The Life
of
Johann Georg Schmidtpeter
(John George Smithpeter)
1730-1761
Of Ettenstadt, Mittelfranken, Bavaria
&
Saxe Gotha, South Carolina
By: Brenda Helen Keck Reed
Copyright 2000, All Rights Reserved.
Oakland, California
Johann Georg Schmidtpeter was born 28 October 1730 in Wollmertzhofen, Ettenstadt, Mittelfranken, Bavaria. Ettenstadt is located a short distance south of Nuremberg, Germany and north of Munich. His name appears in the parish registers as Johann Georg Schmidtpeter, not as "Hans Georg Schmidtpeter" (EVANGELICAL LUTHERN PARISH REGISTERS of Ettenstaat, Bavaria held at Archive in Regensberg; Volume 67-6, page 46).
Johann Georg Schmidtpeter and his wife, Caterin, married sometime before 1751 and together went to "the Carolina" in 1752 according to the church records of Ettenstaat. They arrived from Rotterdam in Charlestown, South Carolina on 2 October 1752, having paid their own passage on the ship Rowand, a snow. (S.C. Council Journals, Petitions for Land, Volume III, pagae 451, 30 Oct 1752, petition of George SmithPader,) The couple immediately settled in the German settlement at Saxe Gotha, South Carolina. Never did John George Schmidtpeter(Smithpeter) reside in Pennsylvania or anywhere outside the Province of South Carolina as asserted by Lee Gandee in Strange Experience, Autobiography of a Hexenmeister.. Nor did John George Smithpeter found the Appii Forum Church (after his death) as asserted in The History of the Lutheran Church in South Carolina (compiled and published by The South Carolina Synod of the Lutheran Church in America, 1971, page 141); in Irmo and the Dutch Fork Legacy (edited by Gene Able, December 1990); and in A Dutch Fork Calendar by James Everett Kibler, Jr. (page 106),.
Johann Georg Schmidtpeter died as John George Smithpeter on 23 February 1761 in Saxe Gotha in present Lexington County, South Carolina as a result of being savagely beaten to death by Jacob Weber, a Switzer, and his followers known as the Weberites. (South Carolina Gazette, 26 April 1761, Governor Bull's Letter April 1761 to William Pitt.) He was the son of (2) Georg Schidtpeter (1694-1773) of Wollmertzhofen, Ettenstaat, Mittlelfranken, Bavaria and (3) Margaretha Heberlin. He married Catron about 1751; she was still living as of November, 1761, when she acted as Administratrix of John George Smithpeter's estate (Charleston PRV, Volume V, pp 71-72, 7 Nov 1761, John G. Smithpeter). No records have been found to date to firmly establish what became of her after her husband's death. Caterin and John George Smithpeter had only one known child, John Michael Smithpeter, born 1753 at Saxe Gotha, South Carolina on the north side of the Saluda River (S.C. Deeds, Charleston, Volumbe Y-5, page 220, 1778.)
(2) Georg Schmidtpeter was born 30 March 1694 in Ettenstadt, Mittelfranken, Bavaria, and died 14 December 1773 in Wollmertzhofen, Mittlefranken, Bavaria. He was the son of (4) Michael Schmidtpeter (1646-1731) and (5) Catharina Pilling (1675-1736). He married Margaretha Heberin 8 January 1721 in Geyern, Mittlefranken, Bavaria.
Margaretha Heberlin was born 21 April 1696 in Burk, Mittelfranken, Bavaria and died 11 September 1760 in Wollmerzhofen, Mittlefanken, Bavaria. She was the daughter of (6) Mathias Heberlin and (7) Elizabetha Beckstein. Other ancestors include Hans Pilling and Catharina Dollman, Caspar Heberlin and Sybilla Strassner; Adam & Elisabeth Beckstein; Catharina Dollman.
Johann Georg Schmidtpeter had seven siblings. (i)Johann Michael Schmidtpeter, born 26 November 1721 and died 4 January 1722 at Ettenstaat, Mittelfranken, Bavaria. (ii) Elisabetha Schmidtpeter, born 21 April 1726 in Ettenstadt. (iii) Anna Catharina Schmidtpeter, born 29 November 1727 in Ettenstadt; she died 17 December 1789. Johann Georg Schmidtpeter was the forth born child, and the oldest living son of Georg and Margaretha Schmidtpeter. (v) Anna Margaretha Schmidtpeter, born 29 July 1733, in Ettenstadt. (vi) Johannes Schmidtpeter, born 8 May 1737, in Ettenstadt. (vii) Anna Maria Schmidtpeter born 18 October 1740 in Ettenstadt and died March 1766 in Rupmansburg, Mittlefranken, Bavaria. (viii) Georg Michael Schmidtpeter, born c 1742 in Ettenstadt. None of Johann Georg Schmidtpeter's siblings settled outside of Germany.
In 1731 the South Carolina provincial government established a Township Act to attract settlers to the frontier of the Backcountry. Hired agents recruited mainly Protestants from Switzerland and Germany. The Protestant Johann Georg Schmidtpeter, at age twenty, and his eighteen-year old wife, Caterin, went overland from Ettenstaat, Mittlefranken, Bavaria sometime during 1752 to Rotterdam, Holland. They paid their own passage and boarded the ship Rowand, a snow (commanded by Captain Fran) bound to Charlestown, South Carolina. The Rowand made no stops north of Charlestown on its journey from Rotterdam according to ship's records.
Before settling at Saxe Gotha, South Carolina, Johann Georg Schmidtpeter did not live in Pennsylvania at any time. He could not have been excommunicated by the German Reformed Church in Pennsylvania for any bizarre religious practices, nudity, animal sacrifice according to New Testament laws, or using whips as Johann Georg Schmidtpeter (Smithpeter) never lived in that colony at any time. Some historians and folklorists may have mistaken a man named Schmidt with the said Johann Georg Schmidtpeter of Germany and South Carolina. Some German settlers, including Rev. John Nicholas Martin, did come from Pennsylvania and settled at Saxe Gotha. Martin served as minister in 1760 at the Old Zion Church and then went in 1761 to Cedar Creek with many of the Weberites and established a church later known as Appii Forum.
On 24 October 1752 George SmithPader filed a petition for a 100 acre headright of land. The South Carolina Council Journals, Volume III, page 451, dated 30 October 1752, states that he "did in Holland pay his freight and is desirous to settle here with his Family that he has a Wife and never had any land granted him in this Province." South Carolina Plats, Volume 5, 1753, indicates that John George Smith Pader claimed a 100 acres tract of land on the North Side of the Saludie "bartting & bounding to the SWestward by said Saludie and the other three sides bounded by vacant land", with notations of NE 35-3-62 degrees and SE 55-31/62 degrees. This land would have been in what is called "the Dutch Fork" area of the Saxe Gotha settlement.
In about 1755 John George Smithbeader participated in the expedition for the garrisons at Fort Prince George and Fort Lowdoun in the Cherokees, for which he received 42.18.00 pounds current money "for carrying swivel guns." (South Carolina Magazine for Ancestral Research, Volume IV, Spring 1976, No. 2, page 116.)
In May 1756 the South Carolina Memorials record a record for Archibald Dunbar, for 100 acres, of a Plantation or tract of land situated on the North side of the Saluda River bounding to the South on Roimoney and westward by the Saluda to the northward and northeastward by vacant land. Originally granted the 2nd day of January 1756 to John George Smith Peeder and conveyed by him to the memorialist by Lease and Certified by Release bearing the date the 19th and 20h day of May 1756. The recording was entered and witnessed the 2nd day of August 1765 by George Parnam S. Reece.
A plat map shown on page 152C of The Dutch Fork, A Catalog of Early Land Records indicates that Smithpader had land on the North side of the Saluda next to Mathias Wessinger and Jacob Buchter and that the land may have been acquired at some time by John Hipp. However, this plat map only accounts for fifty acres, not for the one hundred acres that John George Smithpeter received as his headright.
Sometime after 1756 John George Smithpeter acquired 200 acres of land on the South side of the Saluda River. This tract of land was sold to John Cleckly (Kleckley), a weaver from Orangeburg district by his only known surviving son, John Michael Smithpeter, a yeoman of Virginia. (South Carolina Deeds, Charleston, Volume Y-5, Page 220, 1778). This property remains in the Kleckley family in the year 2000. Three acres was deeded to the Kleckley Reunion Association. The property is located not far from the site of Dreyer's Mill and the Old Zion Church, near Younginer's Ferry.
About 1753 the settler, John Adam Wingart, petitioned for and received 350 acres of land on Cloud's Creek in the western part of present Lexington County, South Carolina. In January 1758 Wingart's deed was delivered to him from Charleston by John Georg Smitpeader. Wingart's son traded this grant in 1759 for 250 acres next to the Saluda River near the present Lake Murray dam. (Phil Wingard anvlhead@hotmail.com)
During the Cherokee wars March 1760 William Pinckney, Commissioner General of South Carolina, appointed John-George Smithpeter and the merchant, Henry Gallman, of the Congarees to assist in procurring waggons and other carriages to transport tents, baggage, and provisions for the troops involved in fighting the Indians to all or any of the following stages or places, from Monck's corner to Eutaw, from Eutaw to Beaver Creek, from Beaver Creek to the Congarees and to such places as service may require. This edict was ordered by His Excellency the Governor of South Carolina. Others named to assist with the proposals for the contract of these services included Simon Theus of Monck's corner, James McKelvey at the Eutaws, Michael Christopher Rowe at Orangeburg, Samuel Wyly, Esq. and Joseph Kershaw at the Waterees. (South Carolina Gazette, 1 March 1760, 7 March 1760, 14 March 1760,21 March 1760).
In 1760 during the Cherokee wars and the expedition to Fort Prince George, The Statutes at Lark of South Carolina, Volume IV, page 117, indicate the following payments for Colonial Services:
John George Smithpeter, for provisions
108 15 00 pounds
108 15 00 poundsJohn George Smithpeter, for waggon hire 40 00 00 pounds
George Smithpeter, for wagon hire 420 00 00 pounds
420 00 00 poundsThis same record indicates that Godfrey Dreyer provided flour (177 00 00 pounds); Henry Gallman for waggon hire received 485 00 00 pounds; Michael Lightner received 28 00 00 and 390 00 00 pounds for waggon hire; Jacob Fridig received 310 00 00 pounds also for waggon hire. (The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Volume IV, Spring 1976, Number 2.)
The next document on the the life of Johann Georg Schmidtpeter appeared in the South Carolina Gazette, on 25 April 1761 and documents his death. "On the 5th ult. some unhappy wretches, who, in a fit of religious delusion and enthusiasm, had in a most barbarous manner murdered one Michael Hans and Capt. John George Smith Peder on the 23rd and 24th of February lait, at Congarees, were brought down from thence, and committed to jail: Their delusion was so great that they acknowledged the murders, and for some days attempted to justify themselves: But at March Sessions they were too well convinced of their error, when seven of them were indicted and tried, and four convicted, viz. Jacob Wieber, John Geiger, Jacob Bourghart, and Hannah Wieber; who all received sentence of death on the 31st ult. And on the 17th instant, Jacob Wieber was hanged pursuant to his sentence, behaving in a very becoming manner, and dying a true penitent: The other three are reprieved 'till May." (South Carolina Gazette, 25 April 1761, Page 2, Column 2)
Before being hanged Jacob Weber wrote a letter to his children. Some deem this letter to be a confession. (See Weber's Confession.)
On 26 April 1761 Governor William Bull, of South Carolina, wrote a letter to William Pitt, Secretary of State in which he requested "for the blood of Murder, as to Hannah Wieber, John Geiger and Jacob Burghart each with numerous Families" and bearing "the character of being well known, orderly, and industrious to recommend them as Objects worth His Majesty's most gracious Pardon." He stated that in the remote part of the Province beyond the Congarees where there was no Dutch Minister that "these ignorant Germans from a pious desire of having some religion had unhappily formed a Sect of Enthusiasts. Jacob Weiber who unpiously called himself the most High, pronounced to them that Smith Pieter, the person murdered, who it seems differed with him in some points of doctrine, was the old Serpent, and unless he was put to death, the World could not be saved. The deluded people immediately seized Smith Pieter and with all the rage of religious persecution beat him to death without remorse." (William Bull's Letter to Pitt, 26 April 1761, BPRO, Trans. XXIX, pp 80-82).
On 16 May 1761 the following article appeared in the South Carolina Gazette: at a court of Common Pleas held this week, before the honourable William Simpson, Esq.; chief justice, -- John Gieger, Jacob Bourghart, and Hannah Wieber (who with Jacob Wieber executed on the 17th ult. were convicted of murder at March sessions, and received sentence of death the 31st of the same month) were admitted to bail, to appear upon recognizance from sessions to sessions, till his majesty's pleasure touching the sentence passed upon them shall be known." (South Carolina Gazette, May 16, 1761, page 3.)
On 7 November 1761 an appraisement of the estate of John George SmithPeter was filed by his wife, Catherine Smithpeter, at Charleston. (Charleston PRV, Vol V, pp -72, 7 Nov 1761). Smithpeter's property, not including his 200 acres on the South side of the Saluda River, amounted to 636.12.6 pounds current money. His property incuded six horses, thirty six head of cattle, twelve hogs, one wagon with tacklings, numerous tools and cooking utensils, one Negro slave girl, ploughs, saddles, pewter plates and tankards. Also of note is that he had a Book of Sermons written in German, a Bible, a Dutch Psalm Book, and English Grammar, ann English New Testament, and two Catechisms. The appraisement was signed by Stephen Corelly, Christian Leibrand, Peter Erhard, and George Hiram. No accounting was made of any cash on hand from his colonial service in 1760 in the Cherokee wars. Also no mention of his having any weapons was made in the Appraisement.
On 4 & 5 November 1778, Michael SmithPeter, a yeoman of the state of Vrginia, sold for 1100 pounds South Carolina money, 200 acres of land to John Cleckly (Kleckley) of Orangeburgh District, SC, a weaver. One hundred fifty acres were originally granted to Frederick Arnold 12 April 1744 and fifty acres granted to Anne Baumgart 13 April 1748, said tracts joining together on the south side of the Saluda River in Saxe Gotha Township. The two tracts had been conveyed to George SmithPeter deceased, and Michael SmithPeter being the eldest son and heir at law. The deed was witnessed by Ben Grubb and Thomas Belcher and proved 6 November 1778 before Ralph Humphreys, JP, by the oath of Benjamin Grubb. The deed was recorded 29 September 1787. (South Carolina Deeds, Charleston, Vol Y5, p 220, 1778)/
Since 1761 numerous accounts have been written about the life and death of John George Smithpeter (Schmidtpeter). The above information has been verified through historical documents. In 1765 Reverend Charles Woodmason wrote and account of the Weberite heresy; then in 1774 Reverend Henry Melchior Muhlenberg recorded an account related to him by Rev. John Nicholas Martin and Rev. Christian Theus in his journal. In 1934 Claude C. Leitner published his version in the Southern Christian Advocate. Julian Mims published an article "Devil's Day at Dutch Fork" in the Sandlapper, March 1971.
The above were followed by a fictitious and undocumented account in 1971 by Lee R. Gandee, a hexenmeister, in his book Strange Experience, The Autobiography of a Hexenmeister, in which he makes many horrific assumptions as to voodoo, sex orgies, nudity, and aberrant behavior. (See Gandee's letter to Lura Glass.) In 1983 Sue Summer and Walter Summer published another wild version in the style of Lee R. Gandee about the heresy and murders in their article "Mysterious Little Mountain: in The State Magazine, July 31, 1983. The next bizarre account in the style of Lee Gandee was published by James Everett Kibler, Jr. in his book A Dutch Fork Calendar. More recently Claudette Holliday has published three articles about the Weberite heresy on 31 December 1997, 11 May 2000, and 18 June 2000 in the Lexington County Chronicle.
Some historians have asserted that after the Weberite heresy, murders and trials that John George Smithpeter, who was killed in February 1761, moved across the river to present Fairfield or Richland County where he and other Weberites founded the Appii Forum Church. As Johann Georg Schmidtpeter (John George Smithpeter) was dead and unless he had truly risen from the dead, he could not have moved anywhere much less could he have founded a church. He may have been misidentified with John George Schmidt who arrived in South Carolina on the ship Elizabeth with his wife in January 1753, along with John Adam Wingard (mentioned above). He may also have been misidentified with John Ulrick Smith, who also came from Rotterdam in 1752 on the Rowand.
Some historians and writers have stated that John George Schmidtpeter (Smithpeter) was kicked out of the Gifted Brethren sect in Pennsylvania and then moved to South Carolina. Historical documents do not support this allegation. As John George Schmidtpeter (Smithpeter) arrived in South Carolina directly from Rotterdam as a young man of twenty and immediately settled the north side of the Saluda River and continued to show a record of being in the province from 1752 to 1761 when he died, he could not have been the Peter Schmidt (Schmidt), who is mentioned as being a preacher of the Giften Brethren sect of Pennsylvania.
A list of immigrants from the Zweibruecken in the Palatinates from Clee and Catharinenburg found in Pennsylvania German Immigrants, 1709-1786 contains an entry of note. In 1750 PETER SCHMIDT of Ingelsheim [Ingolsheim] leaves Germany with his wife and six children for America. The entry states that this is either PETER SCHMIT,arrived 13 August 1750 on the ship Edinburg, or PETER SCHMITT, arrived 28 August 1750 on the ship Phoenix, or PETER SHMIT who arrived 30 November 1750 on the ship Sandwich. The list also contains an entry for Johan Jacob Ham of Bierbach in the same area and who left with his wife for America, arriving 14 September 1753 on the ship Edinburg. Ham was an itinerant Brethren minister who went from Pennsylvania to North Carolina and was expelled from the Brethren and began to preach Universalism. [Pennsylvania German Immigrants, 1709-1786, Lists Consolidated from Yearbooks of The Pennsylvania German Folklore Society; Don Yoder, editor; 1980; Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc,; pp 318, 324.)
Historians, hexenmeisters, and folklorists have made many assumptions about John George Smithpeter and those who participated in the Weberite cult and murders -- some of which may be true, but most of which is pure fiction and myth.
I invite others who share this history to submit their findings and stories to this website so that together we may bring some light, levity and balance back to the lives of our courageous, if somewhat misguided, ancestors who were doing their best in the most difficult situations.
I thank Lura Glass, Claudette Holliday, Robert H. Geiger, Pelham Lyles, Barbara Reed, James Green III, Gene Jefrries, Phil Wingard and other cont ibutors for their support, kindness, and especially for generously sharing their documentation.
Copyright 2000, All Rights Reserved. Brenda Helen Keck Reed.
6276 Acacia Avenue, Oakland, CA 94618
Your comments, contributions, facts & theories will be most welcome by the webmaster.
