Hans Peter Schaaf

SOURCE: http://www.angelfire.com/la/ancestors/Chauffe.html accessed on 10/7/2014.

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Hans Peter Adam Schaaf died at sea on the crossing to Louisiana. Hans Peter Adam was born around 1650 in Keffenbach, Bas-Rhin (Alsace), which is on the border of France and Germany. [1] The birth year of 1650 is derived from the note in the Robichaux book saying that Adam Schaaf was a witness to many weddings, starting in 1669.[2]Assuming he would have needed to be an adult in 1669 to have his name as a witness. There is some question whether there were 2 Adam Schaafs, or 1 Adam Schaaf with 2 wives, or 1 Adam Schaaf and one wife. There's an Adam Schaaf, born 1650 or before (to be old enough to be a witness in 1669), married to Catherine, father of Hans Michael. From Robichaux (page 308-309): Between 1669 and 1674, Adam Schaaf, of Keffenach was mentioned several times as a witness, as well as were his wife, Caterina, and son, Hans Michael Schaaf. From 1674 to 1683, the name, Schaaf, was not mentioned at Schoerenenbourg; however, after that date, the baptisms of three children of Adam Schaaf and Eve, his wife, were recorded: Johannes Schaaf was baptized on June 24, 1683. The witnesses were Hans Jacob Pfenner, Johann Hockondorn, and Margaretha Klein, daughter of Gorg Klein of Rottschwyler. Andreas Schaaf was baptized on December 28, 1685. The godparents were Jorg Friderich Suchin of Birlenach, Andreas Eichon, and Catharina, wife of Michael Blattner. Hans Caspar Schaaf was baptized on March 16, 1687. The godparents were Caspar Reichart, Hans Ulrich Muller, and Veronica, wife of Muller. Hans Caspar Schaaf married on October 21, 1714 to Gertud Foltzloger, daughter of Johan Michael Foltzloger of Memmelshofen. There's an Adam Schaaf, married to Eve, that had 3 children: Johannes (1683), Andreas (1685), and Hans Caspar (1687). If it's the same Adam and same wife (Eve Catherine?), why the 14 year gap between children? Are we missing some baptisms? Birth: 1650 Weißenburg, Elbe-Elster, Brandenburg, Germany Hans Peter Adam Schaaf died aboard La Garonne from an outbreak of disease (Black Plague?) in 1721. He was traveling with his wife, Marie Eve Lisbeth (Lisbild) and two children. It is unclear who these 2 children were. Hans Peter and Marie Eve were about 60 years old at the time and would not have had young children. Could they have been grand-children? The entire family perished during the voyage. His son Hans Peter was among the sick and dying who were put ashore in Brest shortly after the voyage began. Excerpt from The Creoles of German Descent By J. Hanno Deiler On the 24th of January, 1721, four ships had sailed from the French port of L'Orient for Louisiana with 875 Germans and 66 Swiss emigrants. The names of these ships were *'Les Deux Freres," "La Garonne,'* "La Saonne," and "La Charante." Of these four ships the official passenger lists, signed by the authorities of L'Orient, have been preserved, and a copy of the same came into the possession of the "Louisiana Historical Society" in December, 1904. From these it appears that these emigrants, who had, perhaps, traveled in troops from their homes in Germany and Switzerland to the port of embarkation, were divided on board according to the parishes whence they had come. Each parish had a "prevot" or "maire," whilst the leader of the Swiss bears the title of "brigadier." It would seem strange that, in spite of the great number of people whom these four vessels had on board for Louisiana, not one of our Louisiana historians should mention by name the arrival in the colony of more than one of these ships. There is a horrible cause for this: but few of these 941 emigrants survived the horrors of the sea voyage and landed on the coast of Louisiana! The one ship mentioned as having arrived is "Les Deux Freres," which La Harpe reports as having reached Louisiana on the 1st of March, 1721, with only 40 Germans for John Law out of 200 who had gone on board in France. The official passenger list before me mentions 147 Germans and 66 Swiss, or 213 persons on board. Therefore 1/3 lives out of 213 were lost on this ship done on the sea! And the other three vessels? Martin says that in March, 1721, only 200 Germans arrived in Louisiana out of 1200 embarked in France. Martin, no doubt, refers to the 875 Germans and 66 Swiss on board the four ships just mentioned, with, perhaps, one or two additional ships. "La Garonne" was the ship with the 300 "very sick" Germans which was taken by the pirates near San Domingo. What suffering must have been endured on board these pest ships, what despair! Fearful sickness must have raged with indescribable fury. There is a document attached to the passenger lists of the four pest ships from L'Orient, giving the names of sixteen Germans who were put ashore by the ship "La Garonne" in the port of Brest, France, a few days after her departure from L'Orient, and left at Brest at the expense of the company "chez le Sieur Morel as sick until their recovery or death." All sixteen died between the 10th and the 27th of February, 1721, proving the deadly character of their malady. This disease having broken out immediately after the departure of "La Garonne" from L'Orient, and evidently on all four vessels, we may assume that the passengers were already infected while still in port, and it must have broken out a second time on board "La Garonne" after her departure from Brest. The heartless treatment given the emigrants of that time, the lack of wholesome food, drinking water, medicines and disinfectants accounts for the rest. Among the sixteen victims "chez le Sieur Morel" in Brest are found members of two families well known and very numerous in Louisiana at present : Jacob Scheckschneider (Cheznaidre) whose parents, Hans Reinhard and Cath. Scheckschneider, were on board La Garonne with two children ; Hans Peter Schaf, whose parents, Hans Peter and Marie Lisbeth Schaf, were on board the same vessel with two children. The whole family seems to have perished, but there was a second family of that same name on board which will be mentioned presently. [3] Sources ↑ German Coast Families by Albert Robichaux, Jr., 1997 ↑ German Coast Families by Albert Robichaux, Jr., 1997; p. 308 ↑ The Creoles of German Descent By J. Hanno Deiler, Professor Emeritus of German in the Tulane University of Louisiana - New Orleans, La, AMERICANA GERMANICA PRESS PHILADELPHIA 1909

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Sources:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Schaaf-123