Gottlieb Mittelberger facts for kids

Gottlieb Mittelberger (1714 – 1758) was a German author, schoolmaster, organist, and Lutheran pastor. He is most famous for his book Journey to Pennsylvania, published in 1756. This book shares a true story about the difficult lives of German immigrants during America's early colonial times.

In his book, Mittelberger tried to warn other Germans not to move to the American colonies. He felt the journey was too risky. People could lose their freedom, money, health, and even their lives. Mittelberger himself was never an indentured servant. However, his book is one of the few writings that describe the tough experiences of people in the redemption system. This system allowed poor immigrants to pay for their trip to America by working for someone once they arrived.

Mittelberger's detailed story of his sea voyage to the British Atlantic colonies and his time in Pennsylvania is very important to historians. It gives rare information about many things. These include how people practiced religion in colonial Pennsylvania, how much it cost for children and adults to travel, and what happened when diseases spread on ships.

Mittelberger's Life Story

An old print from the 1770s showing Philadelphia. This was a generation after Mittelberger visited America.

Gottlieb Mittelberger was born in 1714 in a place called Enzweihingen. This town was in the Duchy of Württemberg, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. He became a schoolmaster in his hometown. But around 1750, he lost his job.

In the spring of 1750, Mittelberger got a new job offer. He was asked to be an organist and schoolmaster in New Providence, Pennsylvania. In May 1750, he traveled to Heilbronn. From there, he took a river boat up the Neckar and Rhine rivers to the Netherlands.

From Rotterdam, he boarded a British ship named Osgood. This ship was headed for England and then to the British colony of Pennsylvania. When he arrived, Mittelberger worked for the German Saint Augustine's Church in New Providence. He also taught music and German privately. One of his students was Captain John Diemer.

Mittelberger became unhappy with life in Pennsylvania. So, in 1754, he returned to his home in the Duchy of Württemberg. Over the next two years, he finished writing his book, Journey to Pennsylvania. It was published in Stuttgart in 1756. He passed away in the Duchy of Württemberg in 1758.

Journey to Pennsylvania Book

The cover of Gottlieb Mittelberger's book, Journey to Pennsylvania, from 1756.

In his book, Journey to Pennsylvania, Gottlieb Mittelberger wrote about his trip and his time in colonial America. The book has two main parts. The first part is called "In America." It focuses on the suffering of poor people. The second part is called "Description of the Land Pennsylvania." This part is more about society and religion.

Mittelberger traveled on a Dutch ship called Osgood. He saw the terrible experiences of 400 poor European immigrants. They were making the long journey across the ocean from Rotterdam to Philadelphia. Most of these passengers were Germans from places like Baden, Württemberg, and the Palatinate. Mittelberger wrote about how these poor immigrants were treated badly. This happened because of ship crews, captains, and even some American colonists.

Life at Sea and Hardships

Mittelberger's book mainly focuses on the struggles of European immigrants. He wrote about the dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean. He also described how immigrants were sold and used as indentured servants. Mittelberger said the health conditions at sea were very bad:

But during the voyage there is on board these ships terrible misery, stench, fumes, horror, vomiting, many kinds of sea-sickness, fever, dysentery, headache, heat, constipation, boils, scurvy, cancer, mouth-rot, and the like, all of which come from old and sharply salted food and meat, also from very bad and foul water, so that many die miserably.

He also wrote about the food and water:

That most of the people get sick is not surprising, because, in addition to all other trials and hardships, warm food is served only three times a week, the rations being very poor and very little. Such meals can hardly be eaten, on account of being so unclean. The water which is served out on the ships is often very black, thick and full of worms, so that one cannot drink it without loathing, even with the greatest thirst. Toward the end we were compelled to eat the ship's biscuit which had been spoiled long ago; though in a whole biscuit there was scarcely a, piece the size of a dollar that had not been full of red worms and spiders nests.

Cost of Travel to America

Historians say there are not many records about how much it cost to travel across the Atlantic in the 1700s. This makes Mittelberger's notes very important. He wrote about the standard prices for passage to America. The cost depended on the immigrant's age.

Children under five years old could travel for free. For anyone ten years old or older, the fee from Rotterdam was ten British pounds. This was equal to 60 Dutch florins (guilders). Children between five and ten years old paid half price. This was 30 florins or five pounds.