PETER STUDEBAKER, BIOGRAPHY

Historical Significance of Peter Studebaker (1765 -1754)

(member Solingen Germany Cutlers Guild)

Erskine was on the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Finance Committee, and the President for Studebaker Corporation in 1918 when he authored the Annual Report.  Below are pages 7 and 9 and 11 and 13 from "The History of the Studebaker Corporation," written by Albert Russel Erskine. This book contains the annual report, a legal document, a report to the stock holders in 1918.

Peter Studebaker arrived in Germantown, PA, 1736 and was recognized as a Master because cutlery skills with the precision German guild were the finest in the world. Peter was granted land and set up a temporary factory to manufacture wheel barrels, wagons, and other necessary products to transport goods from this landing in Philadelphia to warehouses and supply depots for trading.

Lord Baltimore desperately needed highly skilled individuals in Prince Georges County, Maryland, to construct passages, bridges and roads for trading and to make wagons and other necessary items in order to open up the West. Consumer goods would be brought to and from Philadelphia and then transported from Maryland. Highly technical scientific skills, quick seasoning of wood treated to be extremely durable and hardening metal to last forever with high tinsel strength made Peter Studebaker unique in this country.  Peter Studebaker, with these skills could make anything. Several tracts of land were granted by the King of England thru Charles Calvert II. Troops were provided for protection from foe and to help with construction of bridges, roads and buildings to assist in building the important much needed factory.

Peter Studebaker built a fortress or fort house on the highest point of Washington County. On the high point knoll, Bakers Lookout provided a 360-degree view eliminating unseen threats from enemy attacks. Baker's Lookout was chosen because it bordered Conococheague Creek, the opening of which, by building a bridge, allowed a passage to a large Indian trading post.

When the factory was built, lumber was cut from north and west and floated down Conococheague Creek to Bakers Lookout. Iron ore, and lumber, plentiful to the area, were needed to support factory products. There was oil shale on the property in massive amounts which gave Peter the ability to have unique forging furnaces creating extreme heat to perfect his products.  The Factory which looked like a triple-sized-barn was set up next to "Troupe Run", a spring that provided 57 degree water year-round with no freezing. This spring helped hydropower equipment to run. Millstones from England were shipped from Philadelphia to Bakers Lookout, to make precision tools and products. Factory contained a kiln to speed up the seasoning of lumber for bending wood for wagon parts and precision-cut dovetailed fast-seasoned hewed logs for construction of bridges, buildings and houses. The factory's kiln and foundry equipment were perfect for hardening iron's durability, and inventing and producing long lasting tools. The factory could make metal hubs, axils, bands for wagons, wheel barrels, carts, construction hardware; nails spikes, banding, chains, pontoon barrels for floating bridges, horseshoes and harnessing for horses to pull wagons.

The group working with Peter, considered apprentices, or indentured, later were personally rewarded with money, land grants and houses. Jonathan Hager, apprentice, recognized for founding Hagerstown, Maryland, was granted land and later utilized the skills he learned from building products at Bakers Lookout factory to build his own home. Heinrich, (Peter's cousin) while clearing logs to provide a westward expansion program less than six miles from Bakers Lookout, was ambushed and killed by an Indian raid. Peter apprenticed John Long (married Anna Catherina Studebaker, Peter's daughter) and entrusted John to carry on Peter's plan and was deeded and willed Bakers Lookout.

Efforts utilized to cross train and teach the Master German Cutlery skills, were learned as group. Developing interchangeable parts, carts, coaches and the making of products to support several wars and battles, lead to the development and founding of Studebaker Wagon and car Corporation, the largest wagon manufacturer in the world.  The Peter Studebaker group, of which he was the respected Master, became leaders and founders of the industrial revolution and the transportation industry.

Peter Studebaker, the early years

The Studebakers trace their origins to the Ruhr Valley of Germany in the town of Solingen. Located southeast of Düsseldorf on the western reaches of Germany, this locale has been renown since the middle ages for ironwork and blade making. Throughout the late 1600's people of that region had been subjected to war, heavy taxation and religious strife and by the early 1700's life for many was unbearable.

In Solingen, Germany, at least five generations of Studebakers followed the metal working trade, such as forging techniques, tempering or heat-treating cutting tools, and at least five generations belonged to the Cutlers Guild in which membership was restricted to certain families and trade secrets were carefully guarded. The very wealthy members of the Cutlers Guild, makers of the finest sword blades in the world, sold to royalty. In the guild there were rules such as only 2 children from a family could join the guild. Before leaving Germany, Peter and his brother Clement took the oath of the Cutlers Guild, “Masters,” like their family before them. However, let us go back in time and consider the circumstances.

The guild provided a hierarchy a kingdom of craftsman-type of society, defined as apprentice, journeyman and master. Apprentice was an indentured servant that served the master for a period of seven years or as agreed, during this time the apprentice was not allowed to make money or own land, but was schooled, and fed and clothed with an agreement for land later.

After the apprenticeship was fulfilled the journeyman had to go from place to place learning about his trade and how it was carried on in other towns. Journeymen traveled for three years during which time they were allowed to make money and sell their wares. The song "Waltzing Matilda" was written about the journeyman who waltzed from town to town.  The Journeyman could then pay a fee and submit his masterpiece to the guild and the guild would vote on the masterpiece acceptability.  If the guild rejected the journeyman's masterpiece he would remain just a journeyman for the rest of his life. 

Peter was a religious man and had a motto like the golden rule which was "Always give more than asked." He provided well for those that were lucky enough to apprentice with his Master skills.

Johannes Staudenbecker born 4/10/1662, Hagen-Solingen Germany and Catherine Rau, born 1670, were married in 1692 in Solingen Germany and had 5 children; Johann Peter, Clement, Wilhelm, Ann Catherina, and Johannes. German tradition dictated, the eldest son, Peter, would inherit the family fortune. Peter’s mother, Catherine Rau, died and was buried in Solingen Germany, 1712. Peter’s father, Johannes, died and was buried in Solingen Germany, 1728. A few years after, father, Johannes, died, there was nothing to hold the family in Germany therefore a decision was made to go to the new land. Peter and Clement Studebaker, master guild members, decided to forsake harsh conditions and immigrate to The New World. Departing Germany was challenging because the guilds did not want to export their professional secrets, for fear of industrial espionage. Peter met and married Anna Aschauer in 1725 and Clement married Anna Melchers in 1729 and they fled Germany and headed for America.

Religious beliefs held by Peter Studebaker made him anti-slavery and a conscientious objector to war. Peter paid for passage to America on the ship Harle for apprentices and indentured group, including brother Clement, and cousin Heinrich, and their families, after all Peter was the one with the inheritance.  Peter may also have paid passage for his friend, Jonathan Hager. The plan was that all of them would go into business in America

The brothers and the group journeyed down the Rhine with their cousin Heinrich to Rotterdam, the Studebaker's point of departure, and sailed on the Harle for Philadelphia. Arriving on the Harle at the same time were Jonathan Hager, the founder of Hagerstown, MD, Peter’s friend, served as Administer of Peter Studebaker's Estate at the time of his death.

An unconfirmed family tradition says that the highly skilled Studebakers built false sides and bottoms in their luggage and shipping crates, where they hid the bulk of their money. Once they reached the sea, they booked passage on the Harle, arriving in Philadelphia.

They arrived in the colonies September 1, 1736. Peter eventually moved to Germantown, Pennsylvania to take up farming. In 1738 Peter moved again with his family to the Conococheaque and Hagerstown area, which was then a part of the back-country of Prince George's County, MD. Peter was active in affairs of that area and bought and sold at various times substantial acres of land.  We believe that Peter not only inherited and had money when he arrived in America, but he worked his trade and accumulated additional wealth as evidenced by his land holdings.

A letter dated September 16, 1737, written by Peter and Clement Studebaker, to their relatives back in Germany indicates persons of some social and intellectual achievement; relatively few people in those days could read or write. The letter provides a penetrating and detailed description of life in colonial Germantown. In the letter we find that the brothers were prospering and were happy with their decision to move to the colonies. They described various aspects of colonial life, stressing that anyone willing to work hard "can make a good living here." They went on to describe friendly relations with the "wild Indians" and expressed high respect for their behavior commenting that, "They put to shame the majority of nominal Christians." They however, expressed disapproval concerning the importation of African slaves. 

The descendants of Peter Studebaker are significant. Their designs became world famous, the Conestoga wagon and the Prairie Schooner. Descendants forged forward, after Peter's death in 1753-4, to become the largest wagon manufacturer in the world and the only one of 5000 wagon makers to make the transition from making wagons to making automobiles. In Albert Russel Erskine's official history, Peter Studebaker was credited with, "wagon-maker which trade later became, the foundation of the family fortune and the corporation which now bears the name". Studebaker's highly technical scientific skills brought to America by this extraordinary "Master" lead to descendants developing the famous wagons. How different America would have been if pioneer Peter Studebaker had not chosen to bravely journey to America bringing German guild secrets so they might be taught from father to son, generation after generation.

Peter's life is a beautiful example of immigration in a positive manor, one that advanced the industrial revolution and transportation in America. Over 50 million people in the United States identify German as their ancestry.  Peter said in his 1737 letter, “God Bless America”. We believe this to be the first written use of this phrase.