|
THE BALTIMORE GERMANS AND THE OATH OF
ALLEGIANCE IN 1778
Edited by DIETER CUNZ
The large German immigration into
the State of Maryland since 1730 oc-
curred without restraint or check by
bureaucratic regulations. This free-
dom, which on the one hand repre-
sents the greatest characteristic of the
entire history of American immigra-
tion, must, on the other hand, neces-
sarily complicate the work of the his-
torian. We do not have to point out
that any kind of immigration running
in well-organized bureaucratically de-
termined lines is a much easier sub-
ject for historical investigation than
the free and uncontrolled influx of
huge masses into a vast land.
The immigrants of the eighteenth
century did not have to go through
the bureaucratic machinery of consu-
lates, visa, quota and similar immi-
gration formalities. Hence it follows
that we do not have immigration
lists. Scholars who have to deal with
German immigration into Pennsylva-
nia have as a priceless substitute the
ship lists containing the names of all
German immigrants arriving in Penn-
sylvania during the eighteenth cen-
tury. It is needless to explain
how much these documents—edited
in three volumes by Strassburger-
Hinke—facilitates any kind of re-
search on the history of Pennsylvania
immigration.
For Maryland we do not have any-
thing like that. We know the names
of the early immigrants only if they
were handed down to posterity by in-
cidental documents. Our main sources
are the old church records. Other
than from these we learn a name only
if its bearer for some reason or other
was the subject of an official docu-
ment. Systematic lists of German
immigrants into Maryland do not
exist.
A kind of substitute may be found
in the lists which were compiled in
the years between 1777 and 1779, es-
pecially in 1778,—lists which contain
the names of all people in Maryland
who took the so-called Oath of Al-
legiance and Fidelity. The law in-
troducing the oath belonged to the
group of Anti-Tory-Laws which were
made necessary by repeated Tory-
revolts on the Eastern Shore. Since
1777 the General Assembly passed
several acts of this kind "to prevent
the growth of toryism." Fines and
punishment were determined for
everyone who showed "by any word,
open deed, writing, printing, or other
act . . . that the king or parliament
of Great Britain hath any authority,
power or jurisdiction, in or over the
United States ..." (J. T. Scharf,
History of Maryland, Baltimore,
1879, Vol. II, p. 304.)
One of these laws requiring the
Oath of Allegiance was passed by the
General Assembly in the end of 1777.
All persons holding any office of profit
or trust, including attorneys-at-law,
and every person who could cast a
vote at an election, were required to
take and subscribe to the following
oath: "I do swear, that I do not hold
myself bound to yield any allegiance
or obedience to the king of Great-
Britain, his heirs or successors, and
that I will be true and faithful to the
state of Maryland, and will, to the
utmost of my power, support, main-
tain and defend, the freedom and in-
dependence thereof, and the govern-
ment as now established, against all
open enemies, and secret and traiter-
ous conspiracies, and will use my ut-
most endeavours to disclose and make
known to the governor, or some one
of the judges or justices thereof, all
treasons or traiterous conspiracies, at-
tempts or combinations, against this
[31]
state or the government thereof,
which may come to my knowledge.
So help me God." (Laws of Mary-
land, Annapolis, 1787.) It was said
that everybody "shall take, repeat
and subscribe to the oath." Quakers,
Mennonites, and Dunkards who for
religious reasons refused to swear
should "solemnly, sincerely and truly
declare and affirm." Whoever did
not comply with the law within three
months, i.e. before March 1, 1778,
should lose his office and the right to
vote.
The lists of people who took the
Oath of Allegiance after that are pre-
served and may be seen today in the
Hall of Records in Annapolis. To be
sure, we find in these lists the names
of settlers of all nationalities—Eng-
lish, Irish, Scotch, Swedish, and Ger-
man. To a certain extent, however,
it is possible to pick out the German
names. It enables us to effect a primi-
tive kind of stock-taking of the Mary-
land German settlers in 1778. Of
course, the nationality is never indi-
cated in these lists. We must be
satisfied with selecting the German
sounding names, or names whose bear-
ers we can identify as Germans from
other sources. We have investigated
the lists for Baltimore (that means in
1778: the city and the surrounding
county) and by this way we achieved
something like a first directory of
German settlers in Baltimore. Here
are the names:
Ackermann, George
Everhart, George
Bintzil, Balsher
Freymiller, Joseph
Blum, Peter
Frolick, Christian
Breitenbach, John
Ganse, Adam
Clauss, William
Gartner George
Cramer, Peter
Gartner, Michael
Decker, Frederick
Gerer, John Valentin
Delcher, John
Gerrock, Seigfried
Devilbess, George
Graybill, Jacob
Diffendeffer, Daniel
Greeble, Andrew
Dilling, Thomas
Haass, Christian
Distel, Samuel
Haemmerlein, Gerret
Domer, Christian
Hahn, John
Ebbert, John
Hahn, Paul
Eberhard, Martin
Hahn, Peter
Ebert, George
Haller, Frantz
Eckert, Michael
Hausser, William
Ehrman, Johannes
Helm, Leonard
Einsler, Felerious
Hoenig, Christopher
Emich, Phillip
Hoffman, William
Enders, Jacob
Hofstatter, Henry
Hubbert, William
Ritter, Thomas
Hulse, R.
Rohrback, Adam
Jahn, Jochim
Saddler, Joseph
Jahn, John
Sauerbrey, George
Junck, John
Saur, John
Kaller, John
Scarff, William
Keeports, George P.
Schreogly, Michael
Keeports, Jacob
Schwartz, Jacob
Keeple, Joseph
Segesser, Martin
Keplinger, John
Senn, John Michael
Kerhart, Adam
Shaffer, Jacob
Kern, Christopher
Shaffer, John
Kern, Jacob
Shriack, Michael
Kern, Peter
Shriock, John Michael
Kiess, Charles
Siegler, John
Kohl, Friederick
Snider, Henry
Kramer, Adam
Snider, Valentine
Kramer, Bolser
Stahl, George
Kramer, George
Stiger, Andrew
Kraner, Michael
Swoope, Benadict
Krebs, Theodorus
Swoope, Jacob
Kremer, Christoph
Swoope, George
Kremer, Henry
Swoope, John
Lindenberger, George Uhler, Erasmus
Linder, John
Uhler, Valentine
Littig, Just
Ullrich, Peter
Littig, Phillip
Wacker, George
Litzinger, George Sr.
Wagener, Henry
Litzinger, Piter
Weber, Daniel
Myers, Adam
Wershler, Morrice
Myers, Frederick
Wertinburger, Ludwich
Myers, George
Widman, George
Myers, Jacob
Wiesenthal, Charles F.
Myers, John
Yeiser, Phillip
Ritter, Anthony
Zeigler, Henry
Ritter, John
Zimmerman, George
To complete this list we must draw
from another record. Not all Mary-
landers actually took the oath. The
history of Baltimore and Western
Maryland proves that among the Ger-
man element there were compara-
tively few Tories. Nevertheless, also
among the Germans there were some
who refused to subscribe to the re-
quired oath. Beside the above men-
tioned document the Hall of Records
has also "An Alphabetical List of
Persons Not taken the Oath of Al-
legiance and Support. ..." Also
here we find German names:
Cramer, John
Ludwick, Richard
Ebbert, Andrew
Myers, Isaacs
Ebbert, Henry
Myers, Lawrence
Ebbert, Philip
Nitser, John Anthony
Frankfurter, John
Rechtecker, Adam
Frick, Peter
Rechtecker, Jacob
Frifogle, Stophel
Renner, Tobias
Fuchs, Robert
Rinehart, Frederick
Gerhart, Adam
Ritter, Lodowick
Graybill, Philip
Ritter, Michael
Keller, Joseph
Rupert, John
Keefer, Vincent
Sadler, William
Kindle, John
Scarff, John
[32]
Sense, Adam
Spitler, John
Sense, Christian
Stiner, Jacob
Sense, Christopher
Swartswalter, Jacob
Sense, Peter
Tanner, Christopher
Shriack, Michael Sr. Tanner, George
Shrier, Lodowick
Tanner, Isaac
Shriver, Jacob
Tyfel, Jacob
Snider, Abram
Winteringer, Barnet
Snider, Frederick
Weber, Bernhard
Snider, Martin
Wettinger, John
Snider, Michael
Winginer, Peter
Spitler, George
The balance of these two records
shows—what we know already from
other sources—that the majority of
the Germans in Maryland favored the
cause of the American Revolution.
We are well aware that these lists
are incomplete and defective. Con-
sidering, however, the great lack of
systematic records for the early Ger-
man immigration into Maryland we
should not overlook even this modest
source.
SIDNEY LANIER'S CENTENNIAL CANTATA 1876
Long as thine art shall love true love,
Long as thy science truth shall know,
Long as thine eagle harms no dove,
Long as thy law by law shall grow,
Long as thy God is God above,
Thy brother every man below,
So long, dear land of all my love,
Thy name shall shine, thy fame shall glow.
So lange wir von echter Liebe singen,
So lange wir um letzte Wahrheit ringen,
So lang der Adler nicht die Taube schlägt,
So lange Recht durch Recht sich weiterträgt,
So lang wir Ehrfurcht vor dem Höchsten nähren
Und in dem Niedrigsten den Bruder ehren,
So lang, du Land, dem unsre Liebe gilt,
Soll stehn in Ruhm und Glanz dein leuchtend Bild.
Sidney Lanier (1842-1881) the great Southern poet and
musician, whose hundredth anniversary was celebrated in
February, 1942, during his last years in Baltimore had
engagements with the orchestras of some German Singing
Societies, such as the Germania Maennerchor, the Harmonie,
and the Liederkranz Societies.—German translation of the
Cantata by Dieter Cunz.
[33]
|