by Anna Looper, Charlotte History Examiner
Abraham and Catherine Staudt/Staud were proud of their children. All had been born in their home town of Zweibrucken at Gimpweiler, Germany. All had grown restless and desired a new life in a world free of religious persecution. A brother had preceded Anna and her two married sisters to the new world. The brother had arrived in America and was in an area known as The Great Swamp of Pennsylvania. Some say it is a low lying area rich in farmland because of its loamy soil and others say the name Great Swamp refers to a gathering place of people from all over the world seeking religious freedom and new land opportunities.
My studies have led me to believe that both is true. It is fertile land and it was a great gathering place.
Anna, her two sisters, the children of the two sisters, and a brother in law departed for the new land in the 20th year of her life, 1738. They departed with great hope and dreams for their families. There was joy and tears and they left family and cousins behind with talk of the others joining them once things were settled. There must have been massive amounts of luggage and family keep sakes. There must have been several crates of the necessary needs to keep the little group supplied with basic needs for the trip. It took several years to plan for such a trip.
In Search of Mayberry 