Evening star., 1915-11-28

ten in 1910, discussing this feature of the
settlement of Fairfax county. says:
Beginning near the close of the seven
teenth century large bodies of Germans
from the Paiat atinate of Germany came to
America and settled around Philadelphia
immigration to the new world continued
for fully forty years. 1000 landing at one
time in the year 1I10, and finally peopled
several large counties in Pennsylvania.
Later there was dispersion which car
ried many north into New York to join
colonies which had been established
there: others into Maryland, to Virginia
and to North Carolina.
The Palatines who came to Virginia,
it is believed, were of those who had
settled in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and
their route through Maryland can almost
positively be marked as having been
through the present county of Frederick,
the only county in Maryland having
German name, which extends from the
Pennsylvania to the Virginia boundary
lines and forms the opposite bank of the
Potomac river from the present county OF
Loudoun in Virginia.
Though the large body of the Ger
mans continued their journey southwark
into North Carolina, a great number were
Influenced to abide in Virginia, in what
afterWard became Fairfax county, and
later LolIdoun. by the evident richness
of the soil and by the favorable terms
offered by Lord FairfaX-a ninety-nine-
year lease on the land at the rate Of
shlIlings sterling per hundred acres
in reality a gift of the use of the land
for a long term as an inducement to set
tie and reclaim those vast domains.
* X
about the year 1870 this migration
reached its high-water mark, entire fam
lilies coming and many families associat-
ing together for the purpose of defense
against the Indians, from whom there
Sti11 do in be
from the navigable waters. or in the
back country. as it was then called. Of
the number who came TO Virginia from
Pennsylvania and Maryland many were
farmers who had derived their knowl-
edge through generations Of farmers, who
had titled the richest agricultural section
of all Europe; and, though they had not
riches We understand that term, they
were imbued with the highest principles
of morality, an instructive detestation Of
tyranny from which they had suffered
almost martyrdom in the old country,
and determination of purpose which
made it difficult TO give up undertake
ing once entered upon.
There were also in the number skilled
artisans. taught in the school of neces
sity. who came not seekers of gold
merely, like the great majority of the first
coIners to the country. but seekers of
peace and rest from the constant wars
and the unceaa!nS unpaid toll of their
old world
While this German settlement was
going on in the western part of Vir-
ginia, part destined to become the
county of Fairfax and its offspring
county of Loudoun. the eastern section
of the county was being settled by
people directly from the British Isles
and from the older English settlements
on the lower Potomac and from the
country of the Rappahannock and the
James.
According to the last census thare
was an excess of males in the county
of about 400, the number of males be-
ing set down as 10,4I7 and the number
of females at 10,059, the number of
white males being 5000 and the num-
ber of white females being 1863. The
males of voting age were 5,713, an
increase of about 1000 In the decennial
period 1300-1910, and the number of
negro males of voting age was 1,225.
The percentage of male illiterates Of
voting age was l0.S. against 1871 in
1900, and of the whole number of IL
literates of voting age. 61S, the number
of native whites. according to the CEN
sus takers, was 2i3, and the negro il
literates numbered 369. OF the total of
6.417 inhabitants between the ages of
six and twenty years, inclusive, the
number attending school was 4,0S4, or
63s per cent. The percentage of per-
sons between the ages of six and four
teen years, inclusive, attending school
was 77.3: the percentage of native
whites of native parentage was 81, and
the percentage of colored persons be-
tween the ages of six and fourteen.
inclusive, attending school was 63.6.
The strong home element of Fairfax
county is shown by the census figures,
which give the mum Der of dwellings, in
the county as 4,4l6, and the number
of families as 4,463.
*
The state of Virginia has an extreme
range in altitude from sea level, along
it's eastern border. to 1000 feet above
tide in the mountain portion of the
western section of the state. In east
ern or tidewater Virginia the attitudes
are low, ranging from sea level to an
elevation of $50 to 400 feet along what
biologists call the fall line, where
the coastal plain overlaps the higher
lying Piedmont plateau region.
government publication on this sub
ject says: The eastern or tidewater
portion OF Virginia is deeply indented
by estuaries and bays, and between
these the land consists of low fiat ter
races and higher rolling uplands. The
middle portion of the state, from the