Notes |
- "The First Germanna Colony arrived in Virginia in the spring of 1714,and then came up the Rappahannock River to Tappahannock where theydisembarked and made their way overland to the place where they wouldbe settled 20 miles west of present day Fredericksburg at a locationthat would be called Fort Germanna.
Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood wrote to the Board of Trade in Londonin May 1714 stating the Germans were invited to Virginia by Baron deGraffenreid who had Her Majesty, Queen Anne's letter to the Governorto furnish them land after their arrival.
Germanna, First Colony of 1714
The 1714 Colonists did not leave their homes in Germany not knowingtheir destination, nor were they compelled to do so. They were engagedto perform a specific job in Virginia for the George Ritter company,which had approval for a silver mining scheme from The Board of Tradeand Plantations with the approbation of Queen Anne. They knew wherethey were going, and what they were to do. They came from the ancientiron making capital of Europe, located in one of the most industriousprovinces of Germany. A few were familiar with mining and themechanics of making iron, others were farmers, carters, colliers,teachers and clockmakers. They were an intelligent, progressive set ofpeople.
Two German Colonies came to Virginia during the administration of Lt.Governor Alexander Spotswood and settled at or near Germanna in 1714and 1717. The first consisted of 14 men with a total of 42 persons, asshown by an order of the Virginia Council passed April 28, 1714. Thisorder provided that a fort should be built for them, that two cannonsand some ammunition should be furnished, and a road cleared to thesettlement. The order also shows that the Colony had only recentlyarrived in Virginia. Mr. Charles E. Kemper, a Germanna descendant ofStaunton, Virginia, contributed an article to the Virginia Magazine ofHistory and Biography (Vol. XIII, pp.
367-70) and gives their names as follows:
Jacob Holtzclaw, wife Margaret, sons John and Henry
JOHN JOSEPH MARTIN, AND WIFE MARIA KATHRINA
John Spillman, wife Mary
Herman Fishback, wife Kathrina
John Hoffman, wife Kathrina
Joseph Coons, wife Kathrina, son John, Annalis, daughter Kathrina
John Fishback, wife Agnes
Jacob Rector, wife Elizabeth, son John
Melchior Brumback, wife Elizabeth
Tillman Weaver, mother Ann Weaver
Peter Hitt, wife Elizabeth".
"After 1719, the First Germanna Colony of 1714 moved to StaffordCounty (now Fauquier County) where they made the first settlement inthis area called Germantown. This site is now largely occupied byCrockett Park with a large lake that has much of the originalsettlement of Germantown under water. An old cemetery, located onprivate property, is believed to have the graves of some families ofthe Germantown Settlement and the First Germanna Colony of 1714."
INTERNET SITE: http://www.germanna.org/ The Memorial Foundation ofThe Germanna Colonies In Virginia, Inc.
P.O. Box 279
Locust Grove, Virginia 22508-0279
Phone: 540-423-1700
Fax: 540-423-1747 [Transcribed, SLJuhl, 31 Oct 2005]
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