Transcription and translation of 100 letters written by pastors of the Ebenezer emigrant congregation in Georgia between 1745 and 1800.
Edition of the letters of Hermann Heinrich Lemke, Christian Rabenhorst und Christoph Friedrich Triebner
Project
In another collaborative project between the Francke Foundations, the Georgia Salzburger Society, and Prof. em. Russell C. Kleckley, a total of 100 letters and a travel journal by pastors Hermann Heinrich Lemke (1720-1768), Christian Rabenhorst (1728-1776), and Christoph Friedrich Triebner (1740-1815), who worked between J. M. Boltzius and J. E. Bergmann in the Ebenezer emigrant community in Georgia. In particular, the conflicts within the community, which occurred immediately before and during the War of Independence and almost led to the destruction of the community, can thus be better examined and understood on the basis of the original source material. An English-language book publication is planned by the Francke Foundations publishing house. The German transcriptions will be published in the Digital Collections. The GSS will finance the transcription, translation, and annotation. A corresponding cooperation agreement was signed by the partners on Heritage Day 2025 in Ebenezer.
Project staff: Dr. Jürgen Gröschl (Halle), Dr. Erika Pabst (Halle), Dr. Russell Kleckley (South Carolina)
Project duration: 2026–2029
