We previously blogged about our German ancestry through our second great grandmother* Harriett Amanda (Fry) Fuller (1854 -1939); mother of Lemon Orange Fuller (1877 - 1930). One of her German lineages comes through Johann Thomas Schley (1712 - 1789), an immigrant to Frederick, Maryland.
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| Price and Harriet Fuller |
The current town's first house was built by a young German Reformed schoolmaster from the Rhineland Palatinate named Johann Thomas Schley (died 1790), who led a party of immigrants (including his wife, Maria Von Winz) to the Maryland colony. Wikipedia
Rhineland-Palatinate
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| Street in Niederhochstadt |
'...located in western Germany covering an area of 19,846 km2 (7,663 sq mi) and a population of 4.05 million inhabitants, the seventh-most populous German state. Mainz is the state capital and largest city, while other major cities include Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Koblenz, Trier, Kaiserslautern, and Worms' .- WikipdeiaOur German Heritage
In the family tree below, this researcher has confirmed all but the Dofler line as German. Dofler family historians say Peter Dofler's father immigrated from Denmark. We can be confident the surname Dofler is of southern German origin. This being the case, our second great grandmother, Amanda (Fry) Fuller, was one-fourth German.
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| click to enlarge |
And by the map below, this researcher has confirmed in the mid-1970s two Merrick families lived in this area: that of uncle Karl and my mother, Charlotte (Merrick) Musgrove.
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| click to enlarge |
Palatinate Immigration
The 'Poor Palatines' were some 13,000 Germans who migrated to England between May and November 1709.
The English transported nearly 3,000 German Palatines in ten ships to New York in 1710. Many of them were first assigned to work camps along the Hudson River to work off their passage. Close to 850 families settled in the Hudson River Valley, primarily in what is now Germantown and Saugerties, New York. Wikipdeia
Like the German Salzburger settlers in Georgia (blog post here), the original immigrants were few in number. But subsequent migrations of Germans - to service the needs of the new German community - were all counted as Palatine migrants. Grandpa Schley is part of this group. German immigrants were sought after in the new colonies; respected for the hardiness, industry, and innovation. They were the backbone of the New England colonies.
And his story is well known. To honor his 250th birthday, in 1969 an unknown article carried this heading.Johann Thomas Schley: The Legend
Johanne Thomas Schley Johannes Thomas Schley was born on August 31,1712, in Mörzheim, the son of Nicolaus and Eva (Brigitta) Schley. He married Eva Margaretha Von Wintz in January 1735 in Zweibrücken, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Family folklore records he immigrated to Philadelphia soon after marriage. His traditional story starts,'Thomas Schley landed in America in 1735 with about one hundred Palatine families.' - John Thomas Schley (1712-1790) Schoolmaster pg 1
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| full article here |
Memorial Plaque - Shown here is the inscription on the black marble tablet erected recently on the Schley home in Morzheim, Germany.
Translation: Johann Thomas Schley, born August 31, 1712, Founder of Frederick in Maryland, USA., lived and worked as a teacher here.
Sidenote: The paper served the town of Frederick, and this article was shortly before August 31, 1962. (full article here)
The tale made its way into the Colonial Families of the United States Vol. II, page 637. This account has Schley and his followers landing first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before heading to Maryland. But that account is disputed on page 37 of the paper The First German Settlers in the Vicinity of Fredrick City...
It has been the general belief that John Thomas Schley, accompanied by one hundred Palatinate families, came from Germany in 1735, and settled in the neighborhood of where Frederick City now stands, and that these were the first Germans who settled in that locality. But there is evidence to show that there were a number of Germans located on lands in that vicinity prior to the date assigned for the coming of Thomas Schley. ...it is possible that some (German settlers) may have come with Schley, but still there is nothing to warrant the belief that as many as one hundred families came at anyone time into Maryland.The Making of a Legend
The paper above, John Thomas Schley (1712-1790) Schoolmaster speculates the 'legendary account' was the product of a...
...dearth of contemporary material in German. Older records in German were often discarded by a posterity that could no longer read German or as was the case in World War I did not want to be identified with an enemy people (ibid pg 1).
With few records, the pressure was on family researchers in Schley's case because of his rise to prominence in Maryland and that of his descendants in Georgia.
Schley family historians felt obliged to add...to their common ancestor's life story because several of his descendants had become prominent during the nineteenth century. Two of his grandsons who moved south did quite well in Georgia. William Schley was elected to Congress and for a brief time (1835-37) served as governor of Georgia. One of the smallest counties was given his name (blogpost here). His brother was a justice on the supreme bench of the state.
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| William Schley |
Schley family historians felt obliged to add...to their common ancestor's life story because several of his descendants had become prominent during the nineteenth century. Two of his grandsons who moved south did quite well in Georgia. William Schley was elected to Congress and for a brief time (1835-37) served as governor of Georgia. One of the smallest counties was given his name (blogpost here). His brother was a justice on the supreme bench of the state.
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| Winfield Scott Schley |
A great-grandson, Winfield Scott Schley (1839-1909), was a successful naval officer. He achieved fame because of his participation in a very dangerous rescue operation in the arctic in 1884 and his victory in the battle of Santiago during the Spanish-American War I (ibid pg 1).
True Story: His Arrival
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| Appenhofen, Kaiserbach Strasse |
While the 'official' history puts our grandfather Schley - shortly after marriage - in Philadelphia; around 1735...
'An entry in the Billigheim Reformed Church register in 1743 clearly shows that Schley was then still Schuldiener (the common word in the Palatinate for parochial school teachers) in the small village of Appenhofen. The first documented record of Schley in Maryland concerns the baptism of one of his daughters in October, 1746, in the Lutheran Church record of the Frederick congregation'
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| Municipality Billigheim |
Some evidence dates our ancestor's arrival in Maryland around this time. In a ...
'...letter of March, 1761, Thomas Schley complains to his brother-in-law that he had not received a letter from him in all the 16 years that he has been in Maryland. From these scattered sources it may be safely assumed that the emigration took place in 1744/45.' (ibid pg 8)
Youth in Germany
During his young adult life, according to a letter of 1761, he accumulated some savings 'which I earned the hard way long ago.' The meager salary of a village school teacher in the Palatinate at that time barely provided enough for the upkeep of a family. But all we know of Schley prior to his coming to America is the fact that he served as Schuldiener in the small village of Appenhofen. There he married Maria Margaretha in 1735. She was the daughter of Georg Wintz of Appenhofen. They had five children before they emigrated in 1744 (ibid pg. 9).
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| Appenhofen |
During his young adult life, according to a letter of 1761, he accumulated some savings 'which I earned the hard way long ago.' The meager salary of a village school teacher in the Palatinate at that time barely provided enough for the upkeep of a family. But all we know of Schley prior to his coming to America is the fact that he served as Schuldiener in the small village of Appenhofen. There he married Maria Margaretha in 1735. She was the daughter of Georg Wintz of Appenhofen. They had five children before they emigrated in 1744 (ibid pg. 9).
Schoolmaster
When he arrived, grandpa Schley...
'...found numerous settlers there who had come from the Palatinate and Switzerland by way of Pennsylvania. Lutherans and Reformed had already organized a union church and in 1743 built a large log cabin just south of Jimtown, about four miles from the Monocacy, which served as their common meeting place. The coming of an experienced school teacher was a boon to the frontier community.' (ibid pg 4)
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| John Thomas Schley quote |
'The man that hath no music in himself nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, so fit for treasons, strategems, and spoils; the motion of his spirits are dull as night, and his affections dark as Erebus: Let no such man be trusted.' - (Erebus - the greek personification of darkness.)
The congregation at Fredrick found a jewel in grandpa Schley.
He was a man of liberal education, especially in music and the Latin and German languages, and for a number of years pursued the calling of teacher and acted as a lay reader in the Evangelical Reformed Church at Fredericktown, Md. Colonial Families of the United States page 637.
Church
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| Original church tower |
Because of Maryland's religious tolerance, it attracted diverse German immigrants. By the time our ancestors arrived...
'...both the German Reformed and the Lutherans had now sufficient numbers to begin separate organizations, they also held their worship in the new town as soon as buildings were erected. Under Schley's leadership, the Reformed congregation built a schoolhouse which also served as a meeting place for Sunday services.' - (ibid pg 2)
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| Evangelical Reformed Church Steeple John Thomas Schley church today |
Our grandfather took an active role in the church. From the outset, Thomas Schley did not limit his work to teaching school. The full scope of his activities was best described by the leader of the German Reformed Church, the Rev. Michael Schlatter, who visited the new town of Frederick twice, in May 1747 and again a year later:
'It is a great advantage to this congregation that they have the best schoolmaster that I have met in America. He spares neither labor nor pains in instructing the young and edifying the congregation according to his ability, by means of singing, and reading the word of God and printed sermons on every Lord's day.'
But on March 11, 1748, grandpa Schley wrote a letter to Schlatter - now in Philadelphia - asking for advice and aid because...
'...the Dunker sect in the vicinity had diverted two of the Reformed members from the church and was very active in trying to convert others.' (ibid)
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| Dunkers |
The Dunker movement began in Germany in the early eighteenth century. ...In 1708 the denomination was formed with the baptism of eight believers by full immersion. The name Dunker derives from this method of baptism. However they were more commonly known as the German Baptist Brethren. Who Were the Dunkers?
Master of Calligraphy and Song
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| John Thomas Schley book cover |
For a long time, it was only the Rev. Schlatter's remark about Schley leading the congregation in hymn singing that pointed to another gift of the schoolmaster. Only after German folk art of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century became popular in recent decades, did some of the remarkable creations of Thomas Schley come to light. Beautifully decorated sheets and entire books of hand-written church music were preserved by some of his descendants and a few collectors of local lore.
(Housed at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.)
Thomas Schley also produced other Fraktur pieces such as certificates of merit for his pupils. Outstanding is the Vorschrift, a sample of various types of Gothic writing and regular German and Latin script, which has been preserved by the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. He signed it: "Johannes Thomas Schley Reformed Schoolmaster in Frederick Town, the 30th of September anno 1773, 61 years and 26 days old."
Exhibit at museum
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(click to enlarge)
The Historical Society of Frederick County has in its collections the most striking of Schley's works that has come down to us. It is a leather-bound volume of 282 pages, measuring 11 by 20 cm. It contains the tunes and texts of 154 church hymns. (ibid pg 5)
Fraktur Artist
Fraktur (German) is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. Wikipedia
(Housed at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.)
Thomas Schley also produced other Fraktur pieces such as certificates of merit for his pupils. Outstanding is the Vorschrift, a sample of various types of Gothic writing and regular German and Latin script, which has been preserved by the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. He signed it: "Johannes Thomas Schley Reformed Schoolmaster in Frederick Town, the 30th of September anno 1773, 61 years and 26 days old."
John Schley's Family
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| Artist rendition of John Schley's house |
Thomas and Margaretha Schley had nine children during the first twelve years of their marriage.
Note: Maria Margaretha is our ancestor. She was eleven years old when her sister, Eva Catherine, was the first white child born in Fredricks, Maryland. The story is told in The History of Carrolton on page 146 of an Indian squaw who nursed and cared for great aunt, Eva.
He also loaned $600, around $3,000 today - for the war effort (History of Frederick, Maryland page 225). These actions earned his descendants membership in the Sons and Daughters of the Revolution.
Death and Legacy
Our grandpa John Thomas Schley died on November 24, 1789, in Frederick, Maryland.
Our Schley lineage ended in the first generation when great-grandma Maria Schley married Peter Dofler (1731 -1803). Their daughter, Catherine Dofler (1774 - 1832), married Frederick Nusz (1774 - 1842), a colonial silversmith in Frederick, Maryland. Their daughter, Henrietta (1808 - 1900), married Joseph Franklin Fry (1807 - 1900); the parents of Amanda Fry (1854 - 1939) who married Price London Fuller (1848 - 1924).
*Note: Relationships, such as grandmother, 2nd great, etc., are expressed from the perspective of the grandchildren of Leon Arthur and Anna Grace (Fuller) Merrick.
Terms of relationship - grandmother, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc. - are used here generically to include relatives such as fourth great grandfathers, great grand uncles, second cousins twice removed, etc.
Five were born in Germany:
Georg Jacob (1735)
Johann Georg (1737)
Maria Anna (1741)
Maria Margaretha (1738)
Georg Thomas (1743)
The next four children were born in Frederick:(see also Descendants of John Thomas Schley)
Maria Barbara (1746)
Eva Catharina (1749)
Johann Jacob (1751)
Sibilla (1754)
Note: Maria Margaretha is our ancestor. She was eleven years old when her sister, Eva Catherine, was the first white child born in Fredricks, Maryland. The story is told in The History of Carrolton on page 146 of an Indian squaw who nursed and cared for great aunt, Eva.
The Revolutionary War
It is well known that the German population of Frederick was very much in favor of the separation from British rule. It was also fortunate for Thomas Schley that his church had a pastor from 1770 until 1784 with whom he could work together in full harmony.
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| Frankenstein Castle near Kaiserslautern |
The young minister, Friedrich Ludwig Henop, came from Kaiserslautern in the Palatinate. As early as January, 1775, a Committee of Observation was formed for which Thomas Schley served as collector. (ibid page 7).As a member of that committee, grandpa Schley signed the letter to the leaders of the Baltimore colony below.
Death and Legacy
Our grandpa John Thomas Schley died on November 24, 1789, in Frederick, Maryland.
Pastor Runkel made the following entry in the death of his church on November 1790:
THOMAS SCHLEY, first teacher in this congregation, born August 31, 1712 at Mörzheim in Germany, was married to Margaret Wintz (an. 1735), which latter died in June last. They lived in wedlock nearly 55 years, had nine children, of whom 8 are still living. He had been suffering for some time with asthma, but was confined to bed for one day only. He died yesterday morning, 10 o'clock, aged 78 years, 2 months and 23 days (ibid).Maria Margaretha (Schley) Dofler
*Note: Relationships, such as grandmother, 2nd great, etc., are expressed from the perspective of the grandchildren of Leon Arthur and Anna Grace (Fuller) Merrick.
Terms of relationship - grandmother, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc. - are used here generically to include relatives such as fourth great grandfathers, great grand uncles, second cousins twice removed, etc.
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