03193cam a22003253u 4500 77784 UtSlPG 20260610134813.0 m cr n 260607r20261898utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d 98001184 UtSlPG en iso639-1 F106 Beidelman, William, 1840-1903 The story of the Pennsylvania Germans Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2026 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Release date is 2026-01-26 Carla Foust, Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) The story of the Pennsylvania Germans by William Beidelman is a historical account written in the late 19th century. It traces the Germanic roots of Pennsylvania’s settlers from the Alemannic peoples of the Upper Rhine, recounts the Palatinate’s wars and devastations, and explains why large numbers emigrated to William Penn’s province. The work also examines settlement patterns across the colonies, the community’s politics and role in war, and, notably, defends the Pennsylvania German dialect as authentically German. Overall, it blends history, migration, language, and culture to present a cohesive portrait of the Pennsylvania Germans. The opening of the book states its purpose: to give Pennsylvania Germans a concise account of their origin, history, and dialect, to correct popular misconceptions (especially that “Pennsylvania Dutch” is not German), and to draw on major German and American sources. It then sketches early Germanic history, emphasizing Roman contact, the rise of the Alemanni, and their settlement along the Upper Rhine, before outlining the creation and fate of the Palatinate. A vivid section recounts the Palatinate’s repeated ravaging—especially under Louis XIV—arguing these wars drove mass emigration. Next comes the attraction of Pennsylvania: Penn’s charter, tolerant laws, fair land terms, and treaties with Native peoples, which catalyzed settlement (including German Quakers at Germantown). The narrative surveys the redemptioner system and grim Atlantic voyages, the German preference for fertile limestone valleys, and estimates of their growing numbers. It also briefly maps German dispersal to other colonies and to Ireland, and describes Quaker–government tensions, Christoph Sauer’s influential German newspaper, and the Germans’ evolving stance in Anglo-French conflicts. The section concludes with English anxieties about “anglicizing” the Germans, noting proposed but unexecuted measures. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Originally published: Easton: Express Book Print, 1898 Pennsylvania Dutch https://archive.org/details/storyofpennsylva00beid/page/n9/mode/2up https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77784 118504 118504