The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography

The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XI, No. 4 (Apr., 1904), page 376

lodging. They received us willingly. They asked me how long I was in this country. When I told them, one who lives near by related that he had had a dangerous sea voyage, for one hundred and fifty of the passengers were drowned at one time. This gave me an opportunity to remind them how necessary it is to be ready at all times to leave this world. They at once took me to be a minister, and, as a result, showed us much love. They asked us to stay with them and preach for them on Sunday, as they had a church, but had not heard a sermon for six months. On the following day, November 23rd, it rained very hard. The man, mentioned before, brought me a horse early in the morning and went with us five miles farther to a "Reader" in Germantown,* on the "Licken" [Licking] Run. His name is Holzklo. A large Reformed congregation lives there close together. He received me very kindly when he heard that I was a minister. He related that Mr. Riegert had come twice every year to preach for * Germantown was situated abouit nine miles south of Warrenton, Va., on Licking Run, in the present county of Fauquier, as stated in notes to the diaries of Gottschalk anid Spangenberg, published in the January number, 1904, of this magazine. It was then in Prince William county, Va. In this connection it may be of interest to state that the following members of the first colony at Germannia, and later Germantown, voted for members of the House of Burgesses from Prince William county, Va., at an election held in 1741: Peter Hitt, Jacob Holtzclaw, John Kemper, and Tilman Weaver. See Poll List, Boogher's Gleanings of Virginia History, Washington, D. C., 1903, pp. 116-120. The fact that they voted at this election shows that they were then naturalized and freeholders. It also seems proper to be noted here that in the change of language some of the German names of the first Germanna colony became Anglicized. The German name of Tilman Weaver was Dilman Weber; the name of John Joseph Merdten was changed to Martin; the descendants of Herman Otterbach are to-day known as Utterback; while those who descend from Joseph Countz now spell their name Coons; Handbach is now Hanback. With these exceptions, the names borne by the original colonists upon their arrival in Virginia remain unchanged. † Rev John Bartholomew Rieger arrived at Philadelphia on September 21, 1731. He was pastor of the Reformed congregations at Philadelphia and Germantown from 1731-1734. Preached at Amwell, N. J., 1735-1739. Pastor at Lancaster, 1739-1743. Left Lancaster in