Redemptioner migration from German-speaking Europe to Pennsylvania and the Middle Colonies (1717–1776)

1. German-speaking arrivals draw Pennsylvania officials’ attention

   Sep 17, 1717Labels: Pennsylvania government, German-speaking migrants

   • Strassburger Hinke
   • PA Archives

2. Pennsylvania begins official “foreign” arrival documentation

   Jan 1, 1727Labels: Pennsylvania authorities, Oaths of

   • PHMC Oaths
   • PA Archives

3. Philadelphia becomes a major port for German-speaking migrants

   Jan 1, 1728Labels: Philadelphia port, Redemptioners

   • Phila Encyclopedia
   • PHMC Oaths

4. Passenger lists and oath lists become standard ship records

   Jan 1, 1730Labels: Passenger lists, Oath lists

   • PA Archives
   • PHMC Oaths

5. Redemptioner contracting expands as migration grows

   Jan 1, 1740Labels: Redemptioner system, Indentured servitude

   • Phila Encyclopedia
   • Redemptioner

6. Philadelphia develops a market for indenture contracts

   Jan 1, 1745Labels: Philadelphia market, Indenture contracts

   • Cambridge JEH
   • Phila Encyclopedia

7. German-speaking immigration reaches a peak in the early 1750s

   Jan 1, 1752Labels: German-speaking migration, Pennsylvania

   • Phila Encyclopedia
   • PHMC Oaths

8. Mittelberger’s account documents harsh redemptioner conditions

   Jan 1, 1756Labels: Gottlieb Mittelberger, Travel account

   • Mittelberger bio
   • EBSCO

9. Oath lists show ongoing arrivals during wartime uncertainty

   Nov 1, 1763Labels: Oath lists, Wartime arrivals

   • PHMC Oaths
   • PA Archives

10. Large-scale arrivals continue into the early 1770s

    Jan 1, 1772Labels: Passenger lists, Bound-labor financing

    • PA Archives
    • PHMC Oaths

11. Pennsylvania’s pre-Revolution “foreign” passenger lists end

    Dec 31, 1775Labels: Passenger-list series, Pennsylvania archives

    • PA Archives
    • PHMC Oaths

12. Revolutionary transition ends colonial oath requirement

    Jul 4, 1776Labels: Revolutionary transition, Oath requirement

    • PHMC Oaths
    • Phila Encyclopedia