John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 8

Now that the Germans from Nassau-Siegen are in Fort Germanna and presumably safe from the Indians, a short deviation is possible in these notes.

The history as it has been told here differs in several points from the usual history in the official (e.g., schoolbooks) and the family histories.

One thing that has made the study of the Germanna Colonies so much fun has been the use of original materials.  As I have read these, I have come to realize that earlier histories are in error.  The historians, instead of using original materials, copy each other and repeat the errors that have been made.  When one reads the original materials, one sees that they contradict the published histories.  It is not hard to reconstruct the stories which are consistent with the original facts.

Here are references that have proven especially helpful:

1. " The Official Letters of Alexander Spotswood " in COLLECTIONS OF THE VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, New Series, Vols. 1 and 2, 1882, R.A. Brock, editor.
2. " Christoph von Graffenried's Account of the Founding of New Bern " in PUBLICATIONS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL COMMISSION, Vincent H. Todd, Raleigh, 1920.
3. Miscellaneous courthouse records.
4. Documents from the Public Record Office and the like in London.  Many of these are available through the Library of Virginia.
5. Wust, Klaus, " Palatines and Switzers for Virginia, 1705-1738: Costly Lessons for Promoters Emigrants " in YEARBOOK OF GERMAN- AMERICAN STUDIES, v.19 (1984), pp.43-55.  Though this is not an original document, it is a good summary and has many references.

People talk about what Spotswood or Graffenried were doing without checking to see what these men were actually saying themselves.  In many cases, what the actors themselves say is quite different from what others report they were saying.