John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 1320

The Hebron Church account does not mention the pastor’s salary, which is usually a major expense.  Rev. Stöver did write that his salary was 3,000 pounds of tobacco, which was the working currency in Virginia.  In 1738, a typical price of Rappahannock tobacco was 14 shillings per hundred weight.  In 1734, from the account itself, tobacco was entered (in 1734) as slightly more than 15 shillings per hundred weight.  Thus, Rev. Stöver’s annual salary was approximately equal to £22 (22 pounds) in Virginia currency.  A carpenter, if he could have had full time work, would have done better than this.

Three people made cash contributions to the church in the first couple of years.  John Huffman is down for a five-shilling contribution.  John’s wife was a Lutheran, though John himself was Reformed, and not about to change from that.  Richard Bordine (Burdyne) made a contribution of two shillings and six pence, as did a John Willers.  This John Willers is otherwise unknown to me but I would not be surprised if he had married one of the Germanna ladies.  Any ideas as to his identity would be welcome.

In the first year of the records, 1733, the total amount collected was a little more than £56 (56 pounds).  A major expense was the purchase of the land and the building of a house.  A few men were used as collectors or solicitors (fund raisers), and they were paid 20 percent of what they collected.  At the first communion, an offering was taken, which netted £1 (1 pound) and ten shillings.

The legal business of the church was time consuming and a significant expense.  People went to Williamsburg on church business and to the local court.  Fees had to be paid at the court for the filings and recordings.

One thing that the document seems to tell us is that John Huffman was a carpenter.  We know that his brother Henry seems to have achieved the rank of master carpenter.  John probably had not reached that status when he came to America.

This also raises a question.  Who in the First Colony was a miner?  I have never seen any record which clearly states that any individual in the First Colony was a miner.  At least two of the men had skills which might have been useful at the mines, but that hardly makes them a miner.  John Huffman as a carpenter, and Jacob Rector as a toolsmith, might have done some useful work for the miners.  I have asked this question before, but no answer has been forthcoming.  It is true that Lt. Gov. Spotswood writes that they were “generally miners”, but that is a very weak specification.  Even beyond this, I have never seen any remarks that any of the men knew how to build or operate an iron furnace, yet they are described in many places as miners and furnace builders.
(12 Dec 01)