![Salzburger Exulanten02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Salzburger_Exulanten02.jpg)
The Salzburger Emigrants were a group of German-speaking Protestant refugees from the Catholic
Archbishopric of Salzburg
The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg (german: Fürsterzbistum Salzburg; Erzstift Salzburg; Erzbistum Salzburg) was an ecclesiastical principality and state of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the secular territory ruled by the archbishops of ...
(now in present-day
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
) that immigrated to the
Georgia Colony
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
in 1734 to escape religious persecution. This group was expelled from their homeland by
Count Leopold Anton von Firmian
Leopold Anton Eleutherius Freiherr von Firmian (11 March 1679 – 22 October 1744) was Bishop of Lavant 1718–24, Bishop of Seckau 1724–27 and Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1727 until his death.
Early life
He was born in Munich, on his f ...
(1679–1744),
Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. On October 31, 1731, he issued an Edict of Expulsion demanding from the Salzburg Protestants to recant their faith. Pastor
Samuel Urlsperger, the leader of the Society for Promotion of Christian Knowledge, called upon
King George II of Great Britain
, house = Hanover
, religion = Protestant
, father = George I of Great Britain
, mother = Sophia Dorothea of Celle
, birth_date = 30 October / 9 November 1683
, birth_place = Herrenhausen Palace,Cannon. or Leine ...
for help. The King offered them refuge in his Georgia colony, which later became the town of
Ebenezer Ebenezer may refer to:
Bible
* Eben-Ezer, a place mentioned in the Books of Samuel
People
* Ebenezer (given name), a male given name
Places Australia
* Ebenezer, New South Wales
* Ebenezer, Queensland, a locality in the City of Ipswich
* Ebene ...
.
History
![New Ebenezer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/New_Ebenezer.jpg)
In 1734,
Johann Martin Boltzius
Johann Martin Boltzius (December 15, 1703 – November 19, 1765) was a German-born American Lutheran minister. He is most known for his association with the Salzburger emigrants, a group of German-speaking Protestant refugees who migrated to the B ...
and Israel Gronau led the group of 300 Salzburgers who sailed from England to Georgia. They arrived in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
on March 7, and proceeded to
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...
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 Ebenezer may refer to:
Bible
* Eben-Ezer, a place mentioned in the Books of Samuel
People
* Ebenezer (given name), a male given name
Places Australia
* Ebenezer, New South Wales
* Ebenezer, Queensland, a locality in the City of Ipswich
* Ebene ...
.
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
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
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.
In 1736, their leader
Boltzius was able to secure a new settlement after much negotiation with Oglethorpe. The Salzburgers resettled above the
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...
and this community was referred to as New Ebenezer. By the end of 1737, the Salzburgers were able to establish legitimate farmsteads. In the next few years, they would create a water-driven
grist mill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...
in Georgia. Much of their success was still due in large part to support from the Trustees. 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. 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.
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. 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.
"Jerusalem Church."
''The Georgia Salzburger Society''. N.p., n.d. Accessed on 10 April 2015.
In 1966, Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
Andreas Rohracher
Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The name ...
expressed regret about the expulsions.
See also
*Ebenezer, Georgia
Ebenezer, also known as New Ebenezer, is a ghost town in Effingham County, Georgia, United States, along the banks of Ebenezer Creek. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as Ebenezer Townsite and Jerusalem Lutheran Chu ...
*Johann Martin Boltzius
Johann Martin Boltzius (December 15, 1703 – November 19, 1765) was a German-born American Lutheran minister. He is most known for his association with the Salzburger emigrants, a group of German-speaking Protestant refugees who migrated to the B ...
*John A. Treutlen
John Adam Treutlen, born Hans Adam Treuettlen (January 16, 1734 – March 1, 1782), arrived in Colonial America as an indentured servant and rose to become a wealthy merchant and landowner. He was a leader in Province of Georgia, Georgia during ...
*Georgia Salzburger Society
The Georgia Salzburger Society, headquartered in historic Ebenezer, Georgia, celebrates the history and heritage of the Georgia Salzburgers who emigrated and settled in Old Ebenezer and New Ebenezer. It was established in 1925 as an independently ...
*Salzburg Protestants
The Salzburg Protestants (german: Salzburger Exulanten) were Protestant refugees who had lived in the Catholic Archbishopric of Salzburg until the 18th century. In a series of persecutions ending in 1731, over 20,000 Protestants were expelled from ...
References
{{reflist, 2
1734 in the Holy Roman Empire
1734 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies
1734 in the Thirteen Colonies
Austrian-American history
Emigrants from the Austrian Empire to the United States
Province of Georgia
Georgia Salzburgers
German emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
History of Effingham County, Georgia
History of Salzburg
Pre-statehood history of Georgia (U.S. state)