The Utz family, as it arrived in Virginia, has been recorded. There are several differences from what we know the family to be later. The recording of the family came about because Alexander Spotswood paid the way of 48 of the members of the Second Colony. Eventually, he used their head rights to help pay for land. When the patent for the land was issued, the names from the head rights were recorded in the patent.
Pertaining to the Utz family, the names in the patent were Hans Jerich Otes, Parvara Otes, Ferdinandus Sylvania Otes [sic], and Anna Louisa Otes. In the German church records, and in later usage, the name is Utz. Jerich is George and Parvara is Barbara. From the church records in Hüffenhardt, we would expect that George and Barbara Utz would have had two sons, Ferdinand and Johannes. Ferdinand is recorded but Johannes did not arrive in Virginia. We do not know whether Johannes died before departure from Germany, or during the trip. Although Ferdinand did arrive in Virginia, we do not know his fate here.
Prior to her marriage to George Utz, Barbara (Majer or Maier) had three daughters by Johann Michael Volck (recorded as Folg in Virginia). They were Maria Sabina Charlotta Barbara, Louisa Elisabetha, and Maria Rosina. Without any known death records for them, we would have expected the three of them on the importation list. There are only two, Sylvania and Anna Louisa Otes. The recording as Otes is a mistake, which is typical of early ship lists, as step-children of the father are often recorded under the name of the stepfather. Sylvania is Mary Sabina. One would wish that Anna Louisa were Louisa Elizabeth for better conformity, but on balance, the names match so well that there is no question.
Of the three daughters of Barbara Majer by Johann Michael Volck, we apparently have only one survival, Mary Sabina, who married John Hoffman. Though Louisa made it to Virginia, we have no later record of her.
The first two children of Barbara Majer by George Utz died without any known issue. The three surviving Utz children, Michael, Margaret, and George, were all born in Virginia.
Though a high percentage of the Volck and Utz children died, there was one notable success story in the next generation. Mary Sabina, who married John Hoffman, was the mother of twelve children who themselves all lived to adulthood.
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.