An English version of Graffenried's memoir or autobiography is available in "Publications of the North Carolina Historical Commission" by Vincent H. Todd, 1920. In the original manuscript form there are three versions, two in French and one in German, in three different libraries in Switzerland. They do not all tell the same story. Some of the manuscripts seem to have marginal notes added by Graffenried. One frustrating thing about reading Graffenried is that he seldom mentions the date.
If you want to read the letters of Alexander Spotswood, see "The Official Letters of Alexander Spotswood" in the Collections of the Virginia Historical Society, New Series, Vol. 1 and 2, 1882, as edited by R. A. Brock. Not all letters were included there.
Willis Kemper expressed surprise that there was no record of J. Justus Albrecht in Virginia especially since Albrecht referred to himself as the head man in the colony (of Germans). Actually there is a record of Albrecht. And the record is very important to the history of the First Germanna Colony. In the Essex County records there is a memo signed by John Justus Albrecht and Jacob Holtzclaw to the effect that Spotswood put eleven men to work from March 1715/16 until December 1718 in mining and quarrying. This work did not start until two years after the Germans came and this supports Spotswood's claim that the Germans did nothing in their first two years to repay him for his expenses. Also Spotswood noted that the expense during the time up to December 1718 amounted to a little more than sixty pounds sterling. This shows that the work did not involve building a furnace. Also, the date of December 1718 can be taken as the end of the Germans' stay at Fort Germanna.
Since Albrecht was in Siegen recruiting the Germans and later in London and finally in Virginia, he surely was traveling with the Germans and should be counted among those who lived at Fort Germanna.
Kemper seemed to think that the Germans spent the winter in England. Even more than that, he believed eight marriages of the Germans took place there. According to one note of Graffenried, the Germans sailed in January of 1714 (new style). And it could not have been much later than that since they were in Virginia in April. Sea voyages of ten weeks or three months were typical.
As to the marriages, Kemper may have been misled by the proofs of importations of the Germans. For example, in 1724 John Huffman testified that he and his wife came in 1714. How should this remark be interpreted? Was John married when he came? Or is he noting that his present wife, who was not his wife in 1714, came in 1714? Actually his statement could be true in both cases. Apparently Kemper interpreted the testimony to mean that he was married when he came. Since he was not married when he left Germany, then he must have married in England. Well, he was not married when he came. John Hoffman left a family Bible in which he noted his marriage after he arrived 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.