Did Conrad land in Pennsylvania or Maryland? The vast majority of immigrants of the period arrived in Philadelphia. Ship lists of arrivals there were meticulously kept as required by England and periodically sent back to the authorities for supposed review. But several of the lists were lost or thrown away over the years so that it is not possible to verify the arrival of every single immigrant. In our case, Conrad�s name could not be found there. The entrance to Philadelphia from the sea was by way of Delaware Bay. If the ship were going on to the Maryland ports, it would have to travel an extra 150 miles because of the long approach up Chesapeake Bay. Sometimes storms would cause a change in course requiring a ship to go those extra miles. For whatever reason, I prefer to think that Conrad�s ship landed at Annapolis or Baltimore because of the arrival on the scene of one Peter Smith.

Frederick County was formed in that same year of 1748 and the town itself was on the verge of a boom. Peter Smith was a blacksmith who had a shop in Frederick Town. His business was booming and he needed help. Conrad�s sideline was blacksmithing so they agreed on a contract for 4 years. He agreed to faithful service in exchange for housing and keep. Of course he wouldn�t be able to marry and his freedom was considerably restricted since he owed allegiance in most everything to his master.

Standard pre-printed contracts were often used, in which it was only necessary to fill in a few blanks. Prior to Conrad�s time, there were a lot of abuses to this system and Redemptioners taken advantage of. If they ran away because of a cruel master, it was understood that it would be perfectly acceptable to lengthen the term for, say, a year for each week the servant was gone before capture and return. There were instances of masters deliberately inducing servants to run away so that the terms could be lengthened. But most of these practices were eliminated by law after local residents, themselves former servants and now large in number, complained to the authorities.

The business prospered in the bustling town. In February of 1750 Smith bought, for 50 pounds 5 shillings 2 pence, �one still with the head leaders and tub, one pair smith�s bellows, one anvill, and sundry other smith tools including hammers and tongs.�

At the end of the term, there was generally a provision for �freedom dues� to be paid to the Redemptioner. These freedom dues varied in the different colonies, but generally they provided for the master giving the servant some tools and some clothes to help him get started on his own, and so that he would not be dumped on society as a helpless, unclothed beggar. In Maryland the law or custom was more generous than those of other colonies. Generally, the servant was entitled to 50 acres of land, a complete suit of clothes, an axe, two hoes, and three barrels of corn.

In 1752, it was time for Conrad�s freedom and to look forward to finding a wife, getting some property, and starting a family. But for some reason, Peter Smith refused to give him his freedom dues. So in August of 1752, Conrad took him to court:

 

�� I Conrad Hickman by Edward Dorsey his Attorney Proffers to the Court here the following Petition to wit To the Worshipfull Justices of Frederick County Now Sitting on the Bench the Petition of a Poor Servant Man Conrad Hickman humble Sheweth that he Served his Time with Peter Smith and Cannot get his freedom Desire of the Honorable Bench to help him to get his freedom of the said Peter Smith and that he may be Summoned to Shew Cause why he Delays the Payment of his Freedom dues your humble Petitioner Shall Ever Pray ...�

 

Peter Smith was summoned to the court to answer the charges, and:

 

�� Whereupon the premises being Seen and by the court here fully understood It is Considered by the Same Court that the said Peter Smith Pay to the said Conrad Hickman his Freedom Dues according to Act of Assembly in such cases made and provided (excepting the Coat) and also Pay the said Conrad Hickman a set of smith tools sufficient to Shew a horse And it is also adjudged that the said Conrad Hickman recover against the said Peter Smith One hundred and fifty four pounds of tobacco for his Costs and Charges by him in this Part laid out and Expended to the Same Conrad Hickman ��

 

This is a very nice example of the English judicial system at work! Note, too, the first evidence of Conrad�s name being given the English spelling. His deposition was not in writing. This is the court summary written by an English clerk. In those days reading, writing and arithmetic were not high on the list of immigrant priorities. Such minor matters as spelling of names were left up to the clerks who were, naturally, English. Most contracts were agreed upon verbally and the participants were not interested in name spelling. Even if they were, they probably figured that was the way it was supposed to be in the New World. Even in the case of ship captains or clerks writing out lists of arrivals, the immigrants when asked gave their names orally. They were then transcribed in English according to how they sounded. The examples are endless. The English name of Hickman for the German Heckmann is but one. A better example is Bowersox for the German Bauersachs, or Slater for Schl�tzer, or Mails for M�ls, on and on �. In the 19^th century this conversion was not as common, although there were exceptions both ways. Today, when we see a name spelled Heckmann, their ancestors, not in all cases but most probably, came to America in the latter half of the 1800s simply because people were more literate then and paid more attention to such things.

Another interesting thing about this court judgment is the payment of costs to Conrad in the form of tobacco. No, he didn�t ask for that type of currency to feed an enormous smoking habit! Maryland�s was a tobacco economy. It was the primary crop of most all plantations there and was so prevalent and its value so universally recognized that it was often simpler to use for money. In the old tidewater counties, rents and country doctors� bills were often paid in tobacco as late as the 20^th century! At one time, Maryland issued a �tobacco note� that could be converted to a certain amount of tobacco. It was easier to use to make large payments and carry than coin or tobacco leaves.

 

So now, at last, Conrad was really free. During his years of bonded service, he hadn�t been allowed to marry, but he could attend church and no doubt this is where he met Christiana. Church records were sometimes hard to come by for this period. The ideal was to record all Pastoral acts including births, baptisms, marriages, confirmations, Communion, deaths and burials. Unfortunately, the ideal was not often reached. The book was kept at the church but marriages were rarely performed there. More often they took place at the pastor�s home or at an inn. We don�t know her last name, but there is some evidence it might have been Sauter although conclusive proof could not be found. And though they were Reformed (later to become the United Church of Christ), they first attended the Frederick Lutheran Church, which served both congregations. This was a common practice in early colonial churches and those that did were sometimes referred to as �Union� churches. The Frederick Reformed church followed soon after. Conrad and Christiana were married in 1753 and daughter Mary was born in 1754. Church records for Conrad�s family were hard to come by in what could be considered the frontier of Colonial America. The following is the best possible approximation of the family and dates:

 

Family of Hans Conrad Heckmann

Hans Conrad Heckmann born 23 Dec 1724 in M�rzheim, died about 1798 in Loudoun Co., VA, married about 1752 in Frederick Co., MD to Christiana _____ born about 1730, died about 1772

married between 1773 - 1790 to Susanna _____

Children:

1. Mary Heckmann born about 1754 in Frederick Co., MD

married John Englebreck

2. Abigail Heckmann born about 1756 in Frederick Co., MD

married John Wolfe

3. Anna Catharina Heckmann born 10 Aug 1758 in Frederick

Co., MD, died about 1830 in Allegany Co., MD

married before 1785 to Peter Smouse born before 1756 in Loudoun Co., VA died about 1830 in Allegany

Co., MD

4. Eva Elizabetha Heckmann born about 1760 in Frederick

Co., MD

5. Peter Heckmann, Sr. born about May 1762 in Frederick Co.,

MD, died 17 Jul 1820 in Loudoun Co., VA

married 15 Dec 1784 in Loudoun Co., VA to Regina (Rachel) Boger born 28 Apr 1764 in Lancaster, PA,

died 2 Sep 1816 in Loudoun Co., VA

6. Jacob Heckmann born 30 May 1763 in Frederick Co., MD,

died 10 Aug 1824 in Friends Cove, Bedford Co., PA

married about 1788 in Loudoun Co., VA to Sarah _____ born between 1771 - 1774, died after 1830

7. Appolonia Heckmann born about 1765 in Loudoun Co.,

VA

 

This was an interesting time in Frederick County. German immigrants were pouring into Pennsylvania and Maryland. Frederick Town eventually became more than 50% German and the language heard on the streets was as likely German as English. Just as today, this caused considerable concern. English colonists feared their culture was being taken over. In Pennsylvania, where the �Pennsylvania Dutch� were ubiquitous, Benjamin Franklin voiced his concern:

 

�� they will soon outnumber us, that all the advantages we have, will in my opinion, be not able to preserve our language, and even our government will become precarious.�

 

But his constituents, heavily German, were outraged and made that known to the extent that the usually astute and master politician had to quickly retract the statement and apologize.

In the early part of 1754, people in Frederick County began to wonder where all the Indians were. They had suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. It was later learned that French emissaries had persuaded them to help take possession of the Mississippi Valley. The English government was encouraging western development and the French had other ideas. There were skirmishes and battles in the west and some settlers on the frontier were killed. General Braddock was defeated at Ft. Duquesne, Pennsylvania and after that, terrified pioneers were rushing back to the more populated areas, some all the way back to Frederick Town. It wasn�t until 1756 that war was officially declared between France and England and thus was started the French and Indian War.

It was a busy year for Conrad as his 2^nd daughter, Abigail, was born. In June, he purchased a �plantation� of 92 acres near Fishing Creek, 8 miles north of Frederick Town for 6 pounds Maryland money from Nicholas and Ottilia Bock. It was a nice property on the main road from Abraham Miller�s mill to Frederick.

The term �plantation� was used in those days, simply meaning a farm and the main crop in Maryland, by far, was tobacco. However, Conrad didn�t grow tobacco; few Germans did. They didn�t like the crop because it was hard on the land. It couldn�t be planted in one patch of soil more often than once in three years. Therefore, a lot of land was required for rotation and that required more farmhands. The Germans preferred their tried and true way of cultivating varied crops and raising livestock. They knew how to husband the land and were the first in the colonies to demonstrate the benefits of spreading lime on the fields to neutralize acidic soils.

That same year the Maryland Legislature passed an Act requiring all Maryland men between the ages of 16 and 60 to register for militia service unless they were Papists, Quakers, Servants or Slaves. Conrad Kickman [sic] registered and served in the Maryland Militia. Evidence of this was found in a record of payment to him in August of 1757. He received 1 pound, 14 shillings for 34 days service as a Private in a unit of Captain Stephen Ransberger, his neighbor. The war continued. In 1758, Conrad and Christiana Heckmann had their 3^rd daughter, Anna Catharina, who was baptized at the Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church. The entry was made in German Script, a practice that continued for decades.

The law required farmers to record in the county court their cattle marks, horse brands and strays found by them. Conrad Hickman took up such a stray and registered the fact in Frederick County Court proceedings before Magistrate Thomas Beatty on 19 December 1759. He would be able to keep the animal after a waiting period if no one came forward with proof that it was theirs.

In 1760 Conrad�s 4^th daughter in a row, Eva Elizabetha, was born. This would have been cause for concern for other families because of the expected need for future manpower on the farm. However, another distinctive trait of the German immigrants was the practice of the women also working in the fields. This caused more than a few jaws to drop because it was by no means the norm in the colonies prior to their arrival. Another more pressing concern was the matter of naturalization. It is surprising that so few immigrants did get naturalized. Either that or the records for most of them have not been found. As we have seen it was possible to purchase and own property while still an alien. What was not clear was whether an alien had the right to sell property since it would require his signature on a legal document whereas a purchase did not. So Conrad thought it was advisable to go through the process and got the ball rolling by taking Communion in June. This was one of the requirements; the others are spelled out in the document. On 11 September 1760,

 

�� having taken the required communion, under Statues 13 George II c.7 and 20 George II c.44, Conrod Hickman and Jost Eighenbrod severally appear in Court between the hours of Nine and Twelve of the Clock in the forenoon of the Eleventh day of September 1760, and in pursuance of an Act of parliament made in the 13^th Year of the Reign of his present Magesty King George the second entitled An Act for naturalizing such foreign protestants and other therein mentioned as are ---- or that abide in any of his Magesty�s Colonies in America pray to have the several oaths appointed by the said Act to be administered to them respectively and for that it appears to the Court that they have been Inhabitants in some of his Magesty�s Plantations seven years and have not been absent out of the said Colonies for a longer span than two Months at any one time during these Seven Years and that they have Severally received the Sacrament as by the Certificate following appear, to Wit -

Frederick County June 22d 1760 - I Philip Wm Otterbyn Minister of the gospel of the Reformed Church do hereby Certifie that the ---- here of George Barr, George Huffman, Conrad Hekman, Mathew Buke, Conrad Dick and Jost Eighenbrod hath on the above mentioned day received the Sacrament of the Lord�s Supper in the reformed Congregation at Frederick Town. In Testimony whereof I have here unto set my hand and Seal the day and Year above Mentioned.

Testis

P W Otterbein

Henrich Shaber Thomas Schley V.D.M.

Johannes Bruner Johannes Gomber

Thereupon the several Oaths appointed by the Statute aforesaid are respectively administered to them the said Conrod Hickman and Jost Eighenbrod who severally take the same & severally make, repeat and subscribe the Oath of Abjuration and Test according to the Form and directions of the said Statute in such Case made and provided.�

 

Notice the name of Thomas Schley on this document, church schoolmaster and fellow M�rzheimer. Note, too, that this process of naturalization did not make Conrad a citizen. He like all others before him became a naturalized subject of King George II of England, who died on the 25^th of the following month, his grandson taking over as George III, but not before Conrad found another stray mare at his plantation, as reported by the Maryland Gazette on 18 September.

The war continued and Conrad no doubt served periodically in the Maryland Militia. In early 1762, Christiana finally presented a baby boy, our 4^th great-grandfather. He was named Peter after his grandfather back in Germany. In little over a year, another boy was born, Jacob on 30 May 1763, the same year that the French and Indian War finally came to an end. A treaty was signed between England and France in which Canada and the continent east of the Mississippi River were added to Great Britain�s growing empire.

In 1764, Conrad and his family decided to move to Virginia. It could have been because of crop failure, crowded conditions due to the booming economy in Frederick, or simply a variation of the �seven year itch� where the grass looked greener on the other side of the Potomac River. Whatever it was, on 18 December 1764 Conrad Hickman, blacksmith, sold his plantation to Jacob Trushover for the tidy sum of 135 pounds in current Maryland money. He signed his name in German script and Christiana released her dower rights. Dower rights referred to a spouse�s right to make a claim to one-third of the value of property sold without her permission.

This would not be a major move for them. Loudoun County, Virginia was just across the Potomac and the area where they wanted to settle was only about 25 miles away by road. The family took up roots and headed for the river. Little did they know that just after they were gone, in that fall of 1765, there would be a rebellion in Frederick Town. The English Parliament had enacted the Stamp Act to tax the colonies to help offset the expense of maintaining a military defence for them. But since the colonies were not allowed to have representatives in parliament, they objected to being taxed without being able to vote on it. Thus, the well-known phrase �taxation without representation� was born, and Patrick Henry of Virginia spoke out vehemently against it. When he was accused of treason he said, �If this be treason, make the most of it.� There were rebellions against it, the first of which involved 12 Frederick County judges-known now in Frederick simply as �the 12 Immortals� - who repudiated the act. That judges� rebellion was just an early skirmish in what later became a revolution.