Michael and George Peter Hillegas: German immigrant potters and prosperity in colonial Philadelphia

George Peter Hillegas and Michael Hillegas were earthenware potters who achieved economic prosperity and prominent status in the community equal to the level of the merchant in pre-1750 Philadelphia. This study examines the experience of one family of German immigrant potters and attempts to define the socioeconomic circumstances that led to their prosperity. An attempt has been made to show the importance of ethnicity and Old World tradition on the success of these immigrant craftsmen and entrepreneurs in pre-Revolutionary Philadelphia. Primary and secondary documents have been utilized along with analysis of earthenware recovered from archaeological excavations on the property of George Peter Hillegas. This study proposes that retaining Old World connections with culture and craftsmanship, and a prosperous family background, were important elements to the success of these German immigrants who blurred the line between craftsmen, entrepreneurs, and merchants.