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Welcome to the 2021 Germanna Conference, “The Peoples of Germanna”!
It’s our 64th year of gathering together. While we will wait another year to meet and gather in-person, we lined up exciting presentations that we hope you will enjoy. The focus for the conference is on the four cultures that intersect at Germanna: Native American, English, African American, and German.
*** You can watch all presentations anytime you like as they are now on-demand. ***
The Germanna-focused sessions are free and are now on our YouTube channel or viewed below.
The premium Friday and Saturday outside guest speaker sessions are available to watch for a donation to help support the work of Germanna of $25 or more. Click on the link below a premium video to make a donation and get access to the on-demand videos.
Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 7:00 pm EDT
Online Tour of Salubria
Presented by Germanna Foundation Executive Director Tim Sutphin and Mark Trickett, PhD, former Assistant Archaeology Site Director and consultant for Germanna
Join Tim and Mark as they show work-in-progress for a new online tour of Salubria and its grounds. Historic Salubria is an 18th century (ca. 1757) Georgian-style manor house built by the Reverend John Thompson, rector of the Little Fork Church from 1740 to 1772, who married the widow of Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood. The house received the name Salubria , Latin for healthful, from a later owner, James Hansbrough, in the early 1800s and has been known by that name since that time. In October 2000, Laura N. Grayson donated Salubria to the Germanna Foundation. Germanna is honored to be entrusted with the stewardship of this property and the history of which it speaks.
Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at 7:00 pm EDT
The Peopling of Germanna and Beyond
Presented by Marc Wheat, Chair of the Germanna Family Liaison Committee
People have come to Germanna for many reasons. Initially, they came because it was a convenient ford across the Rapidan River, and more recently to connect with the distant past, perhaps where their families fished and farmed, explored, or battled. These people have deep roots far from Germanna, whether they crossed the Bering Straits or the Atlantic, from as far north as Scotland, England, or German-speaking Europe, or as far south as West Africa. Each of these people have been touched by Germanna, and some have left a trace of their presence in archaeology, history, or genealogy. This talk will bring focus to who these people were and what the Germanna Foundation is doing to recover their legacy in the centuries after leaving Germanna.
About Marc: Marc served as the 4th President of the Germanna Foundation from 2008 to 2020, and has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 1997, succeeding Sarah Aylor Lewis. Marc succeeded in acquiring the 62-acres Fort Germanna / Enchanted Castle archaeological site for the Germanna Foundation, and initiated the Germanna Foundation archaeology program and the building of the Hitt Archaeology Center. Marc descends from Rev. Henrich Haëger, Germanna’s colonial pastor. His descent from ten of the original forty-two colonists at Germanna makes him related to many Germanna Foundation members.
Thursday, July 15, 2021 at 7:00 pm EDT
The State of Germanna Foundation
Presented by Keith Hoffman, President of the Germanna Foundation Board of Trustees and Tim Sutphin, Executive Director
Keith and Tim give a State of the Germanna Foundation presentation and fill you in on the exciting programs ahead. Also giving overviews of their activities this year is Ashley Abruzzo, Membership Development Manager as well as Dr. Eric Larsen and Kelly Arford-Horne, Germanna archaeologists.
Friday, July 16, 2021 starting at 1:00 pm EDT
Germanna Archaeology Summer 2021
Presented by Germanna Foundation Director of Archaeology Dr. Eric Larsen, Germanna Archaeologist Kelly Arford-Horne and the summer archaeology interns
Germanna’s archaeologists and interns bring you up to date on the exciting discoveries of this year’s summer field season.
The Peter Hitt Farm:
Uncovering Two Centuries of History on the Rappahannock River
Presented by Kristie Kendall
Gifted to the Germanna Foundation between 2007 and 2017, the Peter Hitt Farm is an architectural and archaeological gem that provides a rare glimpse into two centuries of life in western Fauquier on the Rappahannock River. Peter Hitt, its builder, was a grandson of the 1714 Germanna immigrant of the same name. The presentation will discuss the unique historic and cultural resources on the property and what documentary research has revealed about the history of the property and the people who called it home.
About Kristie: Kristie Kendall has served on the Germanna Board of Trustees since January 2016. She has a B.A. in History from James Madison University and a Master’s in Historic Preservation from the University of Maryland. She has worked at the Piedmont Environmental Council, an environmental non-profit that focuses on conservation and land use issues in a nine county area of Virginia’s Piedmont, since 2011, where she serves as the Historic Preservation Coordinator. She currently sits on the Fauquier County Architectural Review Board. Previously she served as the Secretary of the Blue Ridge Heritage Project, from its inception in 2013 through 2019. Her preservation interests include the documentation, mapping and preservation of underrepresented communities in Virginia’s Piedmont, including mountain settlements in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and free black and post-emancipation communities in Virginia. She is a lifelong Virginian with deep roots in Madison County.
Putting Those Records to Work
Presented by Judy Russell
Finding that record — that census, land, court, tax or other record that answers our question — is always a genealogical thrill. But are we really getting everything from that record that we can? Putting those records to work by finding all the clues they give us can really open up our family history research and help us tell the stories of our ancestors’ lives.
About Judy: The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree who writes and lectures on topics ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing. On the faculty of numerous genealogy institutes, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, from which she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠. Her award-winning blog is at https://www.legalgenealogist.com.
Make a donation of $25 or more to help support the work of Germanna and get access to ALL the password-protected presentations on this page.
Saturday, July 17, 2021 starting at 1:00 pm EDT
German Foodways in the Valley…Is Resistance Futile?
Presented by Karen Becker
Immigration is a process of leaving the familiar behind, and arriving in the unknown, where immigrants are faced with learning to survive in a strange, new world. Our German-speaking colonists were influenced by those they encountered, including folks of English or Ulster Scots background, and in turn, influenced them. Enslaved and free Africans, as well as local Indigenous Peoples, shared their own ways, and were certainly exposed to German customs. How do traditional practices of food preparation survive such encounters, not to mention global wandering? How does the give & take of mutual influence merge into a new food culture? Or does it? Let’s take a look at the evidence!
About Karen: After being bitten by the living history bug in North Carolina, where she learned to love the Moravians of Salem, Karen ended up in the Valley at the Frontier Culture Museum, in Staunton, back when there were only 4 different farms/cultures/time periods. In those days, her favorite farm was the Palatinate Farm (the raised hearth!) Now that there are twice as many farms, her favorite is the West African Farm (it is so different!) But no matter which farm, foodways always provide a fun & tasty challenge; a friendly farm cat is also a plus. Now retired, she volunteers at the museum.
Make a donation of $25 or more to help support the work of Germanna and get access to ALL the password-protected presentations on this page.
The Indigenous People of the Ft. Germanna Region
Presented by Victoria Peringer Ferguson:
Former Monacan Indian Exhibit Manager, Enrolled member of the Monacan Indian Nation
There is a long and fascinating history of the indigenous people who inhabited the land associated with the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers. Very often we look at the history of Virginia Indians through the lens of the early European explorers and settlers, but rarely do we get to think about the activities of daily living through the indigenous eyes. This presentation will shine a little light on these Eastern Siouan Speakers and discuss what life was like for them living in their towns during the Woodland period up to early colonization.
About Victoria: Victoria graduated from Marshall University. From early childhood, under the tutelage of family, she learned traditional gardening methods and the utilization of natural resources for survival. With a science background and research methodologies she has spent 25 years seeking primary source documentation as well as archaeological information to help explain and support theories on the daily living habits of the Eastern Siouan population up through the early European colonization period. Victoria has assisted with the building and development of two Eastern Siouan Village construction projects as an indigenous technologist with emphasis on agriculture, textiles, basketry, ceramics, sewing, and cooking. She has presented programs for Virginia Tech’s Indigenous Ecology class, the Middle Atlantic Archaeological conference, the 2010 conference for teachers at Sweetbriar College and participated in two PBS documentaries; 1. Virginia Indians: Reclaiming Our Heritage and 2. Pocahontas Revealed. She researched and presented a paper entitled “Food Practices of the Eastern Siouan” for the Virginia History Forum and the Blue Ridge Archaeology Forum. Most recently she has focused on the current issues surrounding native communities.
Make a donation of $25 or more to help support the work of Germanna and get access to ALL the password-protected presentations on this page.
Re-Discovering The Old Dominion:
18th Century Germanna and The Slave South
Presented by Shannon Christmas
Learn how genealogy and DNA can uncover the complex social history of Virginia, Germanna, and the region’s enslaved populations.
About Shannon: Shannon Christmas is a professional genealogist and biological family reunification specialist with over a decade of experience and deep roots in Virginia and The Carolinas. Shannon employs expertise in genetic genealogy, adoption/unknown parentage research, kinship determination, colonial American and African American genealogy to identify genetic ancestors (including unknown parents), solve genealogical mysteries. HIs blog, Through The Trees, was named an “essential blog for genetic genealogy education” by the Board of Certification for Genealogists, is a blog for genealogy enthusiasts seeking to locate and leverage new tools and emerging technologies to break through genealogical brick walls. Shannon’s technology consulting background informs his work advising direct-to-consumer DNA testing and genealogy technology firms on product development. A former 23andMe Ancestry Ambassador and Ancestry.com Ace, Shannon manages The Captain Thomas Graves of Jamestown Autosomal DNA Project and serves as a co-administrator of The Hemings-Jefferson-Wayles-Eppes Autosomal DNA Project and The Macon DNA Project. A genetic genealogy instructor on the faculty of The Midwest African American Genealogy Institute, Shannon has a special interest in harnessing the power of autosomal DNA to verify and extend pedigrees, assess the veracity of oral history, and reconstruct ancestral genomes.
Make a donation of $25 or more to help support the work of Germanna and get access to ALL the password-protected presentations on this page.
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 sponsoring a speaker or 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.
Sponsor a Conference Speaker
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