During the 17th and 18th centuries, "Germany" was in turmoil... and the people of the Palatinate bore the blunt of it. The Palatinate lies in SW Germany and it was devastated by war and poverty. There was religious tension in the area, to be sure, but the primary source of dissatisfaction was despair and hopelessness. Most of the emigrants left Germany because they had to make a living and they left in sizable numbers. Indeed, they continued to emigrate, even though the authorities in Württemberg threatened to confiscate their property and punish them in other ways if they did. The trip was costly (5-10 pounds Sterling) and extremely difficult. Many people died en route, especially children, and most of those who died... died from illness and/or starvation. One survivor noted the food supply simply ran out when he crossed the ocean, forcing those aboard to eat rats (for which they paid 18 pence) and mice (for 6 pence). In addition, unscrupulous agents overcharged and misled many emigrants... and many others lost what little they owned because their possessions were stolen before the reached America. Finally, it should be noted that, because of the costs involved, many emigrants were forced to work as indentured servants until their cost of passage was paid.
Most of the Palatines who emigrated to America emigrated because they had to... but there was also the promise of a better life! William Penn made several trips to Germany to entice German citizens to come to his colony, and other agents were energetically recruiting men to bring their families to "the promised land." In addition, many Germans were receiving promising reports from relatives who had already emigrated, inviting them to join them in America. There were several things that pushed the Palatines out of Germany, but many were also excited about the life that America promised. Finally, more than a few of those who emigrated to America did so simply because they had an adventurous spirit. It's impossible to know what motivated Friedrich Schittenhelm to leave Aach, Germany and emigrate to America.. But... in 1766, at the age of 33, he boarded the ship "Betsy" with 153 other passengers and set sail. He arrived in October of that year and took the oath of allegiance, which was required of all immigrants.
As these words are written, we don't know where Frederick and his wife, Maria Barbara, went, or what they did, when they left Philadelphia, which was their port of entry. However, according to the Federal Census, Frederick (Shettenhelm) was residing in Liberty Township, District #7, Frederick County, Maryland in 1800, with his wife and one female between age 10 and 16. We also know that Frederick purchased property in Frederick County (which he later left to his eldest son Jacob,) and we know that, in the 1790 Federal Census, Frederick was listed with a number of men who were known to be employees of the Amelung Glass House. Thus, it is possible that he worked there as well. This would not have been unusual inasmuch as many of our ancestors supplemented their farming income with other employment.
There's much we don't know about Frederick Shittenhelm's life in America... but we do know that he served in the Maryland militia as a non-commissioned officer and a fifer on November 29, 1775 and that he and his wife reared two boys and two girls: Jacob Shittenhelm, born 1777; George Shedenhelm (my 2x great-grandfather), born 1778; Elizabeth, born 1799, and Catherina. By 1800 then, the Shedenhelm-Sheetenhelm-Shetenhelm-Shiedenhelm family in America was clustered in Frederick County, Maryland. Jacob lived and died there, but his brother and sisters found their way to Ohio as the years passed. (Great) uncle Jacob married Mary Walter, (great) grandfather, George, married Catherine Lease (although many genealogists believe that he married Catherine Slaymaker and a few maintain that he married both women); (grand) aunt, Catherine, married Anthony Eckhart; and (grand) aunt, Elizabeth, married Nathan Brashear, They expanded our family numbers greatly, and as noted earlier, they followed the land and the blessings it promised ... by moving west.
This process would be repeated by family members who later moved west to Iowa... but before we get to all of this, let's pause and congratulate Frederick Shittenhelm. He had the vision, the courage, and the resolve... to claim the American dream for all of us!
