Jan Kilian
Jan Kilian (officially Johann Kilian , English John Kilian ; born March 22, 1811 in Döhlen near Hochkirch ; † September 12, 1884 in Serbin , Texas ) was a Sorbian Evangelical Lutheran pastor and leader of the 558 Sorbian emigrants who came to Europe in 1854 left to settle in Texas.
Life
Jan Kilian was born as the son of Peter Kilian and Maria (née Mättig), who was born in Niethen , in Döhlen (Delany) at the foot of the Hromadnik . His mother died in 1813, his father in 1821. After his father's death, Jan, who was just ten years old, was given the ownership of the farm in Döhlen, which, however, was initially managed and leased by his uncle Johann Mättig from Niethen because he was a minor. Kilian first attended a so-called " Winkelschule " in Rachlau , a neighboring town to his home village, and the grammar school in Bautzen . He then studied theology at Leipzig University , using the income from the leasing and later sale of the Döhlener Hof for a living. In 1834 Kilian became a vicar in his home community of Hochkirch and in 1837, as the successor to his uncle, who had recently died, he was pastor in Kotitz .
As early as 1817, the Lutheran and Reformed Protestant churches in neighboring Prussia were united into one church by decree . As a result, some Lutherans founded the Old Lutheran Church in 1830 , which was only recognized as a church in 1841 under strict conditions. In the Sorbian towns of Klitten and Weigersdorf near the border , there had been small old Lutheran communities since 1843. Jan Kilian supported them from Kotitz. In 1848 he finally moved across the border to Weigersdorf.
On November 14, 1848 Jan Kilian married Maria Groeschel from Särka , with whom he later had four children, but only one of whom grew up. Jaroměr Hendrich Imiš performed the wedding in the Weigersdorf church.
plant
Kilian translated numerous religious works from German into Sorbian , published his own hymn books and wrote hymns and poems.
Emigrated to Texas
At the end of 1854 Jan Kilian led a group of around 600 Sorbs from various places in Upper Lusatia, e.g. B. Dauban , Gröditz , Groß Saubernitz , Jahmen , Klitten , Malschwitz , Rackel and Reichwalde on the English ship Ben Nevis to America. Two thirds of the emigrants came from the Prussian, one third from the Saxon part of Upper Lusatia. The emigrants left Lusatia partly for economic, partly religious and partly for linguistic reasons and wanted to look for a new home in North America. During the stopover in Ireland, 15 passengers had already fallen victim to a cholera epidemic; 23 more died during the three-week quarantine. On October 22, the Ben Nevis set sail for Galveston , Texas. Another 18 passengers died on the crossing.
They founded the Serbin settlement near Austin , where Sorbian worship services were held until 1921. Kilian himself served there as pastor for almost thirty years. Meanwhile the descendants of the emigrants are anglicized; however, they still maintain Sorbian customs and maintain relationships with Upper Lusatia.
literature
- Trudla Malinkowa: Shore of Hope. Sorbian emigrants overseas. , Domowina-Verlag, Bautzen 1995
- Malinkowa, Trudla, ed. 2014. Jan Kilian (1811–1884). Pastor, poet, emigrant. Compendium of International Conference for the 200th . Birthday of the Lutheran clergyman, Bautzen, 23.-24. September 2011. Papers of the International Conference on the Occasion of the 200th Birthday of the Lutheran Minister, Bautzen, 23–24 September 2011.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Arnd Matthes: The Kilian family in Döhlen. In: Lětopis 58 (2011) 2, pp. 70–73, Ludowe nakładnistwo Domowina, Budyšin 2011
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kilian, Jan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kilian, Johann (official name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Sorbian Protestant pastor, leader of Sorbian emigrants to Texas |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 22, 1811 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Döhlen |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 12, 1884 |
| Place of death | Serbin , Texas |