GERMANNA_COLONIES-L Archives

From: John Blankenbaker <>
Subject: (726)Germanna Colonies, History of
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 05:37:38 -0400

The seven hundred and twenty-sixth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

I will start a miniseries and it remains to be seen how many notes there
will be in it. I draw for my information upon the "Bicentennial Sketch of
the Jeffersonton Baptist Church" published first in 1932 and reissued with
new material in 1973. The church is located in Culpeper Co., Virginia in the
district known as the Little Fork. Many Germanna people were among the
earliest settlers of this region. The original 1932 notes were augmented by
notes in 1973 by Woodford B. Hackley.

The community of Jefferson is close to the Hedgman River, a portion of the
North Rappahannock River. Just across the river is Fauquier County. Much of
the history of the Jeffersonton Baptist Church is tied to events in Fauquier
County. The river was not an insurmountable barrier to social and economic
interchange. (Germantown, where many relatives of the Little Fork Germans
lived, was across the river.)

Several years before the Revolutionary War, a young native, John Pickett, of
Fauquier County was much given to dancing, gaming, and sports of every sort.
While he was on a trip to North Carolina, he was converted in his religious
views by Joseph Murphy and he returned to Fauquier in 1767. At first he
exhorted his friends privately, then he instituted family worship, and then
he preached more openly. Within the year, thirty-seven people whom he had
converted were organized as Carter's Run Church. He was not ordained until
four years later and at that time he became their pastor.

His work drew the attention of the persecutors who did not look favorably on
the Baptists (earlier notes have talked about the introduction of religions
other than the Church of England). Once, while preaching, a mob entered the
church and carried him off to jail in Warrenton where he was confined for
three months. Never one to miss an opportunity, Pickett preached through the
bars to everyone within an earshot. When released from jail, he renewed his
efforts and the Carter's Run increased its members significantly. It became
desirable to establish branch churches to reach more people and to reduce
the traveling distance to church. At least five churches were spawned from
Carter's Run, all bearing the names of water courses.

Elijah Craig was the founder of Hedgman's River Church. He was the pastor of
Blue Run Church in Orange County which had been founded four years earlier.
His greatest gifts were not his education but his melodious voice and his
readiness of speech. His contributions to the early Baptists in Virginia are
not to be overlooked. He encouraged the converts to hold meetings in their
own neighborhoods. While plowing one day, he was taken by magistrates in
Culpeper Co. and lodged in jail.

John Blankenbaker ()
P.O. Box 120, Chadds Ford, PA 19317-0120
http://www.germanna.com
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html
for information on a CD of the Germanna History

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• (726)Germanna Colonies, History of by John Blankenbaker <>