Passengers on the Ship Joyce 1730

It seems highly probable that our Zacharias Barth was the 15-year old who arrived in Philadelphia in 1730.

The Ship Joyce

The ship Joyce, commanded by William Ford, arrived in Philadelphia from Boston on November 29th or 30th, 1730.  By December 3rd it was outbound with cargo for South Carolina.1  Pennsylvania records show that the Joyce returned to Philadelphia from South Carolina in late December and left again for Barbados.

This appears to have been the only transatlantic passenger trip for the Joyce and its captain, as there are no further immigrant voyages mentioned by Strassburger or in other records.   Philadelphia newspapers, however, reported that William Ford and the Joyce arrived from Boston in the summer of 1731 and left again for South Carolina, then returned and left for Jamaica.  William Ford himself was apparently a resident of Philadelphia.2

The term “ship” in the 18th century referred to a specific type of rig  – originally a three-master with a course, topsail, and topgallant sail on the fore and mainmasts and a lateen sail and square topsail on the mizzenmast.  Vessels referred to as “ships” in custom records were typically relatively large and capable of carrying far more than fifty or sixty passengers.   Either the majority of passengers disembarked in Boston or the Joyce was primarily loaded with cargo.

Upon reaching Philadelphia three documents listing the passengers were preserved in local records.

List A:  A list of passengers on board ye Ship Joyce, William Ford, Comdr., from Boston. …Sworn to November 30th 1730 by William Ford.

The “A” lists were ships manifests, usually compiled before the ship left Europe. The lists were normally written by the English captain or a trusted crewman, thus the names are typically anglicized. This list is unusually detailed, in that it not only lists the names of all the passengers but their ages as well.

Names and ages are as transcribed from the original document by Strassburger & Hinke.3  Captain Ford reported the number of passengers as “24 qualified [to take the oath] and 54 in ye whole.”  One male had apparently died en route and Ford was apparently counting the infants as half-fares.

 

Name
Christian Miller
Mickell Shever
Hans Leonard Shever
Nicholas Swort
Daniel Swort
Hans Wickel
Lodwick Wickel
Joseph Tom
John Bear
Hans Jacob Bear
Andrew Miller
Leonard Coale
Frederick Elversite
Henry Shever
Egram Hall
Jacob Hall
(name crossed out) Johanes Coones
Mark Minger
John Hoaf
Mathew Moyal
Lareunce Moyal
Andrew Hofman
Hans Jedrick Moyal
Leonard Fodry
Hans Michell Fisher
Henry Kilon
Hans Overback
Zeck. Parte
Godfrey Shoalls
Christian Swort
Jacob Swort
Jacob Swort
Hans Swort
Lewis Wickel
Hendrick Bear
Age
60
50
12
38
31
25
27
35
40
17
13
32
24
24
24
20
24
24
27
13
12
22
27
22
30
30
30
15
24
11
10
8
7
3
6

.

In another record it is stated that “At the courthouse in Philadelphia, Novr 30th 1730… a List was presented of the names of Twenty four Palatines, who with their families, making in all about fifty two Persons, were imported here in  the Ship Joyce, William Ford, Master from Boston.”4

List B:  Palatines imported in the  Ship Joyce, William Ford, Master, from Boston.  This Declaran signed & underwrin. Persons qualified Novr. 30th 1730.

The captain was required by statute to deliver to the Philadelphia court all the male passengers ages 16 or more.  The “B”  list consists of signatures to the oath of allegiance to the Crown.  The oath, strictly speaking, was not required upon arrival. However, it was necessary in order to purchase land or enjoy other privileges.  Persons who could not sign had their names written by the court clerk and made a mark — the various marks in parentheses are Strassburger’s rendering of the actual marks as he interpreted them. Strassburger’s Volume II contains photocopies of the signatures for each list.  Note that Zacharias Barth ad apparently turned 16 during the course of the voyage.

Christian Miller
Michael (S) Shaver
Nicolas (N) Swort
Daniel (X) Swort
Hans (W) Wichel
Johann Ludwig Heintz
Joseph Dommi
John (O) Bear
Hans Jacob (X) Bear
Leonhart Kolb
Friederich Eberscheidt
Henry (X) Shever
Egram (O) Hall
Johannes Cuntz
Marx Nitzen
Johan Atam Hoff
Andreas Hoffman
Hans Ulrich (X) Mayer
Leonhardt Pfuder
Johan Michael Fischer
Henrich Kilian
Johannes Oberback
Zacharias Barth
A.G.Schultze


List C:  Palatines imported in the  Ship Joyce, William Ford, Master, from Boston.

The “C” list is signatures to the declaration of abjuration against the Pope and the Stuarts. Again, only males 16 and over were required to sign. This list was compiled separately, and usually by a different clerk, so some names can be different between the B and C lists.  Strassburger reproduces all the actual signatures.

Christian Muller
Michael (O) Shaever
Nicholas (N) Swort
Daniel (X) Swort
Hans (W) Wichel
Johann Ludwig Heintz
Joseph Dommi
John (O) Bear
Hans Jacob (X) Bear
Leonhart Kolb
Friederich Eberscheidt
Henry (X) Shever
Egram (O) Hall
Johannes Cuntz
Marx Nitzen
Johan Atam Hoff
Andreas Hoffman
Hans Ulrich (X) Mayer
Leonhardt Pfuder
Johan Michael Fischer
Henrich Kilian
Johannes Oberback
Zacharias Barth
A. G. Schultze


This Zacharias Barth (as he styled himself) is surely our forefather.

  1. American Weekly Mercury newspaper (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), issue of 3 December 1730, page 2, and the Pennsylvania Gazette issue of the same date, page 4. []
  2. Pennsylvania Gazette issue of 9 April 1752, page 3, contains a public notice by William Ford, mariner, of Philadelphia. []
  3. Ralph Beaver Strassburger, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Vol. 1 (Reprinted 1975 by Genealogical Publishing Co.), page 37. []
  4. Minutes of the Provincial Council, Colonial Records, Vol. III, page 389. []