Pam and All- There is an organization Palatines to America, or Palam. "Palatines" is defined as German-speaking people who immigrated in the 1700s (most of our Northampton Co. ancestor group) but also includes other German immigrants from later, i.e., 19th century arrivals too. They have a library in Columbus, OH, which I've never been to, but it is quite a collection. I have a feeling that if I read German better, I'd get more from a visit there. Their web site is www.Palam.org. I've been a member for about 5 years and they put out several publications that are very instructive. One of them is The Palatine Immigrant (this is the one I mentioned in an earlier post). A running column in that publication is "Ask Ernie" and this is for identifying geographic places in Germany where you might have the 18th (or 19th) century name for it. Ernie Thode is the expert who edits/writes this section and in the last issue he answered a question for me that broke through a huge stumbling block I (and genealogical cousins) had been grappling with for thirty years. With your membership, you get membership to a local chapter as well. There are different chapters including a PA one to which I belong. I live in NYC and there is a NYS chapter but it deals with the early 1709 Palatine group and my ancestors were from PA & NJ. Once, about 3 years ago, I went to a National conference held over three days in Harrisburg. The speakers were excellent (Hank Z. Jones, Annette Burgert, etc.) The conferences are held all over the country; the year after that, it was in Colorado. The local chapters have meetings in their home states. The cost of membership is not great --- about 30/year -- but check the web site if you're interested. You can also buy back issues of the publication. I just went to the web site and see it has an index of Surnames, Places and Ships to its publications. Everyone on the list might want to check it out. Hope this helps, Marilyn ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pam Fite" <fite52@comcast.net> To: "msouders" <msouders@nyc.rr.com> Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 10:44 PM Subject: Re: [PANORTHA-L] SILVIUS > Marilyn, > > What is the Palantine Immigrant? > > Thanks, Pam > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "msouders" <msouders@nyc.rr.com> > To: <PANORTHA-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2003 5:58 PM > Subject: [PANORTHA-L] SILVIUS > > > > I think it's Marie Robinson who researches this name, Silvius. In the > current issue of The Palatine Immigrant, there's a reference to a Johan > Henrich Silvius, b. 1713 - d. bef Oct 1776. Any interest, get in touch with > me and I'll give you the complete reference. > > (I've recently lost all my email and most of my address book, so am > muddling around right now.) > > Marilyn > > >

Hi all, I must answer the note about Palatinates and try to make a bit of sense at the same time. First thing is that folks must get use to the idea that Germany was not even a country until 1896 whenit was united by Bismark. Ptrior to that time it was a large conglomerate of small units often referrerd to as "Duchys" which were presumedly ciontrolled by Dukes/Counts and other basically "Royal Personalities". One of the very best examples of this system had a very harsh effect on the New World when we took on the British in the American Revolution. Every one has heard of the "Hessians" and they have often been much maligned as "Mercenary Soldiers" who fought for the British because they were bought and paid for by the British Crown Royals. The truth of the matter is very simple... King George of England was German... He was hated by the English since he spoke almost no English at all. He was not only the King of England but the Ruler of Brandenberg-Hesse as well. The area of present day Germany had a terrible problem in the 1700s with unemployment and poor pay for work done. Many less skilled men went into Military service, where ever they could, since it was almost the only means of employment available to many. So some of the troops in Hesse were from other areas and hired out, "enlisted' to be soldiers for the Hesse area. During the revolution King George ordered his Hessian Soldiers to the New World to fight. He had a perfect right to do this since he was the King of Brandenberg-Hesse and they were his Army.. As were the British regulars... This is only one of many examples of the fact that Germany, as we know it today, did not exist. Some portions of Germany were arranged in such a way that several Duchies got together and formed a stronger Geographic and Political grouping. These areas were Palatinates. There was an Eastern, Western etc. It included border areas near Switzerland into the Alsace and western Rhineland regions and further east into large parts of what is now Germany. A few people had a bit of money and were employed. When they had the opportunity they left and went elsewhere. This was not as easy as it sounds since on most occassions they had to request and obtain permission, from their political region ruler or Palatinate, to travel or move elsewhere. In many places they, basically, had to buy their freedom. Skilled people were highly prized and often had serious problems leaving but many did it anyway. Many felt that they were actually slaves to the more wealth people and rulers. Oh yes... There was a penalty if you did leave with out the proper paperwork. They could be imprisoned or even killed for failure to follw the rules. My GGGGG Grandfather travelled from the Northern Kraichgau, where Eppingen is located, and his entire family came to Pennsylvania thru Philadelphia. He and his son with wife and three children , his daughter and her husband, Kessler, with eight children. I do not know the cost of the trip. But it must have been quite a large amount for 16 people. It had to be costly but the did it A brief discription of a Palatinate from page 3 of Annette K.Burgerts book "Eighteenth Century Emigrants" Vol II, The Western Palatinates. "The modern State of Rhineland-Pfalz, in English is the Rhineland Palatinate, and it was established after WW II. It is bordered in the north byNordhein-Westfalen, east by Hesse -Baden-Wurttemberg, France to the south Saarland to the Southwest and west to Luxembourg and Belgium." So you can easily see that this arrangement or predicament had little to do with anything that happened in the New World but a lot to do with unemployment and poor wages and working conditions in the Old one. They were all "under the thumb" so to speak. On page 2 of Annette K. Burgert's book is a map otf that Palatinate area which is covered by the book itself. The partial title "Western Palatinate' implies that there were others So one can expect Eastern, Southern and perhaps Northern to exist. Therefore a Palantine Immagrant is one who comes from one of the Palantine regions, and, certainly does not specify which one it might be or was. Chances are great that it was not far from theRhine. Most travelled north on the Rhine River by boat/ship and loaded on to their ocean crossing vessels in the Dutch port of Rotterdam. I suspect Annette could give a better explaination than I did but at least it is a start. ----- Original Message ----- From: "msouders" <msouders@nyc.rr.com> To: <PANORTHA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2003 7:18 AM Subject: Re: [PANORTHA-L] SILVIUS > Pam and All- > There is an organization Palatines to America, or Palam. "Palatines" is > defined as German-speaking people who immigrated in the 1700s (most of our > Northampton Co. ancestor group) but also includes other German immigrants > from later, i.e., 19th century arrivals too. > They have a library in Columbus, OH, which I've never been to, but it is > quite a collection. I have a feeling that if I read German better, I'd get > more from a visit there. > Their web site is www.Palam.org. I've been a member for about 5 years and > they put out several publications that are very instructive. One of them is > The Palatine Immigrant (this is the one I mentioned in an earlier post). A > running column in that publication is "Ask Ernie" and this is for > identifying geographic places in Germany where you might have the 18th (or > 19th) century name for it. Ernie Thode is the expert who edits/writes this > section and in the last issue he answered a question for me that broke > through a huge stumbling block I (and genealogical cousins) had been > grappling with for thirty years. > With your membership, you get membership to a local chapter as well. There > are different chapters including a PA one to which I belong. I live in NYC > and there is a NYS chapter but it deals with the early 1709 Palatine group > and my ancestors were from PA & NJ. Once, about 3 years ago, I went to a > National conference held over three days in Harrisburg. The speakers were > excellent (Hank Z. Jones, Annette Burgert, etc.) The conferences are held > all over the country; the year after that, it was in Colorado. The local > chapters have meetings in their home states. > The cost of membership is not great --- about 30/year -- but check the web > site if you're interested. You can also buy back issues of the publication. > I just went to the web site and see it has an index of Surnames, Places and > Ships to its publications. Everyone on the list might want to check it out. > Hope this helps, > Marilyn > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Pam Fite" <fite52@comcast.net> > To: "msouders" <msouders@nyc.rr.com> > Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 10:44 PM > Subject: Re: [PANORTHA-L] SILVIUS > > > > Marilyn, > > > > What is the Palantine Immigrant? > > > > Thanks, Pam > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "msouders" <msouders@nyc.rr.com> > > To: <PANORTHA-L@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2003 5:58 PM > > Subject: [PANORTHA-L] SILVIUS > > > > > > > I think it's Marie Robinson who researches this name, Silvius. In the > > current issue of The Palatine Immigrant, there's a reference to a Johan > > Henrich Silvius, b. 1713 - d. bef Oct 1776. Any interest, get in touch > with > > me and I'll give you the complete reference. > > > (I've recently lost all my email and most of my address book, so am > > muddling around right now.) > > > Marilyn > > > > > >

Additional stuff about Palatinates The Area I listed with the surrounding locations is the main area referred to as "The Palatinate" in many genealogy articles. Many, if not most, who came from that area are referred to as Palatinate Emigrants. So if your ancestor is mentioned in that way it kind of implies they lived inside that area bounded by the named Duchy States. Annette K. Burgert, has an 84 page booklet called "Master Index to The Emigrants Documented In The Published Works Of Annette K. Burgert". Long Name... (This means exactly what it says. She has investigated the family names and has them in books she has had published. She does have some for sale directly from herself.) She has no idea that I have written this and I only do it because I am sure she will not mind. I order books from her myself and we speak on the phone occassionally. We are not strangers... You may tell her where and how you found out about her works... It is $12.50 plus $2.50 postage and of course if you live in Pa there is the + 6% sales Tax. Her address is: AKB Publications 691 Weavertown Road, Myerstown, PA. 17067 The inside cover has a map with proper names for many areas and it does include better known towns and cities. Most of the area referred to as The Palatinate is west of the Rhine river, nearer to the south side of the illustration, above Switzerland. The map covers from the Belgium/Luxembourg area in the east to just west of a north-south line from near Erfurt to Bamberg to Nuremberg and then Augsberg. Arranged alphabetically so use is easy. Each name has listed the place they came from and when. (I only counted one page.) There were 58 names on page #1 and it continues that way to page 84 which contains 8 names and info. That is about 4,656 names all neatly catalouged. All these are people that Annette has documented in her past volumes. A worth while publication for many people since she has published 18 books concerning the Germanic Emigration subjects. A complete price list can be had from her and I am sure she would appreciate a large stamped envelope. Her expenses can, otherwise, become enormous. The listing is two pages so one stamp is enough for the return. Sorry, she is not on the Internet.... I have several of her books (3) and booklets (8) and I can look up some names if anyone wants me to do it because I do have the Master index. (More books will come around later.) A bit of my own history I know a bit more than some folks do about Germany. I was among the first 100 across the Bridge at Remagen and that is 24 miles north of the City of Koblenz which is the northern tip of The Palatinate. I was a 19 year old, PFC, 99th Infantry Division Machine Gunner in those days with a great interest in the land of my forefathers who came from nearby... in 1731 and 1751. I visited there again, as a U.S. Air Force Sergeant, in the early 1950s when things were peaceful and quiet. Now, a youngish 78 year old, I am learning more and more about my early people. Ain't the Internet great?? Lee Mensinger 1229 Fredericksburg Road New Braunfels, Tx 78130 830-620-6575 ----- Original Message ----- From: "msouders" <msouders@nyc.rr.com> To: <PANORTHA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2003 7:18 AM Subject: Re: [PANORTHA-L] SILVIUS > Pam and All- > There is an organization Palatines to America, or Palam. "Palatines" is > defined as German-speaking people who immigrated in the 1700s (most of our > Northampton Co. ancestor group) but also includes other German immigrants > from later, i.e., 19th century arrivals too. > They have a library in Columbus, OH, which I've never been to, but it is > quite a collection. I have a feeling that if I read German better, I'd get > more from a visit there. > Their web site is www.Palam.org. I've been a member for about 5 years and > they put out several publications that are very instructive. One of them is > The Palatine Immigrant (this is the one I mentioned in an earlier post). A > running column in that publication is "Ask Ernie" and this is for > identifying geographic places in Germany where you might have the 18th (or > 19th) century name for it. Ernie Thode is the expert who edits/writes this > section and in the last issue he answered a question for me that broke > through a huge stumbling block I (and genealogical cousins) had been > grappling with for thirty years. > With your membership, you get membership to a local chapter as well. There > are different chapters including a PA one to which I belong. I live in NYC > and there is a NYS chapter but it deals with the early 1709 Palatine group > and my ancestors were from PA & NJ. Once, about 3 years ago, I went to a > National conference held over three days in Harrisburg. The speakers were > excellent (Hank Z. Jones, Annette Burgert, etc.) The conferences are held > all over the country; the year after that, it was in Colorado. The local > chapters have meetings in their home states. > The cost of membership is not great --- about 30/year -- but check the web > site if you're interested. You can also buy back issues of the publication. > I just went to the web site and see it has an index of Surnames, Places and > Ships to its publications. Everyone on the list might want to check it out. > Hope this helps, > Marilyn > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Pam Fite" <fite52@comcast.net> > To: "msouders" <msouders@nyc.rr.com> > Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 10:44 PM > Subject: Re: [PANORTHA-L] SILVIUS > > > > Marilyn, > > > > What is the Palantine Immigrant? > > > > Thanks, Pam > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "msouders" <msouders@nyc.rr.com> > > To: <PANORTHA-L@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2003 5:58 PM > > Subject: [PANORTHA-L] SILVIUS > > > > > > > I think it's Marie Robinson who researches this name, Silvius. In the > > current issue of The Palatine Immigrant, there's a reference to a Johan > > Henrich Silvius, b. 1713 - d. bef Oct 1776. Any interest, get in touch > with > > me and I'll give you the complete reference. > > > (I've recently lost all my email and most of my address book, so am > > muddling around right now.) > > > Marilyn > > > > > >