Page 47 - Pilgrims in Georgia

R A Rough Start

In 1732 The Trustees of the Colony of Georgia extended an invitation to the Salzburgers to come settle in the new colony in
America. Reverend Samuel Urlsperger, working through the “Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge” in England,
made arrangements for the group of Salzburgers to travel to Georgia in search of religious freedom. after they first traveled
to England, they boarded the Purysburg and left England for their long journey to America on January 8th, 1734. Having
spent eight weeks crossing the ocean, the American coastline was sighted on March 5th, 1734. Finally, on March 12th,
1734, the first Salzburgers landed at Savannah. They arrived with two pastors, a schoolteacher, and an apothecary, their
health care provider. General James Oglethorpe and the inhabitants of the city welcomed the exiles and they were led to
their new homes at Ebenezer (meaning “stone of help”). Sadly, the settlers suffered severe hardships at this site which was

located on Ebenezer Creek several miles inland from the Savannah River. It was situated on an old trading path of the native
people – a site that had strategic importance, because a town at this location would serve as a buffer for Savannah in the
event of an attack from the north by hostile natives or a backdoor assault by the Spaniards from Florida. However, the
location was a disaster for the Salzburgers, the land was of inferior quality for farming, which led to crop failures. Another
problem was the creek flooded periodically, submerging part of the town and its fields and the creek also proved to be non-
navigable. The settlement was too far inland with little access to the waterways. Life at Ebenezer was brutal: over 30 of the
settlers died due to complications from dysentery and many newborn children died within the first month. So many adults
died that they decided to build an orphanage for their children, which became Georgia’s first orphanage and the inspiration
for George Whitfield’s Bethesda Orphanage later. They would soon seek to relocate their settlement to a better area.

Ebenezer, “stone of help”
Rev. Johann Martin Boltzius
The Orphanage Building (now museum) at New Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12)