A MAN FROM PALATINATE
Jacob M. Yingling


PREFACE

The Yingling Family in the United States traces its roots back to 1710 when Christian Yingling (Juengling), the first immigrant bearing the name, may have arrived in Philadelphia. Christian Yingling came to America from an area of Germany known as the Palatinate. The German spelling of the family name had been phonetically pronounced 'Yingling'. Variants of the name included: Jungling, Yengling, Yenglin, Yingland, and even England.

Christian Yingling was one of many 'reformed' Germans who fled Europe to escape both religious persecution and economic distress. The immigrants included mostly Hugenots, Lutherans, and Mennonites. A major cause of discontent stemmed from the terrible conditions which occurred during and after The Thirty Year War, 1618-1648.

"Throughout Germany, 75% of the inhabitants perished from war, pestilence and famine. Sixty-five percent of their homes were destroyed. This was a direct result of religious differences and the political struggles of petty princes.

"After this war, there was a massive invasion of the productive lands bordering the Rhine by the forces of Louis the 14th of France. Major French incursions occurred in 1688, 1695 and again in 1707. The Palatine was hardest hit. The Palatine was roughly that area along both sides of the Rhine River between Wartemburg and Alsace." Also heavily impacted were Baden, Darmstadt and Switzerland.

Coincidentally, during the same time span, William Penn had been granted a royal charter for 40,000 square miles of land in the New World. This massive plat was named 'Pennsylvania' in 1681 and Penn set out to find settlers. Heavy recruitment was aimed at the newly desolated areas of the Palatinate.

Immigration began with a first round of settlers arriving in Philadelphia on August 30, 1683. A second group arrived on October 6. All of these first immigrants were Mennonites under the leadership of Francis Pastorius. They settled in a section of Philadelphia still called Germantown. These were quickly followed by Hollander, German, Hugenot and Swiss settlers.

We say that the seeds of Yingling Family Life were sewn in Europe and fertilized by Papal errors, politicians' misdeeds and the blood of futile and murderous wars, many of which were to inflect the New World as well as the Old.

The common chronology of European events having to do with the foundation of America appears in many books and is easily available. The dates and events listed below apply particularly to the movement of my ancestors out of Europe and into the evolving New World. Here, the freedom of religion and politics ultimately prevailed although sometimes still threatened by the futile meanderings of religious fanatics and political charlatans. While in college, I learned from the Dictionary of Social Sciences that the common causes of war are religion and nationalism. Looking at the current disputes between Muslims and Christians, I must say that not much has changed.

I know, in general, that Christian Juengling's move to the New World was motivated by economic opportunity, a desire to build a safe and secure family life in a land not threatened by constant war, and a need to practice his religion in freedom. But those motivations can be attributed to almost any young man undertaking that perilous sail across the Atlantic. Someday, I hope to better understand Christian's personal motives.

Significant Dates and European Events

In 1500 the Pope arbitrarily divides New World between Spain and Portugal.
1501 Burning of books contesting authority of the Church was ordered by Papal Bull. Martin Luther, age 18, surfaces in Erfut.