We have so many new subscribers to TT, we should be brimming over in contributions, at least in terms of New Member Introductions. Since we’re not, I’m digging back a little in old issues to find articles which might be interesting re-visited. The first is my own introduction of over a year ago when we began. Maybe others will be inspired to tell us about themselves. I’d like to see TT become a record of the contemporary family as well as a window to its past.
JOYCE BROWNING (JBrown7169@aol.com)
**** My name is Joyce Browning. I live in Reston, Virginia, but I was born in Stokes Co., NC at the foot of the Sauratown Mountains, and I grew up in Raleigh, NC. We have three sons and three grandchildren. I am a widow, recently retired from California Institute of Technology’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I worked at their NASA Space Station Office. My team wrote the requirements and definitions of America’s Space Station, now the International Space Station. Following that assignment I was transferred to CalTech’s Washington Business Office to coordinate administrative services under CalTech’s contract to manage NASA’s Visiting Senior Scientists Program. I’ve had unique opportunities to learn about the early Taliaferro family from the eastern Virginia Taliaferros, but I know little about the parade of Taliaferros between the first few generations and our later Taliaferros. I am looking forward to learning more about them and their families.
Taliaferro Roots: My husband’s Taliaferro line descends from Benjamin Taliaferro of Amherst Co VA. His daughter, Lucinda (1797-1857), married Mayo Davies of Bedford County VA in 1816. . . . My Taliaferro line descends from Dr. John Taliaferro of Surry Co NC. He moved to Surry shortly before the Revolutionary War.
COLLATERALS
JOYCE (JBrown7169):
For Benjamin Taliaferro, Amherst Co VA: Beverley, Browning, Claiborne,
Clayton, Crawford, Davies, Franklin, Gilmer, Harris, Peyton, Taylor
For John Taliaferro, Surry Co NC: Butler, Claiborne, Cleveland,
Crawford, Dalton, Franklin, Fulton, Gilmer, Hanby, Harris,
Jessup, Joyce, Marshall, Moore, Perkins, Redd, Sparger, Walker, Webster
QUERIES
JOYCE (JBrown7169) is searching for the parents of two fourth or fifth
generation Taliaferros: Benjamin Taliaferro, b ca 1770, lived in
Amherst Co., VA: and Dr. John Taliaferro, b ca 1740, in Caroline or Orange
Co VA, settled in Surry Co NC about 1765.
LORETTE CHOQUETT-ZALE (TwoZales@aol.com) sends the following information as an aid for all of use. Thanks so much Lorette for this information.
****I ran across something that other subscribers might find helpful in conducting their research. The site listed below has many helpful research aids, such as: Deciphering Old Handwriting, Early American History Resources, Family Naming Traditions, Genealogy Dictionary, and other resources. Also contained at this site is a section under the heading: Relationship Chart - Are We Cousins? I feel that it may be helpful for other subscribers to read it (although, in Taliaferro ancestries, since cousins marrying cousins occurred with great frequency, it could show that we are not just related, but multiply related)! : )
The Gene Pool -- Research Aids (Keyword to:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/ogsaids.htm)
(The URL for this site is: http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/ogsaids.htm
- - - - - - -
Along the same lines, here’s an announcement concerning a new and pretty
terrific resource fo Scotland records. Now, if their English, Irish,
and Welsh cousins would just follow suit. . . . .
*****This news is from the General Register Office - Scotland web site
at
http://www.open.gov.uk/gros/faq.htm
. . .Spring 1998 a fully searchable index of Scottish birth and marriage records from 1553 to 1897, and death records from 1855 to 1897 will be available on the Web.
The General Register Office for Scotland Internet service will be formally launched by Henry McLeish, Minister of State at The Scottish Office on Monday the sixth of April. Public access to the database will be available immediately after the launch, from approximately 1.00 p.m. UK time.
The service will provide World Wide Web access to a fully searchable
index to births/baptisms and banns/marriages from the Old Parish Registers
dating from 1553 to 1854, and births, marriages and deaths from the Statutory
Index for 1855 to 1897. An index to census records for 1891 will also be
provided; 1881 census data will be made available later this year.
NEW MEMBERS
LEE GALLIVAN (vlgallivan@aol.com), I think, is finding his problem in the same one many of us have. How do we separate the fourth generation of Taliaferros. If you are able to respond to Lee’s questions, I hope you’ll send the response for circulation in TT. We really need to see what - combined - we can do to pull together fourth-generation information that will establish some of our lineages.
****I have been working on the sidelines trying to get up to speed with the Taliaferro Family. After downloading the back issues of the "TT,” and after hours of "homework" going through every one of them, I think that I now have a good start on the Taliaferro chapter for my genealogy book, I guess we are never finished. I really have enjoyed all the different comments on K(C)atherine (Sarah) Dedman (Grymes) and the conclusion that you made several issues ago. It seems to match my "other" information very well, and especially, the "Phantom's" and Betty Smiddy's. All is not well though, as one of my "holes" still exists that I was "hoping" that one of your "our" 200 subscribers could help me with. I have been "working" with my genealogy for over 25 years, and my wife and I have some 50 families like Buckner, Ramey, Harrison, Hill, and Barbour, etc., that we are currently working on. My Taliaferro connection is a relatively new family for me, so I guess I am a novice to you all. If anyone knows of "URL or E-mail" sources for Barbour and Hill, that would be a double bonus for me.
On to my specific questions: Who is the parent of the Elizabeth Taliaferro who was the second wife of Thomas Buckner, son of Richard Buckner and Elizabeth Cooke.? My Buckner information is as follows.
Thomas Buckner b. 5/13/1728 Caroline Co., Va., d. 2/23/17__, m. 1st 1749 Va., Judith Thornton b. 11/13/1731 Va., d. 6/19/1757 Port Royal, Va., m. 2nd 11/17/1757 Spotsylvania, Co., Va., Elizabeth Taliaferro b. abt. 1730 Caroline Co., Va., d. aft. 1768 Caroline Co., Va.
Children of the First Marriage:
1) Susanna Buckner b. 12/22/1749, d. aft.1784,
m. Peter Dudley
2) Mary Buckner b. 10/30/1751 Caroline Co.,
Va., m. 10/17/1771 Catesby Woodford b. 1/19/1737(38)
3) William Buckner b. 10/1/1753 Caroline
Co., Va., d. 1800 m. Elizabeth Monroe
4) Thomas Buckner b. 8/21/1755 "Deep Spring"
Caroline Co., Va., d. 1804 Caroline Co., Va.
Children of the Second Marriage:
5) Robert Buckner b. 10/24/1758 Caroline
Co., Va.
6) Judith Buckner b. 1/14/1760, d. 1883
7) Charlotte Buckner b. 9/13/1761, m. John
Stephens
8) Giles Cook Buckner b. 9/20/1763
9) Ann Buckner b. 12/24/1764, m. Thomas Gatewood
10) Harry Buckner b. 12/16/1766 Caroline Co., Va.,
d. 1822 Fayette Co., Ky., m. Elizabeth Catlett
11) Lucy Buckner b. 10/18/1768
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LINDA TRUJILLO (MOMMOT@aol.com) -- while speaking of the
Amherst family, Linda also reminds me that TT has not featured information
about the Albemarle Taliaferros. Of my own knowledge (which is minimal)
there were two early Taliaferros in Albemarle County - Samuel
Taliaferro and Francis TaliaferrO. I don’t think TT has ever featured
information about them. If someone can add to our knowledge about
Albemarle Taliaferros, I hope you’ll send it in. Thanks so much,
Linda, for getting opening up this angle of our searches.
****Here is what I have on this family. I have more info on the Harvie and also have pages on the Taliaferro from "First Settlers of Upper Georgia". I am decended from the Harvie line.
Descendants of Daniel Harvie
Generation No. 1
1. DANIEL3 HARVIE (JOHN2, JOHN1) was born March 11, 1757, and died September 1794. He married SARAH TALIAFERRO.
-- Notes for DANIEL HARVIE: The children listed in Marks-Barnett Families and Their Kin by Marion Dewoody Pettigrew differ from First Settlers of Upper Georgia by their birth order. Marks book has 1. Daniel, 2 Frances, 3. Nancy, 4. Mary Boutwell, 5. Martha. First settlers has 1. Martha, 2. Mary Boutwell, 3. Nancy, 4. Frances and 5. Daniel. On the family sheet, I will list it as the second listing.
--First Settlers of Upper Georgia, p. 109 Cont. in speaking talking about their great weight: Daniel Harvie reached near four hundred pounds, and exceeded other men as much in strength as he did in size. It was said that he righted the corner of a millhouse, which had been put out of its place by a freshet; that he raised a heavy hogshead of tobacco over the ground-sill through the door of the tobacco house; and that he could hold up for some time two men of ordinary size, one on each hand, with his arms extended their full length from his body. He was stronger than Francisco. Indeed he had the reputation among his acquaintances, of being the strongest man in the world. Daniel Harvie's muscle was better fitted for the exertion of strength than conveying the materials for thought to the brain. Fortunately for society, Providence usually orders that men of great strength shall be very good tempered. Daniel Harvie was never angry. He married Sally Tailaferro, of Amherst County, Virginia, sister of Col. Benjamin Taliaferro, whose capital good sense supplied what her husband was most deficient in. They removed to Georgia along with their kin, and settled on the eastern side of Long Creek, two miles from Broad River. Daniel Harvie, in displaying his great strength to his neighbors, in hauling a drag for fish in Long Creek, became so much heated by over-exertion that he took cold and died. Mrs. Harvie was left a widow in the prime of life, with five children, four daughters and a son. She devoted herself to them in the spirit of self-sacrifice, which men admire but seldom imitate. Though her estate was small, by great industry and economy, she sent them to the best school in the country, and, when they arrived at the proper age, introduced them into its most polished society.
Children of DANIEL HARVIE and SARAH TALIAFERRO are: i.MARTHA4 HARVIE, m. THORNTON GILMER, October 04, 1830, Amherst County, VA.
--Notes for MARTHA HARVIE:
From: First Settler of Upper Georgia p. 110 Martha Harvie, Daniel
Harvie's oldest daughter, was very pretty, amiable, and clever. She
married Dr. Thornton Gilmer, the handsomest of all the Broad River men.
From: Marks-Barnett Families and their Kin by Marion Dewoody Pettigrew
Married in Amherst Co., VA.; moved to Ky., later to Illinois - pg 165 - 166 The decendants of Daniel Harvie through the Gilmers will not be carried out in this book, as they are written up at length in Gilmers in Amercia by Speed and the Meriwether Book by Louisa H. A. Minor.
ii. MARY BOUTWELL HARVIE, m. PEACHY RIDGWAY GILMER, April 10, 1806.
Notes for PEACHY RIDGWAY GILMER:
From: Marks-Barnett and Their Kin by Marion Dewoody Pettigrew
pg. 165: Mary Boutwell, m. Peach Ridgeway Gilmer, m 4-10-1806; b.8-29-1784;
d. 2-18-1861, Wilkes Co., Ga. See Wilkes Co. Rec. The descendants
of Daniel Harvie through the Gilmers will not be carried out in this book,
as they are written up at length in Gilmers in America, by Speed and the
Meriwether Book by Louisa H. A. Minor.
iii. NANCY HARVIE, m. THOMAS LEWIS GILMER.
Notes for NANCY HARVIE:
>From Marks-Barnett and Their Kin by Marion Dewoody Pettigrew. pg.
165 Nancy m. Thos. Lewis Gilmer, he m. 2nd Mrs. Anne Harper.
The decendants of Daniel Harvie through the Gilmers will not be carried
out in this book, as they are written up at lenght in Gilmers in America
by Speed and the Meriwether Book by Louisa H. A. Minor.
iv.
FRANCES HARVIE, m. ??? BOSTWICH.
Notes for FRANCES HARVIE:
From: First Settlers of Upper Georgia p. 110 His (Daniel) fourth,
Frances, had more strength of intellect than either of her sisters.
She married in Kentucky, whilst on a visit at Dr. Gilmer's, a rough speciman
of humanity by the name Bostwick, and never afterwards lived on Broad river.
v.
DANIEL HARVIE.
Notes for DANIEL HARVIE:
From: First Settlers of Upper Georgia p 110 Daniel Harvie's
son Daniel inherited some of the strenght and much of the kindness
and good temper of his father. The great care of his mother could
not entirely prevent his showing the disposition to improvisation which
he inherited from his Italian ancestors. He removed to Mississippi,
where he died a bachelor.
QUERIES
TT carries some very interesting Queries this week. If you are able to respond, please don’t forget to also send your response to me for use in TT so that we can all benefit. Thanks to be the inquirers and the respondants.
KRIS BATTAILE (Battaile@mysurf.com)
****I have a query for the TT. Ann Hay Taliaferro, b. 1774 married
Lawrence BATTAILE. Her parents were Jane TALIAFERRO b. abt. 1745
and Francis Whitaker Taliaferro b. 1743. What is the lineage of Jane?
Is my lineage of Francis correct? Son of Francis Taliaferro and Elizabeth
Hay.
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PAULA HALEY-RICHARDSON (Pee Dee 43 @aol.com)
****I found your querry regarding Bartholomew Taliaferro. Although
I probably don't have any information on him I would appreciate any information
you may have. My ggggm was Nancy B. TOLIVER b. 1785 in Wilkes NC. Her father
was John TALIAFERRO b. abt 1764 in Wilkes NC. His father was Charles
TAFIAFERRO b abt 1690 Essex Co VA, married Ann KEMP b 1649 in VA. I have
just recently found this connection. We new the name Toliver but just found
it it had been revised and had originally been TALIAFERRO.
ANY information you have would be greatly appreciated.
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THE PHANTOM (VLTP@aol.com) -- have you noted as I have that The Phantom asked great questions, and they usually come chock full of information as well. Oh-Ho, says she - might there have been two contemporary John Taliaferros living in the Surry-Wilkes area of North Carolina? We need to know about this. Next week, I’ll provide a compilation of the Taliaferro records of Surry County which included also the early Wilkes records. Maybe we can clear this up.
****This is a Question from a relative of the Phantom .......... Was a John Taliaferro, Jr. the father of, among others, Moses, Jesse, and John Taliaferro??
According to DAR records, Jesse Taliaferro was born in 1756 in Prince William County, Virginia, "on the Rappahannock River". (This river area became Farquier County in 1759.) At his birth, he had an older brother named Moses. Some theories put Moses’ birth at about 1750. At any rate, in a War of the Revolution deposition, brother John, born in 1760 in North Carolina, refers to Moses and Jesse as his "two older brothers."
Jesse's widow, Martha Frances (Stamper) Taliaferro, in a Rev. War pension deposition in 1842, stated that Jesse's family removed shortly after his birth to the James River, 30 miles above Richmond, and remained three years. (This would be until 1759, provided "shortly after" meant 1756. This checks with a 1771 tax record for a section of Surry County, NC, that became part of Wilkes County, NC in 1777/8. But she does not tell us where the family lived from 1760 through 1770.
The earliest NC records (involved in our question) found so far, list a John Tartenferro as a chain carrier in a survey made in 1760 in Edgecombe County, NC, and, on 30 January 1761, a John Taliaferro, Planter, purchasing 269 acres in Upper Barton"s Creek in Orange Co., NC. In 1771, when Jesse was fifteen years old, a Surry Co.,NC taxpayers list shows two households named "Toliver" as John Toliver, l poll, and William Toliver 4 polls.
The Wilkes Genealogical Society quarterly published Benjamin Cleveland's
Tax list in their Spring 1988 issue. The article states "Benjamin
Cleveland was a tax lister in Surry Co. in 1774. This was in the
part of Surry that became Wilkes in 1778. It gives a fairly good
listing of the people living in what is present day Wilkes, Ashe, Alleghany,
part of Watauga , Iredell & Alexander. Slaves of a certain age,
male & female, had to be listed as well as sons, overseers or anyone
who had reached pole tax age."
Three Toliver families with # of polls are listed as follows:
Moses Toliver 1
William Toliver 1
John Toliver, Jesse Toliver, in all 2
In other words, in 1774 when Jesse was 18 years old, he was listed with his father and his brother, Moses age ca 24 years, is listed in his own household (where he possibly lives with his wife, Elizabeth).
Whether William is the same as the 1771 William we do not know, but he would be family, you can bet on it.
When Jesse was 24 years old, Moses Toliver and Hillair Rousseau were listed as security for a bastardy bond on June 6, 1780, for a female child whose mother was Lucy Robins and whose father was Jesse Toliver.
Not answering our question, but an interesting connection is reported in the Wilkes Genea. Soc. quarterly of Winter 1988, quoting the Wilkes Co., NC Court minutes of 24 January 1787; Ord. Elizabeth Robins, daughter of Lucy Robins alias Lucy Brown, dec'd, aged 2 yrs. be bound to Thomas Robins til age 18 to learn to spin & read & write. Grand Jury having presented following children to Court: Febey Hall's two children;Lucy Robins' one child;Nancy Armstrong's one child;Omey Adam's four children. Ord. Febey Hall, Nancy Armstrong & Omey Adams show cause why above children may not be bound out.
Earlier, on 29 Oct. 1784, Deed Book B1 pages 349/50: Thomas Robins to Richard Allen, 130 Pds 157 ac Bugaboo Ck.,Pine marked in presence of John Talifero; upper part 314 ac trace ent. by Jonathan Stamper, incl. impvt where Stamper formerly dwelt. Witts: John Brown, Benjamin Herndon, James Fletcher. s/Thomas Robins
During the 1770's & 1780's, Jesse, Moses and William Taliaferro bought and sold hundreds of acres of land in what is currently Wilkes Co.,NC, in the area now called Traphill, on both sides of Mulberry Creek, Roaring River and along Round Top Mtn. On April 29, 1783, Jesse sold to Thomas Johnson 241 acres on Mulberry Creek described as an Estate of Inheritance. From whom did Jesse inherit this land? If from his father then his father was dead by this 1783 date. His father-in-law Jonathan Stamper, didn't die until 1799. Why aren;t there records of inheritance by Moses and/or John??
On 8 October 1782, when he was 26 years old, Jesse married Martha Frances Stamper, age 15 (b 14 Feb. 1767). According to his brother John, who was present, they were married by William Hammons, a Regular Baptist minister. They lived together as man and wife for 56 years until his death, at age 82, on 7 Feb. 1838. He was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.
On 31 May 1847, Jesse's son Soloman made a declaration regarding the ages of Jesse's and Frances' children, stating he was in possession of the family bible. This was in support of Frances' application for widow's benefits for her husband's war service. Somehow the actual pages of the bible became a part of the record , which can now be found at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Soloman states that the record was made more than 25 years ago at the request of Jesse Toliver, de'cd. Centering the tope of the first page of this record is "John Toliver J." Below this is printed Family Record and written by hand is "Jesse Toliver" in front of the printed "Family Record". I have seen other records of this period where the patriarch is given at the top of the page.
In addition to the two "J's" at the top of the page, there are J's in Jane, John, Jacob, July, and June. Enlargement shows they are all by the same hand and that they are all J's. the same J's as in John Toliver Jr.
It is apparent to me that Jesse's father was John. I believe he
was John Taliaferro, Jr. End of article. I have typed it verbatim.
Now , who was this John Taliaferro, Jr.????
TALIAFERROS OF EUROPE
A couple of weeks ago, I quoted a researcher friend who is aware of our Hay-Grey mystery. I.E., Why did John Grey of Cumberland Co (White Haven) England change his name to Hay sometime before or after his arrival in America when he paid a visit to his Taliaferro cousins? Remember also that Joane, the widow of Bartholomew Taliaferro of London, married a Grey after the death of her first husband. Her daughter also married a Grey, and so did her granddaughter, Anne, daughter of Francis Taliaferro whose wife was Bennet Haie - not confusing at all, is it. Evidently there was something that bound the Hay-Grey family, but we haven’t discovered the binder yet. My non-Taliaferro friend notified me of the following reference which he thought might be interesting. Following his comment, I have quoted the reference to which he calls our attention.
--”In Glover's Yorkshire, page 620, family of Glanvile, there is both a de la Haye marriage and, by their daughter, a Grey marriage. The index shows a number of Haye marriages, and you might want to look at them.”
--Glanvile, Baron of Broomhall. Arms - Argent, a chief indented asure.
William Glanvile, founder of ye church at Broome Hall about 17 Hen I, married Beatrice, dau. of . . . . She after married to William de Sagavilla.
Their son, Ranulph Glanvile, chief justice of England, founder of the religious house at Butte, Bathe, or Butlo married Bertha, dau. of Theobald de Valoniis, lord of Parham.
They had five children:
1. Jeffrey Glanvile, Lord of Coverham married Margaret, dau. of Jeffrey de la HAYE. Their children were: Emma, dau. and co-heir, wife to John GREYof Eaton, Barons of Wilton. Hawisia, dau. and co-heir, wife to Robert, Lord of Middleham of Westmoreland.
2. William Glanvile, Baron of Bromchall, ob. 12 Hen III who married Hawisia, wife of Robert Fitz Ralph, Lord of Midleham.
3. Amabila, wife of Ralph de Ardern
4. Matilda, wife of Wm. Anvervile.
Note that the above family lineage relates to the 1400s, well before our Taliaferro-Grey marriages in London, and a world away from our Taliaferro-Hay marriages in Virginia. However, the marriage of Jeffrey Glanvile to Margaret Hay, leaving only daughters as heirs, may provide a clue to how Greys became Hays. It would not be surprising to discover that one of Emma Grey’s heirs inherited a Hay estate, IF he would change his name so that the name Hay would be perpetuated.
So how does this translate to the London scene where Taliaferro’s were marrying Hays and Greys? I sure don’t know. I do know, though, that among the financiers of Mariner Christopher Newport in the late 1500s and early 1600s were two London goldsmiths, Francis and Richard Glanvill. Newport, if you will recall, is credited with saving the Colony of Virginia in its very early history. The Glanville family of Yorkshire probably had young sons go off to London to seek their fortunes. And they found it in spades. Quite probably, their Grey/Hay cousins formed part of their London circle. All totally speculative, of course, but interesting and perhaps a direction for future search.
RESEARCH
ELREETA WEATHERS (ecw@htcomp.net)
***The following was on the Ramey List today. It contained some interesting Taliaferro information which I thought others would also enjoy. These events take place in the town of Morehead KY.
--The following is a condensed version of a reference in the book
"Days Of Darkness" by J.E. Pearce.
"Following the fight at the Martin farm, Cook Humphrey resigned as
sheriff, and William Ramey was named to the post. He was an honest officer
but in no position to challenge the Tolliviers, and late in the summer
of 1885, when court was clearly unable to function, Gov. Knott again sent
in troops.”
A later page speaks about a show down between Sheriff William Ramey
and Cook Tolliver in July 1886. . . ."Ramey found Humphrey at the store
of H.M. Logan and attempted to arrest him. Humphrey apparently laughed
at Ramey and one or the other drew a pistol, friends of both joined the
fight, and bullets raked the street. When the firing stopped both the sheriff
and his son were seriously wounded and W.O. Logan and the young son of
H.M. Logan were dead."...
This book is a wonderful read, it is perhaps the best and most factually based accounts of life and "troubles,". i.e feuds" surrounding the counties and times my Ramey ancestors lived in.
MISCELLANY
The following excerpt is from the newly published “Hallowed Ground, Preserving America’s Heritage,” by Rudy Abramson with Photographs by Kenneth Garrett and Jack Kotz. The pictures of the Virginia countryside are breathtaking and the prose is colorful and lively, written by a journalist who has researched his subject well. The book was inspired by Disney’s attempt about two years ago to build a theme park near Manassas VA in Prince William County. No one knew until all the land had been purchased that the countryside was destined to become a theme park. A lively debate and thunderous objections ensued, and Disney walked away from Virginia. Here are a few plaudits for this outstanding publication.
..... Here, in a heartfelt combination of text and photographs, but attractive and authentic, is a panoramic explication of an American heritage worth fighting to preserve. This volume, which is at once a celebration and a symbol of resolve, can be the rock around which the forces of historical preservation can rally when the time comes and the need arises. -- Shelby Foote, Author of ‘The Civil War: A Narrative.’
.....The words and magnificent photographs in these pages are a transporting experience. This is home ground for all Americans, wherever they may live or whatever their origins. Here is a landscape like none other, in fact and in the national memory. Rudy Abramson and photographers Kenneth Garrett and Jack Kotz have caught Virginia’s spirit of place exactly and remind us again of those treasures in our heritage that are truly priceless. -- David McCullough, Author of ‘Truman.’
.....This book makes a compelling and gloriously illustrated case for
preserving one of the great historic and cultural landscapes in America.
It will surely persuade a larger audience of what many of us have known
for a long time: the Virginia Piedmont is an irreplaceable national
treasure.
--
Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Excerpts:
“By 1700, the population of the Virginia Colony had grown to
58,000, and it was increasing at the rate of more than 20 percent each
decade. Into the Piedmont rolled a wave of settlement, stimulated
by the steady arrival of new immigrants from Europe, the deterioration
of Tidewater soil repeated planted in tobacco, and the enticement of land
speculators. The westward movement became a primary objective of
the colonial government in Williamsburg during the administration of Alexander
Spotswood, a combative and ambitious lieutenant governor.
... “On the Rapidan River, some thirty miles above the falls of the Rappahannock in present-day Orange County, he planned to locate a settlement of Tuscaroras who had moved into Virginia from North Carolina. The site was precisely where the main Iroquois hunting trail crossed the river.
As a further incentive, he offered to station a minister, a teacher, and a small military detail in the village and to send Englishmen regularly to trade for furs. Evidently, this was not enough for tribal leaders, for they led their people back to North Carolina.
Spotswood was undeterred. Rangers riding the frontier had reported finding silver and iron ore in the Rappahannock Valley, so the governor decided to establish a mining village at the site spurned by the Tuscaroras.
.... “In the spring of 1714, the governor constructed his fortress with funds provided by the Virginia Assembly. Behind its walls, he settled the nine families, totaling forty-two men, women, and children, and named the place German in honor of the residents’ homeland and in tribute to Queen Anne. It was an important event in the opening of the Piedmont.”
....”Although his encouragement of settlement and his steps to provide security on the frontier did much to open the Piedmont, Spotswood is best remembered as the first Englishman to reach the Shenandoah Valley. In 1716, when rangers discovered a passage over the Blue Ridge at Swift Run Gap, the governor quickly organized an expedition and personally led the first venture to stake England’s claim to the land beyond the mountains.
“With great fanfare, he departed the Governor’s Palace at Williamsburg on August 20, waving to an excited crowd as he grandly rode away in his open carriage. At Germanna, he assembled a party of sixty-three horsemen, including rangers, Indian guides, and social friends accompanied by servants. Marching behind a trumpet and a pack of hounds, they set off into the wilderness, followed by a string of pack horses loaded with supplies, hunting gear, and an awesome quantity of liquor