The petition of Stöver, Smith, and Holt to the King seems to have gone first to a Committee, not otherwise immediately specified, who, in turn, referred it to the Board of Trade and Plantations. This was received at the Board on February 18 and read on February 21, in the year 1734/5. Then, on the 7th of March, in the Council Chamber at Whitehall, the Right Honorable Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs considered the petition.
The Lords of the Committee this day took into Consideration a Report made by the Lord Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, upon the Petition of the Minister Elders and Members of a German Lutheran Congregation Settled in the Prince of Oranges County, formerly called Spotsilvania County in Virginia, praying for the Reasons therein contained, that His Majesty would be graciously pleas’d to Direct His Governor of Virginia to recommend to the Council and Assembly of that Province to renew such part of an Act passed in Virginia in the year 1720 "for erecting two Counties called Spotsilvania and Brunswick and for granting certain Exemptions and Benefits to the Inhabitants thereof" whereby the Petitioners were exempted from the payment of Parochial Dues and charges toward the Parishes of St. George and St. Andrew for the space of ten years, or so much of that term as they should keep and maintain a Minister of their own: And the Lords of the Committee agreeing in opinion with the said Lords Commissioners, that His Majesty may be graciously pleased to Order His Governor of Virginia to move the Council and Assembly of that Province to renew the said exemptions granted to the Petitioners by the above mentioned Act of 1720 for the Term of ten Years longer, Do therefore hereby Order, that the said Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations do prepare a Draught of an Additional Instruction proper to be sent hereupon to the Governor of Virginia, and the same before this Committee.
Ja: Vernon
=====================================================At the Court at St. James’s the 3rd day of April 1735
Present
The Kings Most Excellent Majesty in Council
Upon reading at the Board a Report from the Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of Council dated the 18th of last month humbly offering to His Majesty for his Royal Approbation, a Draught of an Additional Instruction prepared by the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, for George Earl of Orkney His Majesty’s Lieutenant and Governor General of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia in America, And in his Absence to the Lieutenant-Governor or Commander in Chief of the said Colony and Dominion for the time being, to recommend to the Council and Assembly there, to renew for the space of ten Years, that part of an Act passed in the year 1720, For Erecting two new Countys called Spotsilvania and Brunswick and for granting certain Exemptions and benefits to the Inhabitants thereof - . . . . .
[The sentence goes on a while longer, but that’s all for this note.]
(01 Oct 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.