Hans Jacob Riemensperger Brochure

 
A TRANSLATION OF THE BROCHURE PUBLISHED BY HANS JACOB RIEMENSPERGER TO ATTRACT MIGRATION TO SAXE GOTHA TOWNSHIP, SOUTH CAROLINA, IN 1740

TRUE AND FULLY DEPENDABLE GOOD NEWS FROM THE ENGLISH ROYAL PROVINCE C A R O L I N A

Brought here by trustworthy men who went there four gears ago, now happy in their turn to come back and by this news attempt to determine you upon the same venture.
St. Gall
Published by Ruprecht Weniger
1740
A passport from Southern South Carolina:
The Highly-Esteemed and Meritorious Gentlemen, William Bull, Knight, First-in-Command for the English King in the Province of South Carolina, at your service; along with friendly greetings to all unto whom these presents may come; makes known that the bearers thereof, Hans Jacob Riemensperger and Hans Caspar Galliser, voluntary agents of His Royal Majesty, themselves householders nearly alone in the District on the border of South Carolina, leave at inconvenience to themselves in order to perform service to satisfaction: That is, to perform the heartfelt task of leading out immigrants successfully.

 Therefore, unto all Royal inspectors and others, we present them, with a courteous petition that these faithful men of this said province may be allowed to proceed to England, and from thither to Switzerland, and of their own accord to return to the aforementioned Province without let or hindrance, or any manner of annoyance, and that they be allowed to pass and repass freely, on the understanding that they shall do all that within them lieth, in what locality soever to which they may go, to deport themselves seemly, and behave with decorum. To increase esteem for these men, I personally have signed this, and caused the Great Seal of the Royal Province of South Carolina to be affixed thereto: Granted in Charles Town, South Carolina, the eight-and-twentieth day of February,
1739/40.
William Bull
For so long as it may be by God's Grace, First in Command.
(S E A L)
(signed) Jacob Miche, Secretary

 A passport for Hans Jacob Riemensperger and Hans Gasper Galliser.
 His Grace, the Very Noble Sir William Harrington, Member of the Privy Council for His Royal Majesty in England and the Lands Beyond the Seas, Secretary of Foreign Affairs: To all admirals, vice-admirals, officials of state, Commanders, chiefs, Mayors, Bailiffs, Justices of the Peace, Quartermasters, Custom Collectors, Overseers, Spies, and all other functionaries of this kingdom unto whom the words of this Letter Patent may come, his cordial greetings.

Be it known that the Royal Will and Intention is that the bearers of these lines, Hans Jacob Riemensperger and Hans Caspar Galliser, for whom jointly they constitute a travel permit, shall, without constraint-or restraint, and in peace, without even one delay, hinderance, or annoyance, be allowed to travel from here to Harwich, and from Thence to Hull and Germany. Issued from Whitehall the tenth day of May, 1740.
Harrington
(S E A L)

 We, George the Second, by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Braunschweig ant Lunenburg of the Holy Roman Empire, Mater of the Exchequer, and Unquestioned Sovereign, request of all ant several, by preference, with the honor to which their rank entitles them, all of whom may be depended upon to be gracious, commending unto their care the present two person, by name Hans Jacob Riemenperger and Hans Caspar Galliser, from time to time our negotiator in our Province of South Carolina in the West Indes, and particularly with regard to the Township of Saxe Gotha which lies therein, established free citizens who arrived here in this place provided with legitimate passports from our Governor of the said Province, whose intentions are to travel through Hull and Germany toward Switzerland, and especially to the town of Toggenberg, that they be given free, secure, unhindered ant unforbidden passage and r turn, and in case of need, your bet assistance. And upon receipt, all good forwarding agents will turn over to them a notified, the money due them. Such we consider to be the obligation belonging to us in repayment and recognition of their intention and efforts, including their indebtedness to the Cantzley Printing Firm. made known here at the end. Secret. London: The Tenth Day of May in 1740, in the Thirteenth Year of our Reign.
d Mandatum
& Electoris Proprium
S. Steinberg
The above-named travelers, both from the Province of South Carolina in the West Indes, are here-through passed G. L. "Gesundly" and your Pass-word: "Bichweyier in the Lower Alsace", the 16th July, 1740. T. Hochfurstel Pfalz Zweybruckische Cantzley Allda.
Passed Bassel: the 21st July 1740. T. Cantzley Allda,
Passed through Botzen: the 26th July 1740.

It becomes learned herewith and known and understood by everyone that the producer of this brochure, Han Jacob Riemensperger, intends to travel about a great deal in Germany and Switzerland to deliver its message, and through a true testimony to lead you out: and half at a loss to tell of the aforesaid land, he prays for the eloquence to write of it, and how much as yet remains to be seen there without house-seat or dwelling. It will now tax your belief in the truthfulness of the above-named well-informed person, who is a freeholder, and in no wise whatsoever in any sort of military servitude, to be told that even on the 300 acres of the said land belonging to him, he, with his family, by their own careful diligence and the blessings of God, has accumulated such great provisions of all kinds of produce, livestock, and household goods that it is greater than the need, and that his wife, with four small daughters, is holding it down during his absence. Each father of a household can rest assured that he will be given this land--that for each person or headright that he may bring into this country with him, be it young suckling-child, adult manservant, or serving maid, for each headright he receives 50 acres of land which he may search out wherever it pleases him best in this Province, which is more than 56 miles wide, and the length of this province of South Carolina has never yet been found out.
Also, it is well known that in Germany and Switzerland there are poor, unemployed hardworking people who would delight themselves in this gift of land, but who cannot afford the expense of the passage across the sea. therefore you are hereby informed that if through pity, the head of a household brings such poor hard working folk with him, paying the expense for them, each such head of a household likewise for each head of such poor persons, receives 50 acres of land which will be surveyed out to him on demand in one or more pieces not far from his other. This land remains with him and his children as their property, and the poor remain with him and labor with him until the costs of their transportation be repaid. When this is done and reported, the poor man becomes free, and land will be measured out to him also., in whatever place is well situated for him, and likewise each head with him his 50 acres of land. It is necessary to know also that every person, whether man or woman, who comes from Germany or Switzerland to plant himself in this country, receives from the Administration of the Colony a gift of 20 Pounds Sterling--the Pound Sterling to approximate the value of a lawful German Florin--therewith to establish himself on the land, buy provisions and other necessary things for the first year, until, through the work of his hands and the Grace of The Lord God he has made himself a crop. A child under twelve years of age is given only 10 Pounds.

The land laid out for the father or mother of a household is recognized as being free for ten years. That is, he pays no taxes, tithes, or other duties, be they called what they may, to the end of the ten years. When the ten years are up, for each acre he will pay 20 good Batzen (small obsolete German coins), and the King of England's Grant and Seal will be given to each householder by the Royal Government as his title to the land. After that, nobody has any further annoyance to bother with.

The poor person who has worked to pay the cost of his passage overseas, on receiving a good report also receives his 20 Pounds or Florins, if he is an adult, and can go ahead and plant himself on his land buying provisions for the first year therewith. And if he has small children under 12 years of age, for each such child he shall receive l0 Pounds or Florins. Also, one must continue by saying that if the father of a household dies, then the land goes to his eldest son if he leaves no will; but if there is a will, it is left as the will directs. If a father dies intestate leaving behind only daughters, in such a case the surviving daughters all share equally as heirs either in the land or in the money it brings if it is purchased by someone.

If a widower or a young man, perchance, should take for his wife a widow with however many children, the law in this Province provides that fifty aces of land shall be surveyed out for such a widow and each of her children up to eight head, even though the widow may have claimed for herself and her children already, and the newly surveyed land remains that of the man who marries her; but the first land f the widow remains the property of the children of her former marriage.

Arrangements are such that laborers and tradespeople of all sorts and kinds who scarcely know how to make a living in Germany or Switzerland can live in plenty here, and in a short time make themselves well-to-do. A great many miserable, poor people have already come here and now live in abundance. It should also be known that when a newcomer arrives in this land called Saxe Gotha, at the same time he receives one-half acre for a house-site in the town of Saxe Gotha, newly laid out, completely healthful, and pleasantly situated beside the Great Santee River, which flows by it and is large and deep enough to carry small hips of good size. Boats could go out from thence and carry on trade, if only the township were sufficiently inhabited and enough workmen were there to build boats. Each head of a household arriving here will have his housesite and nearby land laid out by the Land officials without cost to him.

This Township called Saxe Gotha is the last one laid out and no township as yet is reported its equal for good land, And the farther one goes in it. the better and richer the land becomes. Then, too the said township is only 125 miles from Charleston, and on the Great Santee River, and people can go from here at will with heavily-laden boats to trade by water when enough boatmen come here to settle and establish themselves. Also, the trail from here is cut through the forest wide enough so that people can travel by land in wagons back and forth to Charles Town.

As for the Indians, they are in nowise dangerous, but on the hand, when they are treated in a friendly fashion, eager to hunt for us and to trade with us. One such became so with me.
Undersigned and endorsed by my own hand on request, according to custom: Thus matters stand in Saxe Gotha Township on the 2nd day of February, 1740.
South Carolina in America
(signed) Christian Motte
Royal Justice of the Peace for Great Britain in this City
(S E A L)
p. s.

All who set out for this land should be of the Evangelical Reformed religion, (although) all right-living persons except those of the Roman Catholic religion dwell on with us. That the Fore going is the truth, neither more nor less, we following-named German-speaking inhabitants of the Township of Saxe Gotha jointly bear witness:

Hans Jacob Reimensperger
Gaspar Kuntzler,
Rudolff Gapeler
 Heinrich Geiger
Abraham Geiger
John Heinrich Weber - Jacob came to America with his brother, Heinrich Weber, who died shortly after their arrival
Jacob Spuchel
Conrad Kuntzler
 Hermann Geiger
Ulrich Bachmann
Jacob Fritig
Herman Christoph Dortringene
Martin Fritig
Hans Straub
Jacob Hagerbuch
Hans Jacob Geiger
 Hans Heini Gallman
Antoni Steck
Jacob Liffer
Daniel Scheiber
Heinrich Gallman
Ulrich Puser
Hans Gaspar Frey
William Becker
Johann Matteiss
Hans Jacob Steiner
 Ulrich Sperling
 Hans Buss

Source: Lee R Gandee