Hans Jacob Rector

Christened in German Protestant Chrich the 19th Sunday after Trinity, 1674 with Hans Jacob Zimmerman acting as godfather. Married at Trupbach Jan 17, 1711 to Elizabeth, daughter of Philipp Fishenbach, had a son Johannes born there Dec. 1, 1711. He was admitted to the Guild of Steelsmiths and Toolmakers of the Freudenberg District as a toolmaker Jan. 7, 1712 and as “Hans Jacob Fishbach” sold his house at Trupbach in 1713 to his brother, Johannes Richter of Weidenau. . The house sale must have been in preparation for his leaving Germany. They first went to Maidstone England and then immigrated into Virginia in 1714 into the Germanna Colony, in what now is Orange county, Virgina. Governor Alexander Spottswood of the Virginia colony conceived the idea of having an iron-producing colony brought to Virginia. They were assembled in the Nassau-Siegen area of Germany and sent out to the new country by Baron de Graffenreid. They were the first German colony in Virginia, German protestants, and they settled in a five-sided walled and fortified town which they cut out and built in a loop of the Rapidan River 12 miles upstream from its conflurence with the Rappahannock. After a number of years the families who had turned to farming, moved to other locations nearby in Virginia. John (Hans) Jacob Rector acquired considerable land and chattels as well as a small number of slaves. After his death, Elizabeth, his wife, married John Marr. She and John Jacob had four sons, as proven by her will leaving her estate to her four sons.

Married:

1. Anna Maria WICHEL
2. Enchen Anna Roseman
3. Enchen SCHAFER
4. 17 January 1710/11 in Trupbach, Nassau-Siegen, Germany to Anna Elizabeth Fischbach b: 15 April 1685 in Trupbach, Nassau-Siegen, Germany

Children of Elizabeth include

1. John Rector b: 1 DEC 1711 in Trupbach, Germany
2. Henry Rector b: ABT 1715 in Stafford County, Virginia
3. Harmon Rector b: 1716 in Germanna, Essex, Virginia
4. Jacob Rector b: ABT 1723 in Fauquier County, Virginia

No daughters

Links

• http://www.germanna.org/history.html
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=marcwheat...

First German Settlement in Virginia

In 1709, hundreds of Palatine refugees from the Rhineland had been driven from their homes by famine and religious persecution. Therefore, they sought refuge in England. Under the Swiss entrepreneur Christopher Graffenreid, some of these people were settled on the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers in North Carolina.

The First Colony

The 1714 Colony from the Siegerland, settled first at Fort Germanna then at Germantown in present day Fauquier County.

Names are listed with families and town of immigration in the Siegerland.

The First Colony

The 1714 Colony from the Siegerland, settled first at Fort Germanna then at Germantown in present day Fauquier County.

Names are listed with families and town of immigration in the Siegerland.

Albrecht, Johann Juste Switzerland Brombach/Brombach, Melchior/Melcherd wife Maria Elizabetha Fischbach Müsen

Cuntze/Koontz, Jost wife Anna Gertrud Reinschmidt children: Johannes, Anna Elizabeth, Catherina Niederndorf

Fischbach/Fishback, Philip wife Elizabeth Heimbach children: Johannes, Harman, Maria Elisabeth Trupbach

Haeger/Häger, Rev. Johann Henrich wife Anna Catharina Friesenhagen children: Agnes, Anna Catherine Oberfischbach

Heide/Heite/Hitt, Peter/Deiter wife Maria Elizabeth Freudenberg Kaan Marienborn

Hoffmann/Hoffman/Huffman, Johannes Eisern

Holtzklau/Holtzclaw, Hans Jacob wife Anna Margaretha Otterbach children: Johannes, Johann Henrich Oberfischbach

Kemper/Camper, Johannes Müsen

Merdten/Martin, Johnan Jost/John Joseph Müsen

Otterbach/Utterback, Hermann wife Elizabeth Heimbach children: Johann Philip, Johannes, Elizabeth, Alice Catherine, Mary Catherine, Anna Catherine Trupbach Richter/Rector, Johann Jacob wife Anna Elisabeth Fischbach and at least one child: Johannes Trupbach

Spielmann/Spilman, Johannes wife Mary Oberschelden

Weber/Weaver, Johann Henrich wife Anna Margarethe Huttman children: Johannes, Cathrin, Tillman Eisern

Moved to Virginia around 1714

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

about Hans Jacob Richter

Name: Hans Jacob Richter

Year: 1714

Place: Virginia

Family Members: Wife Elisabeth; Son Johann

Source Publication Code: 6102

Primary Immigrant: Richter, Hans Jacob

Annotation: Germanna and Germantown, Virginia.

Names 30 of the emigrants who left the Duchy of Nassau-Siegen in 1713 and arrived in Virginia in 1714 to settle the colonies of Germanna and, later, Germantown.

Source Bibliography: NESSLER, HANS. "Germanna und Germantown in Virginia/USA." In Roland zu Dortmund: Zeitschrift der Genealogisch-Heraldischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft, Jahrgang 6:8 (1972), pp. 143-145.

Page: 144

From "Find a Grave" website...https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13039423/hans-jacob-richter

Hans Jacob Richter was born to Christopher Richter & Anna Cathrina Baker-Richter on 10 Oct 1674 in Trupbach,Siegen,Westfalen,Prussia (aka Trupbach, Nassau Siegen, Germany). Married Anna Elizabeth Fischbach on 17 Jan 1710 in Trupbach, Westfalen, Germany

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Richter-30

Hans Jacob Richter and his family are listed among the first group of settlers to Germanna Colony in Virginia in April 1714:

Hans Jacob Richter (Rector), 40, b. 1674, his wife, Elizabeth, b. 1685, (the daughter of Philip Fishback above) and their son, John, b. 1711.

HANS JACOB RICHTER was born on October 10, 1674 in Trupbach, Nassau-Siegen, Germany. He was christened on the nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, 1674. His godfather was Hans Jacob Zimmerman.

Hans Jacob was married to ANNA ELS FISCHBACK, the daughter of PHILIPP FISCHBACK and ELIZABETH HEIMBACH on January 17, 1710/1711 in Trupbach, Nassau-Siegen, Germany.

Hans Jacob was admitted to the Guild of Steelsmiths and Toolmakers at Freundenberg District as a toolmaker on January 7, 1712.

Since schooling was compulsory in Germany at the time of his birth there, it is assumed John Jacob Rector was an educated person.

John Jacob Rector was an elder in the German Reformed Church, the great German branch of the Presbyterian family of churches.

"Hans Jacob Fischback" sold his house at Trupback in 1713 to his brother, Johannes Richter of Weidenau.

During the governorship of Alexander Spotswood from 1710 to 1722 iron ore deposits were discovered in what is now Northeast Orange County, Virginia. Prior to this time there had been no iron ore mining and production of iron products in the Colonies. All much needed items made of this metal were imported from England at great expense. The Governor fully realized that if this newly found and valuable resource could be mined and processed into farm implements, tools, household items, guns, etc. It would be of great benefit to the Colony.

Swiss promoter/developer Baron Von Graffenreid was engaged by Governor Spotswood to recruit immigrants from the old Principality of Nassau-Siegen area, now a part of Westphalia, Germany to mine and process this newly found iron ore. This area of Germany, about forty-five miles East of Bonn, was selected because iron ore had been mined, processed andiron products manufactured there for centuries.

Twelve families, consisting of forty-two individuals, with a knowledge of iron ore mining, processing and iron products manufacturing from the Nassau-Siegen area were persuaded to immigrate to the New World. John Jacob Rector, his wife Elizabeth Fischback and their son John were one of these families.

In the summer of 1713 the twelve families departed their German homeland for the New World. Their first stop was Maidstone, England. On arrival they found their promoter was without money or provisions for the voyage to America. During the Winter of 1713/1714 they worked to pay their own way and on April 1714 landed not far from Williamsburg, Virginia; the seat of government.

The settlers named their new home "Germanna" in remembrance of their homeland and to honor Queen Anna of England. They cleared the forest and built their homes and a church. For the first time in the New World they engaged in iron ore mining and processing and production of iron products. The Government cut a road thru the forest into the area, built a fort and furnished two cannon and ammunition for protection against the Indians.

About 1720 the twelve Germanna families moved northward about nineteen miles into what is now Fauquier County, Virginia and settled on a tract of 1805 acres. The exact location is on Licking Run between Warrenton and Midland. Each family was granted 150 acres. They named their new community "Germantown."

John Jacob Rector, three of his four children and some of his grandchildren spent the remainder of their lives at, or near, Germantown.

John died on August 7, 1729 in Germantown, Fauquier County, Virginia.

▼References ↑ Germanna Record No. 4: John Jacob Rector, 1714 Germanna Colonist and His Descendants Pages 3 - 10. ↑ Germanna Record No. 5: Ancestry & Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714 - 1750

• Reference: TNG Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jun 17 2021, 2:34:59 UTC