John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes
Note 56
When did the First Germanna Colony relocate from Germanna to their new home?
In 1718, they purchased over 1800 acres of land in the Northern Neck from
the proprietors there. (This future home was to become known as Germantown.)
This date is not a proof of anything but it does indicate that they were
planning on moving. It is unlikely that they would have purchased very far
in advance of their intention to use the land.
They had agreed to work four years to pay the balance of their passage
money. Their time in Virginia commenced in April of 1714 and they probably
did not arrive at Germanna until May or June. There are good reasons that
they might have preferred to stay at Germanna for a few extra months beyond
the four years. They were responsible for their own food and they had crops
and animals which would not be ready to harvest or butcher until the fall of
the year. In the fall the larder would have been at its maximum and this
would have been the best time to commence life at a new location.
They testified that they worked at mining and quarrying until December of
1718 which would be a few months past the end of their service. From this
we know they were active in the general vicinity of Germanna until 1718 so
this fixes the earliest date for moving. Since no labor beyond 1718 was
listed, it is unlikely that there were any services performed beyond 1718,
especially in view of the other factors.
Another clue is provided by the naturalization of Jacob Holtzclaw. (He
considered this important and filed a copy at the Spotsylvania Court House
so that it is available today in Deed Book A, p.165.) This naturalization
was made on the 11th day of July 1722 by A. Spotswood, one of his last
official acts as Lt. Governor of Virginia. In this naturalization,
Holtzclaw makes the statement that he had been a resident of Stafford County
for several years. If the minimum for "several" were three, then he must
have moved shortly after December of 1718, say in January of 1719 by the
modern calendar. It would not be desirable to wait long past this time as
there was a need to build homes, clear ground and plant crops for the
growing season.
When the Germans left, Spotswood had a proven mine. Through the use of a
forge, samples of the metal had been tested to prove the quality. There was
also the task of proving the extent of the ore. Since the furnace would be
expensive, thousands of pounds, and could not be moved, it was vital to make
sure that the quantity or amount of the ore would be sufficient to run the
furnace for many years. So most of the time that the Germans spent on the
iron project was not in locating a source of the ore but in proving that the
bed was large enough to sustain several years of output.
But, having an iron mine was hardly sufficient to solve Spotswood's problems.
He now needed money if he were to have a furnace. William Byrd, from the
richest family in Virginia, did not seem to be interested. The capital
sources had to be from England and these arrangments took time. Also labor
was needed. The next note will offer a schedule for the building and first
firing of the furnace.