Reflections on Faith and 17Th Century European-American Colonists

Carlos R. Hamilton Jr.

Description

The story of four young Europeans who left England, the Netherlands, France and the German Electoral Palatinate in the 17th century under threat due to their faith and other circumstances. The issues that created this hostility will be considered as will their lives in their first generation in the English colonies. Their experiences formed a basis for many of the cultural and governmental issues that were key to the formation of the United States.

American colonial history is told through the stories of four young people who left Europe and its Age of Enlightenment to start new lives in an uncertain new world in this scholarly work.



Carlos R. Hamilton Jr. aims to determine what experiences they and thousands of other immigrants had and the role those experiences played in influencing the future United States of America, including its government and culture.



One of the primary reasons these immigrants settled in a new place thousands of miles from home was the prospect of being able to enjoy religious freedom. Other drivers included a desire to enjoy more economic opportunity and achieve security for one’s self and their family.



While this study is limited to Anglo-European immigration, the historical background of homelands of African, Latino, and Asian immigrants are as important in understanding the circumstances of their many contributions to the subsequent culture of the United States of America.



The author suggests that the same reasons people immigrated to what would become the United States hundreds of years ago remain primary reasons increasing numbers of immigrants are seeking residence in America today.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Protestant Reformation
• Christianity
• Religion
• History

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 24 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664290235
• Langue: English

Extrait

REFLECTIONS ON FAITH AND 17TH CENTURY EUROPEAN-AMERICAN COLONISTS
 
AS SEEN THROUGH THE LIVES OF FOUR YOUNG IMMIGRANTS
 
 
CARLOS R. HAMILTON JR.
 

 
 
Copyright © 2023 Carlos R. Hamilton Jr.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9024-2 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9025-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9023-5 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023901263
 
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 3/21/2023
CONTENTS
Preface
I.     Reflections on the Lives and Families of Four Colonial Individuals
A. Introduction
B. John Denman I and Judith Stoughton of Nottinghamshire, England
C. Pieter Claessen Wyckoff and Grietje Van Ness of Ostfriesland and Holland, the Netherlands
D. Marie Gaineau (Gano) of La Rochelle, France
E. Johannes Kolb of the Electoral Palatinate, Germany (HRE)
II.     Reflections on the European Age of Enlightenment
A. Europe from the Reformation to the Age of Enlightenment (and Chaos)
B. The Reformation and Turmoil in England
C. Mennonite, English, and Welsh Baptists in Colonial History
III.     Reflections on Seventeenth-Century Anglo North America
A. Introduction and the Settlement of the Virginia Colony
B. The New England Colonies
C. The Colony of New Netherland / New York
D. The Colonies of New Jersey and Pennsylvania
E. The Carolina Colonies
IV.     Appendix: Additional Information about the Colonial Individuals and Other Documentation
A. John Denman I and Judith Stoughton of Nottinghamshire, England
B. Pieter Claessen Wyckoff and Grietje Van Ness of the Netherlands
C. Marie Gaineau (Gano) of La Rochelle, France
D. Johannes Kolb of the Electoral Palatinate, Germany
E. Antislavery Resolution of the Germantown Mennonites, February 18, 1688
F. Written Precedents of the Separation of Church and State as Described in the First Amendment of the US Constitution
G. Text of a Marker Placed by the Baptist History Society May 8, 2007 (Figure 7)
H. The Church of St. Peter upon Cornhill and Celtic/Welsh Church History
I. Roger Williams—Minister, Separatist Theologian, and Founder of the Colony of Providence Plantation and Rhode Island
J. Anne Hutchinson—Massachusetts Bay Colony Spiritual Leader and Creator of the Antinomian Controversy
K. The Salem Witchcraft Trials
L. The Praying Indians in Colonial New England
M. The First Great Awakening
Bibliography
Gallery
PREFACE
The original motivation for the creation of this book stemmed from an awareness of four young people who came to colonial America during the seventeenth century. This information was the result of genealogical work done by previous generations of our families, but little information was available other than the dates of events in their lives and the names of their forebears and descendants. It is known that they were each in their teen years or early twenties when they left their homes in Nottinghamshire, England; Ostfriesland, Netherlands; La Rochelle, France; and the Electoral Palatinate of the Holy Roman Empire at various times during the seventeenth century. They either came alone or with members of their immediate family and sought their futures in Dorchester/Salem (Colony of Massachusetts Bay), Rensselaerwyck (Colony of New Netherland), New Rochelle (Colony of New York), and Germantown (Colony of Pennsylvania). An initial research interest in these individuals was to try to understand what was occurring in their specific homelands that motivated them and their families to make life-changing, permanent moves that would have been marked with great uncertainty. Indeed, a review of the European age of Enlightenment reveals a number of circumstances that prompted an extensive migration to the colonies from European states. An awareness of European history and circumstances during the American colonial era is essential to understanding many aspects of colonization of the New World. The reasons for the founding of the colonies were varied and reflected the needs or motivations of the authorities at a particular time. Most of the early colonies were founded with economic expectations or religious considerations, while after the English Civil Wars, political reasons were predominant. The reasons for individuals or families to emigrate were diverse and related to specific personal circumstances. An awareness of the personal concerns of ordinary individuals may enhance interest in the study of the past and the events that affected their lives. While this study is limited to the Anglo-European immigration, the historical background of homelands of African, Latino, and Asian immigrants are as important in understanding the circumstances of their many contributions to the subsequent culture of the United States of America.
One can generalize about the motivations to emigrate from European homelands by the subjects of this study as predominantly a) the desire for economic opportunity not available to them in their origins; b) security for one’s self and their family; and c) freedom to worship according to their consciences. Our four individuals or their families would have claimed one or more of these motives for their immigration. These same issues seem to be behind the increasing numbers of immigrants seeking residence in the United States in more modern times. Immigration policy for the present should be based on these issues. People able and willing to contribute to their own well-being and the overall progress of society should be welcomed. In the seventeenth century, the North American colonies were considered as the most diverse culture of any location, a circumstance that continues to the present. This diversity should be recognized as a major strength of our society.
Even a superficial awareness of the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe reveals the prolonged and overwhelming effect of the Protestant Reformation. This movement followed varied paths in the states of Western Europe, but in each, all aspects of life were affected by resulting warfare, governmental disruption, and social displacement. Although not the only motivation of colonial immigration, religion was a crucial factor in the early settlement of the New England colonies and important in the formation and growth of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. While the southern colonies of Virginia and the Carolinas were formed as the result of economic and political factors, religious issues would also be important in their development. A reason for the disruptive role of religion in Europe was directly related to the official acceptance of specific religious beliefs by the ruling secular authorities and the imposition of governmental powers of law enforcement, taxation, and military activity for their support.
Another goal of this study was to try to understand the activities of these four individuals and their movements during the first generation of their presence in the colonies. The initial plan was to relate a story of colonial America from the perspective of these young people who had much in common with people of the same age living at subsequent times in the history of this land. The character traits and values of these colonists and the large numbers of other immigrants would well serve individuals of any era. The sparse primary information about the lives of these four subjects rendered opinions about their subjective response to the circumstances of colonial life as speculation. Despite this hurdle, much can be learned of their character and values from the circumstances of their lives and their actions. These same traits were vital to the success of the entire colonial venture and remain key to maintaining the vitality of a society dependent on individual freedom and opportunity.
As information for this project was gathered, it became clear that there were many issues of interest and significance that were worthy of elaboration. Colonial incidents and circumstances were forebears of the development of basic aspects of the government, society, and customs that have played integral roles in the succeeding centuries. This study will reflect a number of these situations and experiences that contributed to the development of the structure of our government, the Constitution, and Bill of Rights. An awareness of the origins of these issues may help us better understand some of their intended meaning and significance to the present era.
The frontispiece of this work, a photograph from the artistic efforts of my oldest grandchild, Madeleine Hamilton, may be symbolic of this association. The reflected image of objects or concepts, although closer to the observer, are often not focused, and distortions may obscure their significance and be clarified only by examining the original source. W