William Penn, a Quaker, established Pennsylvania’s most important early settlement. Chartered in 1681 by King Charles II, Penn’s colony was mainly made up of English Quakers but also included German, Dutch, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish settlers. During the following century, Penn’s “Holy Experiment” drew large numbers of immigrants to Pennsylvania.
The records compiled here are comprehensive and include information taken from passenger lists, records of indenture, oaths of allegiance, and studies of Quaker immigration from Germany, Holland, and Ireland, including William Penn’s travels. The ten volumes also include the most important work on the mass immigration of Germans to Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania German Pioneers.