Salzburger emigrants

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The exiled Protestants from Salzburg, circa 1732

The Salzburger Emigrants were a group of German-speaking Protestant refugees from the Catholic

King George II of Great Britain for help. The King offered them refuge in his Georgia colony, which later became the town of Ebenezer
.

History

The settlement of New Ebenezer in the English colony of Georgia, founded 1736

In 1734, Johann Martin Boltzius and Israel Gronau led the group of 300 Salzburgers who sailed from England to Georgia. They arrived in Charleston, South Carolina on March 7, and proceeded to Savannah on March 12. James Oglethorpe, the founder of the Georgia colony, met them upon arrival and assigned them the piece of land that would become Ebenezer.[2]

Jerusalem Lutheran Church, Ebenezer, GA

The Salzburgers experienced several obstacles during this first attempt at fully establishing their community. Over 30 of the settlers died due to complications from dysentery and many newborn children died within the first month. The settlement was too far inland with little access to the waterways, rendering the land infertile. Until they could relocate, their alliance with the Trustees would result in enough financial support to sustain them. Boltzius knew that the Salzburgers would fail completely if they did not resettle the community.[3]

In 1736, their leader

grist mill in Georgia. Much of their success was still due in large part to support from the Trustees.[4] Despite high death rates, the Salzburgers began to prosper by gradually transitioning their income methods from subsistence farming to silk and timber production, both of which were labor-intensive. In order for the Salzburgers to continue expanding, Boltzius and the Salzburger leaders introduced slaves. This action had been rigorously opposed by the Salzburgers since their arrival.[5] The Salzburgers succeeded at farming, specifically cattle breeding. The Salzburgers also established grist and saw mills, which helped them establish new sources of income through production and trade.[6]

By the mid-eighteenth century, the community expanded and new settlements began to form. The community grew to over 1,200 people. After the death of Boltzius in 1765, the Salzburger identity and traditions began to fade.[7] The Jerusalem Church is one of the only remaining remnants of the Salzburgers today. The church was completed in 1769 and is the oldest church building in the state that is still in use.[8]

In 1966, Salzburg Archbishop Andreas Rohracher expressed regret about the expulsions.

See also

References

  1. ^ Salzburg History: The Salzburg Exiles
  2. ^ Barlament, James. "Salzburgers." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 15 January 2015. Web. 06 March 2015.
  3. ^ Urlsperger, Samuel, George F. Jones, Renate Wilson, and Samuel Urlsperger. Detailed Reports on the Salzburger Emigrants Who Settled in America. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1968. Print.
  4. JSTOR 40579469. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help
    )
  5. JSTOR 2210604. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help
    )
  6. ^ "The Salzburgers." Archived 2015-05-11 at the Wayback Machine The Georgia Salzburger Society. N.p., n.d. Accessed on 10 April 2015.
  7. ^ Barlament, James. "Salzburgers." New Georgia Encyclopedia, 15 January 2015. Accessed on 10 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Jerusalem Church." Archived 2015-05-10 at the Wayback Machine The Georgia Salzburger Society. N.p., n.d. Accessed on 10 April 2015.
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