According to Spotswood, the first group of Germans started searching for iron about February of 1718 (NS) but another record implies that they had started earlier, though perhaps less formally. In other words, Spotswood's testimony does not agree fully with other commentators. There is an agreement that the work came to an end in December of 1718, by which time it appears that the iron mine was a proven quantity.
By this time, the Germans had fulfilled their four years of service to Spotswood. He had complained that, for at least half of this time, they had done no work for him and his partners. This was not true as they had been the settlers for two claims of land by him, the Germanna patent of about three thousand acres, and an adjoining tract of a similar size.
For reasons that are not clear, a statement is recorded in the Essex County Deed and Will Book, v.16, (17 May 1720) that mining and quarrying continued until December 1718. The statement was signed by J. Justus Albrecht and Jacob Holtzclaw. Statements of Spotswood generally confirm this date.
The Germans' four years of service had ended in the summer of 1718, and they had purchased land in the Northern Neck. While they should have been free at that time to move, it would have been a very poor time to move. If they had moved in the summer, they could not have grown any crops in the year 1718. By staying at Germanna, they could use the land they had cleared to grow food in the 1718 season. Besides the mining operations, they had to farm and supply their own food.
It appears that they moved right after the December 1718 date, which was the end of the mining and quarrying. Their four years of service were finished. They had purchased land in the Northern Neck. Their testimony implies the mining work stopped. January of 1719 (NS) would be a logical time. They would have time to build temporary shelters and to clear land for their first crops. As they cleared land, they would have saved some of the trees for building their first homes (as opposed to shelters).
Therefore, the two groups of Germans overlapped by about a year at Germanna, though the second group was not really at Germanna. They were spread out for two to seven miles up the Rapidan River from Germanna. The biggest attraction for the second group to visit Germanna would have been the presence of Rev. Hager, who would be conducting religious services in German. Another reason for visiting Germanna would be to learn how things are done in Virginia. The first Germans had three years of experience already.
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.