Germanna Foundation

Preserving the historic heritage of the original settlers of the Fort Germanna Colonies in Virginia

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You are here: Home / Archives for History

Who Were Germanna’s Founders?

March 13, 2018 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

The inspiring history of the Germanna colonies lay nearly forgotten for 200 years. Threads of awareness emerge in the historical writing of professor William J. Hinke c. 1920, in an inquiry to President Calvin Coolidge from Müsen, Germany, in 1927 about descendants of the 1714 emigrants from that village, in the Reformed Church’s commemoration of […]

Filed Under: Articles, Genealogy, Germanna Blog, History, People

Germanna 101 – History of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia

December 19, 2017 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

Germanna Foundation Membership Development Manager Ashley Abruzzo (and Germanna descendant) presents a video overview on the history of the Germanna Colony, a German-speaking settlement that began in 1714 at Fort Germanna at what was then the western-most frontier of Virginia. The Fort was situated between what is now Fredericksburg and Culpeper, Virginia. She also discusses […]

Filed Under: Announcements, Genealogy, Germanna Blog, History

Germanna First Colony Land Patent Map

October 16, 2017 By Germanna Foundation 1 Comment

Here the land map of Germantown in Fauquier County, Virginia. It shows the schematic outline for individual family tracts on the 1,805 acres of land in 1729. Unfortunately, most of the original land tracts are now under water in modern day Crockett Park, and some are on private land. Presently, we are searching for the […]

Filed Under: Genealogy, Germanna Blog, History

Germanna Second Colony Land Patent Map

October 16, 2017 By Germanna Foundation 2 Comments

Here is an early land patent map showcasing where several Second Colony ancestors had land in the Robinson River Valley in Madison County, Virginia. Many of the grants for land patents were between 300-400 acres. Do you see your ancestor’s family name? Click to enlarge.

Filed Under: Genealogy, Germanna Blog, History

Germanna Museum Artifact: John Spotswood

October 16, 2017 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

Alexander Spotwood’s oldest son, John, died at the age of 34 and was buried in New Post, Virginia, just southeast of Fredericksburg. His burial site was found by accident in 1931 by Massaponnax Gravel Company workers via a steam shovel.   The cast iron marker with John Spotswood’s name is now on display at the […]

Filed Under: Germanna Blog, History, Museum

BREAKING: Horse Stolen from Col. Spotswood

March 15, 2017 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

Okay, maybe the news is 281 years old, but Germanna Foundation President Marc Wheat came across a mention of Germanna and the Iron Works in the January 7, 1736 edition of the Virginia Gazette newspaper about a horse stolen from Col. Spotswood. We wonder if anyone got the “handsome reward” that was offered for the […]

Filed Under: Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, History

The Wives of Jacob Holtzclaw

January 12, 2017 By Germanna Foundation

Genealogy of Germanna Colonies Women

By Barbara Price In all my years of research into my Holtzclaw family, I’ve always wondered about the second wife of Jacob Holtzclaw, the 1714 immigrant. What do we know about his wives and how do we know that he was married twice? Hans Jacob Holzklau was first married to Anna Margreth Otterbach, his childhood […]

Filed Under: Articles, Genealogy, Germanna Blog, History

Germanna mentioned in 1789 newspaper

September 29, 2016 By Germanna Foundation

Pennsylvania Packet Sept 3, 1789

We found a newspaper clipping from the September 3, 1789 issue of the Pennsylvania Packet that surprised us with such a late reference (1789) to Germanna as a location. We’re looking for more information about this from our readers. Do you know where Col. Ball’s house really was, or have you come across additional references to this from […]

Filed Under: Germanna Blog, History

Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition Ride Reenactment

August 23, 2016 By Germanna Foundation

(Dale Duvall/Culpeper Times) Virginia Colonial history will be re-visited as horseback riders from across the United States gather to re-enact Colonial Governor Alexander Spotswood’s Transmontaine Expedition up and over the then imposing Blue Ridge Mountains.  It was 300 years ago that this expedition paved the way and began the never ending westward expansion of America. Starting […]

Filed Under: Announcements, Events, Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, History, Knights of the Golden Horseshoe

Germanna and the War for Independence

July 1, 2016 By Germanna Foundation

Culpeper Minute Men image

As we celebrate Independence Day, let us remember the many Germanna-related individuals who served as patriots during the Revolutionary War, helping to earn the liberty we celebrate today. An important part of the story of Germanna and the Revolutionary War is that of the Culpeper Minute Men, organized by recruits from modern-day Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, […]

Filed Under: Announcements, Germanna Blog, History

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NEW GERMANNA RECORD!

Broyles Family book

The Broyles Family: The First Four Generations
by Cathi Clore Frost

watch on-demand!

Germanna Foundation’s Mission and Stewardship

The Germanna Foundation tells America’s story of liberty through the frontier experience of her settlers and descendants using archaeological, historical, and genealogical research and interpretation. We are stewards over these important properties and initiatives:

  • Fort Germanna Visitor Center campus which includes a Museum, Genealogy Library, the Hitt Archaeology Center, and the Germanna Memorial Garden
  • Siegen Forest – 170-acre Hiking and Nature Trails along the Rapidan river
  • 1714/1717 Fort Germanna Archaeology Site
  • Virginia Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood’s home “Enchanted Castle” Archaeology Site
  • 1757 Georgian-style Salubria Manor
  • 1800 Peter Hitt Farm
  • Publishing “The Germanna Record” genealogy/ history books
  • Maintaining a genealogy database with over 130,000 records of descendants of the Germanna colonists

Your donation helps support our mission:

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Become a member or renew your membership in the Germanna Foundation:

Membership

RECENT POSTS

  • Salubria in Spring: Our First Salubria Public Access Day of 2023!
  • 2023 Bluebell Walk with Germanna Foundation and Old Rag Master Naturalists
  • Lab Nights with Germanna Archaeology: Hitt Archaeology Center Open House
  • An Evening with Germanna Presents Founder’s Day Genealogy: The First and Second Germanna Colonists with Barbara Price and Cathi Clore Frost
  • Lab Night with Germanna Archaeology Presents: Buildings and Builders of Germanna
  • Join Germanna for the 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count!
  • Virtual Event: The German Diaspora: Looking at German Emigration Worldwide from the 9th Century to Today

Germanna in the Revolution

Download Icon for Genealogy Databases

Germanna Descendant

Germanna 101

Watch a video about the history of the Germanna Colonies in America.

germanna-family-1b

Become a member of the Germanna Foundation and get access to Germanna’s exclusive genealogy database, GermannaFamily.org, with thousands of names. Research your Germanna roots!

Become a Member

Make a Donation

Planned Giving

Remember the Germanna Foundation in your estate plans and in your will.

Germanna Foundation

The Germanna Foundation
MAILING: P.O. Box 279
LOCATION: 2062 Germanna Highway
Locust Grove, VA 22508-0279
Phone: 540-423-1700
Fax: 540-423-1747
Contact Us Page

Remember the Germanna Foundation in your Will and Estate Plans.

Fort Germanna Visitor Center, Museum & Library

2062 Germanna Highway (Route 3)
Locust Grove, VA 22508
(Next to the Germanna Community College campus)

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturdays, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Closed on Sundays

Out of town visitors are urged to call us at 540-423-1700 to confirm or to make special arrangements for groups.

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Hike Siegen Forest!

Behind the Fort Germanna Visitor Center is our 170-acre Siegen Forest nature and hiking trails along the Rapidan river. Trails are OPEN 7 days a week, during daylight hours. When visiting the trails, please practice “Leave no Trace” ethos. If you enjoy the trails, consider donating to the Germanna Foundation to help support their upkeep.

 

About

The Germanna Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring the Colonial Virginia frontier via the historic 1714 Fort Germanna and its German colonists and their descendants.

It conducts archaeological exploration and conservation, genealogical research and publishing, and historic preservation and interpretation.

The Foundation owns and maintains several historic sites and properties, such as Salubria Manor, that were part of or closely connected to the Germanna colonies, the town of Germanna, and the other early colonial Virginia settlements and towns in the Piedmont area of Virginia.

Copyright © 2023 The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia Inc. (The Germanna Foundation) | Website by CJKCREATIVE.COM

 

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