John Kilian
Encyclopedia
John Kilian also , was a Lutheran pastor
and leader of the colony known as the Wends of Texas
.
, Saxony
. After school in Rachlau and Bautzen
, he studied theology at the University of Leipzig
. He was a pastor in Hochkirch (his home parish) from 1834-1837. Because of the death of his uncle he became a pastor in Kotitz. In 1848, he became a pastor in Weigersdorf, Prussia
.
Lutherans from Kilian's congregations in Prussia
and also from Saxony
called him to lead them to Texas
. Many people in Kilian's congregation were dissatisfied with the philosophy of rationalism
spreading through Europe. Some viewed rationalism as an attempt to replace religion with science. With growing religious discontent, economic hardship and Kilian's desire to be a missionary in a foreign country, Kilian brought his followers to Galveston and eventually settled about 55 miles east of Austin
in Lee County.
On March 25, 1854, a new Lutheran congregation was organized at Dauban, to become the cornerstone of a large Wendish emigration. Rev. Kilian was called as Pastor. This move resulted in the establishment of Low Pin Oak Settlement later renamed Serbin
.One of the first acts accomplished by Rev. Kilian was to apply for membership in the fledgling Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Serbin became the first of many Missouri Synod churches in Texas, and it had the only Wendish language speaking school in America.
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
and leader of the colony known as the Wends of Texas
Wends of Texas
The Texas Wends or Wends of Texas are a group of people descended from a congregation of approximately 588 Sorbian/Wendish people under the leadership and pastoral care of John Kilian who emigrated from Lusatia to Texas in 1854. The term also refers to the other emigrations occurring before and...
.
Background
John Kilian was born in Doehlen, near HochkirchHochkirch
Hochkirch, in Sorbian Bukecy, is a municipality in the district of Bautzen, in Saxony in Germany. It is located 9 km northwest of Löbau, and 10 km east of Bautzen. It is known for the 1758 Battle of Hochkirch, part of the Seven Years' War....
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. After school in Rachlau and Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
, he studied theology at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
. He was a pastor in Hochkirch (his home parish) from 1834-1837. Because of the death of his uncle he became a pastor in Kotitz. In 1848, he became a pastor in Weigersdorf, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
.
Texas Colony
It was during the year 1854 that about 558 WendishWendish
Wendish may refer to:* the Sorbian languages used by the Slavs* the Wends, a Slav people of Northern Europe...
Lutherans from Kilian's congregations in Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and also from Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
called him to lead them to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Many people in Kilian's congregation were dissatisfied with the philosophy of rationalism
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
spreading through Europe. Some viewed rationalism as an attempt to replace religion with science. With growing religious discontent, economic hardship and Kilian's desire to be a missionary in a foreign country, Kilian brought his followers to Galveston and eventually settled about 55 miles east of Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
in Lee County.
On March 25, 1854, a new Lutheran congregation was organized at Dauban, to become the cornerstone of a large Wendish emigration. Rev. Kilian was called as Pastor. This move resulted in the establishment of Low Pin Oak Settlement later renamed Serbin
Serbin, Texas
Serbin is an unincorporated community in southwestern Lee County, Texas, United States. Located about east of Austin, it was originally established as Low Pin Oak Settlement by Wendish immigrants to Texas in the mid-1850s...
.One of the first acts accomplished by Rev. Kilian was to apply for membership in the fledgling Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Serbin became the first of many Missouri Synod churches in Texas, and it had the only Wendish language speaking school in America.
Concordia University Texas
The legacy of John Kilian is apparent at the campus of the Concordia University Texas where you will find Kilian Road and the over-150-year-old bell at the entrance of Building A which Kilian and his followers brought on their journey to Texas. At its old campus, the university's first building was named Kilian Hall.Other sources
- Blasig, A. The Wends of Texas (The Naylor Company. San Antonio, Texas. 1957)
- Cravens, Craig and David Zersen, editors. Transcontinental Encounters: Central Europe Meets the American Heartland (Austin, TX: Concordia University Press, 2005)
- Grider, S. The Wendish Texans (The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures. San Antonio, Texas. 1982)
- Malinkowa, T. Shores of Hope: Wends Go Overseas (Austin: Concordia University Press, 2009)
- Nielsen, G. In Search of Home, Nineteenth-Century Wendish Immigration (College Station: Texas A & M University Press.1989)
- Wukasch, Charles. A Rock Against Alien Waves: A History of the Wends Second Edition (Austin: Concordia University Press, 2008)