John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 1280

I did not get all the way through Wayland's article on the Germans in the Valley, but I found less and less material that was of value, except in the negative sense, namely a chance to say that he was wrong.  Actually, he moved into material where I could not say whether he was right or wrong, and I felt it was better not to repeat what he was saying since I could not vouch for it.  Of course, I was attracted to quoting him because of his Germanna origins.  I believe that he was descended from the Waylands in the Second Colony.

I was just reading some material from another book, " Barons of the Potomack and the Rappahannock ", by Moncure Daniel Conway, which was published in 1892.  There was interesting material in it.  The author makes the claim, which I cannot doubt, that there was a period of time when the British monarchy existed only in Virginia.

You will remember that Charles I, King of England, etc, etc., suffered one of the occupational hazards of being a king.  He lost his head to Cromwell and his supporters.  For a period of time, Great Britain had no king or queen.  In Virginia they pretended that Charles I was still king, and they issued decrees in his name, even though he was dead, and Cromwell was running things in London.  It is said, in the book, that Virginia was the only colony who did not recognize Cromwell.  For this reason, it is contended, Virginia is called the Old Dominion.

Virginia even sent Col. Richard Lee to Holland, where Charles II, son of Charles I, had set up his throne in exile.  Virginia requested Charles II to set up his throne in the colony of Virginia.  Charles II declined.  He did give away a large part of Virginia to a few people who were his supporters, and this was the origin of the Northern Neck territory.

At all times, the Governor of Virginia had great powers.  He acted as though he were the King in Virginia.  He appointed officers, dismissed the Burgesses, was chief of the Exchequer, dictated to the Council, directed the armed forces, disposed of prizes captured at sea, issued the land patents, collected the quit rents, licensed marriages, and settled ecclesiastical quarrels.  None of the governors exercised these powers more vigorously than Alexander Spotswood.  His legend probably shines more brightly than any other in Virginia.  [That is the author of the book speaking.]

The Germans he imported [that is a word which Spotswood used for this] had a curious story yet to be told.  The town Germanna, which he founded on the upper Rappahannock [Rapidan would be a better description], is the haunt of romance.  Spotswood was called the "Tubal Cain of Virginia", for he set workmen to mine its iron ores [but the Germans had only a minor involvement in this].  The iron age was transmuted into the golden age by his institution of the "Knights of the Golden Horseshoe".  [Or was it the other way around?]
(15 Oct 01)