Alexander Spotswood formulated the idea of placing foreigners on the frontier as a buffer between the Indians and English even before the First Germanna Colony came. When Christopher von Graffenried ran into his troubles with the Indians in North Carolina, he made inquiries of Spotswood about settling the Germans and Swiss in Virginia. Spotswood sent a letter to the Board of Trade in which he suggested they might very usefully be placed in Virginia on the frontier as a buffer and asked the Board for their comments upon this as a policy. I believe this was in 1712, two years before the First Colony arrived. I don't know if the Board ever replied, but at least Spotswood could say that he had alerted the Board to the possibility.
On 7 Feb 1716 (NS), he wrote to the Board of Trade,
"As to the other Settlement, named Germanna, there are about forty Germans, Men, Women and Children, who having quitted their native Country upon the invitation of the Herr [notice he is no longer a Baron in Spotswood's eyes] Graffenriedt, and being grievously disappointed by his failure to perform his Engagements to them, and they arriving also here just at a time when the Tuscururo Indians departed from the Treaty they had made [with] this Government to settle upon it[s] Northern Frontiers, I did, both in Compassion to those poor Strangers, and in regard to the safety of the Country, place them together upon a piece of Land, several Miles without the Inhabitants, where I built them Habitations and subsisted them until they were able, by their own Labour, to provide for themselves, and I presume I may, without a Crime or Misdemeanour, endeavor to put them in an honest way of paying their Just Debts."
In placing the Germans at Germanna, Spotswood was putting into practice a philosophy or plan which he formulated two years previous to their coming. Officially, he told the Board of Trade that their primary purpose was to provide for the security of Virginia along the northern areas. This was rather important to justify the money that the Colony of Virginia had spent on building the fort and the homes for them. To everyone in England, he wanted it to look as if they were doing a public function. Among the several things that they did do, they did fulfill this function. Spotswood bragged that this policy had been more economical than the previous plan of using Rangers.
He had a private reason for locating Germanna in the horseshoe bend of the Rapidan River, where the fort was built. About four miles away, he was a one-quarter owner of a 4000-acre tract from which it was hoped silver could be produced. He was planning on using the Germans if he could get a clarification on how the silver would be split between the Crown and the partners in the mine.
(19 May 03)
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.