Having brought John Fontaine's story this far, it would not be fair to ignore the rest of it.  Unless otherwise noted, the balance of this account comes from James Porter Alexander's The Journal of John Fontaine.

       Before we resume with John Fontaine's journal and his first trip to Germanna, a brief background of the site itself is necessary for those readers not necessarily well versed in its history.  Much of what follows by way of introduction has been the subject of much debate for many years, and this brief background is by no means the definitive word on the subject.  Please feel free to add your comments to the Germanna Message Board.

       In 1853, Miss Ann Maury (1803-1876 wrote Memoirs of a Huguenot Family which included a much abridged version of John Fontaine's journal, which she had transcribed from the original. It was published and reprinted several times by G. P. Putnam. This book was last reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Company in 2002, but is now out of print. (Parts of it are on Google Books.)

The Germanna Foundation has received a grant to make possible the first phase in a long-desired project to have a high quality exhibit in its R. Brawdus Martin Germanna Visitor Center.

For most of his adult life, we believe that William Byrd (1674-1744) kept a diary written in a code using variations of known short hands of the period. It was intended to be read only by himself.

What better gift could you give someone than a Germanna membership which will last the whole year and allow the recipient to take a more active role in Gemanna and all the good things associated with Germanna.  And with each gift membership in Germanna that you purchase you get a free month added to your membership.  Buy 12 friends a Germanna membership and you get a free year of membership! 

by Michael L. Oddenino

Some years ago with my first halting steps into genealogy it immediately seemed a great adventure to explore the past and see what it meant to my personal history. 

Check out the Germanna Record Publications available for online ordering.  The content descriptions have been updated to give readers a good idea of what each volume contains.  These publications continue to be the greatest single source of Germanna related data. Make sure your library is complete!

The Culpeper Star-Exponent shares some great history highlighting Germanna member Kathy Ellis and Clifton  — a simply elegant Greek Revival farmhouse on the Thornton River that is Culpeper County’s latest property to earn a place on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places.

To read article, click here.

The Voyage of the Ship Oliver

The ship Oliver left Rotterdam twice in 1738. After leaving once and then returning to Rotterdam, the captain resigned. Did he know something that the passengers didn't know? Should they have taken this as a clue? Among the departing passengers, besides a large contingent from Switzerland, there were fifty passengers from Freudenberg in Nassau-Siegen who wanted to emigrate to Virginia. How long did it take the Oliver to dock in Virginia:  a) ten weeks, b) seven months, or c) never?