John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 1517

What is evidence?  Sometimes we are surprised.  Andreas Mielke found letters written by the Lutheran pastor, Ziegenhagen, in London, which described the two persons from Spotsylvania who had arrived in London as deputies of the Lutheran congregation.  This was late in 1724.  Ziegenhagen gave no names.

The deputies were expecting to pick up a pastor to take back to America, but there was no one to return to Virginia with them.  In the end they had to return home empty handed, a bitter disappointment to them.

Some of the events that happened to them in London included a presentation to the Crown Princess, who gave them each two Guineas.  They brought a present to the King, a wild animal which they had cared for during the Atlantic crossing, from Lt. Gov. Drysdale in Virginia.  The king also gave each of them two Guineas.  They sorely needed the money, as they were described as penniless and very poorly dressed.  They testified there were no man-eating animals in Virginia, at least where they lived.  (That in itself is evidence what Europeans thought about America.)

Finding Ziegenhagen's letters which told us this was not simple, as they were in the State Library in Berlin.  Why this was the repository is unknown.  It was a disappointment that Ziegenhagen had not named the deputies.

Was there any evidence in Virginia as to who they were?  We have two suggestions:

1. From the Spotsylvania Will Book A , for 4 March 1724 (NS), at the bottom of page 65, there was the entry:

   "Cyriacus fflishman and Michael Coock put up their names to signify their intention for goeing to England this March Court."

2. Then, there was point 3. of the Petition of the Germans to the Burgesses for help in the lawsuits brought by Alexander Spotswood.  It read:

   "Wee design to go to England and from thence to germany, to bring in a Minister for us high germans who are here, do humbly ask if it is proper to desire the governour to give us an attestation & passport to witness that we are the inhabitants here, the Burgesses from Spotsylvania know that we are by the rest of the Countrymen sent in that behalf.  We who are to go out our names are Michial Coock, and Zerachus Flishman."

With these two statements, both written not too many months before the two deputies made the trip, it would seem they are a conclusive answer as to who the deputies were.  No one could hardly fault you if you wrote a history and put these names as the deputies who went to London.  If you did, you would be wrong .  Andreas Mielke has found another letter, written after the fact, with the names of the deputies in it.
(05 Nov 02)