Forty-two Germans arrived in Virginia in 1714. Settled in Fort Germanna, they were the western-most point of English civilization on the east coast of North America. Which made them a truly frontier community. One family in this group merits special comment and, in this family, the mother merits our admiration.
Anna Catharina Friesenhagen married Johann Heinrich Häger who was known later as Rev. Henry Häger (Hager). At the time of her marriage she was fifteen and one-half years old while he was nineteen years older. Life would never be the same for her. Twelve children were born to them though the death toll was very high, leaving only three known survivors, a son and two daughters.
In 1713, when Albrecht was recruiting people to go to Virginia, Rev. Häger was 69 years old (she was 50) and the two daughters were eleven and fifteen years old. At this time, Rev. Häger had been retired from a pastorate for two years because of ill health. At home, there was a manservant and two maids to help care for the family. There could hardly have been a less likely family to go to the New World. But they signed on even though the chances were high that the mother would have to care for two young daughters in the wilderness by herself. But it appears that Anna Catharina never shied away from a challenge.
There was one factor which favored their going to America. Their son was an ordained pastor of the German Reformed Church who had gone to New York in 1708. The parents probably saw this an opportunity to see him though it is likely that they underestimated the distances in America.
The group of Germans was small and they were unusual in having a pastor amongst them. Pastors for Germans were very scarce. As a consequence of there being a pastor in the group, several claims are made as to the group being the first German Reformed congregation in America. Probably for strict accuracy, a few adjectives should be added to the statement. Histories of the German Reformed Church in America do not always agree.
After all of the danger inherent in traveling to America with an elderly husband and two very young daughters, the outcome was hardly what could have been expected. Both parents outlived both daughters and the son. And perhaps, but it is not clear, the father outlived the mother. Rev. Hager did not die until 1737, a full 24 years after his arrival in Virginia.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.