upon the incident narrated was to depend the future of the Labadist movement in America:
“From this time until the 22nd. of October nothing special took place, except that we spoke to one Ephraim, a young trader who was just married here, and who intends to go with his wife to the South river, where he usually dwelt, for which purpose he was only waiting for horses and men from there. He tended us his services and his horses, if we would accompany him, and offered to carry us in his own boat everywhere on that river, from the falls (of the Delaware) to which we would have to travel by land, and where the boat would be waiting for him to take him down the river; since he himself would have to touch at many places on the river, in going down. As Bowman, who was going there with horses, did not make his appearance, we accepted the offer with thankfullness, waiting only for the time.”[1]
This “one Ephraim” was no other than Ephraim Herrman, the eldest son of Augustine Herrman, heir to Bohemia Manor, who we suppose was to return to his home by way of the Delaware River and the road mentioned in the previous chapter. According to further annotations in the diary, Ephraim Herrman took much interest in the two Labadists as they journeyed down to Maryland, and subsequently proposed that the sect settle on or near Bohemia Manor.
They arrived in New Castle by December 1st and the next day they visited the village of St. Augustine. “We find”, they wrote in their journal, “it well situated and would not badly suit us. There are large and good meadows, and marshes near it and the soil is quite good.”[2] With a letter of introduction to Augustine Herrman from his son, Sluyter and Dankaerts left New Castle by way of the newly constructed road between
