[Continuing John Fontaine's account for April 15, 2005.]
"After this came the young women. They have all long straight black hair which comes down to their waist. They had each of them a blanket tied about their waists, and it hung down about their legs like a petticoat. They have no shifts or any thing to cover them from their waists up, but go naked. Others of them there was that had two deer skins sewed together and they threw it over their shoulders like a mantel. They all of them grease their bodies and head with bear's oil, which with the smoke of their cabins gives them an ugly hue. They are very modest and very true to their husbands. They are straight, well limbed, good shape and extraordinary good features as well the men as the women. They look wild and are mighty shy of an Englishman and will not let you touch them. The men marry but one wife and cannot marry any more until she die or grow so old that she will not bear any more children. But when she hath done bearing, then the man may take another wife, but is obliged to keep them both and maintain them. They take one another without ceremony."
[At this point, Fontaine gives a list of Indian words and phrases and their English meaning. Many of the words seem to be chosen by their applicability to the English life, not the Indian life.]
" April 16, 1716. At Christiana. The fourth day . [Fontaine varies the spelling of the word 'Christiana'.] In the morning I rid out with the Governor and some of the people of the fort to view the lands which were not yet taken up. We see several fine tracts of land, well watered and good places to make mills on. I had a mind to take some of it up, so I asked the Governor if he would permit me to take up 3000 acres of land. He gave me his promise for it. I went through the land I designed to take up and viewed it. It lies upon both sides of the Meherrin River, and I design to have it in a long square [rectangle], half one side and half the other, so that I shall have at least three miles of the river in the land. I am informed that this river disgorgeth itself into the Sound of Currytuck but this river tho' large and deep is not navigable because of the great rocks it falls over in some places. There is a great deal of fish in this place. We had two for dinner about 16 inches long which are very good and firm. I gave ten shillings to Captain Hicks for his trouble of shewing me the land, and he promises me he will assist me in surveying of it. We see several turkies and deer, but we killed none. We returned to the Fort about 5 of the clock."
[John Fontaine did not take up the land and patent it. Following Spotswood's example, Fontaine let his land claim on the Meherrin River lapse. Spotswood lost interest in the area and turned to Germanna when the legislation establishing the Virginia Indian Trading company was overturned.]
(25 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.