The first time I was in Georgia was around 1970. I was starting college at Valdosta State College, now University. During the three years I spent there, I did a little exploring, but never went too far from a well populated town or city. Back then, searching for the roots of a place didn’t occur to me. Today, however, it’s a different story. I’m interested in the settlements, the history of the people who lived in the area.

We all know that the Europeans who arrived in North America found inhabitants already occupying the land. The accounts I’ve read so far, about the Salzburger settlers who founded Ebenezer, Georgia don’t mention their dealings with the indigenous peoples who inhabited the area, but I plan to keep reading.

Visiting the 300-year-old place where the Salzburgers established their town was fascinating. The library and museum, located in the old church, are well maintained as are the grounds, and the volunteers who staff the Society’s holdings and maintain them are amazingly knowledgeable. The buildings on the property don’t date back to the original settlement, but are from the 19th century.

Behind the buildings and down a slope is the reason for the town’s location: the Savannah River.

In the library was a wealth of information. In addition to handwritten documents, there were typed compilations of the local news from the beginning of the settlement, vital records, and various historical accounts. Including multi-volume books about the immigrant families in Ebenezer, Georgia and a book that I am eager to read: “The Journal of the Earl of Egmont 1732-1738.”

There were also accounts in these books of enslaved people with the names of their enslavers – as researchers in my office continue their work for clients researching their enslaved ancestors, this may prove useful in their investigations. I was reminded by these accounts of my travels in Eastern Europe and how the beauty of the land disguises the horrors of what happened in these places.

Those incredible volunteers who maintain these libraries and work to preserve memories of ALL the things that happened are definitely to be commended. If your travels take you to Savannah, Georgia, I recommend that you look for some of the old small settlements, like Ebenezer, and take a few hours to investigate.