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Missed our 2020 Conference July 17 & 18? Since it was online, we have it all recorded! Click the buttons below to register to watch the on-demand videos. Cost is only $30 per day.

For the first time, the 63rd annual Germanna conference did not take place in person this year due to the pandemic. Instead, Germanna went going online! We missed the chance to meet in person, of course. However, moving events online allowed for a much larger national and even international audience the opportunity to participate, learn, and engage with both the past and modern history of the Germanna settlement. Since it was recorded, you can watch it anywhere in the world via your computer, phone or tablet.

We presented six live online presentations over the same two-day period for which the conference was planned, July 17–18, 2020. The presenters used a combination of narration, photographs, and video for their sessions. At the end of each session, the presenters answered questions from the audience.

**PLEASE NOTE: If you had already registered and paid for the conference BEFORE July 18, you will receive an email with the links to watch the sessions regardless if you attended live or didn’t join the live sessions.

Friday, July 17, 2020

$30 to watch the recorded online FRIDAY conference webinar with three sessions.
Register & Pay $30 for FRIDAY’s online Conference Webinar

1:00 pm
Fauquier County History and Heritage
By Dr. Katharine Brown – Historian, Genealogist and Germanna Trustee
The 1714 Germanna families were among the first settlers in that county, by 1719 in Germantown. They spread from there to other parts of the county, founding Rectortown, and intermarried with English settlers around them. The Plains settlement will also be explored, as well as Germanna interactions with the family of Thomas Marshall, father of the future Chief Justice John Marshall.

2:30 pm
Madison County History and Heritage
By Dr. Katharine Brown – Historian, Genealogist and Germanna Trustee
Most of the 1717 Germanna colony took up land on the Robinson River in what became Madison County after their service to Spotswood. Criglersville, the Aylor community and the Blue Ridge settlement have strong Germanna ties that will be explored. These lands attracted many other settlers migrating to the mountain frontier so that the Germanna group was part of a larger community. This session will also explore that story.

4:00 pm
Beginning Genealogy: Where to Start and How to Do It Right
By Cathi Clore Frost and Barbara Price – Genealogists and Germanna Trustees
This session is ideal for those new to genealogical research or wanting a refresher course. Germanna Foundation Trustees and Genealogists Cathi Clore Frost and Barbara Price will teach you how to get started, observe recognized standards, and avoid common errors in your family research. They will share examples not only from their own families, but also from other Germanna families. Cathi and Barbara will encourage participants to ask genealogy/research questions.

Saturday, July 18, 2020

$30 to watch the recorded online SATURDAY conference webinar with three sessions.
Register & Pay $30 for SATURDAY’s online Conference Webinar

1:00 pm
Explorers, Indians, Refugees, and Settlers—The Road to Germanna 1650-1714
By Dennis Loba, Historian, History re-enactor
This session will reference primary sources to paint a picture of the history before Germanna and the forces that influenced Lt. Governor Spotswood to explore and settle the Germanna peninsula and its surrounding area.

Dennis Loba is known to Germanna Foundation mainly for his portrayals of Alexander Spotswood and the Rev. John Thompson. He is a history graduate of Virginia Military Institute and a former Army Officer who served on active duty, as well as in the Virginia National Guard. He has been an avid student of history his entire life and specializes in the 18th century Material Culture. He is a “regular” at many historical sites including Carlyle House, Mt. Harmon Plantation, Fort Frederick, Williamsburg, and numerous others.

2:30 pm
An Update for Germanna Archaeology in 2020
Dr. Eric Larsen (Director of Germanna Archaeology)
The four Germanna Foundation summer field interns – Bria Blackmond, Jason Kramer, Rebecca McGovern, Lillian Salamone
This presentation will provide updates on the findings up until that point from the summer’s archaeology field season. Participants will gain insight into what it takes to run a field school as well as what interns and students can gain by participating in such an experience.

4:00 pm
State of Virginia Archaeology
Dr. Eric Larsen (Director of Germanna Archaeology)
Dr. Bernard Means (Professor of Archaeology, Virginia Commonwealth University)
Dr. Elizabeth Moore (State Archaeologist, Virginia Department of Historic Resources)
Brendan Burke (Maritime Archaeologist, Maritime Heritage Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Virginia)
Jolene Smith (Archaeologist, Virginia Department of Historic Resources)

This panel of archaeologists, led by Dr. Larsen, will present “State of Virginia Archaeology,” discussing the variety of current archaeology projects and opportunities available within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The annual Germanna Conference has always been one of the main ways we raised money for the mission of the Foundation for the year. Please consider making a donation to help us offset this year’s situation and also we would love for you to become a member of the Germanna Foundation or renew your membership.

Make a Donation Become a Member or Renew