Recent notes have examined the growth of the Second Colony. Starting in 1719 several more families came and the external growth continued almost unabated into the 1730's. During this time, the population doubled and quadrupled.
During this same time, the First Colony grew internally without the influx of new families. The rate of growth was limited though by the natural birth and death factors. But in 1734, several new families were added to the group. Most of the new people were relatives of the people settled at Germantown but the newcomers had to settle at another location. In part this is because land was not so readily available at Germantown except by purchase or lease from the existing owners. The new location was at Jeffersonton (now in Culpeper Co.) across the North Branch of the Rappahannock River (Hedgman). Jacob Holtzclaw had patented land in this area and he was able to supply the needs of several families and to allow a small enclave of Germans to form. No doubt Jacob was working with the potential people in Nassau-Siegen to let tham know that land was available. The new comers arrived through the port of Philadelphia on 23 Sept 1734 on the ship "Hope".
The group included Hans Jacob Fischbach, 30, and Catharina Fischbach, 28. Jacob was a nephew of the 1714 immigrant, Philip Fishback. His godfather was Jacob Holtzclaw which would usually mean there was a Holtzclaw-Fishback relationship.
Hans Hendrick Hofman, 22, and Anna Margaret Hofman, 20, were from Bockseifen in the parish of Freudenberg. The mother of Anna Margaret was born a Spilman so the relationship seems to be with the Spilmans and not the Huffmans.
Johanis Jung (Young), 40, Anna Maria Jongen,32, Maria Gerderuth Jung, 5, Harman Jung, 4, Elizabeth Jung, 1, Elizabeth Catherine Jongen, 32, and Anna Cathrin Jongen, 20 were from Trupbach, now a subdistrict next to Siegen. The two older women besides Anna Maria were cousins of John Young. John Young, himself, seems to have been a son of Jacob Holtzclaw's eldest sister. Hence John was a nephew of Jacob.
Johanis Nohe (Nay), 40, Maria Clara Nohe, 40, Gerderuth Nohe, 16, Anna Catherine Nohe, 10, Maria Clara Nohe, 5, Johan Jacob Nohe, 2, were also from Trupbach. The mother, Maria Clara, was a niece of Herman Utterback of the 1714 Colony who was a father-in-law of Jacob Holtzclaw.
Johann Henrich Otterbach, 30, and Johann Heinrich Otterbach, 21, are the source of all of the Virginia Utterbacks. There are some uncertainties, but the general relationship to the Utterbacks and the Nays seems obvious.
Joanis Richter, 26, died not long after he arrived, in 1742. He left two heirs, John and Nathaniel. The father, John, was thought to have been a nephew of the 1714 immigrant, John Jacob Rector, but the church records in Nassau-Siegen do not support this. Certainly the name and the location do suggest some relationship between the two men. The son, John, had been confused with another John Rector.
The overwhelming suggestion of these names and the relationships is that Jacob Holtzclaw had been writing letters to Germany and urging people to come. He could promise them land and help in getting set up in the new world. To provide mutual courage and support, several families banded together for traveling.
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.