John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 558

Continuing with Willis Kemper's history of the Germanna Colonies, he writes:

"Spotswood's letters do not say so, but is apparent that he entered into some negotiations with de Graffenried, and authorized the latter to procure 'skilled workmen out of Germany to open mines in Virginia' . . . .  When de Graffenried's relatives and agents were looking for 'skilled miners out of Germany' to work Spotswood's iron mines, where they more likely to go than to the mining district about Siegen, near to, and on the way from Switzerland to America?  And when there, what is more likely than that they should seek to induce the eldest son of the man who had charge of the tools about the mine to go with the colony?"

Spotswood's letters do not say that he authorized Graffenried to procure German workmen, because Graffenried had undertaken to obtain the miners before he left London in 1710.  He sought these miners for his (George Ritter and Company's) own projected silver mine.  Spotswood did not have iron mines until very late in the decade, many years after he came to Virginia.  Willis Kemper gave no evidence that John George Kemper (the father of the immigrant) had charge of the tools about the mine; in fact, he gave no evidence that John George Kemper was associated with any mine.

Willis Kemper had seen at least portions of a copy of the " autobiography " of Graffenried.  He quotes Graffenried's comments on his return to London in 1713, when he found the miners were there. Graffenried says, "I could give them no better advice than to return home."  It should strike one as very odd that Kemper could say that Graffenried was recruiting workmen for Spotswood, when Graffenried, with the miners in London, writes that he advised them to go home.  Instead of trying to resolve the dilemma of conflicting evidence, Kemper is so anxious to put forth his version of history that he ignores any evidence which does not agree with him.

Graffenried noted that his advice to the miners to return home displeased them very much.  The Germans "preferred to serve for four years as servants in America."  It was the determination of the Germans to go on that was responsible for there being a Germanna.  Once the miners were in London, the following events were due more to their fortitude than to Graffenried and Spotswood.  There is praise to be heaped on the Germans for their strength in this situation.

Graffenried implies that the willingness of the Germans to serve as servants for four years was the key to the successful outcome of the adventure.  At no point does he suggest that the four years became anything else.  Four years would be appropriate since the Germans paid a portion of their passage money, and Spotswood paid a little less than four Pounds per person.  Typically, servants served for about one year for each Pound of the passage money.  The phrase, "serve four years as servants in America", serves to tell us the status of the Germans in America, and when the Germans could be expected to leave Germanna.