in the new colony and advise others who might be considering migrating what to bring for use and what to bring to resell at substantial profit due to its scarcity in the colonies. Many of the letters mention with sadness the deaths of family members, which reminds the modern reader of the hardships and misery suffered by these brave people. Unfortunately, the letters do not contain an inside address, so unless it is revealed within the body of the letter, we do not know to where the letter was sent in Switzerland. Owing to the corrupt text in the original of some of the letters, translation is, while true, at times confusing in syntax. All parenthetical inserts are mine, not the letter writer's. Written Apr. 7, 1711 by Hans Ruegsegger (Rügsegger?) from New Bern: 1. Mentions his son, Hans, died Feb. 26 (1711). 2. Mentions son, Uhli, may wish to get married and come with his bride to New Bern. If so, he should call upon Mr. Ritter in Bern to make the arrangements. 3. Mentions a brother-in-law, Hans 4. Brother-in-law, Peter Seeman, and Uhli Küntzi might desire to come 5. "Besides this I send also to the pastor, and all my relatives, as also my father-in-law and his family, also Uhli Müller's wife and the Mayor, yes, also, the whole community, a thousand greetings with a kiss of love." 6. "Benedict Kupferschmied my son-in-law sends his father and brothers, as also his sister, friendly greeting..." 7. "Let Uhli Müller, the gunsmith, write me accurately, through Mr. Ritter, how it stands with my property, and also about my neighbors and my son. >From Samuel Jacob Gabley and Margreth Pfund: 1. greeting to father, mother brothers ansisters... 2. "I am ...married to Margaret Pfund of Zweysimmen." 3. "Greet for me Uhli Treut...Hans Klasner, and his dear wife, Rufascher..." >From Jacob Währe of Zweysimmen: 1. "greeting dear and faithful Cousin, Christen Eggen; and you whole house." 2. "The 18th of March (1710), as you know, we left Bern. The 10th of April we came to Rotterdam; there we remained seven weeks and two day. The 31st of May we sailed away. The 14th of June we came to the north of England. There we stayed five weeks...." 3. "Monzua has married my big son..." 4. "Greet the pastor for me and his whole house, Magistrate Zergen, the Mayor and his whole house, Treasurer Martge, both Kilchmeyers, Truwhart and their whole house, Heinrich Egender of St. Stephan's Court and his whole house for his sons Jacob and peter Treuthart, Joseph Bullre of Wyssenbach and his wife Wassle, Anna Maria, Jacob Gobli and his whole house up in the village." 5. "Greet for me my dear comrades namely the good Säumers." 6. "This is to be reported to Daniel Zant in Eriswyl." >From Anna Eva Zant: 1. mentions husband, Johannes Zant, who died 2. "my dear and faithful cousin, Daniel Zant." 3. "my daughter Katherine (died on the journey) from Johann Jacob Bötschi: 1. "A friendly greeting to my grandfather, Benedict Schetele, of Nider Linog and my father's brother in Buch, Heinrich Simon, Andreas Krächig, and my grandmother in Buch." 2. "Our father, Benedict Simon, willed on his deathbed willed on his deathbed that we surviving children should still have something on demand from my grandfather, Benedict Schettele (sic); " 3. "Benedict Simon's wife and child Katherine are dead. His daughter's husband Joseph Stern of Riggisberg is also dead. Madlena, the surviving widow is married again to Jacob Himler of Madiswyl and Madlena has another child, Johannes Stern, and Anna Margreta is married to Andreas Weinmann of Mentzingen. Johannes Simon, these three relatives are in Carolina with Graffenried." 4. "Maria Magdalena remaind behind with her husband Johann Heinrich, Hans von Buchse in London. (sic) from Benedict Zionien: 1. greetings to Hans and Bartlome and Bäsi Unclear who this is from: 1. "My two children, Maria and Hansli died at Rotterdam in Holland and were buried in the common burial place." 2. "I am very sorry that Christian Balsiger took away his Uhli from me again at Bern." 3. "This letter to Hanss Wichtermann, Bränen. (This last word, Bränen, may be the signature of the letter writer, or the town in which Hanss W. is to be found.) 4. "Anna Wull of Rümligen is also here and rather rich." The next letter says it is to: Christian von Mühlernen in Switzerland, in the Canton of Bern, in upper Simmenthal, in the parish of Bottigen of the Flühli. 1. "from your affectionate children Michael Ziorien and Salome von Mühlenen." >From Christen Engel: 1. greeting "Hans Aeschbacher, the inn-keeper Uhli Bache,..." 2. "my Anni died." 3. "send me two good axes for Dietrich has not time to do blacksmithing" 4. "And if Cousin Haldmann would give me the whole meadow of the estate with everything belonging to it, I should not want it for I have meadow and forest enough for the.." 5. "greet for me...Christian Housmann in Heybuhl and his wife." 6. "I and Dietrich his servant send friendly greetings to the blacksmith and Hans at Flüh." 7. "Let Casper Gerber give this over to Mr. Ritter in Bern..." 8. "...if the inheritance has been settled let my godfather give to each a half thaler, namely to Peter Habegger, Helm Kupferschmied, Uhli Burger and Nicholas Balts, if they are still alive." 9. "Have some one buy for me a half dozen of those books like those of which Uhli Lerche gave me one..." Letter written by Christen Janzen: 1. "A young son was born on the sea. His father's name is Benedict Kupferschmied. He worked a year for our dear brother, Christian Bürki." 2. "Brought here hale and hearty, the shoemaker Moritz did not die till he was on his farm. He was well on the whole journey. No one else of us Siebentaler people has died, but of the others though, three Palatines." 3. (Here the writer describes the forest, which I include merely for its interest:) "Regarding the land in general. It is almost wholly forest, with indescribably beautiful cedar wood, poplars, oaks, beech, walnut and chestnut trees. But the walnuts are very hard and full of indentations and the chestnuts very small but good. There is sassafras also, and so many other fragrant trees that I cannot describe the hundredth part. Cedar is red like the most beautiful veined cherry and smells better than the finest juniper. They are, commonly, as well as the other trees, fifty to sixty feet below the limbs." 4. "Zioria, my son-in-law Peter Reutiger, and I..." 5. "I have married Christina Christeler, a widow of Sannen. I am her third husband. By the first she has four children. Two died in London. Her husband and one child upon the sea. But the eldest, a boy of thirteen, named Benedict Plösch, is at Mörigen in the baliwick Nidauw, staying with his deceased father's clientage. And he was alive four years ago. Her father was named peter Christeler. Christen Walcker, who, with his wife died here in this country and left eight children, said to her that she has a rather large inheritance from her late father, left with her brother Moritz Christeler, for he has received a hundred pounds of it. When you go to Sannen to ask about it, I hope Heinrich Perret will be able to help you; for they have been nearest neighbors. And if it is as Walcker says you can take it into your hands." 6. "Peter Rohtiger and my two daughters greet you, for we live beside each other. Dichtli is still with me, and I am delivering the greeting of us all to our dear and faithful pastor, to the whole number of honored persons, especially Godfather Kilchmeyer Dreuthart, and Andreas Aescher, Christen Jantz." 7. "Greet for us Christien Bürki..." 8. Greet for us Anna Drus, item Speismann's people, and your sister..." ****************************************************************************** *************************