[It is time I got started on the third thousand of these notes. I would have started sooner but I was not feeling the best.]
Some time ago, I had copies of extracts from the book VIRGINIA IRON MANUFACTURE IN THE SLAVE ERA , by Kathleen Bruce. It was published in 1930. I have been reading in the book (obtained from the University of New Mexico) for the past week or so. The slave era, of course, did not end until 1865, and a large part of the book is devoted to the last twenty or thirty years of this period. Much attention is paid to the iron works at Richmond, which were a jewel of the Confederacy, though not always treated as such. Incidentally, these iron works at Richmond were not far from Falling Creek, where the first iron furnace in Virginia (or in the Americas) was erected. Dr. Bruce’s account mentions these works (at Falling Creek), but really starts with the efforts of Alexander Spotswood. I have found several errors in Bruce’s account of Spotswood’s efforts.
She consistently identifies the first iron mine of Spotswood as being located on the Germanna tract, which he patented in 1716. (Actually, it was patented through a third party, William Robinson, who sold the patent to Spotswood after Spotswood had approved it.) From this mistake, she assumes that Spotswood went into the iron business in 1716. The iron mine tract which contained the iron ore that Spotswood used in his furnace was not patented until 1720 by the New Style calendar.
Spotswood wrote to Col. Nathaniel Harrison in 1724, that the search for iron ore did not begin until about 1717 at the request of Sir Richard and others in England. He furthermore added that about two years later Sir Richard decided to back out of this enterprise, in which time sixty plus pounds sterling had been spent. This cost would have about covered the cost of the blasting powder. No furnace could have been built for this expenditure. The Germans claimed in a document recorded in a courthouse to have been engaged in mining and quarrying from March of 1716 to December of 1718. At the end of this time they left for the land they had purchased in the Northern Neck.
Dr. Bruce says,
“. . .Spotswood began his iron industry in 1716 is as yet to state only a tradition and a deduction, though a deduction based on facts which seem to furnish evidence that is almost conclusive.”
In the next note, we will look at the evidence that she cites.
(19 Oct 04)
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.