The Mercks: German Palatines of the Londonborough Settlement of South Carolina
____________________________________
The story is best told by reading a book that was written in 1765 entitled "PROCEEDINGS of the COMMITTEE appointed for relieving the POOR GERMANS, Who were brought to London and there left Destitute in the Month of August 1764". [1]
A large group of poor Protestant Germans from the southcentral and southeastern region (Palatinate) were lured to Canada with the promise of free land. However, once they were enroute, their promoter abandoned them in London. They spent months in London living outdoors in a make-shift camp. Many died of disease. A group of Londoners, led by the Lutheran Minister Gustav Anton Wachsel, formed a committee to raise money to help these families. The result of the committee was to arrange and pay for transportation from London to South Carolina and to arrange for free land in South Carolina (with the aid of Gov. Bull of SC). The area in SC where they settled came to be known as the Londonborough Settlement which was a very fitting name. It is easy to understand how these German families were extremely loyal to the British government during the American Revolution and perhaps even fearful of losing their lands had they opposed British rule. It also might explain why they were allowed to return to the area after the war when so many Loyalists were banned.
I have included a few of the pages from the Committee's publication which are relevant and tell a great deal of the story but I suggest you download and read the entire book for a complete understanding of what took place and who the key players were.
It is noteworthy to point out that there is a full list of "subscribers" (those that donated money) included in the book and it is fascinating to read some of the names on the list and how much they donated. This gives me a greater appreciation of the Londoners and the British ruling class in particular at the time just before the American Revolution.
In the list of subscribers are numerous collections made from coffeehouses and churches but a few of the individuals listed are notable. The list of Earls, Dukes, Bishops, Counts, Sirs and Ladies is impressive.
Note that 1 pound in 1764 is the equivalent of about 184 pounds (US$239/203 euros).
Mary Magdalen Alavoine (1 pound) she was possibly the widow of Peter. They might have themselves been Protestant French Huguenot refugees living in London. Peter is listed as a "Director" of the refugees in London.
Duke of Bedford (21 pounds)
Earl of Bristol (20 pounds)
Archbishop of Canterbury (10 pounds)
Lord Bishop of Carlisle (5 pounds)
Earl and Countess of Cardigan (100 pounds)
Earl of Chesterfield (20 pounds)
Lord George Cavendish (10 pounds)
Sir James Cockburn (2 pounds)
Rev. Dodd at Westham.(50 pounds)
Governor Dinwiddie (3 pounds)
Lord Viscount Folkestone (5 pounds)
Lord Forbes (2 pounds)
Honorable George Grenville (50 pounds) The Prime Minister of Great Britain?
Lady Greville (Grenville?) and daughter (8 pounds) The wife of George Grenville?
Earl of Hardwick (10 pounds)
Earl of Harrington (5 pounds)
Lord Hillsborough (50 pounds)
Lord Hyde (20 pounds)
Lord Bishop of London (5 pounds)
Lord Ligonier (5 pounds)
Duke of Manchester (30 pounds)
Lord Viscount Middleton (10 pounds)
Duke of Newcastle (31 pounds)
Earl of Northumberland (20 pounds)
Earl of Oxford (2 pounds)
Lord Chief Justice Pratt (10 pounds)
Lady Catherine Pelham (20 pounds)
Thomas Penn (50 pounds) This may be the son of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.
The Quakers (256 pounds)
Duke of Richmond (5 pounds)
Lord Romney (5 pounds)
Earl of Stamford (20 pounds)
Earl Temple (21 pounds)
Viscount Townsend (20 pounds)
Bishop of Worcester (5 pounds)
Count Welderen (1 pound)
The list also contains numerous anonymous persons and even a person living in the camp.
It appears that about 4000 pounds (736,000 pounds today (US$950,000)) was spent on relocating these 600 (approx.) people to South Carolina. This does not include expenses born by the State of South Carolina once they arrived here nor does it include the free land that they were given in SC.
It is also interesting to note that in addition to the transportation by ship, the people of London also provided:
Clothing
Axes, hammers, pincers, augers, chisels, nails, spades, pickaxes, grindstones, etc.
Beef and Pork and other provisions
Coals, candles, lanterns, cans, bowls, platters, spoons, etc.
Hammocks
Furnaces, cauldrons/kettles
Three hogsheads of vinegar for each ship
Money for working tools - to work the land
150 "stands" of arms and ammunition
A Calvinist Schoolmaster (Bernard Buckler)
A ship's surgeon (doctor)
Interestingly, there is a story about a cannon that was included in these provisions that made its way from Charleston to Star Fort and then to its final resting place today in Anderson County, SC. >>Click Here<<
According to Gene Dorris, the ships set sail from Gravesend, England in early October. Gravesend is on the Thames just to the SE of London. Once they arrived in Charleston (Sometime in December 1764 or January 1765), they were under the care of SC Governor William Bull and they were given transport to their new lands in the Londonborough settlement of South Carolina. Each male head-of-household was given 100 acres of land and 50 additional acres for each child.
_______________________________________
Per the UNION ship register, we have 3 adult Merck males listed: Balthasar, Andrew(Andreas) and Conrad. We know that Conrad is the son of Balthasar and Andrew(Andreas) is likely the younger brother or close relative of Balthasar.
Balthasar Merck 1718-1789 (Johann?) probably married Elizabeth (lnu). Although John left a Will in Abbeville County, SC naming his children/beneficiaries, there is some doubt as to the names of all of his children.
He also was given 400 acres of land on Hard Labor Creek, 100 for himself and 50 acres each for his 6 children. This means that when he arrived in America, he had 6 children.
Per his Will, his children are (some of these may have been born after Balthazar arrived in America):
- Henry/Heinrich m. Elizabeth Schieldknecht (Elizabeth later married Wm. Dorris Jr.)
- Henry (Jr.) born about 1799. He married Elizabeth Langley (b. NC about 1802) and they moved to Jackson County, GA and then to Carroll County, Georgia. Henry can be found on the 1840 and 1850 censuses in Jackson and the 1860-1880 censuses in Carroll County. Henry appears to have remained close with his stepbrother, John J. Dorris, since John Dorris listed Henry in his Will. John Dorris also lived (and died) in Carroll County, Georgia.
Henry died sometime before the 1870 census when Elizabeth is shown widowed. On the 1880 census for Carroll County, she lists both of her parents as born in Ireland.
- George married and moved to Jackson County, Georgia where he remained until his death in 1877.
As noted, both George and Henry can be found in the early land deed records of Jackson County. There are several land transactions between the two men. George remained in Jackson county until his death; Henry moved to Carroll County, Georgia.
>>MORE ON HENRY AND GEORGE MERCK OF JACKSON COUNTY, GEORGIA
- Elizabeth m. Nicolas Brisky
- Philipine
- Elizabeth Margaretha
- Conrad received 100 acres of land on Hard Labor Creek which indicates that he had no children at the time of his immigration. He is said to have married Scarlotte/Scarlotta (lnu). Like the Dorris families, he served as a Loyalist during the Revolutionary War. In 1781-1782, he fled to Shelburne, Nova Scotia via Charleston and New York. He returned to SC in the late 1780s. He died about 1816. All of his children appear to have been born in America. His known children are:
- George b. 1771-1780 moved to Hall County, GA.
- John (Johann Conrad) b. 1793 moved to Hall County GA. Married Rosannah Margaret Fritz
- Daniel
- Katie
- Balthasar b. 1795
- Susanna, age 19
- Conrad, age 16
- Locenty, age 14
- Rosina. age 12
- Anna Maria, age 9
- Henrich, age 4
- Jacob, age 2
Susanna, Conrad, Locenty and Rosina are listed on the same Council Journal page (417) as Balthasar and Elizabeth so they are probably their children.
Heinrich is listed in his Will so the Heinrich listed as age 4 is probably his child as well.
This is a total of 5 children. Either Anna Maria or Jacob may be his or they may belong to Andreas (see below) . Again, with children under age 2 not listed, then there is likely one infant belonging to Balthasar or Andreas ( a total of 8 children between the 2 men).
Andreas Merck (age 31) is also listed in the UNION ship register. As noted, we might presume that he was the younger brother of Balthasar Merck (age 46) or a close relative. He received 200 acres of land on Little Stephens Creek - 100 for himself and 50 for each of his 2 children (names unknown). Since there is hardly any information to be found on Andreas, one might assume that he died during the Revolutionary War or shortly thereafter.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
During the American Revolution, most of these German Palatine families remained loyal to England likely due to the generosity of the Londoners who came to their rescue when they were left stranded there in 1764. As a result of this loyalty, they found themselves on the wrong side of the American Revolution and they had to leave their lands in the Londonborough settlement and flee to Charleston. Some were soldiers and fought for the British but almost all of them were evacuated when Charleston fell and they sailed North. It is not known what transpired during this time but many families wound up in Shelburne, Nova Scotia where they were granted land. This is an ironic twist because they thought they were heading to Nova Scotia in 1764 when they left Germany but they wound up in South Carolina instead. Now, almost 20 years later, they unwillingly found themselves in Nova Scotia. The Dorris, Merck, Bower, Strumm and Freitz families all appear on a 1786 land document for Shelburne property (see the actual land document here).
Note that the Dorris family intermarried with some of these German Palatine families (Bower, Merck and Schieldnicht) and thus the close relationship. For example, the John Dorris that is shown having a land grant in Shelburne, married Elizabeth Bower the daughter of John Adam Bower. Adam Bower's name also appears on the Shelburne land document. Bobby Gilmer Moss [1] lists records for Adam fighting as a Loyalist. Conrad Marks' (Merck) name is also shown in the record and he is said to have married a Freitz and he is also likely the Conrad that I have noted above - the brother of Henry Merck. These two brothers are likely the progenitors of the Mercks who settled in Jackson and Hall Counties in Georgia.
NEXT:
>>MERCKS IN THE 1790-1840 CENSUSES
(BACK TO MERCK FAMILY MAIN PAGE)
________________________________
1. Moss, Bobby Gilmer, The Loyalists In The Siege of Fort Ninety Six (Scotia-Hibernia Press, 1999).
For a bit more on the SC German Palatines, see "The Making of McCormick County" by Bobby Edmonds, pages 106-126. (1999, Cedar Hill UNLTD).
Strom Thurmond, the long time Senator of South Carolina, was a descendant of the STRUM family - The Strum family was another Palatine German family of South Carolina.
The Palatinate area was an area of religious strife for centuries (Catholic VS Protestant) with a history very similar to the plight of the Scots-Irish peoples . In the early 1700s, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) many protestant Palatines arrived in the USA following a similar path as our Mercks but landed instead in Pennsylvania rather than South Carolina.. They too were helped in London by the English people. For more about the German protestants that settled Pennsylvania, see the book "The Great Wagon Road" by Parke Rouse, Jr. One might even conclude that our Merck ancestors were simply later arrivals of these same Palatines who settled in South Carolina instead of Pennsylvania. The right to religious freedom was, and still is, a major issue around the world.
-------------------------
[1] The journey of this group of German Palatines closely resembles the path that the their ancestors took in the early 1700s when they settled in Pennsylvania and became a part of the "Pennsylvania Dutch" group. The key difference seems to be that they were given land in South Carolina.
(This page was updated on 7/3/2023)