This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/IOG.2ACIB/245.1 Message Board Post: Notes 1179 & 1187 cover your question. Please join the GERMANNA & BROYLES Rootsweb Lists to find more answers and contacts for your Broyles family. Jim Albin Broyles descendant Germanna Member The eleven hundred and eighty-seventh note in a series on the Germanna Colonies Spotswood and his proposed partners in the western land enterprise needed settlers for the large tract that they had their eyes on. The Germans at Germanna had served admirably as peace keepers and Spotswood wanted more of these people. But Germans were not coming to Virginia. The emphasis of the Germans was on Pennsylvania. I would bet that Spotswood asked the Germans at Germanna if they could recruit many more people. In his official duties at Williamsburg, Spotswood was in a good position to talk to the captains of ships. Some of his official duties required him to talk to the captains. On one occasion early in the spring of 1717, he was investigating an act of piracy that had occurred not far off the coast of Virginia. He took a disposition from the captain, Andrew Tarbett, of the ship Agnis which the pirates had captured, plundered, and then burned. I believe that, after the official disposition was taken, Spotswood and Tarbett talked and the Lt. Gov. asked Tarbett about Germans. There is no reason to believe that Tarbett had any good information about them since his speciality was taking tobacco back to Great Britain and bringing goods out for the Virginians. He certainly could not promise to bring any Germans as there were so few who had come prior to 1717 and these had gone to Pennsylvania. Back in England, Tarbett obtained another ship, the Scott. At least in a few years he was the captain of the ship Scott and involved in bribing customs officials to let some of his tobacco pass by without paying the customary fees. He had the right credentials. A ship of the right name. A man of low morals. Someone who had talked to Spotswood. Barely had Tarbett obtained a ship than a group of Germans appeared wanted to go to Pennsylvania. Tarbett had no hesitancy in promising to take them there. When he landed the Germans, they were surprised that they were in Virginia and not Pennsylvania. But Tarbett said the storms had forced him south. Tarbett sought out Spotswood and made a bargain for the whole ship load of the Germans. With this one effort, Spotswood and his partners had the settlers for their land. The land where they were to be settled was already specified but not yet patented. It was even to the west of Beverley's contribution to the partnership. With this one effort, a land rush was opened for bits and pieces around the partnership's land. Again, the Germans were living beyond what would normally be considered the frontier of Virginia. John Blankenbaker http://www.germanna.com/ http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html http://members.home.net/genelea/gerhist/index.html