The Atlas Obscura Podcast · Friday, August 7, 2026
Timothy G. Carlson suggests that William Penn might have been instrumental in funding Johannes Kelpius and his group of Pietists to emigrate from Europe to colonial Pennsylvania. This theory is based on Penn's known efforts to provide refuge for religious dissenters.
“I happen to think that the evidence points toward William Penn himself actually paying their way and and taking great pains.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, I really think so. So in history, there's only a few people who could like really hook you up in the colony of Pennsylvania and William Penn is one of them.”
“Penn had worked out a nice little deal with the English monarchy to get land in exchange for housing the crown's religious dissenters.”