Fauquier County in Virginia was the home of many Germanna Colonists, though they moved there before it was Fauquier County. Originally, parts of Stafford and King George Counties were cut off to create Prince William County. On 1 May 1759, Fauquier was cut off from Prince William. Physically, Fauquier Co. runs from the southeast, the oldest part, to the northwest, where the limits coincide with the northern extent of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The county lies in two watersheds, those of the Potomac to the east, and of the North Branch of the Rappahannock, more properly known as the Hedgman River. These two rivers influenced the settlement pattern strongly. Another influential factor was its location on the lands of the Northern Neck proprietors, who were the first owners of the land after the Crown.
It is uncertain who the first settlers were, and exactly where they settled. In 1686, a group bought 30,000 acres, which became known as Brent Town. No town was actually created, and whether any settlers were enticed into the area is debatable. A block house was built on the lower side of Town Run to observe the movements of the Indians. A survey of the tract was not completed until 1736, and development did not occur until settlers came up the Rappahannock. The general area of Brent Town was in the southern part of Fauquier County. Starting in 1704, there was a series of land grants, which showed that settlement of the area was commencing. The general location of these grants was in the southern tip of Fauquier on the tributaries of the Rappahannock. In 1715, grants were made to the Hedgman family along the Rappahannock, between Tin Pot Run and Great Run. The presence of the Hedgman family led to the Rappahannock becoming known as the Hedgman River. Not all of the grants of this period represented settlement, as several were undertaken as speculations.
Starting about 1712, grants were issued on the eastern side of Fauquier on the watershed of the Potomac. Settlement had been delayed in this area because of the uncertainty of the location of Brent Town. Elk Run was the general site of the new settlements. A number of the people who were involved later interacted with the Germanna colonists. In 1712, Capt. William Russell had grants on Marsh Run and on Elk Run. The same year, John Marr, Jr., and John Hopper had a partnership branch on March Run. Jefferey Johnson, the same year, also had a grant on Marsh Run. Marsh Run flowed to the Hedgman River while Elk Run toward the Potomac.
In 1715, Robert Duncan, Morgan Darnell, John Smith, Rev. Alexander Scott, John Jackson, and Joseph Chambers had grants in the general area (southern fifth of Fauquier). The next year Mark Hardin had two grants. Other purchasers up through 1718 include James Berryman, Col. Barrow, the Hooe brothers, William Skrein, and Thomas Lee. Lee's grant included the land where the town of Warrenton was eventually built.
Many of these early patents were speculative and do not represent a measurable step toward civilization. And, as can be seen, the density was very low. Going to the neighbors could involve a trip of miles.
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.