The thought presented on the GERMANNA_COLONIES Mailing List, by Fred Wescott, as to a motivation to move from Pennsylvania to Virginia was good. He suggested that it was the lure of cheap land. In the early part of the eighteenth century, land could be obtained from the Crown at the rate of 50 acres for five shillings. If you were thinking about 400 acres, it would cost forty shillings, or two pounds sterling. The cost of the surveyor and filing fees were extra, but still it was cheap land.
But, how did the people in Pennsylvania learn about the opportunities in other Colonies? I mentioned in the last note that the Germans were solidly into "networking". You couldn't meet another German without taking time to tell him what you knew concerning your area. And he would tell you about his. A German traveling from Pennsylvania to North Carolina probably knew where the house of every German along the road would be found. These travelers were the newspapers of the day. They carried verbal messages and written messages to distribute.
Still I wonder how people like John Steinseifer found their way from Pennsylvania to the Robinson River Valley. When John got off the boat, he knew nothing about the geography of America. The only thing that I can imagine is that he started asking Germans how to get to Virginia, and he would soon find some who knew. What means did he use? Good question. According to the reports we have had here, it was a time-consuming trip. It is another reason to tip our hats to them for what they accomplished.
Here is another family who made the move from Pennsylvania to Virginia. Susanna Sibler arrived at Philadelphia in the fall of 1752, as a lone female, who brought documentation attesting to her good character. Not long after that she married Henry Miller, and they probably lived in Lancaster County. Their first child appears to have arrived about 1755. About ten years later they moved to the Robinson River Valley, along with Henry's brother George and his family.
By this time, land was not so cheap east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The area had become developed and little good virgin land was available. If you wanted cheap land, you generally had to go to the frontier.
Descendants of the Miller family believe that the Millers came down to Virginia because they were tanners, and were in the need of oak trees for the tannic acid. This may be true, but others of us are inclined to think that the Millers knew people, perhaps even as relatives, in the Robinson River Valley. In general, and not just in the case of the Millers, we have lost track of the relations among the people.
Children of the Millers married a Berry, a Hitt, a Haines, a Warner, and a Wilhoit.
(30 Jun 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.