The early Germanna settlers made Virginia their home arriving from 1714 to approximately 1717. As these German immigrants became Virginians their new home was affected by events in England and in colonial America. What was going on in this new world of theirs? Much. One interesting event is that during the early years of the Germanna settlement, piracy was in its heyday in colonial waters. The famous pirate Blackbeard, aka Captain Edward Teach, roamed the coastal waters of Virginia.
A sworn enemy of Blackbeard was Governor Alexander Spotswood. I have no documentary evidence that the Germanna settlers were affected by Blackbeard or the other pirates of that day but it is highly likely that they heard the news of the day which was greatly concerned with piracy. Thom Faircloth offers the following insights on the Germanna folk and piracy:
I would suggest that the second colony were directly affected if not by
Blackbeard, then by some other pirates. Captain Andrew Tarbett had his ship
and crew stolen off the coast of Virginia in 1716. He made his way to
Williamsburg and testified before the governor in private session as to his
misadventures. Spotswood made arrangements for Tarbett to return to England
where he could report in person and plead his case.
Did Spotswood suggest that Tarbett return to Virginia with a cargo of
Germans? It is truly speculation to say so but it is a good speculation
given the events of 1717. Tarbett did return to England to answer charges of
losing his ship, cargo, and crew. But he also had to answer charges of
shortages in the casks of tobacco on the ship he commanded on his return to
England.
It appears that it was common practice to cut a Hogshead of tobacco in half in order to make it fit in the certain areas of the cargo hold of a
ship. Many captains were known to remove some of the tobacco from the middle
of the Hogshead and keep it for their own profit. Once a Hogshead had been
cut in half it was nearly impossible to account for its new weight, making
it easy for the captain to practice fraud.
These court problems forced the delay of Tarbett's new ship which had taken
the Germans on as cargo, not passengers. We all know the rest of the story.
So it is certain that the Second Colony were deeply affected by the actions
of the pirates off the coast of Virginia.
In November of 1718, Governor Spotswood met with two British Naval Captains in the partially completed Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg to discuss Spotswood’s plans to eliminate Blackbeard as a threat to the colonies. Plans were made to go after Blackbeard. Spotswood ultimately offered a reward of 100 pounds for Blackbeard, dead or alive. For more on Spotswood and the pirates in colonial days, I recommend the books Blackbeard by Angus Konstam (Konstam erroneously refers to Germanna as Germania) and The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard.
In England at this time the English government was much agitated about the threat of the Old Pretender, James Stuart, son of the deposed King James II, the last Roman Catholic King of England. (Later we will discuss whether Charles II made a deathbed conversion to Catholicism.) When James II was overthrown in 1688, it marked the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the coronation of King William and Queen Mary. From these monarchs we gained the name of the second oldest college in America, the College of William and Mary. We also find in King William the namesake of the new capital city of the colony of Virginia, Williamsburg in 1699. Jamestown, named after King James I, not James II, had served as the colonial capital until that time. (Note: The King James Bible is named after James I who authorized the translation.)
The supporters of James Stuart "The Old Pretender" were known as Jacobites. The effort to restore the Stuart line to the British throne became known as Jacobitism and the supporters of both James Stuart and his son Bonnie Prince Charles (see more on him below) were the Jacobites. By 1716 the threat of the Old Pretender subsided as James Stuart left Scotland and eventually ended up seeking refuge with the Pope. The threat of the Jacobites was still a concern of the Hanover dynasty as we shall see.
It is sometimes difficult for us to appreciate the connection between church and state that existed at that time. Sentiments ran strong and deep about religion as religion and politics were much more intertwined then than they are now. Protestant England often viewed Catholics as a political threat more than just a different religious expression. The Germanna immigrants were not Church of England adherents but to many in colonial Virginia it was undoubtedly felt that the Lutheranism they practiced was less of a threat.
John Blankenbaker provides this interesting Germanna connection with the Jacobite rebellion of 1715:
The Jacobite Rebellion that Michael Oddenino mentions has a Germanna connection. Two of the rebellious souls were Francis and George Hume (uncle and nephew respectively) who were captured. Their sentences were commuted (from the original death verdict). Francis Hume was sent to Virginia.
His second cousin, Alexander Spotswood, took him in but, not wanting him around Williamsburg, sent him to Fort Germanna as supervisor there. After a year or so he died and was buried along the Rapidan River. George Hume, was sent to slave ships but after a few years his freedom was purchased by Alexander Spotswood. By then, Alex was less concerned about having a rebellious soul around and George was permitted to be examined as a surveyor (by William and Mary College).
He passed and became a very well known surveyor in the frontier counties. Several of his descendants married Germanna citizens (which means the Germanna people and Spotswood share some genes).
Thom Faircloth adds:
After a stay in The Marshalsea prison in England, George Hume was sent to Virginia and placed in the care of his cousin Alexander Spotswood. He arrived in 1721, right at the end of Spotswood's tenure as Lt. Governor. Spotswood had him trained as a Surveyor at the College of William and Mary, and in 1725 he became a royal Surveyor. In 1727 he laid out the present city of Fredericksburg.
He trained George Washington and in 1749 while serving as Hume's assistant Washington laid out the town of Fairfax which later changed it's name to Culpeper. Hume died and is buried in Culpeper.
I can find no reference of his serving in a slave ship nor of Spotswood's buying his freedom.
Another interesting event in England in 1715 was the passage of the Riot Act which required any group of twelve or more individuals to disband within an hour after being ordered to disband by a magistrate who determined the group
to be unruly. This is the origin of the phrase “read the Riot Act.” Also, on March 5 in 1770 when a group gathered in Boston in front of some British soldiers,
the group did not expect to be fired upon since no one had “read the Riot Act” ordering them to disband within an hour. Thus, the Boston Massacre further
outraged the populace as the firing by the soldiers was viewed as even more heinous because victims were not read the Riot Act.
After the death of Blackbeard in 1718, Governor Spotswood apparently had enough time on his hands to file lawsuits against a number of the Germanna immigrants. In the 1720s a number of lawsuits initiated by Spotswood met with vigorous resistance by the German immigrants, including filing petitions for relief in Williamsburg. This suggests that during the second and third decades of their residence in Virginia the Germanna immigrants were already true Americans – dealing with lawsuits!
Other than fighting off Spotswood’s legal actions, what were the immigrants experiencing as part of life in America? In 1732, Benjamin Franklin first published Poor Richard’s Almanac which became a perennial bestseller in the American Colonies. Again, I am not aware of any direct evidence that the Germanna folk read Poor Richard’s Almanac but it is not unlikely that they were aware of and possibly read this wildly popular Almanac during the 1730s and later.
In England during the first two decades of the Germanna American experience, political issues diverted attention away from the American colonies. There was the stock company South Sea bubble which saw this English trading company reach dizzying heights in value (from 100 pounds a share to over 1,000 pounds a share). In 1720 the South Sea company experienced a stock crash due to, among other things, increasing competition. The financial crises caused by the collapse of the South Sea company was eased after Robert Walpole, considered the first British Prime Minister, revived the flagging finances by astute government management.
Robert Walpole became a leading force in English politics retaining his hold on power after the death of George I in 1727. Walpole was unexpectedly retained in power by George II in large part due to the influence of George II’s wife Caroline who greatly favored Walpole. In 1728 Caroline County, Virginia was formed from Essex, King and Queen, and King William counties named after Queen Caroline, the wife of George II.
Walpole sought to strengthen the Hanoverian dynasty and avoid controversies. These goals inspired policies which sought to cut back on naval and military expenses which would allow for lower taxes. Walpole viewed the American colonies in the context of English mercantilism. The colonies were viewed primarily as a source of raw materials and purchaser of surplus British production. To insure that the colonies served in this role, Parliament passed the Hat Act in 1732 which put restrictions on hat manufacturing and sale in America. (Note: this may have helped the health of Americans as the expression “mad as a hatter” came about as hatters did experience some mental instability which is attributed to the use of mercury in the hat manufacturing process.)
In 1733 Parliament passed the Molasses Act which placed a tax on molasses from non-British colonies. This increased the cost dramatically to the colonies. The colonies responded by wholesale smuggling to avoid the effect of this tax. Walpole didn’t vigorously enforce the Molasses tax because he did not want to expend the money, supply the forces, nor create the administrative infrastructure in the colonies necessary to such enforcement. His reasoning was that such enforcement mechanisms would result in higher taxes in order to pay for the enforcement which would cost more than the revenues gained.
A consequence of this policy was that during the 1730s and 1740s the American colonies were pretty much allowed to go their own way. This would have more severe consequences down the road when Americans faced a renewed effort at British enforcement of Parliament’s will – something the Americans were unaccustomed to and unprepared to accept.
Other events in America during this time period included the birth of George Washington in 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia; the birth of John Adams in Massachusetts in 1735; the birth of Patrick Henry in Hanover County, Virginia in 1736; and the birth of Thomas Jefferson in Shadwell, Virginia in 1743. These births would not have been noticed at the time by the Germanna immigrants but these men would greatly affect the lives of the Germanna immigrants and all Americans.
After the Germanna settlers had been in America for approximately twenty
years, the area they settled was still considered “frontier” to the Virginia Tidewater elite. The news of that time from England would have included the War of Jenkins’ Ear between England and Spain. Perhaps this is the most novel of names given to wars as it was triggered by disputes between Spain and England in Latin America where it was alleged that Spain was torturing English sailors. Captain Jenkins claimed to have had his ear lopped off by the Spanish, which estranged ear he continued to carry with him and display. After this war began in 1739, France joined on the Spanish side and the war evolved into the War of Austrian Succession.
The War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) involved the succession by Maria Theresa to the Austrian throne as part of the Habsburg dynasty. Frederick the Great of Prussia essentially contested her claim to the throne. France and Spain joined with Prussia while Britain and the Dutch Republic joined with Austria. With the German lands being involved in much of the fighting it would not be surprising that correspondence between our Germanna ancestors, with family and friends still in Germany, included news of this struggle.
Charles Edward Stuart, “Bonnie Prince Charles” also known as “The Young Pretender,” was making his run at the British throne during this time. Remember, he is the son of the “Old Pretender” we previously discussed and the grandson of the deposed James II who was followed on the British throne by William and Mary of “Glorious Revolution” fame (and, of course, the College of William and Mary, and Williamsburg, etc.) Bonnie Prince Charles found much support in Scotland for his effort at restoring the Stuart line to the British throne.
News of this serious challenge to the Hanoverian dynasty was much discussed in the colonies and it seems likely that our Germanna ancestors would have heard news accounts of this crisis. The French were providing assistance to the Young Pretender which only underscored the threat felt by the British. Bonnie Prince Charles and the Jacobites posed a serious challenge to George II and it was dealt with most severely. During the War of the Austrian Succession, George II became the last English King to lead troops into battle, though not too successfully. George II had then turned over control of the army to his younger son William of Cumberland. This would prove to be bad news for Bonnie Prince Charles and the Jacobite cause.
In April of 1746 at Culloden Moor in Scotland, the Jacobite army under Bonnie Prince Charles met the British army under William of Cumberland. Culloden is still a much remembered event in Scotland and a well-visited tourist destination. The Jacobites were routed at Culloden by William of Cumberland who took no prisoners and earned himself the nickname of “Billy the Butcher.” The Young Pretender fled to France and this marked the effective end of the Stuart cause against the Hanoverians. It also marked the control of English law in Scotland. It even became a criminal offense to wear tartan plaid as part of the British subjugation of Scotland.
In 1748 the War of Austrian Succession formally ended with the peace treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle which essentially returned the status quo ante-bellum with a few minor exceptions. This treaty did not address trade disputes between France and England in the New World. These unsettled disputes would have a significant impact on all Americans. Also, in 1748, a protestant minister named Samuel Davies arrived in Hanover, Virginia to begin his new ministry. Samuel Davies owns an important place in Virginia history even if it is one not generally recognized. It may surprise many to learn of the life and influence of Samuel Davies in Virginia and colonial America which story we will look at next.
The Germanna immigrants’ early days in America coincided with the Protestant preaching phenomenon of the 18th century. In America the preachers that advocated a pious practice of Christianity, led by the heart, were called New Light preachers. This was part of the “Great Awakening” in colonial America which witnessed a fire-like spread of evangelistic preaching. One of the famous preachers of this period was George Whitefield whose rousing preaching always drew large crowds in both England and America.
Governor William Gooch, (governor of Virginia from 1727-1749, for ease of reference I use the term governor when technically it is lieutenant governor as the actual position of governor was a sinecure held by gentlemen who typically never left England) granted Presbyterians the right to worship and preach in accordance with the dictates of their conscience in Virginia in 1739.
The Anglican Church was bleeding members in Hanover County, Virginia owing to general dissatisfaction with the Anglican clergy and the doctrines espoused. These disaffected Anglicans were known as dissenters and many of this group found their way into New Light congregations. One of the Anglican ministers who saw some of his flock drift away was Reverend Patrick Henry, the uncle of Patrick Henry the great orator. There is further irony in this fact as we will explain shortly.
George Whitefield preached a sermon in Williamsburg in 1740 and printed copies of the sermon were widely distributed thereafter. Whitefield’s message generated much excitement in Virginia. The growing number of dissenters instigated concern in the Virginia colonial government and Governor Gooch summoned a group of dissenters to explain their unorthodox ways. Gooch was of Scottish Presbyterian background and after the group pledged their allegiance to the civil government he announced toleration for their practices. The dissenters experienced, as did the Germanna immigrants, some difficulty in getting and maintaining good preachers who were licensed to preach by the civil government in Williamsburg.
By 1745 the growth of dissenters in Virginia created more concern for Governor Gooch who denounced unlicensed preachers who were aggressively attacking Anglican ministers and the Anglican Church. Patrick Henry’s namesake and uncle, Reverend Patrick Henry the Anglican minister, vigorously denounced these preachers. These direct attacks by Presbyterian preachers in colonial Virginia caused the civil government to increase its oversight and enforcement of laws against such preaching. New Light congregations were left without a regular licensed preacher until Samuel Davies arrived in 1747. Davies wisely went to Williamsburg first to obtain an appropriate license from the civil authorities for his preaching.
Samuel Davies became the most popular New Light preacher in colonial Virginia even traveling outside of Hanover to share his eloquent words with congregations in other Virginia locales. Patrick Henry’s mother often took young Patrick to listen to Samuel Davies’ sermons. The pulpit was not just a source of religious instruction in colonial times, it was also the source of news and political advice. During the French and Indian War, or Seven Years War, Samuel Davies regularly encouraged his congregation to support the colonial government’s cause with words such as: “Christians should be patriots. What is that religion good for that leaves men cowards upon the appearance of danger?” This attitude helped the civil government feel more favorably disposed to such non-Anglican preachers.
By many accounts, Samuel Davies was the most impressive orator of his time. Samuel Davies maintained a working relationship with the colonial government in Williamsburg impressing all who interacted with him. Davies’ oratory left his listeners not only spellbound but motivated to act in accordance with his exhortations. His reputation grew beyond Virginia and in 1759 he reluctantly left Virginia to become President of the College of New Jersey which is now known as Princeton University.
Patrick Henry, the orator and Revolutionary leader, described Samuel Davies as the example which he followed in oratory. That is high praise from one of America’s acknowledged great orators of all time. It was Patrick Henry’s skill at oratory which launched him onto the public scene in the famous “Parson’s Case.” In 1755, drought and war contributed to an unusually small tobacco crop in Virginia. Anglican clergy were paid an annual salary of 16,000 pounds of tobacco instead of hard currency which was in short supply. Before the 1755 drought, a pound of tobacco sold for approximately two pennies but after the drought the cost rose dramatically.
Virginians were faced with an impossible task of supplying the Anglican clergy with 16,000 pounds of tobacco or compensating them at the inflated value of about six cents per pound. The Virginia House of Burgesses passed the “Two Penny Act” which allowed the clergy to be paid at the rate of two pennies per pound of tobacco instead of the actual tobacco or instead of the market rate. The Anglican clergy fought this law appealing to the Board of Trade in England on the grounds that the “Two Penny Act” was passed without the typical clause which suspended its enforcement until the Crown approved it.
Governor Fauquier, who was then the colonial governor, supported the Virginia House of Burgesses further putting the Anglican clergy at odds with colonists and the local government. In London, the clergy found a friendlier audience where the “Two Penny Act” was declared void as London officials did not want to appear to be supporting the colony’s right to make laws without approval of the Crown. The issue to be resolved next in Virginia was how much were the Anglican clergy owed and from what point in time. Reverend James Maury of Louisa County sued Thomas Johnson the Louisa County collector of parish levies for his back pay. This lawsuit would have a dramatic effect on events in all of America.
At trial in 1763, Maury was represented by one of the leading lawyers in Virginia, Peter Lyons. The trial judge was Colonel John Henry, father of Patrick Henry, and brother to the Reverend Patrick Henry. Apparently, the sense that one’s honor was unimpeachable among gentlemen overrode any notion of conflict of interest Maury easily won the case on the issue of liability and the only question left was how much did Louisa County owe Reverend Maury. Thomas Johnson hired a new lawyer for the damages phase of the trial, Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry’s compelling oratory convinced the jury to award Reverend Maury one penny. Patrick Henry was thus launched onto the public scene becoming increasingly popular as a lawyer, and in 1765 he was elected to the House of Burgesses from Louisa County. The timing of his election proved to be seminal.
In our next piece we will cover some other events of this time period as well as continuing the story of the Germanna immigrants new homeland. For more information on the topics discussed in this piece, see Samuel Davies, Apostle of Dissent in Colonial Virginia by George William Pilcher and A Son of Thunder, Patrick Henry and The American Republic by Henry Mayer.
