Most of us are familiar with the accounts of John Fontaine describing his trips to Germanna, one for the purpose of finding land, and the other describing the trip over the mountains. In his diary that we have, he had other reports. One was the trip to Fort Christanna that he took with Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood in the spring of 1716. I will take a few notes to give his report on this event.
" From November 1715 to October 1716 . I remained at Williamsburg and put out notes [advertised] for my horse and in some months after I got him, but in the meantime which is February 7, 1715/16 I bought a horse which cost me £10 and March 20, trucked [traded] the horse which cost me £10 for another which I gave forty shillings in money to boot and the Governor proposed a journal to his settlement, on Meherrin river called Christanna.
" April [13,] 1716. Williamsburg. The first day, Governor Spotswood and I set out from Williamsburg about 8 of the morning and we went to James Town, in a four wheel Chaise, which is situated close upon James River, eight miles from Williamsburg. This town chiefly consists in a church, a Court House and three or four brick houses. This was the former seat of the Governor[s] but now ‘tis removed to Middle Plantation which they call Williamsburg. The place where this town is built on an island all surrounded with water and was fortified with a small rampart with embrasures, but now is all gone to ruin. Our horses were ferried over the river before us. We left the Chaise at Jamestown and about 10 of the clock we were in the ferry boat and crossed the river. They reckon this place to be about two miles broad. When we arrived to the other side of the river, we mounted our horses and set on the journey. It rained all this day very fast and we were well wet. About two of the clock we put into a planter's house and dined upon our provisions and fed our horses, and about three we mounted our horses and came to a place called Simmons' Ferry upon Notoway River. There was a great fresh [fresh marsh?] in the river so that we were obliged to swim our horses over and we passed in a canoe. Then we mounted our horses and put on till we came to one Mr. Hicks his plantation upon one of the branches of Meherrin River called Herrin Creek. The man of the house was not at home, so we fared but indifferently. We made in all this day 65 miles." [A very good day's travel with two river crossings.]
[Sometimes Fontaine’s language is not the clearest but we can make out his intention usually. When Fontaine writes of "his (Spotswood's) settlement" called Christanna, we wonder in what sense he means "his". We know that Virginia Indian Trading Company was making this their base, and we know that Spotswood was an investor in this Company, and we know that Beresford says that Spotswood was building a home here, but we are still uncertain about the meaning of "his".]
(22 Aug 05)
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.