How A Soldier, A King, And Silkworms Founded the Colony Of Georgia

thefootloosescribbler

Like the origin of a river, I found the story about the origins of colonial Georgia to be a fascinating study. My interest came about because of our visit to the Wormsloe State Historic Site, eight miles south of Savannah. (I will write about Wormsloe in another blog.) After that, I dove online to do more research.

My favorite source of information was a 1741 document published by the original trustees of the Georgia colony. It is entitled, AN ACCOUNT Shewing the PROGRESS of the Colony of GEORGIA in AMERICA,  FROM IT’S First Establishment.  All the quotes in this blog post come from that Account.

Why was I so interested in this document? Because, as Spock would say, it was fascinating. Not only did the account confirm facts I’d found online, it was also an amazing read. For instance, after the Preface, the first sentence of the Account went on for four pages. They really knew how to make good use of commas and colons! And then, there was the way the writer insulted “authors” with a contrary view. Take this example:

. . . being a mean low-witted Sneer, a malicious ill-natured Invective, against that honorable Gentleman, wherein the Authors, without any regard to Good Manners or Common Civility, treat his Excellency (as it were to his Face) with such Rudeness as ill becomes any Person to use even to an Inferior . . .

How’s that for a classy F-Off?

Now back to our 13th colony.

Origin Story of the 13th Colony of Georgia

If it were not for James Oglethorpe, King George II, and silkworms, the 13th colony of Georgia would not have been founded. Here is the story:

In 1732, James Oglethorpe–former soldier who saw combat in the Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) and current member of parliament (M.P.), approached King George II of Britain with a grand idea. He and a group of trustees would establish a colony in America comprised of poor but worthy Protestants to create a silk industry and a stream of income for the king. Not incidentally, this colony would also act as a military buffer between the Spanish in Florida and the British Royal Colony of South Carolina.

The new colony would be called Georgia (after the king), and it would be run by a corporation called, “the Trustees for Establishing the Colony of Georgia in America.” The Trustees’ purpose for establishing Georgia, and I paraphrase, would be to cultivate his Majesty’s lands; strengthen his colonies; increase trade, navigation, and wealth of the king’s realms; defend against Indians, relieve the wants of poor people, and protect South Carolina from possible invasion by the Spanish in Florida.

King George II agreed. So on November 16, 1732, 114 chosen volunteers–men, women, and children, set out on the ship Anne for America. On January 13, they arrived in Charles-Town of South Carolina, from there they traveled to Beaufort, and finally, on February 1, all the colonists arrived in Savannah. Incidentally, Oglethorpe named the new town after the Savannah River, which had had its name for decades.

Allocated Land

The Trustees had strict laws about how much land could be allocated: 50 acres per person, or, 500 acres max for a man who could pay his own way (and bring male servants, one for each 50 acres of land). Inheritance was restricted to the eldest male of each household.

Simply put, the reason women were not allowed to inherit (this changed later) was because the Trustees did not want to weaken the “Garrison.” Women could not serve as soldiers.

Trustees did not want land subdivided, nor combined, because the goal was to keep colonists debt-free. Trustees decided that 50 acres per household were sufficient and not too much for that purpose.

It’s important to remember that another directive of the colony was to serve as a military buffer between South Carolina and Florida. In their Account, the Trustees state: it was thought necessary for the Trustees to send over such poor people and foreign Protestants as were willing to live in Georgia, not only to cultivate the lands, but at the same time to strengthen his Majesty’s Colonies. For which purpose they considered each inhabitant both as a planter and a soldier; and they were therefore to be provided with arms for their defence, as well as tools for their cultivation . . .

Note that the Trustees only wanted Protestants in America. This was because his Majesty’s enemies were French and Spanish Roman Catholics.

Prohibition against Slavery

When Georgia was first established, slavery was not allowed. There were several reasons, unfortunately none of them based on morality. The Trustees wanted the colonists to be independent and self-reliant. They did not want to take the chance of them falling into debt by taking on too much land and “property.”  But there were other reasons the Trustees were against slavery. The expense of bringing over slaves would be too much for the corporation, and they had a realistic fear that the enslaved might rise-up and join the Spanish in Florida. The Spanish already promised freedom to any of the enslaved in South Carolina who rebelled to join them in their fight against the British. The Trustees did not want to take that risk with Georgia.

What about Silkworms?

And finally, we get to the silkworm angle. Colonists were encouraged to harvest lumber and cultivate different crops, but the one guiding industry in James Oglethorpe’s vision was silk. The Trustees consulted with someone they considered an expert, Sir Thomas Lombe, who had made experiments producing silk.

In a letter dated Jan 31, 1733, he advised them: The value and usefulness of the undertaking will appear as soon as we consider that all the silk consumed in this kingdom, is now of foreign growth and manufacture, which costs the nation very great sums of money yearly to purchase; and that the raising our supply thereof in his Majesty’s Dominions in America would save us all that money, afford employment to many thousands of his Majesty’s subjects, and greatly increase the trade and navigation of Great-Britain. 

In other words, forming a silk industry would lead to the creation of jobs and a better economy.

Because silkworms feed on mulberry leaves, James Oglethorpe brought over 500 white mulberry trees to Georgia (mostly to St. Simon’s Island). He also established a nursery in Savannah from which mulberry trees were distributed to colonists.

Though some succeeded in producing raw silk, the industry as a whole failed in Georgia. The Trustees said this was because the colonists were not able to cultivate their lands in the time allocated because of ongoing threats from the Spanish, droughts, and other unforeseen accidents.

Trustees also placed blame on many of the people they had originally brought over from England: With the exception of Scottish Highlanders and German Protestants, the Trustees found that many of the poor who had been useless in England were inclined to be useless likewise in Georgia. (I don’t know if this was true, but I found it really funny.)

If you would like more information on James Oglethorpe and the founding of Georgia, you should listen to a wonderful podcast I found called Moving Through Georgia.

These online sites are great as well:

Trustee Garden – New Georgia Encyclopedia

Savannah City Plan – New Georgia Encyclopedia

And you can read the Trustee’s Account at the Library of Congress here.

The next blog about Georgia won’t be so long. Hope you enjoyed this!