Talk:Christoph von Graffenried
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The Christoph von Graffenried page is in need of a talk page. As it currently appears, the information on the Christoph von Graffenried page is riddled with errors. For instance, the opening sentence, "Christoph von Graffenried (1661-1743) led a group of Swiss and Palatine Germans to North Carolina in 1710, and later authored Relation of My American Project, an account of this unsuccessful attempt to settle in the New World" must certainly come as a surprise to the thousands of descendants of Christoph von Graffenried, also known as Christopher deGraffenried, who are today productive citizens of the USA. Many members of the deGraffenried family in America have researched genealogical records that confirm Christopher deGraffenried as their ancestor. A number of deGraffenried family groups are active online, and readily available evidence reveals that many deGraffenried descendants are currently involved in genealogical research and a wide variety of other laudable life projects here. That Christopher deGraffenried's project was supposedly an "unsuccessful attempt to settle in the New World" must also come as a shock to the good citizens of New Bern, North Carolina, who have for a very long time labored under the impression that Christopher deGraffenried founded their fair city, and rightly so. New Bern, founded by Christoph von Graffenried in 1710, is the second oldest town in the state. Royal Governor William Tryon made the thriving seaport his colonial capital and in 1770 built there his residence, which still stands today, restored, as the centerpiece of the New Bern historical district. After the Revolutionary War, Tryon Palace in New Bern became the capitol of the state of North Carolina. So, though it certainly did not proceed according to his hopes, plans, and schedule (and what such project in the Americas or anywhere else ever did proceed according to plan?), Christoph von Graffenried's efforts can hardly be fairly or accurately described as a failure today.
The tone of the information provided on the current page strongly suggests a bias against Christoph von Graffenried and his project, and the content differs in many respects and details from readily available historical records and authors, including those cited. For instance, the statement ". . . Graffenried assumed the title 'Landgrave of Carolina'" would seem to suggest von Graffenried assumed the title under his own authority, while Vincent H. Todd's doctoral thesis, titled "Baron Christoph von Graffenried's New Bern Adventures" and dated 1913, which I located in Widener Library at Harvard University in 1989, leaves no doubt that ". . . one of the [Royal] proprietors, the Earl of Shaftsbury, had his friend, the philosopher John Locke, draw up a system of government for the colony . . ." and Christoph von Graffenried functioned as a Landgrave of Carolina under somewhat modified terms of that system. According to Todd, Christoph von Graffenried's "colony was the nearest approach to Locke's ideal that ever existed in this country--the only one founded on the Grand Model." Bias against von Graffenried is not evident in Todd's work: ". . . patrician though he was, Graffenried had the welfare of the colony at heart. The letters from the settlers express satisfaction with his administration and he seems to have regarded the title [Landgrave of Carolina] as of value only as it made the Carolinians respect him, and so benefitted his colony and company."
I will be proposing edits to the Christoph von Graffenried page based upon a more accurate reading and analysis of relevant historical records and documents.
Faithfully,
Michael Gillespie 14:02, 18 February 2007 (UTC)
