Friedrich William von Marschall (5 February 1721 – 11 February 1802), commonly known as Frederic William Marshall, was a German Moravian administrator, town-planner, and architect in North Carolina.

Life in Europe

Born to an army officer and his wife in Stolpen, Upper Lusatia, Germany, von Marschall studied at universities in Leipzig and Herrnhaag before joining the Moravian Unity of Brethren in 1739. Traveling to England on behalf of the church, Marschall became involved in Parliamentary proceedings culminating in the Act of 1749, which endorsed Moravian settlement in the American colonies.

Leadership of Moravian settlement in Salem, North Carolina

The Moravians appointed von Marschall Senior Civilis (1761), Agent for the Unity in North Carolina, and Oeconomus of Wachovia, the large Moravian settlement in North Carolina (1763). The

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

delayed his arrival until 1764, whereupon he began planning the central town for the territory,

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

. Construction began in 1766, and by 1772 Salem had a thriving community, the result of von Marschall's excellent designs. However, problems began to arise: with unchecked power in the settlement,von Marschall was able to deny plots to non-Moravians, and in 1771 the regulator movement accused the Moravians of illegally occupying the land, but von Marschall saw this as only a ruse to test the Moravians' determination and charges were averted. He was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1771. When the Revolutionary War began, the Moravians felt trapped in neutrality, reluctant to sever ties to their brethren in England, yet already on thin ice with their fellow Americans. The Confiscation Act of 1777 proved a greater threat: to protect Wachovia, von Marschall returned from the Moravian Synod in Germany where he had been since 1775 to become a trustee of the territory. From then on, von Marschall remained dedicated to the settlement, making frequent visits to the General Assembly to defend Moravian claims and continuing to design buildings and institutions for Salem.

Death and legacy

He died in a thriving Salem, remembered as the father of his community and a religious leader to Moravians and non-Moravians alike. Lehigh University library holds a collection of his papers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Von Marschall, Friedrich 1721 births 1802 deaths Moravian-German people Moravian Church Members of the American Philosophical Society