Leutner, Leitner & Lightner; the spelling changed but the name remained phonetically the same. |
OHANN ADAM LEUTNER, with his wife MAGDALENA (Maudlin)
and two children sailed from Rotterdam on 15 July, 1709 leaving behind their
squalid encampment of reed covered shacks. Shiploads of more than 13,000 German peoples
arrived in London between May and November of 1709. Since the greater part
of the group came from the Palatinate, the name Palatine has been used
indiscriminately to identify all the immigrants, although they came from the
neighboring territories as well. Their intended destination would not be
certain, as the support given to them by the Crown of England bound
them into a form of servitude.
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Pages from the Lightner family bible, printed in 1666 at Herborn, the Principality
of Naßau and brought with the family to the new world in 1710.
Unfortunately, the family record went missing after the bible had been
borrowed by another branch of the family after the Civil War.
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Many reasons are given for the unprecedented size
of the emigration. The end of the Thirty Years' War left the people of the Palatinate prostrate.
Louis XIV's armies repeatedly abused the area in the latter part of the seventeenth century.
A century of lingering religious disputes among neighboring
princes spawned nearly continuous warfare. And once again the French crossed
the Rhine in May, 1707, terrorizing southwestern Germany, plundering
the Palatinate, Würtemberg, Baden and Swabia.
The intense cold of a cruel winter arrived early in October of 1708 and, it was said, that by November 1st, firewood would not burn in the open air! In January of 1709 wine and spirits froze into solid blocks and birds on the wing fell dead. Most of Western Europe was frozen tight. And then there was the splendor of Versailles. Many of the lesser German rulers fell under its spell and sought to emulate the opulent court life surrounding Louis XIV. A letter from the Palatinate in 1681 mentioned that because of the French devastation "Thousands would gladly leave the Fatherland if they had the means to do so" and "besides this, we are now suffering the plague of high taxes." Palatines waiting in Holland for passage to England stated they came fleeing "to shake off the burdens they lay under by the hardships of their Princes governments and the contributions they must pay to the Enemy." Another cause often suggested and generally accepted was religious persecution of protestants. In the final analysis this proves in general to be of minor significance though friends of immigration in England justified their help on religious grounds since, at the time, the Queen was especially susceptible to Protestant appeals. A number of faiths were represented among the immigrants: Lutherans, Reformed (Calvinists), Catholics, Baptists and Mennonites. A full third of the Palatines in London during the summer of 1709 were Catholic. These causes served to exacerbate another, common to all groups: land hunger. A number of Palatines in New York were overheard to remark, "We came to America to establish our families - to secure lands for our children ..." |
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Pages from the Psalms of David with French
Melodies, by Ambrosium Löbwaßer, in the Lightner family bible. The
music is from the 16th century Genevan Psalter, written in White Mensural Notation,
and set to German rhyme by Löbwaßer. The melody is in the
Tenor part. Psalm I
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The Palatine
encampment at Blackheath was a source of wonder to the Londoners for a time
but the novelty of their presence soon wore off as conditions in the camp
worsened and the populace began to fear the spread of disease. Many schemes
to deal with the Palatines were floated: resettle them in South America, the
Canary Islands, the Scilly Islands, Jamaica and Barbados; employ the strongest
in the silver and copper mines of Wales; employ groups of them in other industries
around the country. An honest attempt was even made to scatter them among
all the parishes in England - most that went returned. These proposals were
for the most part discarded in favor of sending the Palatines to Ireland,
Carolina and New York. Resettlement to the former began
first, then over 2,500 of the remaining Palatines boarded
transports between December 25th and
29th, 1709 to embark on a miserable 6 month journey to New York.
Not until 10 April 1710 did they actually leave English waters, all the intervening time
moving along the southern coast, occasionally touching at Portsmouth and Plymouth until
the convoy had assembled. Disease and death had visited the
ships before they began the Atlantic crossing and remained for the
duration.
To a city of about 5,500 souls in 1710, the arrival of nearly 2,500 disease-laden immigrants was no small matter. The New York City Council refused to receive the Palatines in the city, so they were landed and encamped on Nutten Island, now known as Governor's Island. Typhus still ravaged them while they vied for some semblance of life among the tents of the encampment. Governor Hunter reported to London on July 24th that about 470 Palatines had died on the voyage and during the first month in New York. A coffin-maker received payment for 250 coffins to bury the Palatines who died the summer of 1710. The Governor payed for the subsistence of 847 families between 1710 and 1712, a record of which survives as the Hunter Subsistence List - Adam Leutner was not among the resipients. As their benefactor, Governor Hunter took it as his right to arrange apprenticeships for orphaned and even non-orphaned youngsters. By October 1710 many families began to move north to newly purchased land on the east and west sides of the Hudson River while others remained in New York City. In 1712 a change of government in London ment the end of support for the Palatine project and the 1709 families were abandoned to their own devises. Trying to maintain some control of the Palatines, the Governor required permits for anyone wishing to relocated within his jurisdiction of New York and New Jersey. A large group took advantage of this change in events and in late 1712 stole away to the Schoharie Valley, west of Albany. Tradition has it that in 1723 fifteen families of these Schoharie Palatines removed themselves to Pennsylvania. Conrad Weiser wrote in his Journal, "the people received news from the land of Swatara and Tulpehocken in Pennsylvania. Many of them came together, cut a way from Schoharie to the Susquehanna and brought their goods there and made canoes and journeyed down to the mouth of the Swatara Creek and drove their cattle overland in the spring of 1723. Thence they came to the Tulpehocken settlement; ..." near present-day Womelsdorf. Several other groups are said to have followed: thirty-three families in 1725 and fifty more in 1729, Conrad Weiser among these. It had long been assumed that Adam and family were among one of these groups. However, it is now evident that they had not gone to Schoharie, but instead found their way to Bohemia Manor in Cecil County, Maryland by early 1716 along with one, the Elrods, and possibly more 1709 families. They were possibly among those who had first traveled south out of New York in 1712 to settle at Hackensack, New Jersey but had then removed elsewhere before Ulrich Simmendinger created his 1717 register of families in all these settled areas - Adam Leutner was not on this list either. Neither can it be ruled out that he and others found a different, untold, route to the new world from London since he has not been found in any of the early records of New York. At the North Sassafras Anglican Parish Church of St. Stephen, Cecil County, is found this record: |
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Baptismal record of Magdalena Leutner at the North Sassafras Parish Church of
St. Stephen's, Cecil County, Maryland. These appear to be early
transcriptions arranged by family. Notice the next record for Christopher
son of John and Kathrin Noacer.
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Macklen LYTNER daughter of Adam LYTNER and Macklen his wife, was born the 19th day of March Anno Dom. 1716Macklen is most assuredly a phonetic spelling through an english ear of a dialectic pronunciation of Magdalen incorporating an unvoiced g and a slurred or missing da. And in the records of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, Wilmington, Delaware can be found these 1722 entries: Marten and Elisabeth Scotsmans's child Mary, six months old, bpt 8 JulStill another three very interesting records can be found in "Abstracts of Cecil County, Maryland Land Records 1673-1751" by June D. Brown: Lease: Ephr. Aug't. Herman of Cecil Co., gent., for yearly rents and sevices, to John Noachre of the same place, farmer, 105 acres of land in Bohemia Manor by ADAM LITTNER'S land, by the road to Mr. Woods plantation where Hugh Jones now lives, by the lands of Thomas Conyers and Martin Scotchmans. Lease is for the natural lives of said John Noachre, Martin Noachre and Christopher Noachre. Rent £2 and 2 dunghill fowls due 23 Nov yearly. Made 10 Nov 1722. Wit: Cath. French, George Steils. Memo: Ephr. Aug't Herman promises to charge only 40 shillings rent of Noachre will not sell any part to John Archer or anyone else. Ackn. & Rec: 14 Mar 1722/3 by Col. Ephraim Aug't. Herman. JPs: Sam'l Alexander, Stephen Hollingsworth. S. Knight, Clerk. Deposition: Johannes Bubenheim, John Skuyl and Henry Styls, all of Cecil Co., appeared this day at 10am before Justice of the Peace M. V. Babber and deposed that John Crowman of this county, tailor, died last Saturday about 2 o'clock in the afternoon at the home of the widow Bayard in this county and on the 7th was interred by her and her friends at their plantation. On the 5th the deponents heard the said John Crowman declare he was very weak of body but of good sound mind and memory and that as his last will the few clothes he had should be given to ADAM LYTNER of this county and that the debt owed him by Arnold Bassett, John Chick, Robat Willson and some others should be received by Conreat Redder and that he [Redder] gave the same to him. He said his body should be decently buried. Made 8 Jul 1723. Rec: 10 Jul 1723. S. Knight, Clerk. Lease: Ephraim Aug't Herman of Cecil Co. gent., for yearly rents and services, to Thomas Bettell of the same place, planter, 100 acres of land in Bohemia Manor taken up by ADAM LIGHTNER and sold to the said Thomas Bettell, by the lands of Richard Harber and Elizabeth Scotchman. Lease is for the term of the natural lives of the said Thomas Bettell, his now wife Elizabeth and his now son William. Rent of 1 pound 10s and 2 dunghill fowls due 10 Dec yearly. [Name also spelled Bettel, Bettle] Made 25 Jan 1723. Wit: Susannah Creagear, David French. Ackn: 10 Jun 1724. JPs: R'd Thompson, Francis Mauldin. Rec 10 Jun 1724. S. Knight, Clerk.The date of 25 Jan 1723 that appears in the above record would be an "old style" date - the "new style" being 25 Jan 1724. Notice the juxtaposition of the Lightner (Littner, Lytner, Leicstner), Krawman (Crowman), Noecker (Noacer, Noaker, Noachre) and Scotchman (Scotsman) families at Bohemia Manor, in Old Swedes Church and Cecil County, Maryland land and parish records. The land records appear to bracket Adam and Maud's departure from Cecil County, perhaps after the harvest of 1723, and their removal across the Chesapeake thence up the Susquehanna River to the Pequea Valley (pronounced Peakway) of then Chester County, Pennsylvania. There are records from the 1710s of several people on the Cecil County side of the Chesapeake petitioning for a license to keep an ordinary (inn) because they were continually beset by travelers to and from Prennsylvania seeking lodging and vituals - which they could not do without compensation. Sources say "They came to Pequea Valley in the year 1723, and settled upon land near the old Peter's road, upon the northern boundary of Leacock township, and about a mile northeast from the village of Intercourse." Early land records show the latter is true, but that placement of the property along the northern boundary, old "Peter Brezaillion's Road" currently Peter's Road, is no more than a relative indication of its location. Tax records of Chester County ordered in the years 1724 through 1726 and taken in January 1725 through 1727 (new style), list Adam Litner (sic), assessed at the Conistogoe (Conestoga) rate. It is known that a tax list for 1723 had been ordered but one for that year is not extant. According to Leah Lightner Dale (1789 - ?), "We have in our possession a deed made by Anthony Pretter in the year 1736 to Maud Lightner (after the death of Adam) for a tract of land adjoining other lands of said Lightner and also a conveyance of it by her to her son Nathe in the year A. D. 1744." This matches information given on the patent secured by Nathaniel in 1749. The above statement of Adam's death in or before 1736, written by Leah, is likely the source for the 1736 death date so often quoted by some Lightner researchers. It's not clear that that is necessarily true. The records of Trinity Lutheran, New Holland, show an (Johann) Adam Leitner as a baptismal sponsor seven times between December 1730 and December 1743. People were not in general sponsors until they reached the age of majority. Adam Jr. was born 25 October 1725 and would have been in his minority until that date in 1746. To be sure there were instances at Trinity where minors were sponsors, but in the obvious instances it is recorded that a parent stood in for or represented the said minor. The absence of any clear indication doesn't prove the contrary, however, the several of Adam Jr's siblings appearing as sponsors did so only in their majority. There is a small cemetery located on the original property that may be the Lightner/Sharp Cemetery seen on lists of private burialgrounds in Leacock Township. One row of headstones is visible - all Sharps. There were two Lightner sisters who both married Sharps sometime in the 19th century. Nathaniel and his wife are said to have been "entered sic in a burial mound on their mansion place in Leacock Township." It is supposed that they were buried there with Adam and Maud. It's not known if they or some of Nathaniel's children are buried in the unmarked half of this small plot. A record of monument inscriptions from Christ Episcopal Churchyard (about a mile east of Intercourse on the north side of the Old Philadelphia Pike, formerly the King's highway, now Route 340) made in 1941, includes Nathaniel and his wife, Margaret, along with their birth and death years. Christ church was organized in May 1818 and its first church was consecrated that June upon a lot of ground purchased from Isaac Eby. It's not known whether Nathaniel and Margaret were instead buried there, before the establishment and consecration of the churchyard, or reinterred, or whether the monument was just a memorial placed sometime later. A number of their descendants were interred there well into the 19th century. |
