The Moravians in Georgia, 1735-1740Fries, Adelaide L. (Adelaide Lisetta)
History
The Moravians in Georgia, 1735-1740
Fries, Adelaide L. (Adelaide Lisetta)
Moravians -- Georgia
Nor did his championship of the Bohemians and Moravians already in
Saxony have any result. Urlsperger was offended that the negotiations
from Herrnhut with the Trustees were not being carried on through him,
“the only one in Germany to whom the Trustees had sent formal authority
to receive people persecuted on account of religion, or forced to
emigrate,” and the Halle party were unable or unwilling to meet the
leaders of the Moravians “without prejudice”. The company of Salzburgers
therefore sailed for Georgia in November without Baron von Reck, and
without the Moravians, Mr. Vat acting as Commissary.
The Moravians, meanwhile, were not waiting idly for matters to turn
their way, but even before Reck reached his decision Spangenberg had
started for England to arrange personally with the Georgia Trustees for
their emigration.
August Gottlieb Spangenberg was born July 15th, 1704, at Klettenberg,
Prussia. In the year 1727, while a student at Jena, he became acquainted
with the Moravians through a visit of two of their number, which won
them many friends at that institution. Later, when he was Assistant
Professor of Theology at Halle, he was required to sever his connection
with the Moravians, or leave the University, and choosing the latter
he came to Herrnhut in the spring of 1733. He was one of the strongest,
ablest, and wisest leaders that the Unitas Fratrum has ever had, and
eventually became a Bishop of the Unity, and a member of its governing
board. He was a writer of marked ability, and in his diaries was
accustomed to speak of himself as “Brother Joseph”, by which name he was
also widely known among the Moravians.
Spangenberg left Herrnhut in the late summer or early fall of 1734,
bearing with him Zinzendorf’s Power of Attorney to receive for him a
grant from the Georgia Trustees of five hundred acres of land, and
to transact all other necessary business. He stopped for some time in
Holland, where he made a number of acquaintances, some of whom gave him
letters of introduction to friends in England and in America, and
others contributed toward the necessary expenses of the emigrants. From
Rotterdam he wrote to Zinzendorf, saying that he heard no ship would
sail for America before February or March, and that he thought it would
be best for the colonists to wait until he wrote from London, and then
to come by way of Altona, as the Holland route was very expensive. These
suggestions, however, came too late, as the party had left Herrnhut
before the arrival of his letter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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