Hans Jurgen Majer aka George Moyer

George Moyer's family was most likely from Switzerland. He had three sons Christopher, George and Michael/ Melchior, which is a record of the Hebron Lutheran Church. His passage was paid for by William Beverly who was the nation's first historian. When William Beverly died his sons sued George Moyer to force him to remain indentured beyond the length of his contract.


In 1648 seventy-five percent of the German population of 18 million, had died from the thirty year war and the Black Plague. Mennonites from Switzerland had been welcomed as a tax resource in Germany, until famine resulted in massive genocide. The survivors of this epic battle believed authoritarian rulers would be more committed to peace.

In England Queen Anne welcomed the masses fleeing Germany and encouraged them to develop new lands in America. The purchase of new lands came with a title like the one bestowed on Barron Graffenriede. Like William Penn he recruited the Anabaptist from Southern Germany.

The first Germanna colony arrived in 1714 when a group of 14 negotiated with Barron Graffenriede and agreed to be indentured for four years in exchange for their passage. Actually Barron Graffenriede was already bankrupt when he made the arrangement, his German/Swiss colony in North Carolina had failed due to Indian attacks. Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood was surprised to learn of these German. However, he capitalized on the opportunity since he hoped to develop his lands by building silver foundries. He arrange with the state for the new comers to serve as a barrier between the Indian frontier and the English. They never found silver but, there was iron. The colony built a fort a short distance from the iron mines and named it for the Germans and Queen Anne, Fort GermAnna .

The second colony expected to go to Pennsylvania; they had paid for their passage. When they reached Virginia they were held captive by the ship's captain, Andrew Talbot, who charged them for food. Instead of continuing to Pennsylvania, they were indentured to Governor Spotswood of Virginia. This arrangement was planned to replace the first group of skilled German laborers who had completed their four year contract.

Their lives were difficult, they complained to William Penn of the poverty and their inability to communicate in English. The Lutheran Church that was formed in London, evolved into the Hebron Lutheran Church in Virginia. The Mennonites and Lutherans found a common cause and formed the Hebron Lutheran church where they could hear the ministry in German. Palatine Germans were not welcomed by American society or anywhere else.

When Philadelphia was a cluster of Inns and Ordinaries: the Blue Anchor, Pewter Platter, Penny-Pot, Seven Stars, Cross Keys, Hornet and Peacock, Benjamin Franklin, one of that era's most open-minded men asked, "Why should the Palatinate Boors be suffered to swarm into our settlement and by herding together establish their language and manners to the exclusion of ours? Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a colony of aliens who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us, instead of our Anglicizing them and will never adopt our language or customs any more than they can acquire our complexion."

The Germans often denied any knowledge of English, even though they had lived in London for several years. For over 100 years the Palatine came by the tens of thousands down the Great Wagon Trail, through the Heartland and west, and continued to speak German as their primary language. Some of Pennsylvania-Dutch still speak a German dialect.