In the Siegen area, in 1709, a significant number of people left for America. Everyone who remained in Siegen was perfectly well aware of the event. It did not take a newspaper, radio, or TV to inform them. By word of mouth, everyone knew, and the pros and cons were debated.
One year later, a man appeared in Siegen who said that he wanted to hire miners to work in America in silver mines. We have no knowledge of the terms that he offered. Again, his presence would have been known throughout the district within weeks, even though we assume that he was a stranger. And the company he was working for, George Ritter and Company, of Switzerland, was totally unknown. So Johann Justus Albrecht had a tough sell to interest people in this American mining adventure.
Two factors helped him. The departure of so many people the previous year did create the sense that it could be done. Here was another opportunity. The fact that so many had left, the previous year indicates the economic life was poor. So at least a few people listened to what Albrecht had to say.
Albrecht overstated things to the extent that he was not always believable. His statements seemed so dubious that the agent of the Emperor (as in Holy Roman Emperor) had the man arrested. It is said that he was released only with the intervention of the English ambassador. Why the English ambassador should have been involved is not clear, except the proposed work was in the American colonies.
Albrecht changed tactics. He signed a "contract" with the Protestant pastors in Siegen, in which he promised a payment from the mines to the pastors in return for their help in recruiting the miners. This was in 1711. By this means he was enabled to get tentative agreements from a number of people. Albrecht then returned to London, where we find him in May of 1712. He was engaged in writing a promotion for gold and silver mine(s) in South Carolina. He described himself as the head miner, who completed his work in South Carolina by 5 January 1709. One sees, when reading his language, why he may have fallen in trouble with the agent of the Emperor.
What is not clear is why he was writing this document. It appears that he was trying to sell shares in the venture. It does not appear that George Ritter and Company was involved in this and they were his nominal employer. Nowhere is this company mentioned.
Apparently Albrecht was proud of his document, for he brought it to America. It found its way to the Spotsylvania Court house, and the officials, not knowing what to do with this fancy document in German, simply put it in the back of the Spotsylvania Court Order Book for 1724-1730. It probably remained untouched until Elke Hall translated it for publication in
Beyond Germanna
. She admitted to some difficulties because there were more pages than sentences.
(31 Mar 01)
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.