1683 Concord

Ship: Concord (130 by 32 feet, 500 tons)
Captain: William Jeffries
From: Rotterdam (Gravesend 23 July) 6 Jul 1683
By Way of: London, 24 Jul 1683
Arrival: Philadelphia (Germantown), 6 Oct 1683

Heinrich Frey of Mülheim a/Ruhr was one of the first Germans to come to Pennsylvania and a precursor to the subsequent Germans that came from the same region of Germany. He came to Pennsylvania about 1675-1680. He wrote his father from New York and received a letter from his father in Feb 1681. 

In 1683 the first significant group of Germans emigrated to Pennsylvania. Pastorius, with a small group, had emigrated earlier in the year to prepare for the arrival this larger group. This group comprised of thirteen men with their families, 33 persons, who came from Krefeld. Many of these were related (four Op den Graffs, three Luckens, three Theisen-Doors & Strepers). The Mennonites in this town who had made strong ties with the Quakers and in particular William Penn. All of the 13 emigrants except Johann Lenssen had joined the group of Quakers in Krefeld. Prior to this they had all been Mennonites except Wilhelm Strepers and Peter Kuerlis who had been Reformed. Reiner Theisen had been raised Mennonite but later had become Reformed before associating with the Quakers. Sources used in compiling this list include:

• The Settlement of Germantown, Pennsylvania and the Beginning of German Emigration to America by Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker,  1899 (Philadelphia).
• "Die Abstammung der 13 Auswanderer von Krefeld nach Pennsylvania im Lichte niederrheinischer Quellen" (The descent of the 13 Emigrants from Krefeld in Pennsylvania in light of lower-Rhine Sources) in Die Heimat; Zeitschrift für niederrheinische Heimatpflege, Summer 1953, Vol. 24, No. 1-2. Translations by Rose Adele Gwynn 1989 (FHL 943.43 W2n) and John Brokie Lukens in thePennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vo. 31 (No. 3, 1980): p.201.

Another source that should be searched for more recent corrections and additions is the periodical, Krefeld Immigrants and Their Descendants. Also descendants with more up to date information on the families listed here are invited to submit corrections or additional information or links to additional websites.