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Page: of 68
any part of the world has ever produced
through two centuries an equal number of
great men and from John Jacob Rechtor proceeded a greater degree of vigor and power
than from any other name of the colony. (7)
Germanna
The immigrants were graciously received by Governor Spottswood and placed in a fort on the frontier near
his place of residence. He gave them 1200 acres of land
and the families soon provided themselves with log huts
forming a nucleus for a new settlement which was called
Germanna.* It isno longer on the map, but on March 14,
1956 “The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna
colonies in Virginia, Inc.’? was chartered in honor of
’ these early pioneersand isactive at the present time. (27)
Germanna was located in the extreme northeast
corner of Spottsylvania County (now Orange County);
the first county town, the place where St. George’s
Parish was organized, where the first iron furnace in
America was built and the first pig iron made; the place
from which the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe started;
where the first German congregation (German Reformed
Church) in America was organized and its first services
held. Henry Hager (Haeger) was the pastor, and the
elders of the congregation in 1714 were Henry Hager,
John Jost Merdten (Martin) and John Jacob Rechtor
(Rector). (7)
The Germanna pioneers had both courage and fortitude — courage to come out into a far distant land and
begin the subjugation of the wilderness; fortitude to
continue the task year after year. They brought with
them the training and skills of an old world that were a
rare gift to this new world and they contributed effectively in building up essential industries. These first
*Earlier spelling — Germana.