Salzburger Refugees and the Georgia Landing (March 17, 1734)

On March 17, 1734, forty-two families of German Protestant refugees—seventy-eight souls—stepped onto the shore of the young Georgia colony. They had fled mounting pressure and persecution in their homeland, choosing exile rather than a silenced conscience. Supported by the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, they came not as fortune-seekers, but as pilgrims, carrying modest possessions and a practiced life of Scripture, prayer, and hymnody.

Their journey itself became a testimony: the same God who led His people through deserts and seas was able to preserve them through uncertainty, illness, and loss. Many arrived weary, yet resolved to worship, to work, and to raise children in the fear of the Lord.

Ebenezer: “Stone of Help” on Wilderness Ground

Pressing inland near Savannah, the refugees began a settlement they called Ebenezer, confessing the truth they had learned by trial: “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12). The name was not optimism; it was remembrance—an altar of gratitude set up in rough country, where food could be scarce and sickness frequent.

Ebenezer’s earliest seasons were hard. Disease and poor conditions tested their strength, and scarcity pressed them toward discouragement. Yet their endurance was not mere grit. They bore one another’s burdens, labored side by side, and ordered community life around worship and instruction. In a place where the wilderness could thin a people quickly, the Lord preserved a steadfast remnant.

Pastors, Prayer, and Quiet Heroism

Under faithful pastoral care—often associated with leaders such as Johann Martin Boltzius and Israel Christian Gronau—the congregation was gathered and shepherded through preaching, catechesis, and disciplined prayer. Their heroism was frequently ordinary: tending the sick, burying the dead with hope, forgiving offenses, sharing provisions, and returning again to the Psalms when strength failed.

Their story continues to encourage because it lifts the eyes higher than circumstance: “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2). Ebenezer stands as a reminder that Christ can plant a worshiping people in hard soil—and keep them there.