homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhs16.html Germanna History by John Blankenbaker GERMANNA History Notes Page #027 Nr 671: "Persueance to An Act of the General Assembly holden at Williams Burgh the twenty-first day of May 1730 Intitaled an Act for Dividing the Parish of Saint George in the County of Spotsylvania and that all the other part of the said Parish which lies above the said bounds shall there after be Called and Known by the Name of Saint Mark and according to the said Act the free holders and house keepers of the said Parish of Saint Mark did Meet at the Church at Germanna in their said Parish on the said first day of January and there did Elect and Choose twelve of the most able and Discreet persons of their Parish to be vestry Men for their said Parish (viz) GOODRICH LIGHTFOOT, JAMES BARBER, THOMAS STANTON, HENRY FIELD, ROBERT SLAUGHTER, BENJAMIN CAVE, JOHN FINLASON, ROBERT GREEN, FRANCIS KIRTLEY, FRANCIS SLAUGHTER, SAMUEL BALL, WILLIAM PAYTON haveing taken the oaths appointed by Law and Subscribed to be Conformable to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England Doe Act as vestry Men for the Parish of Saint Mark....." Nr 673: ..."The vestry of St. Mark's Parish did not meet after the organizational meeting on 9 Jan 1731 (NS) until New Year's Day, March 25. (I have not seen any evidence that New Year's Day was a special day in that time.) The meeting was held at the Fork Chapel, which was across the Rapidan River from Germanna. The first order of business was to arrange, with a surveyor of Spotsylvania County, to run the dividing line between St. George's Parish and St. Mark's Parish. For this, he was to receive not more than eight hundred pounds of tobacco. Then Abraham Chambers was to tar the church at Germanna, using his own supplies, and he was to be paid one thousand pounds of tobacco Convenant. Also Abraham Chambers was to repair the windows at the Germanna church and to sweep and clean the church. For doing this until the next parish levy, he was to be paid four hundred and fifty pounds of tobacco. John Carder was ordered to sweep and clean the Fork Chapel until the next levy, for which he was to be paid one hundred pounds of tobacco. Mr. BENJAMIN CAVE was ordered to find someone to sweep and clean the Mountain Chapel until the next levy....." GERMANNA History Notes Page #028 Nr 678: ...."In 1733, there were 816 tithables, who were each to pay 85 and a quarter pounds of tobacco as the parish levy. The high levy reflected the cost of the glebe farm and house and the cost of the new church. "An unusual item in the minutes was the decision to move the north door of the church to the south side and to set the church east and west (the church was already built). One of the problems which the vestry continually faced in these early years was to find workmen who could do a good job and could complete work on schedule. More than once the vestry threatened to sue the workman. Part of the problem may have lain with the vestry itself. In December of 1733, they decided to erect a chapel and instructed BENJAMIN CAVE to find the cheapest man to do the job....."