In note 1217, I started to review an article by Klaus Wust, but I interrupted the presentation to put in a little promotional material for the East Tennessee Germanna Reunion. I return to the Wust article now.
Franz Michel returned to America in 1703 (NS) and explored at a greater length than he had on the first trip. His letters to his partners in Bern continued the optimistic tones of his first report. Ritter and Ochs approached the English government with a proposal for an organized Swiss colony. The plan formulated on 19 Feb 1705 contained some unusual requests. They wished to have a free exercise of religion, to have the full privileges of citizens, to be independent of the provincial governors, and they wished to have the costs of their transportation to America paid by the crown. The reaction at the Board of Trade and at the Court was less than promising, but still they did not kill the plan. It was on the table for four years. The Council of Bern endorsed it in 1706 but that had not helped.
The English were not happy about the uncertain location in the request and independence which was requested. It was clearly undercutting the provincial governors. In general, the land that Michel had selected was on the headwaters of the Potomac River and its branches. It seems that he was thinking of Virginia for he had explored at some length in the Shenandoah Valley and left a map of the region (ten years before Spotswood). The location was vague enough that the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania was concerned it was an encroachment on them. The Northern Neck proprietors felt that it was on their land. Even Maryland wanted more information. No one in England clearly understood the geography of this area.
Michel returned to Bern in 1708 and his reports, which now included minerals, prompted him and his partners to renewed efforts. They enlisted the aid of the Earl of Sunderland in England, who could approach Queen Anne. The real turning point occurred when Christoph von Graffenried from Bern joined Michel in London. Graffenried had a better understanding of what was necessary. In July of 1709, the two men from Bern approached the Board of Trade with new proposals. The requests were now very moderate. They asked only that they be allowed to have their own minister who spoke their language. And they added a very positive note by saying they would be a buffer between the English and the French. They said there would only a small number of people. Within about a month, they had the royal approval of their proposal. An order of the Council, dated 22 Aug 1709, directed the governor of Virginia to allot the petitioners, upon their arrival in Virginia, lands on the southwest branch of the Potomac River, i.e., the Shenandoah River.
Of course, we have never heard of a Swiss settlement in the Shenandoah Valley. We will soon see why.
(14 Aug 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.