THE REPORT
True to its original purpose "of
gathering, publishing, and preserving
material for the history of the Ger-
mans in Maryland," our Society has
published during more than six dec-
ades of its existence quite a number of
volumes, called REPORTS.* These
Reports have always presented a
resume of the routine activity of the
Society together with articles dealing
with the history of the German ele-
ment in the Middle Atlantic States,
especially in the State of Maryland.
Scholars as well as interested laymen
have contributed to our Reports, deal-
ing with special problems of immigra-
tion history, with the development of
old German settlements, churches,
societies, institutions in Maryland, or
treating the lives of famous Mary-
landers of German descent.
This year the Society may be con-
gratulated upon having achieved one
of its main objectives: the publication
of a definitive volume in its proper
field, The Maryland Germans, by Dr.
Dieter Cunz (Princeton University
Press, 1948). No other state has such
a complete and comprehensive history
of its German element.
The annual meeting and banquet
took place regularly in the month of
February with the following speakers:
1946, Professor Albert
B. Faust (Cornell Uni-
versity) : " German-American Historical
Societies—Their Achievements and Limi-
tations";
1947, Professor Eitel W. Dobert (University of
Maryland): "The United Nations Pro-
gram of the Forty-eighters in America";
1948,
Professor A. E. Zucker (University of
Maryland): " The Spirit of the Forty-
eighters";
1949,
The Honorable George L. Radcliffe
(former U. S. Senator): " The German
Element in Maryland History";
1950, Dr. Henry J. Kellermann (U. S. State
Department): "The Political and Cul-
tural Status of Germany Today."
The By-Laws, unchanged since 1893
and thus somewhat out of date, were
revised. The new version is published
in this Report.
Our Society is the only German-
American historical society in exist-
ence and has, therefore, more than
regional significance. In view of this
fact, the Executive Committee decided
to elect as corresponding members
from other states the following schol-
ars. The field in which they have
published is indicated in parentheses.
Professor Robert T. Clark (The Louisiana
Germans)
Professor Erwin G. Gudde (The German ele-
ment in California)
Professor Erich Hofacker (The German news-
papers in St. Louis)
Professor Harold S. Jantz (Intercultural rela-
tions between Germany and colonial
America)
Professor August C. Mahr (The Moravian Mis-
sions in Ohio)
Professor William G. Polack (The history of
the Missouri Synod)
Dr. Felix Reichmann (The history of German
printing in Maryland)
Dean Carl Wittke (American immigration
history)
Professor Ralph C. Wood (The Pennsylvania
Germans)
Grateful acknowledgement should
be made of the following gifts to our
library:
From the Princeton University Press: The
Pennsylvania Germans, edited by Ralph
C. Wood, (Princeton, 1942);
from the S. S. Peter and Paul Congregation in
Cumberland: Fifty Years of SS Peter
and Paul's Church at Cumberland,
Maryland, 1848-1898, (Cumberland,
1898);
*Initially these Reports were issued annually, with the first number in 1887. The last of these
"Annual Reports," the 15th, appeared in 1901. From that date on they appeared at irregular intervals.
The 16th Report was issued in 1907, but it contains also brief statements regarding the Society s annual
business comprising Reports 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22; thus instead of being numbered merely 16, this
volume ought to be entitled: Reports 16-22. From 1907 to 1929 no Report was issued. Number 28
appeared in 1929, No. 24 in 1939, No. 25 in 1942, and No. 26 in 1945.
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from the Swiss-American Historical Society:
The Swiss Record, Yearbook of the
Swiss-American Historical Society,
(Madison, Wisconsin, 1949);
from the author: May A. Seitz, The History
of the Hoffman Paper Mills in Mary-
land, (Towson, Maryland, 1946);
from Mr. Carl L. Nitze: Calvert and Hillyer
1897-1947, by Archibald Hart, (Balti-
more, 1947);
from Schneidereith & Sons: One Hundred
Years of the Printing Firm of Schneide-
reith and Sons in the City of Baltimore,
(1949);
from Mrs. Frieda McCullough: various book-
lets and pamphlets from the library of
her father, the late Mr. August F.
Trappe.
The Society also wishes to express its
thanks to Dr. Emerson Greenaway
and Miss Elizabeth C. Litsinger of the
Enoch Pratt Library for their care in
housing our book collection.
Through a generous grant the Carl
Schurz Memorial Foundation has
helped in making possible the publi-
cation of this Report. The Founda-
tion wishes to express thereby not
only its interest in the work of the
Society, but also to join in honoring
a distinguished Baltimorean, the vet-
eran historian in our field, author of
The German Element in the United
States, Professor Albert B. Faust of
Cornell University, to whom this
Report is dedicated on the occasion of
his eightieth birthday. We join with
the Carl Schurz Memorial Foundation
and thousands of others in extending
to our fellow-member, Dr. Faust, very
best wishes!
A. E. Z.
April, 1950
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