Anna Magdalena Zeh

Anna Magdalena

• Birth 1672, Germany
• Death 23 Aug 1750, Weiserdorf, Schoharie, New York
• Spouses 1Johannes SEE (ZEH) b 1672, Oppenheim, Germany Death7 Jul 1750, Scoharie, New York
• Children include George (Johann)Ludwig (~1689-1751)

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Disputed Origins

Seen as child of Nicklaus (Nicholas) Tschudi, Sr. & Elizabeth Tschudi without supporting evidence.

Notes for Anna Magdalena

Magdalena Zeh was the self appointed captain of a 1715 uprising in Schoharie County, New York by Palatine emigrants. It is not only an interesting story. Her actions contributed greatly to the decisions by most of the Palatine emigrants to depart New York for Pennsylvania where they felt they would receive better treatment.

New York Governor Robert Hunter had apparently been looking for some excuse to sell the lands in Schoharie, New York that were occupied by the Palatinate emigrants who believed that the land had been given to them by Queen Anne. In the fall of 1714 Governor Hunter sold the land. In 1715, being called upon by the new owners, a partnership of about 7 Albanians, to either lease or purchase the land they occupied, the emigrants declared they would do neither. Finding lenient measures of no avail, the new owners sent the sheriff from Albany, by the name of Adams, to apprehend some of the boldest of the Palatine emigrants, and hopefully frighten others into proper terms.

The new owners (as well as the sheriff) obviously underrated the will of the Palatine emegrants. Sheriff Adams, conscious of his own honorable intentions, passing up through the valley, made a halt at Weiser's dorf. He attempted the arrest of an individual, but a mob had collected, and at that early day lynch law was enforced. The women of that generation possessed Amazonian strength ; nor were they lacking in spartan bravery. A part of those well-meaning dames, remembering the promises of Queen Anne, and sharing with their husbands the belief that they were objects of oppression, under the direction of Magdalena Zeh, a self-appointed captain, took the sheriff into their own hands. He was knocked down by a Mow from the magistrate, and inducted into various places where the sow delighted to wallow. After receiving many indignities in the neighborhood of Weiser's dorf, some of which he was conscious of receiving and some not, he was placed upon a rail, and rode skimington through several settlements. He was exhibited at Hartman's, Brunnen, Smith's and Foxes dorfs to his discomfiture ; and finally deposited on a small bridge across a stream on the old Albany road, a distance from the starting point of between six and seven miles ; no ordinary journey for such a conveyance. Mrs. Zeh then seized a stake, which she carelessly laid over his person, until two of his ribs made four, and his organs of vision were diminished one-half. She then, with little ceremony, proceeded to bathe his temples in a very unusual manner and the crowd then departed, leaving the sheriff injured and in a most ignomious state.

What strange thoughts must have occupied his mind while homeward bound. He must have been conscious, when the faculties of his mind returned, that whether his knowledge had increased or not, his bumps assuredly had. His progress must have been very slow, thus bruised and maimed, and it was not until the third day after he had been on the road that he reached Verreburg, a hill seven miles west of Albany, from whence he was taken to the city in a wagon. As there were few Samaritans on the road at that time, he was exposed nights to the carnival of wild beasts, and by day to danger of perishing with hunger. His arrival at Albany, wounded and half blind as he was, and mal-treated as he had been, prognosticated no good for the Palatine emigrants of Scholarie.

As may be supposed, the people of Schoharie, after dealing with poor Sheriff Adams in the manner they had, became cautious about visiting Albany, where several of the new land owenrs resided. There was, in fact, little interchange between Schoharie and Albany for some time : the people of the former viewing those of the latter place, in a light of lively apprehension. There were some necessities which they must have, and which they could not procure without going there. The men, therefore, sent their wives after salt. If the men did venture to Albany themselves they were sure to do so on the Sabbath, and mindful of leaving the same evening. By remaining silent for some time, and not appearing to heed their coming or going, the real owners of the Schoharie land lured the occupants into a beliefthat all the malicious acts extended to Sheriff Adams were forgotten : and that there was no longer any need of caution about entering that good city. It was indeed presuming much on the charity of the real land owners, whose agent had been so harshly treated. With the vigilance of a sentinel crow, were the people of Schoharie watched, and preparations matured for seizing some of them. It was not long after suspicion was lulled, before quite a number of them entered the city for salt, when the land owners, with Sheriff Adams and a posse, arrested and committed several of them to jail. The most notorious of the party were placed in close confinement, among whom was Conrad Weiser, Jr., of running memory, and one woman, supposed to have been Magdalena Zeh. As soon as news of this proceeding reached Schoharie, her citizens were horror stricken.

Believing themselves greatly wronged, and desirous of remedying in future the evils to which they were subjected, it was, at a meeting of the citizens, resolved to get up a petition setting forth their grievances, persecutions, etc. ; and delegate three of their number to lay it, with all due humility, at the feet of King George in London. This petition was entrusted, said Judge Brown, to the elder Conrad Weiser and two other persons. The delegation "embarked secretly from Philadelphia, in 1718, but on the voyage fell into the hands of pirates, who robbed them of their all, and set them free. On finally arriving in London, they found themselves penniless, and forced to contract debts. The consequence was, Weiser and another member of the delegation were thrown into prison, from which they were afterwards relieved only by a remittance from New York. Instead of their having been incarcerated for debt, Brown says : " they were clapped into the Tower of London," because of their treatment of Sheriff Adams, of which outrageous conduct the Parliament was fully advised; and where Weiser had to remain a whole year-evidently growing wiser every day.

Looking through grates, and living on bread and water, had a wonderful effect on the spirits and temper of the incarcerated delegation from Scholarie. They therefore made a virtue of necessity, and resolved to comply with the requirements of the law by taking leases and agreeing to pay rent for, or to purchase the land in question. Before releasing the prisoners, the land owners drew up a statement of the abuses to Sheriff Adams while in the discharge of his official duties at Schoharie, and required them to be witnessed under hand and seal. This last requirement complied with, the delegation was allowed to depart England for their own homes in Schoharie.

The leading facts in the foregoing statement, were published by a Judge John Brown, who assured the author that he received them from Sheriff Adams in person. The story was also corroborated by several old residents of Scholarie. Judge Brown, a retired Scholarie county judge, when he was 71 years of age published a similar account in “A brief sketch of the 1st settlement of the county of Scholarie by the Germans.”

NOTE: As somewhat humorous as the above account may read, it was a deadly serious matter to the Palatine emigrants who had settled in Scoharie, New York. When Weiser and his contingent to England returned to America and Scoharie, they felt truly mortified at their treatment in England and at what they felt had been their mistreatment by the powers that be in New York province. Weiser and others soon started organizing groups to emigrate to Pennsylvania where William Penn promised them better treatment and more land. Indeed, some emigrants had started departing New York for the Tulpehocken settlement in Pennsylvania while Weiser and his contingent were still in London, unsuccessfully pleading the Palatine emigrants case.

Last Modified 24 Jul 2005Created 29 Jul 2007 using Reunion for Macintosh Contents · Index · Surnames · Contact · Web Family Card

References

• http://www.familycentral.net/index/family.cfm?ref1=5734:913&ref2=57...
• http://rhodyman.net/tree/HTMLFiles/HTMLFiles_01/Anna_Magdalena_P731...
• http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~dderrico3333/genealogy/seemorriswhit...
• https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/r/o/n/Bobbi-J-Rongstad/WEBSITE-0001/U...
• http://www.bernehistory.org/familyfiles/Family.aspx?IndividualID=I1...