Bulletin of Friends' Historical Association

GERMANTOWN IMMIGRANTS35 THE GERMANTOWN IMMIGRANTS OF 1683 By Wilhelm Hubben IN No. 3, 1937, of the German Quarterly Die Heimat, published in Krefeld (Rhein), William T. Hull's William Penn and the Dutch Quaker Migration to Pennsylvania is extensively reviewed by Pastor Dr. D. Cattepoel, (p. 122 ff). Cattepoel is most critical on that part of Hull's book which deals with the Krefeld immigrants, who are considered by Hull in repeated statements to be of Dutch and not of German origin and nationality . "It seems as if to him (Hull) German, Mennonite, Dutch, and Quaker are correlated (zusammengehörige) terms," says Cattepoel ; and he suggests that the scope of Hull's study is too inclusive considering the title of his work, a criticism that seems to be pertinent in view of the fact that for example the Quakers from Kriegsheim and Danzig and the visits of Friends to Friends of the Quakers in other parts of Germany were included who could not by any possibility have been Dutch. The case of Krefeld, however, gives rise to doubts which deserve some re-examination. Cattepoel believes that the cultural interchange between the Lower Rhine and the Netherlands always has been mutually enriching and has never been a one-sided gift of the Dutch to the Germans. Even today the name of the Dutch Reformed Church is "Nederduitsch (=Lower German) Hervormde Kerk." The Dutch National Hymn, from which according to Hull the German composer, Karl Wilhelm (a Krefeld citizen), took two bars, has the verse : "Wilhelmus von Nassauen I am of duitschen (=German) blood." Cattepoel finds it hard not to grow too angry when he states that Hull's tendency in "William Penn" is to minimize the share of the Germans in building up America. "The relationship [of German and Dutch cultures] comes exclusively from the fact that they are rooted in the great Lower-German Realm, in Low-German characteristics and language" (p. 123). The problem, however, seems to be clarified by Hull's own statement (p. 178) that "geographically, the pioneers from Krefeld and Krisheim were Germans," whereas politically they were under Dutch rule at the time of their immigration. This Dutch rule lasted only a short time, and the Krefelders have 36 BULLETIN OF FRIENDS' HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION never under any other foreign ruler lost their keen awareness of belonging to the larger Germany although it did not exist at that time. Incidentally, the statement of Hull (p. 179) that the Krisheimers were Dutch, too, is misleading as it stands, and it has probably contributed to arouse the ire of his critic. Cattepoel is appreciative of many of the data published in William Penn about the Krefelders. But he misses in his criticism a few good points. The very valuable marriage certificate in Dutch does not touch upon the argument in question; as one who was born and lived in Krefeld for thirty years I received an English written membership certificate from London Y. M. when I joined in 1923 because a German Y. M. did not yet exist then. Was the case not analogous in the seventeenth century? Furthermore, Cattepoel's defense of the Dutch-sounding names could have referred to the multitude of similar names in North Germany and Westphalia. Pastorius himself never characterized the Germantown immigrants as Dutch and it is quite improbable that a Dutch group would have been led by a (High-) German about whose nationality Hull has no doubts. Seidensticker and Kapp and the leading historian Rembert, whose work on the Anabaptists on the Lower Rhine is still a standard source of invaluable information and who is thoroughly familiar with Dutch sources, have never raised any doubts about the nationality of the immigrants. Ardent patriots as all of them are (I happen to be well acquainted with Dr. Rembert-Krefeld) they would find themselves in perfect agreement with Dr. Hull if he would phrase the sentence in dispute on p. 179 : "In nationality, the Krefelders were at the time of their immigration Netherlanders." Finally, there Seems to be a contradiction in Hull's statement that the immigrants were geographically German, politically Dutch, and Dutch also as to language, origin and custom. At the meeting...