Gottlieb Mittelberger

Mittelberger expounds upon the lack of religious belief and practice in mid-18th century Philadelphia. He was astonished by the general absence of belief in God and a lack of knowledge of the Bible.[9] Contrarily, he is confronted by a city dominated by free thinkers and infidels.[10] The cultural influence of the Enlightenment is thus attested by Mittelberger's firsthand experience of religious skepticism, naturalism, and the popularity of Deism.[9] By 1750, the decline in Christianity is indicated by the existence of only eighteen churches in Philadelphia, serving a city of over 30,000 inhabitants.[9] As Mittelberger notes:

Besides, there are many hundreds of adult persons who have not been and do not even wish to be baptized. There are many who think nothing of the sacraments and the Holy Bible, nor even of God and His word. Many do not even believe that there is a true God and a devil, a heaven and a hell, salvation and damnation, resurrection of the dead, a judgment and eternal life; they believe that all one can see is natural. For in Pennsylvania every one may not only believe what he will, but he may even say it freely and openly.[10]

According to historian Russell Weigley, Mittelberger was surprised by the relative lack of religious bigotry in colonial America, namely in contrast to the religious fervor and intolerance of the Old World.[9] As Mittelberger wrote of the American colonists: "To speak the truth, one seldom hears or sees a quarrel among them [which is] the result of the liberty which they enjoy and which makes them all equal."[9]

An indentured servant's contract (1738) from Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Mittelberger's primary focus concerns the tribulations of the European immigrants to the British Atlantic colonies. In particular, he wrote of the precarious transatlantic voyage, as well as the sale and exploitation of immigrants into indentured servitude. Mittelberger describes the health conditions at sea as harrowing:

But during the voyage there is on board these ships terrible misery, stench, fumes, horror, vomiting, many kinds of sea-sickness, fever, dysentery, headache, heat, constipation, boils, scurvy, cancer, mouth-rot, and the like, all of which come from old and sharply salted food and meat, also from very bad and foul water, so that many die miserably.[11]

Mittelberger continues:

That most of the people get sick is not surprising, because, in addition to all other trials and hardships, warm food is served only three times a week, the rations being very poor and very little. Such meals can hardly be eaten, on account of being so unclean. The water which is served out on the ships is often very black, thick and full of worms, so that one cannot drink it without loathing, even with the greatest thirst. Toward the end we were compelled to eat the ship's biscuit which had been spoiled long ago; though in a whole biscuit there was scarcely a, piece the size of a dollar that had not been full of red worms and spiders nests.[12]

As economic historian Farley Grubb states, there are scarce remaining sources in the world documenting 18th century transatlantic passenger fare.[3] Consequently, there is historic significance in Mittelberger documenting the uniform pay for passage to America as being structured by the age of the immigrant. Children under five years of age are free.[13] However, the fee from Rotterdam for any person ten years of age or higher was ten British pounds or 60 Dutch florins (guilders).[13] Children between five and ten years were half priced at 30 florins or five pounds.[13]

As cultural historian Clare Lyons observes, there are three lengthy sexual stories documented by Mittelberger in his travelogue.[6] Similar to the religious tolerance of the era, colonial Philadelphia in the 1750s was relatively hospitable to various forms of sexual behavior and familial structure.[6] As Lyons summarizes:

According to Gottlieb Mittelberger...the town was a place of lax moral discipline, courtship went unregulated, women exercised too much power within marriage, and nonmarital sexuality rampant.[6]

Mittelberger gives as an example the case of an old couple living close to the Blue Mountains in rural Pennsylvania.[14] The old woman, ill and weak, requests of her husband to marry their young servant maid Rosina.[15] The husband and Rosina both consent to the request and marry, whereby Rosina becomes pregnant shortly thereafter.[15] Meanwhile, the first wife's health continues to improve over time.[15] When the colonial authorities learn of the bigamous relationship, they choose not to interfere.[16] Whereas English law punishes bigamy by execution, the authorities do not in this case act, insofar as neither of the wives felt dissatisfied or injured by the bigamy.[16]