One of the longest statements about the Second Colony, while they lived on the Spotsylvania Tract, i.e., the 40,000 acres in the Great Fork of the Rappahannock, was written by the Rev. Hugh Jones, who lived in Virginia for a few years. His visit ended in 1722 when he returned to England. There he wrote a book, " The Present State of Virginia ", which has been reprinted.
It is not clear that his observations about the Second Colony were based on a personal visit, as opposed to second-hand information. John Fontaine's remarks about Fort Germanna were clearly personal, but Jones' comments lack that sense of being present. What he wrote was:
"Beyond this [Germanna] are seated the Colony of Germans or Palatines, with allowance of good quantities of rich land, at easy or no rates, who thrive very well, and live happily, and entertain generously.
"These are encouraged to make wines, which by the experience (particularly) of the late Colonel Robert Beverley, who wrote the history of Virginia, was done easily and in large quantities in those parts; not only from the cultivation of the wild grapes, which grow plentifully and naturally in all the good lands thereabouts, and in other parts of the country; but also from the Spanish, French, Italian, and German vines, which have been found to thrive there to admiration.
"Besides this, these uplands seem very good for hemp and flax, if the manufacturer thereof was but encouraged and promoted thereabouts; which might prove of wonderful advantage in our naval stores and linens.
"Here may likewise be found as good clapboards, and pipe-staves, deals, masts, yards, planks, etc. for shipping . . ."
These comments of Jones, with the references to Beverley and to naval stores, show that he was writing about the Second Colony, and not about the First Colony of 1714, as some writers have mistakenly assumed. These writers were misled by the reference to "beyond this" and assumed that anything past Germanna must refer to the First Colony, who had moved to their new homes. They were assuming that the Second Colony was at the furnace, thirteen miles below Germanna. They did not realize that the Second Colony lived beyond Germanna, and essentially had nothing to do with the iron operation.
The members of the Second Colony did not regard their life on the Spotsylvania Tract as the Garden of Eden. They might well have disagreed with the assessment of Rev. Jones. I believe they described their life there as "hard". And, of course, Rev. Jones had not heard about the lawsuits which Spotswood filed against the Second Colony members. If he had, he might not have written "at easy or no rates".
(21 Apr 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.