Preparations for a trip into the western land. -Beginning of the journey. - The city of Reading. -Journey by way of Adamstown. -Reamstown-Lancaster. -Noticeably strong vegetation and exceptional fertility. -Columbia at the Susquehanna. -Bridge over the river. -Cities: Seitsville, -Little York, -Eberstown, -Oxford, -Gettysburg. -English singing in the Gennan evengelical church. -Acquaintance with a countryman named Wasmus, from the village of Beddingen at Wolfenbüttel and discourse with the same. -Counsel of return trip.

In the last days of April 1823, after I got garden and field in order and took care of other business, I looked for a replacement who would take care of my church responsibilities until my return. For that purpose schoolmaster Heinrich Auge was available, and the church council was satisfied that this Auge would take care of playing the organ and leading the singing in the church until I would return. Then I looked for a companion for my wife until I had completed my journey and when I had found one who moved in on April 29, I left on the same day in the morning at 9:30. My wife accompanied me for about half a mile and it was a hard test for both of us older people who, as long as we were bound in marriage in the fatherland, had never been separated more than four days from each other, and now had to be separated for the first time in a foreign land and perhaps for three to four months. Who knew what could happen to us in the meantime; perhaps we had seen each other for the last time on this earth. With much weeping we parted from each other.

To divert myself and to ease my worry I went as fast as I could, and at 3:30 in the afternoon I was already in Reading, the capital of Berks County, a little more than sixteen English miles distant from Moselem, I would gladly have gone further without spending time in this city; but pain at my feet advised me to rest awhile there; for that reason I went into the inn of the ''President'' in order to pour a little whisky (brandy) into my boots, and thereby get rid of the pain in my feet. Barely had I stepped into the bar, however, than it started to pour, so that after several minutes the water filled all the gutters of the streets, and since the rainy weather did not desist in several hours, I decided to stay there overnight. The innkeeper, Bottmer, a native Swabian, who a few years previous had emigrated to America as a young man, and his wife got into a conversation with me; both advised me to stay in Pennsylvania and were firmly convinced that I would still find my fortune there, because he himself and a hundred others that he knew had made their fortune there although they first had to serve for their ship passage, to whom he and his wife also belonged. Both had been in service three years, then hired themselves out, he into a brandy distillery and she into the home of a wealthy citizen in this city, where both had earned much money. Then after a few years they got married and first got a hotel in the country with a mortgage and earned so much with it that they could buy this inn. Of this many guests who lodged there assured me, that this Bottmer was really a very rich man who had bought much woodland and had gotten much through the sale of the wood. But he was also a real speculator, they said, which I had already guessed from his talking.

When I heard that a German schoolteacher was also living in this city, I visited him. His name was Deininger¹⁸ and he was a native Swabian who had emigrated there about nine years ago. In his fatherland he had already been a schoolteacher for a length of years, but knew quite well how to get along in the American milieu, as all Swabians and Palatines Americanize themselves more easily by far, in part because of their language which they found there generally among their numerous countrymen, in part because they were already used to a coarser life style in the fatherland, but in part also because most all of them were musically inclined and often there was a lack of schoolteachers there who could play the organ. This Deininger had two sons, both of whom were also organists and schoolteachers in Berks County. In this city, in which they cared about preserving the German language more than in any other, he fit rather well. Since he was just at the point of having a German singing hour, our conversation lasted only a short time. But he too gave me the advice to stay in Pennsylvania, because so many Germans had already traveled many hundreds of miles to the west to find their fortune there and had returned again poor. But I could not take his advice which further included taking another school position, since keeping school in America had become highly repulsive to me.

The next morning, the 30th of April, I continued my journey in order to go from there to Lancaster, and in the afternoon as I came into a town, I went into a German inn to eat something and learned from the innkeeper, an old native Hessian named Riecher who stayed there at the end of the Revolutionary War fifty years ago and had gotten this inn through marriage, that the town was named Adamstown and was first built after the Revolutionary War. From there I went on to Reamstown and stayed overnight there. The innkeeper had two daughters and one son who had gathered there with several other young people who sang English songs in four parts with notes for several hours after supper which pleased me no end. Here too, as in most other towns, the young people had English singing periods and were preparing themselves for the coming service in the English language. The next morning, the 1st of May, I paid, as usual a quarter dollar for supper and lodging and then went on; but because I had eaten nothing in the morning or at noon, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, because of the rapid pace, I grew faint so that I had to lie down under a tree where I rested a quarter hour long, although I was already near the city of Lancaster, then I went on and was at the edge of the city of Lancaster by quarter after 4; but again I sank down faint onto a big flat boulder and could enter the city after a quarter hour. The heat, which at this time of year is worse than the hottest days in the middle of summer in my fatherland, and my still unnourished stomach were the reasons for my faintness. Although I had planned in the beginning to allow myself a meal only once a day during this journey to save money, I could not carry it out. In Lancaster I asked several children and young persons where there was a German innkeeper, but they did not understand me or did not want to understand me. This made a very unpleasant impression on me because I knew that this city and all of the surrounding area which forty years ago was named Lancaster County was cultivated by Germans and that then a -colony composed solely of Germans, 200 persons strong, were the only settlers of this big county and founded this beautiful city. Finally I met an old man on the street and he directed me to the inn of "the golden plough" where I went in and refreshed myself with a bottle of cider royal and some cold food.

Lancaster is really a very pretty city of almost exclusively massive stone and beautiful big brick houses and wide streets. Although Germans and descendants of Germans live here exclusively, nevertheless the many guests there were ashamed to speak with me when they observed that I understood no English and they looked at me over their shoulders. When I had eaten my fill I went on and went into an inn alongside the highway late in the evening. The innkeeper was a blacksmith named Jacob Klug. This man and his wife too were such well spoken people, the like of which I had run into almost nowhere in America up to that point. He told me that he had invented a machine that could peel ten apples at a time with the greatest speed, clean, accurate and fine, which in the United States is of greater importance than one could imagine in Germany; and because inventions of value, especially if human hands are thereby spared, are rewarded there not only with a medal of honor, but also beyond that with a yearly, life-long, often very considerable stipend of money, he had great hope of shortly having his share of this fortune. No doubt from that source came his and his wife's conviviality and cheerful spirit. Here I was shown especially splendid treatment and paid, as usual, the morning I departed, a quarter dollar. On May 2 early I continued on with my journey.

It afforded the greatest amenity and cheer to journey in this part of Pennsylvania, especially early in the morning and toward evening; there cannot be a more romantic vicinity for the eye on earth. Only the splendid flute of the nightingale, the beat of the thrush and many other singers in the forests and in the fields our dear lark and quail are lacking to the ear there. Of the latter there is in America also a type but it does not have the call of ours by far. However, there is unqualifiedly no comparison of the fertility of the most fecund earth in Germany with this. The wheat and rye there do not yield a hundredfold from the planting as in Ohio, but still fifty or sixty fold. Such a splendor of the wheatfields I had not yet seen. On May 1 the rye was already complete with ears, and the wheat let the points of the same be seen. Caught in wonder and amazement by the most luxurious growth of the fruits, I often remained standing several minutes at a big grainfield to contemplate its wonder.

At 7:30 o'clock I arrived at the city of Columbia; the architecture of this beautiful city pleased me very much too; it was, as all new cities in the United States, built according to a remarkable plan, and had for the most part massive stone houses. It lies right next to the Susquehanna, a river which is now being made navigable for big ships as well, which will be of the greatest importance for the state of Pennsylvania, because it brings incalculable advantages with it.

There I went into the inn of "the golden sun," ate breakfast with a half pint of cider royal and then dispatched myself to the bridge which crosses the river. Here I marveled at the almost unsurveyable amount of cedar and pine wood, planks, roofing shingles and other already constructed wooden things. Pine wood is from a kind of fir tree, that gets stronger there than the strongest oak trees in our land. But even more I marveled at the incomprehensibly long and beautiful bridge, which is the longest building that I had seen up to that time, for it is one English mile and twenty rods long, forty feet wide and has two lanes, one for wagons and the other for riders and pedestrians. It is covered with a sturdy wooden roof, so that the bridge stays dry constantly. The boarded floor was so even and clean, that it far exceeded many boarded floors in our living rooms. Everywhere the love of the Americans for cleanliness in general and also on this bridge was in evidence. Before I stepped under the roof of the same, I had to pay six cents. Toll is paid there by pedestrians as well as riders and wagoneers until the costs of building the same have been met. Immediately on the other side of this long bridge I entered into a town at the opposite bank of the Susquehanna named Seitsville,¹⁹ not completely as large as Columbia which I travelled through right away, and about one hour further I rested for several minutes on a small bridge next to a large, beautiful orchard where I could not sufficiently engage my eyes with the innumerable amount of fruit trees and their monstrous size; also I saw there next to a small stream weeping willows whose girth and size amazed me. Here a road went to the left and on the arm of a road marker that pointed to it I read: 60 Mils to Baltimore-8 Mils to New Holland.²⁰ At 11 o'clock in the morning I read on another road marker: 6 miles to Little York²¹ and at 3 o'clock I was already in this city. It also has almost totally massive tall beautiful houses of quoins and brick and is built along the length of the city, for the way through it is two English miles long. Everyone spoke English here too, although the inhabitants of this city, as I heard afterwards, were totally German and descendants of Germans. Here a bridge was being built that was almost finished and was like the one over the Susquehanna but not as long by far. Before I left the city, I quenched my thirst. with a glass of cider for which I had to pay a six cent piece. Drinks are generally very expensive.

Seven miles on the other side of Little York I went into an inn at the side of the road because it got dark and a strong rain fell on me, to spend the night there. The evening meal was, as generally, very considerable and gourmet: but this time the following morning, the 3rd of May, I had to pay thirty cents.

Early at 6 o'clock I continued my journey and reached the town of Eberstown²² before it was altogether midday and shortly after noon another town named Oxford, where I paused in an inn an hour long. Having consumed refreshment I could march again quite well and reached the city of Gettysburg before it got dark, which is nine English miles distant from Oxford.

Here I went to the inn of "the Bull". The innkeeper spoke such poor German that I could not understand him well; but while I was eating, this man's father came, who was also an innkeeper there; he was a German immigrant and was glad to speak with me. I then told him that I had heard that the people of Gettysburg were looking for a German school-teacher (this was told me before I started my journey). But the old man knew nothing further about this except that at times several of the oldest citizens had mentioned that it wasn't right that they should let the German schools close and let the language of the Germans who had built this city exclusively completely decline, which he also did not approve. In this city there were two German Lutheran preachers, one named Herbst²³ and the other Runkel,²⁴ and the old man told me that I could get information about it from these and offered to go with me to Pastor Herbst who lived not very far from there. Shortly thereafter we went to the residence of this pastor and found him in church where he was conducting an English singing class with the schoolteacher. The singing class had already begun and the church was full of people. Pastor Herbst and the schoolteacher sat on chairs in the middle of the church close to each other and led the singing. They and almost every other person present had a chorale book in addition to the hymnal lying before him, every two persons had a wax or tallow candle and sang in four parts, so beautifully and harmonically, that it makes me happy yet today whenever I think of this singing. After the singing class was ended I spoke with Preacher Herbst about the German school and he told me that the English language was prospering so extensively in this city that instruction in the German language would not be thought of ever again. On the return trip to my quarters my companion told me, when he heard that I was from Braunschweig, that a countryman of mine whose name was Wasmus, a barber, a native of the village of Beddingen was living in Gettysburg; and when I told him that I lived in the vicinity of this village, he promised me to show me the dwelling of my countryman early the next morning. Then he went home and I to my quarters and because I was very tired from the journey I went immediately thereafter to bed but could not sleep the whole night through because of pain in my extremities which was caused by the rapid march, for within five days I had covered 130 English (26 German) miles and it was too much for me who was not used to traveling by foot and was afflicted with gout for it came to more than five German miles in one day.

The next morning, the 4th of May, as soon as my innkeeper was up, I paid him for supper and lodging a quarter dollar, took leave and had the dwelling of the barber Wasmus²⁵ pointed out to me. When I came to this house I thought I was dreaming; here, I thought, lives no German barber, for a German prince would not have to be ashamed to live in such a palace; but because the house was described precisely to me and no other house painted red was to be seen and also I soon observed that many men with unshorn beards were going in on this Sunday morning, so I followed them, came immediately from the street directly into the big roomy place of business and found a man of about fifty-five to sixty years very busily at work, which appeared to be really quite necessary for at least forty persons in this room sat all wishing the services of a barber and more were always coming in. To avoid friction, I noticed at once that there the proverb "whoever comes first, grinds first" was being followed; for the bearded ones all sat in a circle and from the first to the last they were all shaved in order. In order to get Mr. Wasmus' (if indeed it was he who was so busily shaving there) attention at once with my greeting to let him know that I was a German countryman of his, I said this time right loud and clear "Good morning!" and as nothing came back to me I walked closer to the man working and asked "Does Mr. Wasmus live here?" "Yes," came the quiet answer. "Are you the man himself?" I then asked. A very cold "yes" with an irritated air I received again as an answer. Then I told him that I was a German countryman of his and lived in Vallstedt near Beddingen in the vicinity of Braunschweig and had emigrated to America only a short time previously. But, without answering a word, he simply pointed with his finger to a chair, where I sat down. Wasmus spoke not one German word with those present, but rather constantly English and it seemed to me that he was also ashamed of the likes of me because he also did not say one word to me, even after I had sat there for an hour and he was finishing the last one. When this man went his way, I stood up and said, "Ade, countryman! I only wanted to see you and speak a few words with you; farewell!" Meanwhile the man last shaved went out the door and I wanted to follow him. But Wasmus then took me by the arm and said in a quiet voice so that no one would hear: stay a while yet. Then he entreated me not to think it ill that he hadn't received me right away in a friendlier way, etc. and repeated the same special words that many Germans had already said to me: "you have to adapt to the people." Whereupon I asked him what these words in their full expanse were supposed to mean? and he answered: To do everything, everything as the people here want it.

Thereupon I convinced myself again anew that as an individual man I could never make and find my fortune among Americans, for if I wanted that I would first have to be completely recast.

Wasmus then took me into his living room to his wife and then bade me to eat breakfast with him; and then he told me still another reason why he had received me with such coldness. Earlier there were often German emigrants who had come to him who had accumulated debts or done other such pranks, whom he had then rescued from the greatest embarrassment, for which they repaid him, however, with ingratitude; and for such he had taken me too.

Then he told me the story of his eighteen-year stay in America, which, however, I want to give again here only in very short form. Because the trip by sea cost him his entire savings, he carne to land in Philadelphia with his wife and two children poor and had no thaler in cash, only several silver and other household articles of personal worth; except that he as well as his wife were clothed with good articles of clothing. But because of the expensive stay in Philadelphia he had to sell one piece after the other of his things. since with all the effort he put forth he found no opportunity to earn anything with his skills. Necessity finally drove him to leave this city and it would have been his wish to travel to Ohio state. But he did not have the necessary travel money to accomplish that and except for his clothes he had only a silver watch and his wife's silver spoon. But he pleaded with a farmer who was going to travel the road to Lancaster to take him with his wife and children along to his home and he was immediately prepared to do that. They set out and on the way his heart got heavy because he forgot to sell his watch and the spoon in order to pay the travel expense. He was concerned for nothing more than his poor children who complained of hunger and he had nothing to give them to eat. Late at night they arrived at the farmer's home and he refreshed and favored them with food and drink and gave them good lodging overnight. The next morning they all again received a splendid meal; but the farmer. to whom he had lamented his lot at table, did not demand any travel money, but rather promised in addition to transport them a half day's journey further with his own servant and wagon. After the meal he ordered his servant, who was to fetch building materials from a certain place, to take these people with their few belongings along to the house of one of his acquaintances who lived along the street, whom he requested through his servant to give these people a night of lodging too etc.

When they got there, the farmer asked whether Wasmus could thresh, clean stalls and do similar work and whether his wife could spin and get along with other domestic chores and when they answered with yes the farmer said: they could all stay with him, he had work enough and also a house they could move into. When he heard that Wasmus was a barber and had decided to travel to Ohio he earnestly talked him out of it and said that as such a professional he could sooner and more easily attain his goal in Pennsylvania than in Ohio. He (Wasmus) also soon became convinced of that, because the people in the country in the state of Ohio at that time, according to all reports, still lived very scattered and then decided to stay for a time with this farmer and to try threshing and other farm work; the next morning he joined league with the other threshers; it was quite sour to him but he thought he would get used to it. But the following morning when he wanted to get out of bed he was all stiff and every member of his body hurt him, he couldn't even lift his arms from the rest of his body. Then he said to his wife: "It's impossible for me to thresh anymore. let happen to me what will." He took his barber equipment, went from one farm to another and on this day earned an American thaler with his barbering, whereby they gave him eats and drink in abundance too. With indescribable joy he hurried home to his wife that night and his first words were: "Wife, wife, what do you think, I earned a thaler today!" about which his wife was not a little glad.

Soon thereafter the farmer came to him in his room with the words: "What have you been doing? you've become unfaithful to me." He then wanted to excuse himself to his host, but he responded with laughter: "Yes, yes! I indeed thought that you couldn't thresh. just go further up the road tomorrow, then you'll earn even more!"

He followed this advice and his customers increased uncommonly so that he had more than enough to do every day; the second day he had already earned over two thalers. He always remained close to the road, following the advice of his host, and always went further in his business and kept on this way until he got to Gettysburg, where he now lives. At that time (eighteen years ago) Gettysburg consisted of approximately nine houses. Now it is a city, I believe so big in dimension as Wolfenbüttel, but of course not as populous; but each year it gets bigger. It is built after the plan of Philadelphia, has very beautiful houses and quite broad streets that intersect at right angles.

Wasmus told further that the natives of Gettysburg asked him to settle in this new city which would rapidly become bigger and this counsel he followed after a time because he found it suited to his purposes and advantageous, because the whole area around this city was very populous.

Here in Gettysburg within a short time he accumulated a little capital, then bought himself a house and soon thereafter gardens and fields. After three years his good faithful wife died (with these words tears came to his eyes) and soon thereafter also his daughter,²⁶ a blossoming girl of sixteen years. His only remaining son he sent into apprenticeship with a confectionary baker in Baltimore and he did so well that after the death of his master he married his only daughter and through that became a very wealthy man. As a widower he could not keep up with his household work and for that reason decided to marry again; and with his current wife he has kept up the big beautiful house in which he now lives with a pretty garden and several acres of fields as his possession. With her he had a daughter who might be five years old.

Wasmus was totally an American, for even when he was in the most spirited conversation with me, he would grow silent momentarily whenever his wife or someone else would open the door and walk into the room and he asked me to do the same. About the wealthy marriage of Wasmus I did not wonder, for his spouse was nothing less than attractive and more than that she appeared to me to be a real spitfire. That Wasmus was not exactly happy with her I noticed at once although he did not say anything about it.

After the morning meal (breakfast) I wanted to take leave of Mr. Wasmus. But because he pleaded urgently with me to stay with him until after noon for the reason that he had many important things yet to discuss with me in light of my intention to travel to Ohio and perhaps even farther, I fulfilled his request and remained with him until after the noon meal. During this time Wasmus enlisted the aid of all his persuasive speech to talk me out of my determined intention and finally he succeeded; for I found his reasons for counseling against the continuation of my journey to the West right for the most part and decided to turn back again until a more amenable time came when many circumstances would have been fortunately changed, which now were a hindrance to achieving my goal.

After the meal I took leave of Mrs. Wasmus, but he accompanied me one hour distant. He first showed me his possessions in and close to the city, namely two houses, two plots of ground for houses (lots) that he had bought earlier for little money but which now had risen in price more than tenfold; and ninety acres of land which had already been made fit for cultivation and since it was situated close to the beginning of the city, was rented as garden land; whose worth had likewise uncommonly increased since the time Wasmus owned it.

Wasmus accompanied me then for yet one hour long, related many other things to me and advised me to rent a house at some busy street and sell schnaps and ale, bake lebkuchen and sell them to the guests, etc. But after mature reflection I found that neither I nor my wife would be suited to such an occupation. Towards 3 o'clock we separated from each other, he went to Gettysburg again and I toward the town of Oxford.

Source: Edited by Bryan Wright