The Georgia Dutch

    The “Georgia Dutch” were German-speaking immigrants who arrived predominantly between 1735 and 1752. The Trustees of Georgia encouraged, and provided financial support, to Protestants from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria who wished to settle in Georgia. They were motivated partly by solidarity with persecuted protestants, partly by the need for any and all additional settlers, and partly by the reputation of German immigrants as more industrious and successful than the average English settler. The majority were poor, and many came as indentured servants. They settled in Ebenezer- founded by the first Salzburger group- and the other German-speaking villages near Savannah, such as Abercorn and Vernonburg. So many came that, by the mid-18th century, the majority of the residents of Georgia were German-speakers.

    Most came from 4 areas: the independent state of Salzburg, the German Palatinate (in Southwest Germany), Swabia- also in SW Germany, between the Palatinate and Bavaria- and northern Switzerland. The Salzburgers and some members of the other groups were religious refugees; about 20,000 Protestant residents of the Bishophric of Salzburg were expelled in 1731 by Count Leopold Anton von Firmian (1679-1744), Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, after they refused to recant. However, many were fleeing economic hardship: Southwest Germany was devastated in the 30 Years War and its aftermath. Many, particularly those who settled in the Salzburger town of Ebenezer, came to be called “Salzburgers” even though most came from elsewhere in German-speaking Europe.

    Ebenezer was the most important German settlement. Situated on the Savannah River about 20 miles north of Savannah, it became home of many of the groups of German-speakers who arrived in the 18th century. Jerusalem Church, built in the 1760’s, was the center of the community. 

    Because the land was quite poor, Ebenezer never prospered, and it was repeatedly ravaged by both Tory and Patriot armies during the revolution. Many of the occupants eventually made their way to Savannah or surrounding areas.