The Journals of the Moravian Mission to Georgia, 1734–1737: From Herrnhut to Savannah

The Moravian Journals of Georgia, 1734-1737: From Herrnhut to Savannah contains the translated journals of four Moravians who traveled to and lived in the British colony of Georgia between 1734 and 1737. Three of the journal authors were leading figures in the Moravian Church either at the time or in later years: August Gottlieb Spangenberg, David Nitschmann, (Bishop), and Johann Töltschig. The fourth journal author, Andreas Dober, was the brother of a Moravian church leader and himself circulated amongst the leadership of the Moravians for most of his life. The journals contain a myriad of information and perspectives on a variety of topics: early Georgia history; Moravian theology and practices; European riparian and transatlantic travel; landscape and geographical descriptions of the Georgia colony; linguistic information about eighteenth-century German word usages, syntax, and spellings, as well as German to English phonetics; and the experiences of other leading transatlantic figures of the era, including James Edward Oglethorpe and John and Charles Wesley. The edition includes a brief introduction explaining the context of the expedition, short profiles of each of the settlers, longer profiles of the four journal authors, and annotations, maps, and other elements to enhance the reader’s understanding of the journals.