John Kilian also german: link=no, Johann Kilian, hsb, Jan Kilian (March 22, 1811 – September 12, 1884) was a Lutheran pastor and leader of the colony known as the

Wends of Texas The Texas Wends or Wends of Texas are a group of people descended from a congregation of approximately 558 Sorbian/ Wendish people under the leadership and pastoral care of John Kilian ( wen, Jan Kilian, german: Johann Killian) who emigrated f ...

Background

John Kilian was born in Doehlen, in the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Saxon ...

. After school in Rachlau and

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budis ...

, he studied theology at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

. He was a pastor in Hochkirch (his home parish) from 1834–1837. Because of the death of his uncle he became a pastor in Kotitz. In 1848, he became a pastor in Weigersdorf,

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. He rejected the "growing rationalism" that was growing among the clergy, calling for a return to Scripture as authoritative, translating a number of German items into Sorbian.

Texas Colony

It was during the year 1854 that about 558 Wendish

Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

from Kilian's congregations in

and also from

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

called him to lead them to Texas. Many people in Kilian's congregation were dissatisfied with the philosophy of

rationalism In philosophy, rationalism is the epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification".Lacey, A.R. (1996), ''A Dictionary of Philosophy' ...

spreading through Europe. Some viewed rationalism as an attempt to replace religion with science. With growing religious discontent, economic hardship and Kilian's desire to be a missionary in a foreign country, Kilian brought his followers to

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

and eventually settled about 55 miles east of

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

in Lee County. On March 25, 1854, a new Lutheran congregation was organized at Dauban, to become the cornerstone of a large Wendish emigration. Rev. Kilian was called as Pastor. This move resulted in the establishment of Low Pin Oak Settlement later renamed Serbin. One of the first acts accomplished by Rev. Kilian was to apply for membership in the fledgling

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...

. St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Serbin became the first of many Missouri Synod churches in Texas, and it had the only Wendish language speaking school in America.''Kilian, John (1811-1884)'' (Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association

/ref> Kilian wrote a number of hymns that have survived. He also wrote poetry and poetic speeches that are preserved

Concordia University Texas

The legacy of John Kilian is apparent at the campus of the

Concordia University Texas Concordia University Texas is a private university in Austin, Texas. The university offers undergraduate, Graduate school, graduate, and online degrees as well as an adult degree program for part-time and returning students. Concordia Universi ...

which features Kilian Road and an over-150-year-old bell at the entrance of Building A which Kilian and his followers brought on their journey to Texas. At its old campus, the university's first building was named Kilian Hall.

Selected works

*''Baptismal Records Of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Serbin, Texas 1854-1883''

References

Other sources

* Blasig, Anne. ''The Wends of Texas'' (The Naylor Company. San Antonio, Texas. 1957) * Cravens, Craig and David Zersen, editors. ''Transcontinental Encounters: Central Europe Meets the American Heartland'' (Austin, TX: Concordia University Press, 2005) * Grider, Sylvia. ''The Wendish Texans'' (The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures. San Antonio, Texas. 1982) * Malinkowa, Trudla. ''Shores of Hope: Wends Go Overseas'' (Austin: Concordia University Press, 2009) * Nielsen, George. ''In Search of Home, Nineteenth-Century Wendish Immigration'' (College Station: Texas A & M University Press.1989) * Malinkowa, Trudla, ed. 2014. ''Jan Kilian (1811–1884). Pastor, Poet, Emigrant. Sammelband der internationalen Konferenz zum 200. Geburtstag des lutherischen Geistlichen, Bautzen, 23.–24. September 2011. Papers of the International Conference on the Occasion of the 200th Birthday of the Lutheran Minister, Bautzen, 23–24 September 2011.'' ach chapter in both German & EnglishBautzen: Domowina Verlag. * Wukasch, Charles. ''A Rock Against Alien Waves: A History of the Wends'' Second Edition (Austin: Concordia University Press, 2008) * Zersen, David. ''An Exciting Find in a Wendish Vault in Texas.'' Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly. Fall 2012. * Zersen, David, ed. ''The Poetry and Music of Jan Kilian'' (Austin: Concordia University Press, 2011) * Zersen, David, "An Isolated Texas Lutheran Scholar Living in Hope." Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly. Summer 2018.

External links

Concordia University Texas Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilian, Jan 1811 births 1884 deaths People from Bautzen (district) People from the Kingdom of Saxony German emigrants to the United States American people of Sorbian descent 19th-century American Lutheran clergy People from Lee County, Texas Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod people 19th-century German translators 19th-century German Lutheran clergy Sorbian-language writers