It is customary at the start of the half-century and century marks in this series to write a little bit about what the notes hope to achieve. Not everyone has been reading them from the first. Almost daily someone writes to say they have just "discovered" them.
First, and foremost, the objectives of these notes are to promote the Germanna Colonies discussion list. As a discussion list, the rewards for the readers are proportional to the number of readers. So, I hope to lure readers in who will become participants in the discussions.
How does one lure people in? You should tell me what attracts you. I assume that a mix of facts and interesting tidbits is the essence. As to the subject matter that I write about, I am easy going on the definitions. What I write about is not necessarily the same as the subject matter of the Germanna Colonies discussion list. The Germanna Colonists were people of German extraction, at least in part, who lived on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Now, many of the people lived other places before or after their habitation in Virginia, so the geographical limitation on the discussions should not be strict.
These people had a history before they came to Virginia, and that is a valid subject, because this history may tell us why they came to Virginia. (Recently, I explored some of the events in Austria, from centuries ago, which had an impact on why people came to Virginia.) The majority of the people who qualify as Germanna Colonists left Virginia, which means that the majority of the readers are not Virginians.
My recent trip to Germany and Austria tells me that the family connections are deeper than we have imagined. Acting as a group, and not as individuals, extends back in time for centuries. It is instructive and fun to trace these connections.
I try to be accurate in these notes, but they are not always in the category of being extensively researched. I usually don't have references for everything that I write. I urge readers to verify things for themselves and not accept what they read here or anywhere else. I do not regard the notes as academic studies, but neither do I regard them as fiction. I am pleased when someone adds to what I have written, whether it is negative or positive. I am not ashamed when I make an error and I am pleased when an error is corrected. (I do try to minimize the number of errors.)
Let's try to write our history correctly. Much that has been written about our Germanna history is in the realm of fiction, not fact. Correcting this, plus extending the history into new areas, can be our mission.
(14 Jun 00)
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.