The Journal for the Society of Germanna Colonies , which was issued after the Second Public Basket Picnic Party, and all of the remaining Journals list Brawdus Martin as the Chairman. Rhetherford B. Martin is never mentioned again after the first issue of the Journal. The second picnic was held later in the year, June 18 (1950), perhaps in an attempt to avoid another chilly and windy day in April. The change in the date, and probably an improvement in the publicity, resulted in an increased number of people, perhaps 350, who attended. A much broader representation from the different Germanna families was obtained; however, the best representation continued to be from the Kemper, Hitt, and Martin families.
The preparation of the Journal was the work of Brawdus Martin. In the second issue, he is listed twice as a Martin descendant and once as a Kemper descendant.
The history of the Germanna Colonies which is given in the Journal contains some errors. Citing a few examples,
"Spotswood was the first Virginia Governor who went through [the] legal procedure of contracting for emigrants. . . .The Colony of 1714 came over to America as mechanics to work the Spotswood iron mines. . . .They [Colony of 1714] came under a special Virginia assembly enactment. . .The Second Colony took their place and lived along Cherry Tree Row [i.e., at Germanna]."
In discussing Spotswood's home at Germanna, which Col. Byrd visited and wrote about, the statement is made, "It was probably here at breakfast that the final arrangements were made for the 'Golden Horseshoe Trip' in opening up the Shenandoah Valley."
The problem in this statement is that the house was not in existence until about six years after the trip.
Financing for the Society was proving to be a problem. The expense of the Journals, even though a very limited number were produced, was heavy and the sale of them did not cover their cost. Many people contributed services and goods which were a help, especially at the picnics.
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.