In 1708, a small band of emigrants made their way down the Rhine to Frankfort.⁹ The leader of this group was Reverend Joshua Kocherthal, and the group consisted of 41 people—ten men, ten women and twenty-one children. They were from the neighborhood of Landau in the Rhenish Palatinate and represented themselves as refugees of war from the French ravages upon the Rhine and Neckar Rivers.¹⁰

Denization Papers granted to Kocherthal's Party in London in May 1708.

On February 16, 1708, Kocherthal applied for passes to England from Mr. Davenant, the English consular representative. Mr. Davenant refused to give them passes, money, or recommendations for fear of displeasing the Elector Palatine. Nevertheless, Kocherthal and the others continued down the Rhine to Holland receiving gifts of food, money and clothing from well-wishers.¹¹ They eventually made their way to England where Kocherthal sent a petition to the Queen, asking for assistance in finding new homes. He requested a place in the West Indies and aid in establishing the colony.¹²

The Board of Trade decided that New York was a better place to send Kocherthal and his group. However, a Mr. Lodwick objected, saying that New York was a poor place to send them. He said all the land in the province had already been granted, except land that lay forty or fifty miles from the Hudson River. The Board then considered sending them to Jamaica or Antigua where large tracts of land were ungranted and a great need for white people existed. It was deemed that the hot climate would not suit the Palatines and that New York was a better place.¹³

Before their departure for New York, Kocherthal brought to the attention of the Board that fourteen more Germans had arrived unexpectedly and wanted to join the party.¹⁴ In the middle of October 1708, the 1708ers set sail with the newly appointed Governor Francis Lovelace on the "Globe". They had to leave behind the family of Melchoir Gulch, whose wife was suffering from breast cancer. The voyage to New York took about nine weeks and two children were born on the ship.¹⁵ The 1708ers landed in Flushing, New York in December and spent the winter in New York City.¹⁶ After the winter was over, Governor Lovelace granted the 1708ers land on the west of the Hudson River about fifty-five miles north of New York City at the mouth of Quassaick Creek.¹⁷ Each person was granted fifty acres, but Kocherthal was granted 500 acres for land on which to build a church and an additional 250 acres for his family. This settlement marked the beginning of Newburgh, New York.¹⁸

Governor Francis Lovelace.

On May 6, 1709, Governor Lovelace died after a lingering cold developed during the voyage.¹⁹ With the death of Lovelace, the 1708ers were left without provisions. They petitioned the New York City Council to provide for them as the Queen had intended.²⁰ The Council requested that Colonel Thomas Wenham support the Germans until their one-year term limit was over or if the Queen decided otherwise.²¹

Kocherthal became financially strapped and dissatisfied with the means afforded for himself and the settlement. He decided to travel to London to plead his cause to Queen Anne.²² After Kocherthal left for London, the Palatines’ benefactor, Colonel Wenham, died. Again, the settlers were left without a benefactor. In September 1709, they petitioned the acting Lieutenant-Governor, Colonel Ingoldesby, and the Council to search for another benefactor to support them until their term expired in January 1710. Two benefactors were found—Colonel Nicholas Bayard and Mr. Octavius Conradus. But before the two benefactors could take on the task of providing for the Germans, the settlers had to enter into a penal bond fully to repay the money, should it not be received from the Royal Treasury within 12 months.²³

In London, Kocherthal went before the Board of Trade in December with a scheme he had devised himself—viticulture in America. He asserted that the planting of vineyards in America could be more profitable than the sugar and tobacco trade. He even provided a list of what would be needed and how much it would be to set up a small plantation. The Board of Trade were not interested and turned down his proposal.²⁴

While Kocherthal was in London making his proposal to the Board of Trade, there was a huge Palatine emigration taking place—much bigger than the 1708 emigration.²⁵

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