GERMANNA_COLONIES-L Archives

From: John Blankenbaker <>
Subject: (558)Germanna Colonies, History of
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 1999 07:14:22 -0500

The five hundred and fifty-eighth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

Continuing with Willis Kemper's history of the Germanna Colonies, he writes,

"Spotswood's letters do not say so, but is apparent that he entered into
some negotiations with de Graffenried, and authorized the latter to procure
'skilled workmen out of Germany to open mines in Virginia' . . . . When de
Graffenried's relatives and agents were looking for 'skilled miners out of
Germany' to work Spotswood's iron mines, where they more likely to go than
to the mining district about Siegen, near to, and on the way from
Switzerland to America? And when there, what is more likely than that they
should seek to induce the eldest son of the man who had charge of the tools
about the mine to go with the colony?"

Spotswood's letters do not say that he authorized Graffenried to procure
German workmen because Graffenried had undertaken to obtain the miners
before he left London in 1710. He sought these miners for his (George Ritter
and Company) own projected silver mine. Spotswood did not have iron mines
until very late in the decade, many years after he came to Virginia. Willis
Kemper gave no evidence that John George Kemper (the father of the
immigrant) had charge of the tools about the mine; in fact, he gave no
evidence that John George Kemper was associated with any mine.

Willis Kemper had seen at least portions of one copy of the "autobiography"
of Graffenried. He quotes Graffenried's comments on his return to London in
1713 when he found the miners were there. Graffenried says, "I could give
them no better advice than to return home." It should strike one as very odd
that Kemper could say that Graffenried was recruiting workmen for Spotswood
when Graffenried, with the miners in London, writes that he advised them to
go home. Instead of trying to resolve the dilemma of conflicting evidence,
Kemper is so anxious to put forth his version of history that he ignores any
evidence which does not agree with him.

Graffenried noted that his advice to the miners to return home displeased
them very much. The Germans "preferred to serve for four years as servants
in America." It was the determination of the Germans to go on that was
responsible for there being a Germanna. Once that the miners were in London,
the following events were due more their fortitude than to Graffenried and
Spotswood. There is praise to be heaped on the Germans for their strength in
this situation.

Graffenried implies that the willingness of the Germans to serve as servants
for four years was the key to the successful outcome of the adventure. At no
point does he suggest that the four years became anything else. Four years
would be appropriate since the Germans paid a portion of their passage money
and Spotswood paid a little less than four pounds per person. Typically
servants served for about one year for each pound of the passage money. The
phrase, "serve four years as servants in America," serves to tell us the
status of the Germans in America and when the Germans could be expected to
leave Germanna.

John Blankenbaker, PO Box 120, Chadds Ford, PA 19317
Beyond Germanna, A Newsletter/Journal of Germanna Information
http://www.germanna.com/
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html
http://www.inficad.com/~genelea
http://www.pretext.com/mar98/shorts/short3.ht

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