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 Due to the prominence of Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood in American history, much was known of his involvement with the establishment of the Germanna Settlement, but little of the German Settlers who were brought to this area with the First Colony of 1714, the Second Colony of 1717, and later groups. During the past five years, the Germanna Foundation has conducted continuing research regarding these families and their descendants. Through these efforts, significant historic data has been obtained regarding these families who bravely traveled to a new country leaving many of their friends and family behind. Research into these families is ongoing, therefore this list represents the best information we have at the present. Further documentary research could lead to additions or deletions from this list. The Germanna Foundation wishes to especially
thank, John V. Blankenbaker, Dr. Katharine L. Brown, Cathi Clore Frost,
Suzanne C. Matson, and Barbara Price for their diligent efforts in amplifying
and correcting this list.
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The First Colony |
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The 1714 Colony from the Siegerland, settled first at Fort Germanna then at Germantown in present day Fauquier County. Names are listed with families and town of immigration in the Siegerland.
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| Albrecht,
Johann Juste
Switzerland
Brombach/Brombach, Melchior/Melcherd
wife Maria Elizabetha Fischbach Müsen Cuntze/Koontz, Jost wife Anna Gertrud Reinschmidt children: Johannes, Anna Elizabeth, Catherina Niederndorf Fischbach/Fishback, Philip wife Elizabeth Heimbach children: Johannes, Harman, Maria Elisabeth Trupbach Haeger/Häger, Rev. Johann Henrich wife Anna Catharina Friesenhagen children: Agnes, Anna Catherine Oberfischbach Heide/Heite/Hitt, Peter/Deiter wife Maria Elizabeth Freudenberg Kaan Marienborn Hoffmann/Hoffman/Huffman, Johannes Eisern Holtzklau/Holtzclaw, Hans Jacob wife Anna Margaretha Otterbach children: Johannes, Johann Henrich Oberfischbach Kemper/Camper, Johannes Müsen Merdten/Martin, Johnan Jost/John Joseph Müsen Otterbach/Utterback, Hermann wife Elizabeth Heimbach children: Johann Philip, Johannes, Elizabeth, Alice Catherine, Mary Catherine, Anna Catherine Trupbach Richter/Rector, Johann Jacob wife Anna Elisabeth Fischbach and at least one child: Johannes Trupbach Spielmann/Spilman, Johannes wife Mary Oberschelden Weber/Weaver, Johann Henrich wife Anna Margarethe Huttman children: Johannes, Cathrin, Tillman Eisern |
click on the map for details of Madison County Patents
| The Second Colony |
| The 1717 Colony
from the Kraichgau of Baden and Württemberg, as well as some from the
Rhineland Pfalz (Palatinate) settled first across the Rapidan River from Fort
Germanna, then from 1725 to 1727 began to move to the Robinson River
Valley in present day Madison County and patent land in their own
names.
(* Names with the Asterisks are the sons and daughters of Anna Barbara Schöne from her previous marriages in Germany to Blankenbaker and Schlucter. These children may have lived in the household of Cyriachus Fleischmann upon arrival and escaped notice in the official records.)
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| Amburger/Amberger/Ambergey, Conrad,
wife Barbara
Bönnigheim Aylor/Öhler, Henrich/Henry, Botenheim Ballenger, Andreas/Andrew Barler/Parlur/Barlow, Christopher and wife Pauera/Barbara Blankenbaker/Blankenbühler, Balthazar and wife Anna Margaretha * Neuenbürg Blankenbaker/Blankenbühler, Matthias, wife Anna Maria Merckle, son Hans Jerg * Oberderdingen Blankenbaker/Blankenbühler, Nicholas, wife Appollonia Käfer, son Zacharias * Neuenbürg Broyles/Briles/Bruhles, Johann and wife Ursula Roup, children Conrad, Maria Elizabetha, Hans Jacob Ötisheim Clore/Klaar, Hans Michael, wife Anna Barbara, Agnes Margaretha, Andreas Claus, Johann Georg Gemmingen Cook/Koch, Johann Michael and wife Maria Barbara Reiner Schwaigern Crigler/Krigler, Jacob Fleshman/Fleischmann, Cyriachus, wife Anna Barbara Schöne, Maria Catharina, Hans Peter and numerous stepchildren, see note above. Neuenbürg Harnsberger/Herrinsparger, Hans/John and wife Anna Purva/Barbara, son Stephen Bussnang Switzerland Holt/Hold/Holdt, Hans Michael Stetten am Heuchelberg Käfer, Wolff Michael Zaberfeld Kerker, Andreas and wife Anna Margaretha, daughter Anna Barbara Zazenhausen Long/Lang, George and wife Rebecca Motz, Johnann and Maria Polona/Appollonia Harnsberger? Bonfeld Moyer/Majer, George, wife Anna Barbara, Christoph, John Melchior, Maria Susanna, Barbara Catherina Gross Sachsenheim Paulitz, Philip, wife Rosina Margaretha, daughters Margaretha, Maria Catharine Kirchheim Schlucter, Henry * Neuenbürg Sheible/Sheibley, Johann Georg, wife Maria Eleanora Ockert, daughters Anna Martha, Anna Elisabetha Neuenbürg Smith/Schmidt, Matthäus/Matthew, wife Regina Catherina Schlözer, children: Matthäus, Anna Margaretha Gemmingen Smith/Schmidt, Hans Michael, wife Anna Margaretha Sauter, sons: Hans Michael Jr., Christoph, Father and Mother-in-law: Sauter Gemmingen Snyder/Schneider, Hans Heinrich/Henry and wife Anna Dorothea Schilling, daughter Anna Magdalena Cleebronn Späth, Johannes, wife Anna Maria Brückmann (mother and stepfather of Hans Michael Holdt) Stetten am Heuchelberg Thomas/Tomas/Thoma, Hans Wendel/John, wife Anna Maria Blankenbaker*, children: Wendel, Anna Magdalena Neuenbürg Utz/Woods, Johann George, wife Anna Barbara Majer, sons: Ferdinand, Johannes and Volck/Folg, Maria Sabina, Louisa Elizabetha, and Maria Rosina stepdaughters Wagenbachhof Weaver/Weber, Phillip Joseph, wife Susannah Klaar, children: Hans Dietrich, Maria Sophia, Waldburga Gemmingen Wilhoit/Wilheit/Willert, Michael and wife Anna Maria Hengsteller sons: Tobias, John, Johann Christian Schwaigern Yager/Yeager/Jäger, Nicholaus and wife Anna Maria Sieber, children Adam and Maria Falkenstein Rhineland/Pfalz Zimmermann/Zimmerman, Johann Christoph, wife Anna Elizabeth, sons: Johannes, Andreas, Hans Martin Sulzfeld |
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| Second Wave of South Western Germans |
| Between 1717 and
1725, others arrived from the Kraichgau. Some were related to the 1717
arrivals. Some were neighbors in Germany of the 1717 arrivals. Others could
have been here since 1717, but were either too young to be listed in
1717, or escaped official notice in the records. Some who were
traveling with the first wave in 1717 were left behind in England to
wait for the next ship. Whatever the reason for not being listed, some
went to the Robinson River Valley at the same time as the earlier
group and patented land in the same time period, while others stayed
on their 1717 land near the village of York, which is now known as Stevensburg.
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Carpenter/Zimmermann, Johann Carpenter/Zimmermann, Wilhelm/William, wife Elizabeth Castler/Kastler/Gessler, Mathias, wife Susanna Christina, Matthias Friedrich, Anna Magdalena Enzweihingen Christopher, Nicholas Kabler/Cobbler, Christopher Sulzfeld Kabler,/Cobbler, Frederick, wife Barbara Sulzfeld Kabler/Cobbler, Nicholas Sulzfeld Michael, Francis, wife Mary Michael, John, wife Frances Rouse/Rausch, Johann wife Mary Tanner/Danner, Robert, wife Mary and five children Westhofen Wayland/Wieland, Thomas, wife Mary, children Jacob and Catherine Yowell/Uhl/Owell, Christoph, wife Eva, Georg Frederich, Magdalena, Anna Catharina, Frederich David, Anna Barbara, Hans Jacob Sulzfeld Yowell/Uhl/Owell, Nicholas, wife Catharine, son Jacob Michael Sulzfeld |
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click on the map for details of the Little Fork patents
| The Little Fork Group |
| Beginning in
1734 several members of the First Colony purchased land across the
River from Germantown in the forks of the Rappahannock and Hazel
Rivers. This land was located in present day Culpeper County and was
purchased for speculation purposes and to encourage other Siegerländers
to come to Virginia and purchase this land from their
kinsmen. They became known as the Little Fork Group.
Those listed below with a ? have surnames closely related to John Jacob Rector and Rev. Henry Haeger. However, their place in the Little Fork Group is not proven.
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Back/Bach, Harman
Freudenberg |
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| The Hebron Church Germans |
| The names below
appear in the records of the "Old Dutch Church" sometimes referred
to in 18th and 19th century records as the "Old German
Church", now known as Hebron Lutheran Church.
The Church was formed by contract in London in 1717, but was not formally established with a location or a minister until 1733. The main part of the present building was built in 1740. Early records were kept, however they were haphazard. In later years they were organized by one of the ministers. The records begin in 1750. Many of the names appear in the list for the First Colony and the Little Fork Group. John Hoffman of the First Colony moved his family to the Robinson River Valley. Other First Colonists purchased land in the area and worshipped at Hebron. Among those names we find Back, Fishback, Kemper, Rector and of course Hoffman/Huffman. Other names appearing are known relatives of the earlier 1717 settlers, while some are known neighbors of the 1714 settlers. For others they may not have had any connection by blood or homeland proximity to the actual Germanna Settlers, but may have moved here from Pennsylvania to settle in an area that was already strongly German. However, services at Hebron were conducted in German until 1823, so all of those listed would have been German speakers. Special thanks to John V. Blankenbaker for his excellent research in the Hebron Church records and the publication of his findings in "Hebron Church Baptismal Records", and "Hebron Church Communion Records". Both these publications are available on our publications page.
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Back/Bach, Henry
Freudenberg |
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| Later Arrivals |
| Others arrived
at a later date but were known in the Robinson River Valley. With the
exception of Rev. Klug, the second pastor of Hebron Church, who
arrived about 1739 not much is known of the arrival dates or origins
of those on this part of the list.
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Delph/Delp, Conrad Leatherer/Lederer, Paulus Schwaigern |
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| Others |
| The last part of
the list are those who are mentioned in connection with the Germanna
Settlers or their descendants in the later 18th Century. These
mentions appear in various documents, including Civil Records, Land
Transactions, Marriage Bonds, Wills, etc.
A few of these names are clearly German origin, however others are clearly English, Scottish, or Scotch/Irish. Research is ongoing to attempt to understand these connections. Readers of this website are encouraged to send your findings to us to assist in learning the complete story of Germanna. [Note: Those names below marked with asterisks have known connections to Jacob Holtzclaw of the 1714 Colony.] * married children or grandchildren of Jacob Holtzclaw. ** the family of the mother of Jacob Holtzclaw.
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Aker Ashby Beer Bush Cornwall* Darnall* Duncan Farrow Fick** Siegen Flender Siegen Graham* Herndon Latham Leach* Lyons McClure Newby Patt Reading Russell Sinclair Sohlbach** Siegen Stuell Tapp Van Meter Wiley Zollicoffer, Jacob St. Gall Switzerland |
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