PART VIII: The earliest description of Germanna that has been found is in the diary of JOHN FOUNTAINE ("Memoirs of a Hugenot Family." p. 267). He with his friend JOHN CLAYTON, and perhaps several other persons, visited the settlement on November 20, 21, 1715. He tells about it as follows: "About 5pm we crossed a bridge, that was made by the Germans and about 6 we arrived at the German settlement. We went immediately to the ministers house; we found nothing to eat, but lived upon our small provisions, and lay upon good straw. Our beds not being very easy as soon as it was day we got up. It rained hard, notwithstanding we walked about the town, which is palisaded with stakes stuck in the ground, and laid close the one to the other, and of substance to bear out a musket shot. "There are but nine families, and they have nine houses built all in a line, and before every house, about 20 feet distant from it, they have small sheds built for their hogs and hens; so that hog styes and houses make a street. The place that is paled in, is a pentagon very regularly laid out, and in the very centre is a block house made with 5 sides which answer to the 5 sides of the great inclosure (sic); there are loop holes through it, from which you may see all the inside of the inclosure. This was intended for a retreat for the people, in case they were not able to defend the palisades if attacked by the Indians. "They made use of this block house for divine services. They go to prayers constantly once a day, and have 2 sermons on Sunday. We went to hear them perform their service, which was done in their own language, which we did not understand, but they seemed very devout, and sang the Psalms very well. This town or settlement lies upon the Rappahanock, 30 miles above the falls, and 30 miles from any inhabitants. The Germans live very miserably. We would tarry here some time, but for want of provisions we were obliged to go. We got from the minister a bit of smoked beef and cabbage, which was very ordinary. We made a collection between us three, of about 30 shillings, for the minister, and about 12 of the clock we took our leave and set out to return." This description fits almost exactly what has heretofore been said. Why there were only 9 houses, when there were 13 families (including the pastor's) cannot not be explained. Perhaps some lived in the block house, or some of the houses sheltered more than l family; or perhaps Clayton's count was in error, for COL. BYRD of Westover, visiting Germanna in 1732, describes it thus; "The famous town of Germanna consists of Col. Spottswood's enchanted castle on one side and a bakers dozen (13) of ruinous tenements on the other, where so many German families had dwelt some years ago, but are now removed 10 miles higher in the Forks of the Rappahanock to lands of their own." Thirteen houses would exactly shelter the 12 families of the colony, with the pastor's family added. Clayton's description is the earliest recorded description of a German Reformed congregation, and its services carried on in the US; at Germanna was preached the first sermon to a German Reformed congregatoin in the US; and it was preached by the ancestor of the FISHBACK family, HENRY HAGER, who was certainly the first German Reformed pastor in the US. But Spottswood did not content himself with building habitations for his colonists. There was an established church in VA, and its ministers were entitled to tithes and could inflict all manner of exactions and annoyances upon these poor Germans who were not of their faith. And taxes had to be paid; and Spottswood did not want his protogees driven away before his iron project was developed. So he did the fair thing by the Germans, and a good thing for himself, and procured the passage of the following act by the first General Assembly, after the arrival of the colony. So far as now known this is the first reference to Germanna and "Our Colony" in any public document. FROM ACTS OF THE ASSEMBLY PASSED IN THE COLONY OF VIRGINIA FROM 1662 TO 1715. London, 1727, Page 379. At a General Assembly begun at the capitol, the 22nd day of October, in the 11th year of the reign of her late Majesty Queene Anne and in the year of our Lord 1712: and thrice continued by several prorogations to the 16th day of November in the lst year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George. Anno domini 1714. No. 2. Act to exempt certain German protestants from the payment of levies for 7 years and for erecting the parish of St. George. A. C. 1714. "Whereas certain German protestants to the number of forty two persons or thereabouts, have been settled above the falls of the River Rappahanock, on the Southern branch of said river, called Rapidan, at a place called Germanna, in the County of Essex, and have there begun to build and make improvements for their cohabitation, to the great advantage of this colony and the security of the frontiers in those parts from the intrusions of the Indians: for the encouragement therefore of the said Germans in their infant settlement, be it enacted by the Lt. Governor, council and burgesses of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, that all and every of the Germans now seated at Germanna, shall be and are hereby declared to be free and discharged from the payment of all and all manner of public or county levies or assessments whatsoever, for and during the term of 7 years from and after the end of this session of assembly; and if any other German or other foreign protestants shall be free and discharged from the payment of all such levies for the term of 7 years from the time of their settling at Germanna respectively, provided such Germans or foreigners who now are or who within the said term of 7 years shall be and continue for so long time to cohabit at Germanna. And if any of the said Germans or others shall depart from the said settlement at Germanna and inhabit any other part of this colony, such German and Germans and other foreign protestants leaving the said settlement, shall be assessed and pay all such levies and taxes as his Majesty's subjects of this dominion shall and do pay. "And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that the place called Germanna, together with a precinct of land thereunto next adjoining, extending 5 miles on each side of the said town or settlement of Germanna, is and shall be from henceforth a distinct parish of itself, and shall be called by the name of the Parish of St. George, and is and shall be divided and exempt from the Parish of St. Mary in said County of Essex and from all dependencies, offices, charges, and contributions, for and in respect thereof, and from the cure of the minister of said Parish of St. Mary, and his successors, and also is and shall be discharged of all levies, oblations, obventions and all other parochial duties whatsoever, relating to the said Parish of St. Mary. "Provided always that the parishioners of St. George shall not be obliged to pay any minister or ministers of their said parish, the salary allowed by law to the ministers of other parishes of this colony, until such time as there shall be the number of 400 tithable persons in the said Parish of St. George; but the said parishioners are and shall be at liberty in the meantime to agree with their minister and ministers to serve the cure of their said Parish upon such terms as by the Lt. Governor, or the Governor or commander in chief of this Dominion, for the time being with the advice of Council shall be thought reasonable, any law, statute or custom to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding (This act is not to be found in Hennings Statutes of VA. After long search, it was discovered by Rev. W. H. Hinke, in an old volume, entitled as above, in the PA Historical Society, and sent to the writer.). This was the German parish of St. George, NOT the English one. It was ignored and quietly wiped out of existence in the act of Nov. 20, 1720, organizing Spottslvania county, and creating the English parish of St.George coterminous with the county (Hennings, 77). (To be continued)