Dr. Bruce thought there were four pieces of evidence which pointed to Alexander Spotswood starting his iron industry in 1716.
First, the Germanna land was patented in 1716 (I believe it was called the Germanna tract). She thought that the iron ore was to be found on this land. Actually, the ore was on land, the Iron Mine Tract, that was patented in 1720(NS). The Germanna tract of about 3,600 acres was about six square miles. As a circle, the radius was about one and a half miles. When William Byrd visited Spotswood in 1732, he said the iron mine was about thirteen miles from the home of Spotswood which was on the Germanna tract. Therefore, the iron mine tract was quite a distance away from the Germanna tract.
Second, Dr. Bruce thought it was Spotswood’s venture that prompted the formation of the Principio Company in Maryland, and prompted them to launch their efforts at making iron. Actually, the Principio Company started before Spotswood did, but their capability was limited by not having a true furnace which would turn the iron into a liquid form. They heated the ore and beat it to drive out the impurities and to make the iron a solid instead of a spongy mass.
Third, Dr. Bruce cites the complaint against Spotswood that was made to the Board of Trade in London. This complaint said that Spotswood had built two forts (Christanna and Germanna) with public monies to support two private interests in which he was principally concerned. She assumes that the purpose at Germanna was iron smelting. Actually, most knowledgeable people in the Colony were aware by 1716 that Spotswood was trying to develop a silver mine. A few people had come to realize by then that the silver mine was a bust. A poem in Latin written in 1716 by a professor at William & Mary College praised his attempts at finding precious metals.
Fourth was Spotswood’s reply to the complaint against him that was just cited. He said that he was endeavoring to put them (the Germans) in an honest way of paying their just debts. Dr. Bruce went on to assume that the only way the Germans could honestly pay their debts was by use of the trades that they had learned in the Sieg Valley. She went on to assume that the trades they had learned in the Sieg Valley were mining and smelting. Her assumptions in this fourth reason do not justify the conclusions that she made. Additionally, her assumptions are false. The question has been asked here before for any proof that any members of the First Colony had any training in mining and smelting iron. I don’t doubt that they were acquainted with the trades but the occupations that we have been able to identify seem to be a schoolteacher, a preacher, several carpenters, a teamster, and a skilled toolmaker. Several of the men were too young to have any occupation.
(20 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.