Palatinate to Pennsylvania

Probably what the "Thistle" looked like.. 

Read an actual letter of one emigrant in 1750

Our ancestor Johann Augustus Scherrer emigrated at age 19  from Lachen-Speyerdorf, Neustadt, Germany. The son of Frantz Scherrer & Anna Regina Lauer Schuster* traveled on the Ship Thistle of Glasgow to America in 1730.  On the same voyage were his brother Johannes age 16, Anna Regina, Uncle Johannes age 33 & his wife Anna Barbara (Schmidt), Uncle Ulrich with wife Apollonia (Walckner). Augustus' father Frantz  Scherrer was also listed, but did not come to America.  Later in Reformed church records,  we find Frantz married 2nd to Anna Armbruster in Lachen.  Possibly Anna Regina & Frantz divorced, or the Anna Regina traveling with Augustus and Johannes was not their mother, but a relative named after their mother. Possibly Anna Regina Lauer* Schuster Scherrer had died prior to the voyage.

Augustus' family first settled in Philadelphia, PA area,  Later Augustus was in the York Co. PA area.  He married Anna Magdalene about 1735..raising a family of ten sons, three daughters.  We can only confirm  three sons...Valentine & Andrew (both were Revolutionary War Soldiers) and Heinrich. (I have found additional references at the family church to a John Casper Shearer. John Casper Scherer m. Barbara Zoebeli on July 31, 1755, Philadelphia, Germantown Reformed*)  Augustus changed his surname to Shearer, and various spellings make research difficult. He lived on the border of  Maryland and Pennsylvania, owning land in both states at different times.  Land records place him in Taneytown, and church records of Adams Co.,  Christ Reformed* at Littlestown,  PA show Augustus and  Anna Magdalene Scherrer as sponsors to a baptism in November 1750. 

Andrew W. Shearer was in the 8th. Batt. Penna, Army, enlisting in 1772 with Capt. Robert Samuels. He served in the Revolutionary War and was listed as a Sgt. under Capt. Samuel Shaw during 1777-1778 Cumberland Co. PA in the 5th Batt. In 1778 he was commissioned as an officer for the N. Bedford Co. Wills Creek Settlement Company, his son Valentine was also listed. Andrew's brother, Valentine, was also in the Revolutionary War.

In Nov 1771, Valentine Shearer bought 149 acres in Frederick Co., MD called Exchange. His father Augustus was also in Frederick Co., MD at that time. In November 1775 Valentine was listed as Sgt. Valentine Sharer in the co militia rolls (MD Hist, Mag. 11:55)In 1781 Valentine was a member of Capt. Andrew Foreman's company in the American Continental Army guarding pow's at York (14 Pa. Archives, NS 529)
Valentine & Mary moved back to York Co., PA after selling in 1787 their Exchange property (DB WR7: 362) 

*18th & 19th Century Immigrants from Lachen Speyerdorf  in the Palatinate by Annette K. Burgert

*Anna Regina Lauer's 1st marriage was to  Stephan Schuster in 1696.

*Adams County Church Records of the 18th Century by F. Edward Wright

*Note this is the same church that Valentine & Ann Maria Scherer (Shearer) were married in, I found a John Casper Scherer in the same church records.