In 1880 Gustav Koerner (1809-96), one-time Lieutenant-Governor of Illinois and confidant of Abraham Lincoln, published a comprehensive history of Germans in America entitled "Das deutsche Element in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika, 1818-48." For the work at hand, Don Heinrich Tolzmann translated and edited selected chapters from Koerner covering the states of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and New England. Dr. Tolzmann has added extensive annotations that further explain the text and provide references to additional sources as well.