[Here we see the granting of land in lots of 250 acres. The same as was willed by the early Sasser's from father to son.] 5# WHO WERE THE PALATINES? In the country in Germany known as the Palatinate on both sides of the Rhine River lived followers of Martin Luther and John Calvin who founded the "Palatine Catechism", and were called Palatines. A prolonged series of wars over the years had left their region devastated and impoverished; persecution by the Catholic king of France worsened matters. Finally an incredibly harsh winter which killed their grapevines and fruit trees and prevented planting grain led them to migrate to England. Here it was even hinted Queen Anne would assist them in securing transportation to the bountiful land in the New World. The proprietors agreed to sell ten thousand acres between the New and Cape Fear Rivers and bestow upon anyone of the Swiss company who purchased five thousand acres. Christoph van Graffenried bought five thousand acres for 50 pounds and assumed direction of the Swiss company. He agreed to transport 650 Palatines to America if the commissioners in London would pay the passage. In turn, the company agreed to set aside 250 acres for each family, furnish provisions and other necessities for a year. The lords proprietors directed Christopher Gale, one of their officials in North Carolina, to furnish the colonists with whatever he could, and the Swiss company would repay the proprietors a portion of their worth. An agreement was entered into between De Graffenried and Michel (his fellow Swiss), members of George Ritter & Company on the one hand, and seven commissioners and trustees appointed by the Crown for the assistance and settlement of the Palatines, on the other hand. The agreement provided for the transportation of 600 persons from England to "the part of her Majesty's dominions in America known as North Carolina".The agreement stipulated that within three months after their arrival each family was to receive 250 acres of land to be held the first five years thereafter without any acknowledgment for the same, and rendering and paying unto the said De Graffenried for every acre the sum of two pence every year after the said term of five years." Before the end of January in mild weather the colonists accompanied by Lawson departed. Graffenried remained to complete plans for a colony of Swiss to follow shortly. HARSH CIRCUMSTANCES When they finally reached the site of the colony, Graffenried heard distressing tales of Death and suffering Winter storms at sea had delayed them and they were thirteen weeks in crossing. Lack of adequate supplies, salty food, and close confinement had taken a heavy toll. In the mouth of the James River, they were boarded by French Privateers and plundered. When they finally reached North Carolina in desperate need of assistance to make their way overland to Neuse River, they called on 001. Thomas Pollock on the Chowan River, who charged dearly for supplies. Finally at their journey's end, they discovered that Lawson and Gale had made no provisions for them at all. Too weak to work, they even had to sell their clothes to their neighbors for sustenance. They were located by Surveyor-General Lawson on a tongue of land between the Neuse and Trent Rivers, called by the Indians. "Chattooka." Graffenried did send to Pennsylvania for flour and to Virginia for other supplies. He had already paid the lords proprietors for the land he claimed, but as a step toward insuring peace he also paid the Indians for whatever claim they might have. The new town was named for the river on which it was located and for his home city in Switzerland: Neuse-Bern. To the English this sounded like New Bern and that is what the place was called. Only twenty of the families lived in town; they were the artesian locksmith, mason, blacksmith, tailor, miller, butcher, weaver, potter. title maker. carpenter, shoemaker and a schoolmaster. The remainder of the colonists were settled on farms of 250 acres each on the Trent River and its tributaries, extending to the present town of Pollocksville. The setters set to work to build houses and managed to make themselves comfortable. They arranged wheels on the streams to grind their grain and made progress in the business of living. INDIAN MASSACRE But tragedy followed. Yellow fever ravaged the colonists. Then without warning. at dawn on September 22,1711, the formerly friendly Indians fell upon the unsuspecting settlers' plantations. As a result of the massacre, numbers of children were left orphans. Many were apprenticed in foster homes, and among them appears the name of George Koonce. Graffenried became bitter and disillusioned returned to Europe in 1713. He blamed the colonists for his difficulties, but they said "he carried off from our Settlements all that he could come at." He failed to supply the colonists with the livestock, tools, implements. other things required of him in the contract. But their great and bitter grievance against him was that he never game them titles to their lane. The settlers justly regarded the 250 acres allotted to each as their own. Notwithstanding. Graffenried had mortgaged their land to 001-one Pollock, he said( to assist them through the first winter. In 1733, Cullen Pollock. Colonel Pollock's son, came into possession of all his father's property so he foreclosed the mortgage and ordered the eviction of the colonists in the dead of winter. Upon being petitioned. the crown mercifully came to their rescue and issued a land grant to each petitioning settler. Among these settlers were the Francks, Koonces, Shelfers, Kornegas, Nobles, Millers, Rhems, Islers and others. (A complete list is in the appendix.) [I did not read this until we returned to California or I would have made copies of the appendix.] THE PALATINE CHARACTER Lillian F. Wood who researched the Palatines states that "although the settlers are spoken of as 'poor Palatines' they were not debtors trying to escape their debts; they were not indentured servants of apprentices trying to escape their masters; they were not peasants weary of the exactions of landlords. They were cultured, deeply religious people, the best that Europe had to offer, driven from their homes by religious persecution. According to Dr. Charles Holloman the Palatines and Swiss were a large element in early Kingston and Lenoir County. Mrs. Caswell (See Heritage) John Heritage, Mrs. Jesse Cobb, William Martin Heritage, The Franks, Islers, Koonces and many more were descendants. Cordially, Earl Sasser ewsass@writeme.com