SECOND COLONY BUS TOUR - 2009 Germanna Conference and Reunion

 The annual Friday bus tour on July 17th cruised along Hebron Valley Road with each 1726 land grant pointed out by the tour director.  Some of these were:  George Utz, the three Blankenbaker brothers, Cyriacus Fleishman and others.  Their patents were narrow strips of land extending to the barely visible Robinson River that was flowing in the opposite direction parallel to us. 

The old tree lines are still visible so original boundary lines can be easily identified.  On our left was Michael Wilhoit's land, patented two years later.  As the road and river separate, other 1728 land patents were pointed out, especially the ancestral land of the people on our bus tour.  

Circling the Mt. Carmel Church, Germanna descendents from around the country could see where Frances Henderson is buried in the church cemetery.  This gave Ohio Weaver cousins an opportunity to learn about the book, "Ask for Nothing" by Maxine Weaver Crane.  The story takes place at the foot of the east side of Deal Mountain.

On to Criglersville where the Clore brothers spent two years prior to 1726 clearing the land and building a house for their parents and younger siblings, the bus paused along Shotwell Run where the two Clore land grants joined his sister, Suzannah Clore Weaver Crigler and new husband, Jacob Crigler's land grant.  By this time the Weaver children were step-children of Jacob Crigler.  The 1000 plus acres of Clore property grew flax, hemp and many grains for the market in Fredericksburg.  Thus several mills were scattered around this huge acreage in the wilderness.  The only other nearby settlers were two Quaker brothers across the Robinson River along Quaker Run.  These two land grants to Benjamin and William Rush, together amounting to about 800 acres,  were actually granted over a month before the Clores.  Cut off by the Robinson River on the west, did they even know the Clores?

As the Clores moved elsewhere in the county and country, their Crigler cousin acquired some of the land which fell to future generations of Criglers; thus the town of Criglersville sprung forth; unlike the previous scattered houses, barns and mills on the Clore Plantation.

A new adventure for this year's bus tour was driving by  the scenic Poor House with Deal Mountain in the background.  Later generations of Madison County's poor lived here and worked the land.

Heading south on Rt. 231 after crossing the Robinson River, we passed through Cook, Kerker and Carpenter land grands, some of which became a church farm (or glebe) with slaves working the land.  Money raised in Europe to build the church in 1740 included enough to purchase the glebe and slaves.  The present day Glebe Road is this old farm road on the church's land used over 275 years ago.  Further west was the 1726 Yeager land grant.

The bus swung around Hebron Church viewing Smith Island, Clore Furniture Factory and crossed White Oak Bridge (one of the few covered bridges of its day).  

There was no town of Madison when the Germans arrived, but Wolftown  was fast becoming a budding community first called Thoroughfare because settlers along the Rapidan, Middle and South Rivers were searching for a  land route to Fredericksburg to take their products to market.    

Yes, Germanna and other German and English settlers were as far west toward Wolftown, as  were the Clores and two  Quaker brothers in the Criglersville area.  However, there seems to have been more settlers earlier and at a faster pace in the Wolftown area, as family names merged sooner, indicating early cultural interchange between German and English pioneers.

The Germanna pioneer Michael Holt (who in the 1730's went with the first pastor of Hebron Church to Europe to raise funds) patented land from the north of Rt. 230 as early as 1726, maybe 1725.  His first land grant began just beyond present day Plow and Hearth Catalog Outlet and included the land now occupied by the Sweely  Estate Winery (our Germanna group toured this new winery for the first time).  John Broyles' 1726 land grant was located north of Michael Holt's first grant.  Michael Holt's second grant two years later joined his first land grant on the west.  This included the mountain and continued almost to the cove where German Ridge picks up.  In 1724 John Eddins located an old Indian Clearing there and spent two winters hunting animals for hides to take to market.  His land grant dates to 1726.  

The tour included Wolftown and beyond to see Delph land since we had a Delph descendant on our tour. The tour paused for lunch provided by the ladies at  Madison Methodist Church.  The lunch was pentiful and delicious, and the company was delightful.  This was convenient because The Clerk's Office is located close by, temporarily, due to the Court House renovations.  

The afternoon was spent in the town of Madison  with visitors strolling along Main Street and touring the Arcade Museum, Drug Store (many glasses of fresh limeade were consumed) and Tanner's Feed Store before boarding the bus for the Kemper Residence,  Kemper-McMullan Law Office, site of the Servants' Quarters and Library.   The Servants' Quarters building is currently undergoing restoration.

 
The active and supportive Madison County Historical Society (MCHS) made this successful day possible.  The MCHS President shook hands and  greeted each guest personally as they entered the church fellowship hall. MCHS members and Museum Volunteers organized the meal with the assistance of other church and MCHS members. Other MCHS members were on hand to meet and greet cousins of the same family tree.  It was like old times when families hadn't seen each other for years and family tree lines were connected in person where faces could be put with names.  This mingling is growing each year and it is a joy to see true family fellowship bond tighter each year.

Touring the county is one thing but relatives from California, Oregon, Washington State and all across the country getting together with  Madisonian cousins is what it is all about.