The Demuth Family

The Demuth Family can be traced back centuries to Moravia (part of the present day Czech Republic) where the family, facing religious persecution, fled and sought refuge in Herrnhut, a newly organized Bohemian Brethren haven in the German state of Saxony on the estate of Count Nicholas Ludwig van Zinzendorf. This group of refugees became known as Moravians,  one of the oldest Protestant denominations in the world.

The Demuths were among the first Moravians to immigrate to America. The first Demuth to arrive in the United States was Gotthard Demuth (1694-1744) who sailed with a group of selected Moravians for the purpose of colonization. They arrived in the English province of Savannah, Georgia on March 22, 1735 shortly before moving north to the more religiously tolerant colony of Pennsylvania. Gotthard's son, Christoph Demuth (1738-1818, Charles Demuth’s great great grandfather) was born in Germantown, PA and spent most of his early life in Bethlehem, PA living within the Moravian community there. As a young man he moved to Lancaster, PA where in 1767 he married Elizabeth Hartaffel (1746-1841), a daughter of a tobacco manufacturer. In 1770 Christopher opened a tobacco shop with his father-in-law, establishing what would become known as the Demuth's Tobacco Shop.

A note on the pronunciation of Demuth

There are different ways to pronounce the Demuth name. 1. De Mutt, with the last syllable rhyming with rut. This is the traditional German/Moravian pronunciation of the name and is the way a Pennsylvania Dutch person would pronounce it. 2. deMOOTH, with the last syllable stressed and rhyming with tooth and 2. DEEmuth, with the accent on the first syllable. In Lancaster, the family was known as the deMOOTH family, however when traveling, Charles often adopted the DEEmuth pronunciation and had nicknames such as Deem and Demo from that pronunciation. In Lancaster, you will hear the name pronounced deMOOTH, but it is commonly pronounced DEEmuth elsewhere. 

Why Tobacco?

Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania were the top tobacco producers in the 18th - 19th century. While Virginia and Maryland output were mostly chewing and smoking tobacco, most of the tobacco products from Pennsylvania were in the form of snuff - Demuth’s main product. 

The importance of snuff in the economy was bolstered by the 1795 vote to tax snuff mills and machinery as part of the president's fiscal recovery plan. The industry also dramatically grew, especially in Pennsylvania in the early 19th century. This is seen in the increase of Snuff Mills and Factories operating in the state.