the very brief account I printed off yesterday, from the 1722 book printed in London [Beverly's "History of Virginia", second edition] and thence to the 1860 book ["History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia" by Charles Campbell], says that a Mrs. Susan Bott of Petersburg had seen a golden horseshoe that had belonged to Spotswood, and it was small enough to be worn on a watch chain. One of the horseshoes was said to still be in the possession of the family of Brooke [did it survive the Civil War?]. A glass stopper to a small bottle was dug up in the yard at Chelsea, the property of a daughter of Spotswood, in King William County, and it had a horseshoe stamped on it. Nancy ------- I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days. --Daniel Boone On Jan 28, 2007, at 2:34 PM, Lonny J. Watro wrote: > At this URL you'll find the debate: > http://www.germanna.org/history.html#marker > > Quoted from the above URL... > > The Knights of the Horseshoe > In August 1716, Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood led a group of men > on a trip that has become known as the exploration to the Blue > Ridge Mountains of Virginia. This group of men later became known > in fiction as "The Knights of the Golden Horseshoe" and Reverend > Jones in his history of Virginia says they were given a gold > horseshoe in commemoration of their famous journey. No proof of > this gold horseshoe has ever been found so the story was probably > a creation of Jones and later perpetuated by Caruthers in his 1834 > fantasy "The Knights of the Horseshoe". Fontaine's Journal makes no > mention of any gift given by Spotswood at the end of the > expedition. From Fontaine's Journal: "...and at four we came to > Germanna. The Governor thanked the Gentlemen for their assistance > in the expedition. Mr. Mason left us at five. I went and swam in > the Rappahannoc (sic) river and returned to the town." > > The men in the party were Spotswood; John Fontaine, who wrote a > journal of his observations of the journey that has been an > invaluable resource for research by historians through the years; > Beverley, the noted historian of Virginia in 1703; Colonel > Robertson; Austin Smith; Todd; Dr. Robinson; Taylor; Brooke; Mason; > and Captains Clouder and Smith. The entire party also included > rangers, Indians, and numerous servants who made the total number > of the party approximately fifty persons. > > In Hugh Jones' fanciful "History of Virginia", published in 1724, > the following is stated: > > > "Governor Spotswood, when he undertook the great discovery of the > Passage over the Mountains, attended with a sufficient guard, and > pioneers and gentlemen, with a sufficient stock of provisions, with > abundant fatigue passed these Mountains, and cut His Majesty's name > in a rock upon the highest of them, naming it Mount George; and in > complaisance the gentlemen, from the governor's name, called the > mountain next in height Mount Alexander. > > For this expedition they were obliged to provide a great quantity > of horse shoes [things seldom used in the lower parts of the > country, where there are few stones]; upon which account the > Governor, upon their return, presented each of his companions with > a golden horse shoe [some of which I have seen studded with > valuable stones, resembling the heads of nails] with this > inscription on the one side: SIC JUVAT TRANSCENDERE MONTES; and on > the other is written the tramontane order." > > Part of Jones' account is again contradicted by Fontaine when he > states: > > "The Governor had graving irons but could not grave any thing, the > stones were so hard. I graved my name on a tree by the river side > and the governor buried a bottle with a paper enclosed in which he > writ that he took possession of this place in the name and for King > George 1st of England." > > > End Quote > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the > instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html