The word palatine comes from the Latin term palatinus or palatium meaning palace. In Roman times, the title of comes palatinus (meaning companion (or count) of the palace) was given to high-ranking officials authorized to conduct business in the name of the king. The title of count palatine or simply palatine designated the king's officer. Over time, some of the counts palatine were sent to specific regions to act as governor or ruler of the area, thus, a palatinate identified the administrative boundary under the rule of a specific palatine. Related words in German are pfalz (palatinate) and pfalzgraf (count of the palace).
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the palatinate was an area in southwestern Germany that had been defined earlier as part of the Holy Roman Empire. The lower or Rhenish Palatinate was located around the Rhine river, and included current-day German areas of Mainz, Treves, Lorraine, Alsace, Baden, and Wurtemberg.
In the 17th through 19th centuries, strickly speaking, the term palatine identifies a person from the Rhenish Palatinate. When speaking of early immigrants to America, however, the term has also been applied to French Protestants (Huguenots) and Calvinists from the Netherlands that ended up in the Palatinate region during that time period. The term was more broadly used as well to identify any German-speaking immigrant, regardless of the specific area from whence they came.
It's common among some to say that the palatine people left the area due to religious persecution. While this was true of some groups (such as the Huguenots) and some small groups of German-speaking palatines, religious persecution alone does not fully explain the migration of approximately 13,500 people from the area. Additional factors contributing to the migration include:
These factors combined to lend a general sense of uneasiness to the population, leaving many searching for a better life.
In 1706, the Reverend Joshua Kocherthal made a trip from the Palatine region to England to gather information about the American colonies. He returned and published a booklet titled A Complete and Detailed Report of the Renowned District of Carolina Located in English America.
By 1708, Reverend Kocherthal was back in England and petitioned Queen Anne for assistance in migrating a group of his followers to America. Queen Anne ordered that the Palatines be made "denizens (members) of the Kingdom without charge." Most historians agree that this was not an act of charity or pity, but rather an attempt to support anti-Catholic feelings in England and Ireland, as well as increase the English position in America.
With the Queen's financial assistance, Reverend Kocherthal and his group of 55 palatines sailed to New York in May (or Oct?) of 1708. They arrived on the 1st of January, 1709, and settled along the Hudson River at Quassaick Creek (present-day city of Newburgh).
Kocherthal returned to England in 1709. With his apparent success and the rumored support of Queen Anne, his original 1706 booklet was republished and circulated throughout the Palantine. It soon became known as the Golden Book, due to the gold lettering on the cover and, perhaps, its promise of mild climates, abundant crops, and the prospect of land ownership--40 acres for each family--in America.
Soon more than 13,000 immigrants made their way down the Rhine river, to Holland, then on to England. The refugees were housed in tents or barns and warehouses while the rulers in London pondered what to do with them all.
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