Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-09-28
COLONIAL GERMANS.
BITS or HISTORY ABOUT THE Plo-
NeeRs THAT SETTLED 0ERMANlA.
Arrival Of the Mother Colony at Tspps-
hammock In lsil--Industrial. Rcii-
gicus, and Other Work.

tnuucnce ana WOrk IN tnc N'NO'~f'-.
vircinis's mineral. agricultural. and other
resources date from the founding OF Ger
mama. on the Rappahannock, when TOOK
plsce while Spotswood was Lieutenant.
Governor. Virginia histories anu Wy, -. go
archives embrace many auusohs ~ oo
70 extandcd consecutive narrative on the
,nbiect. The fragmentary statements
enent tho matter and tho manner ia WIZ LII
successiye historians have followed IN cue
beaten paths of their predecessors nav
produced no little confusion in more imam
ono respect. Enough. however Is clear 70
be of interest, especially To German cl'i-
gems Of Virginia.
There has been natural disposi-
zion TO associate the North Carollha
Palstines with tho Germanna colony.
Tho claim was published some years
ago that the German settlers 9d
Virginia and North Carolina WINE
cnder the protectorate of Queen
Anne came over as one body. and that
nart Of them went TO Carolina and part
10 Virginia. Another theory was that .ne
Germanpa settlers were remnant Oh tne
Carolina colony and moved 10 Nlrglnla
after the Tuscarora massacre. howo,eI;
that the two colonies must be dissoclateu
20 20 Anne Of arrival. and that the Ger
mama colony was q direct Importation,
nov anDears abundantly evident from the
Spotswood letters and other papers
TIT NORTH CAROLINA VENTURE.
Tho North Carolina Germans, or Pala-
Zines and Swiss. settled the town OF New
berne and named il after Bernie, SwitZer-
land. the birthplace of Baron dc draa1-
fenreidt. their leader. VINO was also lnstlu-
ro.ntaI in bringing about the emigration
f,om Turope of the Gernanna colony. lie
Graafenreidt's North Carolina patent ~
dated in 1909 and q large number OF ms
followers were massacred in the Iuscarora
incursion- which tragic event TOOK pace
in I'LL (Spotswood, Williamson, anu
others differ rs 70 the MONTH: ms VIII,
ont the necessity Of further investigator
enables one to arrive at the approximate
date Of their landing.
TIE ,,saIsIA VENTURE.
From The most distinct testimony so TAR
tortbcnmine the first Virginia German
frotcstants landed ut Tappahannock
IN 17l4 and came direct from OId.
ensburg. but there is confiict OF
s,atement as 10 their number Inc
Rev. Philip Slaughter, ID. D., one OF
the most patient OF modern lnVesliea. ..as
in the field of Virginia history. cites
a memorial from the archives OF the
Enciisb society for the propaga-
tion of the gospel in foreign parts
which places tho number OF immigrants at
thirty-two families. and gives the name
~ the minister who served them az Henry
Uaeger. a man about seventy-tiv years OF
noe. The memorial. however, divides the
intnjgrants into two lots az TO date OF ar
rivsl the first consisting of twelve faml-
lies Nhe settlers of 17lD, and the second
consisting of twenty families, who arrived
IN l7l7, or forescore persons. Dr.
Slaughter also says the hrst settleiS
had quarrel with the ship captain
over their passage-monev, and cites
other authority TO show that some time
after the settlement of Germanna the con-
dition of the colonists was depIoTaDle III
the last degree.
EXEMPTION FROM LEvIES.
Governor Spotswood under date OF
1914 writes 10 Ne Lords Commissioners or
Trade: Tho act for exempting certain
German PrOtestants from We payment OF
Jevysis made in tay'r of several tamllys OF
that Nation. who upon the encouragement
nj the Baron de Graaffenreidt came over
Either in the hopes of finding out mines
Itbev were engaged principally IN mining
In their native landl, but the Baron's mis-
fortunes obliged him to leave the country
before their arrival. they nave peeh set,
led ON ye Frontiers of Rappahannock and
subsisted chiefly at my charge and on the
contributions Of some gentlemen that nave
a prospect of being reimbursed Dy tneir
jabors.b This fortiiies DIR. Slaughter's au-
thority as to date.
COMPLAINTS AGAINsr sPoTrswooD,
later "complaints" were made against
Spotswood. which involved various
charges, and which, in letter to the
"Lord Commissioners OF Trade ana flanta-
lions" he answers at length. In retutlng
the charge that he had built two forts. one
at the head of the James river and one at
the head Of the Rappahannock at
the expense of the country only to
support two private interests, no
saws that as TO the Germanna set
tlement there were about forty Germans,
men. women, and children, who quit
ted their native country upon the H.
yitation of Baron Graafenreidt, and that
both in COMMISSION TO these strangers ana
in regard to the safety OF the country ne
placed them together on piece Oh lana
where he built them habitatlons; anu SUI
sisted them until by their own LABOR they
were able TO provide for themselves.
Touching a charge that he " denied " 10
let his Majesty's subjects take up land
md AT the same time gave leave or ORDER
10 another person TO take up 1900 acres
to be patented IN the name OF Jonh I.oD ,llo
son TO his (Spotswoods) own private use
and leased the same to I'VE Germans
he saws that the patents being. signed
by tho Governor 1t would DC I'M
proper to grant one to himself lie
also claims that the Germans were not IN
them. and that instead OF being his ten
ants thew might have been his servants, IL
view of the passaGe-money-lJOi.- they
owed him. The date OF these answers Is
I7l6. lin another paper antedating thl'
he admits that he was directed by sht
Crown to grant lands to the Germans !. u
will be noticed that Spotswood mrs.
,neaks of several families and then OF
about forty Germans.
THE CONDITION OF THE COLONY.
Az TO the condition and prosperity. OF
the Germanna colonists Hugh Jones, IN has
Present Condition of Virginia. pub
lished about IVA, says: Bey ond Coione
Spotswoods furnace above the falls OF
Rappahannock river within view OF tht
vast mountains he has founded town
called Germanna from some Germans sent
over by Queen Anne. Beyond
this Is seated the colony of Germans oil
Palatnes with allowance of good guam
fity of rich land, who thrive very we'll, anC
live happily and entertain generously"
Colonel Byrd i'll his Progress TO the
Mines" thus speaks OF Germanna: Thi'
famous town consists of Colonel Spots
woods enchanted castle on one side OF the
street and bakers dozen Of ruinous tene
ments on the other, where so many Ger
man families had dwelt several year
ego, but are now removed ten. mile
higher up IN the fork OF Tn
There had also been a chapel abou
bow-shot from the Colonel's house,
but some pious people had lately burnt !
down with intent TO get another bull
nearer their own homes" II was on tn
occasion Of this VISIT that Colonel Byr'
dubbed Spotswood the Tubal-Cain OF Vir
ginia, and Spotswood corrected" HIM b.
stating that he (SpotswoodD was the frs
person that had ever built regular iron
furnace in North America.
AS TO LAND DRAIS.
The consensus of authority is that Spots
wood bent his every energy TO the de
yelopment Of the resources of the colony
but as has been seen he did not escap
harsh criticism. Reference has been mad
20 his land deal" with Robinson. bu
that was not his only deal" IN which th
German interest figured. In l722 h
granted to Richard Hickman $500