Georgia Historical Society

Germans in Colonial Georgia

 
Before the Trustees established Georgia, they heard of the plight of a group of German Lutherans, expulsed from Salzburg by Count Leopold, the Catholic archbishop. The banished Germans marched through central Europe and gained considerable popularity among European Protestants. In England, charitable donations provided funds for the Salzburgers, and with the help of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), some members of which also served as Georgia Trustees, the Germans found passage to Georgia.

The Reverend Johann Martin Boltzius Rare Pamphlet Collection, S540.A2.T39

Upon their arrival in March 1734, the Germans found only one person among the colonists who could speak fluent German: Oglethorpe's Jewish lieutenant Benjamin Sheftall. Sheftall and his wife, who also spoke German, befriended the new arrivals and provided many services, for which he often asked no pay in return. In appreciation, some Salzburger men helped Sheftall in the cultivation of his fields. In return, the spiritual leader of the Salzburgers, the Reverend Johann Martin Boltzius, hoped to cultivate the Sheftalls' spirituality and convert them to Christianity. Not surprisingly, he did not succeed.

Salzburger landing, from GHS print collection.

Boltzius and the Salzburgers soon found a home in a place they named Ebenezer (there were two; the first proved to be a failure). More Germans followed, often in response to initially overly optimistic tales of the success to be had there. Eventually, however, Ebenezer did prove successful, not in the production of silk as originally intended, but in dairy, grain, and beef production and through the operation of grist mills. Boltzius and his community also established an orphanage which became the model for George Whitefield's Bethesda orphanage in Savannah. One of the children raised there, John Adam Treutlen, was later the first elected governor of Georgia under the 1777 constitution.

Boltzius' Reliable Answer to questions concerning Georgia and Carolin, Rare Pamphlet Collection, S540.A2.T39

 Some later-arriving Germans, many of them indentured servants, also found a home at Oglethorpe's southern defensive post, Frederica, where they earned a reputation as farmers. At Frederica, a German pastor conducted the ceremony uniting Thomas Bosomworth and Mary Musgrove. Most importantly, though, they helped defend Georgia's southern frontier, and that of the thirteen English colonies, against the Spanish in Florida. Serving with them was a hardy contingent of Highland Scots.
 
Teaching Tip
Using the above pages by Boltzius, have students compile a list of plants grown at Ebenezer and their respective use. Then have them research the plants and bring in leaves, fruit, or bark (younger students might simply draw them) for study. This might be another good opportunity to team up with the science or art department for a joint project. 

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