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Historical records matching John Spillman
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About John Spillman
John Spillman
- Birth: 6 Nov 1675 Oberschelden, Germany
- Death: Bet 1727 and 1728 Germantown, Fauquier County, Virginia
- Baptismal Name :Johannes Speilmann
- Father: Henrich Spielman b: 1646 in Germany
- Mother: Agnes Risserodt b: ABT 1650 in Seelbach, Germany
- Married: Mary Elizabeth Fischbach b: 7 AUG 1696 in Trubach, Siegen, Westfalen, Prussia, 1714 in Rappahannock Riv., Germanna, Virginia
Family
Wife: Maria Els Fischback (1696 - m. Abt 1714/15)
Children
- Mary Spillman Abt 1714 to 1715 -
- Jacob Spillman 1716 -
- Alice Spillman Abt 1717 - 1805
- John Spillman Abt 1718 -
- James Spillman 1720 - 1790
- Harman Spillman Bet 1722 & 1724 -
- Henry Spillman Bet 1728 & 1729 -
brief biography
(This biography contains religious bias. If this biography is not an excerpt from an official source, the religious bias should be removed.)
In 1708 Johannes was living as a bachelor with his stepmother in Obewrscheden, when he was recruited for the trip to Virginia.
John, Philip Fishbach and his daughter Mary Elizabeth Fishbach (John's future wife) and about 40 other iron miners left Siegen, Prussia, (about 40 miles up the Sieg River from Bonn on the Rhine River in western most present day Germany) in 1713 to mine silver in Virginia. The reasons for their leaving Siegen were religious problems (between the Protestants and Catholics) and an economic depression, plus they had the promise of using their mining expertise in America. The religious problem was that they were Protestants and Germany had been Catholic. The representatives of the Pope were nothing more than crooks who lined their pockets with taxes. It must be remembered that the Pope ruled all aspects of life including civil courts and even the persons selected to be local leaders. But other leaders such as Martin Luther and Calvin pointed out to the people the many evils of the Popes requirements which caused protestant uprisings leading to the 30 year religious war with the Catholics from 1618 to 1648 which led to economic devastation. Due to the uprisings German regions (including Prussia the western part of Germany) became Protestant which in turn prompted Catholic France to invade Prussia and again destroyed economic endeavor.
The promise of mining work in Virginia came from Christopher de Graffenried and Franz Louis Michel (Swiss natives) who were active in establishing German and Swiss Protestants in the colonies and probably supported by Governor Alexander Spotswood in Virginia. Michel discovered a silver mine in the lower valley of the Shenandoah and the partners took a grant in that locality in 1709. Graffenried wrote to J. Justiss Albrecht a head miner in Siegen. Albrecht organized the Prussian party mentioned above and traveled to London. Graffenried was short of funds and had expected only a few miners when he met the party in London. After considerable trouble two English merchants and a Lord provided the necessary travel funds with the expectation that the Governor of Virginia, Spotswood, would welcome these mining experts and would reimburse backers via the Captain of the ship carrying the miners. Spotswood did his part and soon located the Prussians above the falls of the Rappahannock River as Rangers (to protect Virginia from Indian attacks). Spotswood assisted their construction of a fort, and provided arms and provisions. The settlement was in a horseshoe of the river which created a 400 acre peninsula and became known as Germana or Germantown (also as the Parish of St. George).
The miners faced hard times but maintained their existence on the Ranger pay and hunting. Due to the promise of mining riches the Virginia government exempted the miners from taxation and rent but they still had little on which to survive. The English government was very slow to approve silver mining permits. In 1716 Spotswood, encouraged by the miners who discovered possible iron resources, took title to 3,229 acres and eventually built his famous furnace for iron processing. But Spotswood and the miners disagreed on compensation and the miners then reached agreement with an agent to acquire 1,805 acres (150 acres each for 12 families) in Faquier County and in 1720 moved to the Licking river site about 10 miles north of Germana. The miners prospered in their new tract first by raising cattle and then in farming raising corn and tobacco.
Eventually the miners sold their property to church wardens of Hamilton Parish, dispersed and thus Germantown ceased to exist by the time of the American Revolution.
In all of the recordings of that time the name of John Spilman was prominent as well as John Hoffman and Jacob Holtzclaw. A book by Benjamin Clark Holtzclaw (interesting name!), written about 1897, presents the scenes in Germany and Virginia very clearly and should be read if one likes history.
comments
Surname has also been erroneously reported to be:
Date and place of death have also been (erroneously?) reported to be November 6, 1675 at Siegen, Siegen-Wittgenstein? (now Arnsberg), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
Date and place of marriage have also been (erroneously?) reported to be 1714 in Prussia.
Date and place of death have also been (erroneously?) reported to be:
- 1727 in Prince William County, Virginia
- 1728 in Prince William County, Virginia
links
- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~brookefamily/spielmanjohn.htm
- http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:John_Spillman_%287%29
- http://www.bassett.net/gendata-o/p714.htm
- https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Spielman-76 WikiTree Genealogy
- https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/72776494/person/14... Ancestry Genealogy
- Reference: TNG Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jun 16 2021, 2:27:33 UTC
Johannes Spielmann
Born 6 Nov 1679 Oberschelden, Oberfischbach Parish, Nassau-Siegen (now Germany) [1, 2]
Died Between 1727 and 1728 Prince William (now Fauquier) County, Virginia [3]
Notes
Living as a bachelor at Oberschelden with his stepmother in 1708
1714 Germanna Colonist
John Spilman made oath that he came to Virginia in 1714 bringing wife Mary (Spotsylania County, Virginia Will Book A)
Sources
[S0043503] Historical Records of the Family Spielmann and Family Grimm, Erhard Schlabach, (Heimat- und Verschönerungsverein Oberschelden e.V., In memory of the visit to the Heimatverein Oberschelden (Siegerland), 5 June 2013), 3, 4, 6.
[S0040278] Germanna Record No. 5: Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750, B. C. Holtzclaw, (Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, 1964, Sixth Printing 2002), 447, 449.
[S0040278] Germanna Record No. 5: Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750, B. C. Holtzclaw, (Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, 1964, Sixth Printing 2002), 452.
453 before 7 Aug 1729 when the Germantown tract was distributed to the1714 families and the trustees deeded his share to his widow Mary Spilman
[S0043503] Historical Records of the Family Spielmann and Family Grimm, Erhard Schlabach, (Heimat- und Verschönerungsverein Oberschelden e.V., In memory of the visit to the Heimatverein Oberschelden (Siegerland), 5 June 2013), 3, 6.
date only
[S0040278] Germanna Record No. 5: Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750, B. C. Holtzclaw, (Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, 1964, Sixth Printing 2002), 451-452.
[S0043503] Historical Records of the Family Spielmann and Family Grimm, Erhard Schlabach, (Heimat- und Verschönerungsverein Oberschelden e.V., In memory of the visit to the Heimatverein Oberschelden (Siegerland), 5 June 2013), 4.
- Reference: TNG Genealogy - SmartCopy: Aug 6 2021, 23:34:48 UTC
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John Spillman's Timeline
| 1675 |
November 6, 1675
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Oberschelden (now part of Siegen), Siegen-Wittgenstein? (now Arnsberg), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
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| 1714 |
1714
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| 1716 |
1716
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Spotsylvania County, VA, United States
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| 1720 |
1720
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Germantown, Fauquier County, Virginia
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| 1722 |
1722
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| 1724 |
1724
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Fort Germanna, Spotsylvania County, Virginia, United States
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| 1727 |
1727
Age 51
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Germantown, Fauquier County, Virginia
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| 1728 |
1728
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| ???? |
Virginia
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