Jacob and Peter Sicher’s

Journey to the New World

The Sicher's journey to the New World began with the Sicher brothers, Jacob and Peter. They boarded the Sailing Ship 'Brotherhood' in Germany in the spring of 1750. This journey would last from May and would not end until the ship would anchor on the 3rd of November, amid such hardships as no one is able to describe adequately. Their journey to Pennsylvania fell into three parts.

The first part of the journey was by no means the easiest. Jacob and Peter Sicher boarded 'Brotherhood' in Heilbronn under the command of Capt. John Thomson. There they set sail down the Rhine River to Rotterdam in Holland. On the Rhine, the ship had to pass by 26 custom houses, at all of which the ship was examined, which was done when it suited the convenience of the customhouse officials. In the meantime, the ship with all its passengers was detained for long periods of time so that they spent much of their money. The trip down the Rhine took about five weeks. When the ship finally came to Holland, they were detained likewise for another five weeks. Because things were very dear there, the poor people had to spend nearly all they had during this time.

The second stage of the journey was from Rotterdam to the English port of Cowes on the Isle of Wight. In England there was another delay of about two weeks, where the ship waited to be passed thru the custom house and for favorable winds. When 'Brotherhood' had for the last time weighed their anchor at Cowes, the real misery began with the long voyage. From there the ship would sail another twelve weeks before reaching Philadelphia.

The third stage of the journey, which was the ocean voyage proper, was marked by much suffering and hardship. The fact that this voyage took the maximum number of weeks to complete indicated an exorbitant amount of misery for these particular passengers. They were packed aboard the 'Brotherhood' densely, like sardines. Without proper food and water, they were soon subject to all sorts of diseases, such as dysentery, scurvy, typhoid and smallpox. The children were the first to be attacked and died in large numbers.

The terrors of disease were much aggravated by frequent storms through which the ship and passengers passed. The misery reached its climax when a gale raged for two or three nights and days until every one believed that the ship would go to the bottom with all human life on board. The sea raged and surged so that the waves rose like mountains one above the other, and often tumble over the ship, so that each passenger feared they would go down with the ship. During these gales the passengers cried and prayed most piteously. When the ship was constantly tossed from side to side by the storm and waves, no one could either walk, or sit, or lie. The closely packed passengers in their births tumbled over each other, both the sick and well. Many of these people, none of whom had been prepared for hardships, suffered so terribly from the storms that they did not survive.

Jacob and Peter Sicher did survive the miseries of their journey. When at last the Delaware River was reached and the City of Brotherly Love hove in sight, where all their miseries were to end, another delay occurred. A health officer visited the ship. Passengers with infectious diseases were discovered on board the ship. It was ordered to remove one mile from the city. There they had to remain in custody until they gave security in the sum of Five Hundred Pounds each and were not allowed to land any of the passengers, their baggage, or goods until the Captain Thomson received a License from the Governor to do so.

After much delay the License was received. The 'Brotherhood' was then allowed into the harbor of Philadelphia, just as the rough and severe winter was at setting in. The merchants of Philadelphia then received the lists of the freights and the agreements which the emigrants signed with their own hand in Holland, together with the bills for their travel down the Rhine and the advances of the 'newlanders' for provisions, which they received on the ships on account. Then the new arrivals were led in procession to the City Hall where they were rendered the oath of allegiance to the king of Great Britain. After that they were brought back to the ship. Then announcements were printed in the newspapers stating how many of the new arrivals were to be sold. Those who had money were released. Whoever had well-to-do friends sought a loan from them to pay the passage, but there were only a few who succeeded. The ship 'Brotherhood' became a market-place. The buyers would make their choice among the new arrivals and bargain with them for a certain number of years and days. They then took them to the merchant, paid their passage and their other debts and received from the government authorities a written document, which made the newcomers their property for a definite period of time.

Jacob and Peter Sicher must have been among the fortunate passengers who had money and were released. Peter Sicher immediately removed to Upper Hanover Township in Montgomery County while Jacob removed to Upper Milford Township in Bucks County only a few miles distant from his brother. There he purchased by patent two hundred and thirty-five acres, paid for with gold and silver ore.

The territory that Jacob Sicher settled was very irregular, hilly at some places and mountainous at others. But its soil was well suited for cultivation and productive. Its cultivation was the chief employments of the inhabitants, who brought it to a high state of fertility by the free use of lime. Not only was the largest and healthiest grain produced here, but it also brought the highest prices. The territory was well watered with superior creeks and brooks which ran through its fields and meadows and along the hill-sides, and operated grist-mills and saw-mills at numerous sites on the way.

When Jacob had arrived in Upper Milford Township there had already been a large immigration of settlers, mostly Germans, like himself. They were a people with strong religious convictions, who classified themselves as Schwenkfelders, Mennonites, Lutherans and Reformed.

Jacob had arrived in Upper Milford Township with a large group of fellow Lutheran Germans. It was a feature with the Germans that they would hardly settle into their new homes before they would begin to organize congregations and build churches. So, in 1757 he and the other members the Lutheran denomination separated themselves from the Zionsville Reformed Church of 1738 and organized the Zionsville Lutheran Church. In 1858 the newly-organized congregation built a small log church on a one acre plot of land donated by John Bingaman.

As was common in the German communities, the school was established in the church. The school was a church-school so far as instruction was concerned, but was not directly supported by the church. Each parent who sent children had to pay in proportion to the total number of days sent.

Meanwhile Jacob had married. His wife Catherina would bless him with nine children. There were two sons: Jacob, Jr. and David, and seven daughters: Christina (who died in infancy), Catherine, Anna Malgaretha, Gertrude, Sofia, Magdalena, Christina, and Rosina. Jacob and Catherina's children, like all German children, would have had their share of school learning, and would have been able to read and write. Their instruction was exclusively in the German language. The teachers were foreigners. Almost any person who came along and made pretensions to education was employed as teacher. This often brought into the school-room persons entirely unfit, morally and mentally. The school was noted for its severity in discipline. Some of the teachers were not only severe but cruel.

The misery thru which our ancestors immigrated to this land coupled with one hundred years of the severest kind of discipline, moral teachings and religion upbringing contributed heavily to the personality and characteristics of our forefathers.