Charles Herbert Huffman wrote a monograph on the history for the first ten years of the Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, Inc . Prof. Huffman had been the last elected president of the Society of Germanna Colonists. He described how the Foundation happened to come into existence in " The Germanna Record Number Nine ", which was published in 1966. As is true of so much in the history of our Germanna Colonists, there was an accidental or happenstance aspect.
In 1953, a monument to many of the families in the First Colony was unveiled at Germanna. A newspaper story and photographs reached the town of Siegen in Germany. An author and journalist, Mr. Alfred Lück, was writing a history of iron ore mining and manufacturing in Siegen. He saw the possibilities of tying in the Virginia story. He asked and was given permission to use the story. Discussions continued and Mr. Lück informed Prof. Huffman that the Saint Nicolai church in Siegen, which had been destroyed during World War II, had been rebuilt and would be reconsecrated in December of 1954. He asked Prof. Huffman as President of the Society to write a message of greeting to the Saint Nicolai church, which Prof. Huffman did. The story appeared in the German press, and Hanna Flender of Siegen sent a copy of the article to her brother, Ernst Flender, in New York City. Mr. Flender contacted Prof. Huffman and asked some questions and expressed an interest in seeing the Germanna site.
On the occasion of Prof. Huffman's passing through New York City for a meeting of the College English Association Institute, he was able to have dinner with Flender. Later in the year of 1955, Flender was to be visiting his son, who was in school at Charlottesville, and he arranged to meet with Prof. Huffman. The Flender family and Huffman had dinner together in the Monticello Hotel and afterwards the two men talked in the lobby. Flender asked about the prospects for Germanna development. Huffman told him, "No interest among descendants at this date is in evidence, and activity on the matter is static." Presently, the climax of the evening's conversation was reached, and, with it, the new concept of the Germanna-Siegen story emerged.
Mr. Flender told Prof. Huffman, "When I return home, I shall send you a check for one thousand dollars to be used as you have need. I suggest that you contact, respectively, holders of such original, Germanna real estate as is desirable for us, sound them out on the possibility of an option, with the view to purchase. Also, select the best attorney you know, inform him that the establishment of a Foundation to the memory of our 18th century immigrants from Nassau Siegen is being contemplated, and enquire concerning his willingness to direct the legal phases necessary to achieve this end."
The check arrived in short order and Huffman contacted J.B. Carpenter, Sr., and Dr. John W. Wayland to seek their counsel. An organization was formed and the first meeting was held at James Madison College, with these people present: T. W. Fishback, C. H. Huffman, B. L. Stanley, Frank C. Switzer, and J. W. Wayland. Two interested individuals, J. B. Carpenter and E. W. Flender, could not attend. The name, " The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, Inc ." was adopted. The date of this meeting was 7 Jan 1956. Following legal work in establishing the Foundation, all of the men named above were elected trustees. As established, the work of the Foundation was devoted to the "several Germanna Colonies", and not just the First Colony.
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.