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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
5
tect the Carolinas from any danger of attack on the
part of the Spaniards.
We know something definite of the missions on the
lower Georgia coast; but little has come down to us
concerning those around Savannah. On Tybee Island
there stood up to recent years the old Martello tower,
built by the Spaniards as a fortress to guard the en
trance to the Savannah River. It remained up to
about six or seven years ago the oldest historic relic
in this section; but finally, in spite of protests from
those interested in preserving monuments of the past,
was torn down by order of the United States mili
tary authorities because it was in the way of the
range. Its foundations still stand level with the sand
at Fort Screven, near the Tybee lighthouse, a mute
testimonial of the Spanish occupation of Eastern Geor
gia. At Wassaw Island, just below Tybee, within the
memory of the older people of Savannah, there used
to be remnants of one of the old Spanish “mission-
stations” called “the monastery.” It has long since
disappeared, and even its memory has almost faded
away. There is little else that can be said concern
ing the Spanish missions near Savannah, except that
when John Wesley tried to convert the Yamacraws
to the Christian faith, he was told that the “black
kings” had been among them; and these were sup
posed to be French. As no French priests were in
this part of the country at that early date, the “black
kings” were no doubt the early Spanish missionaries
of St. Francis, who labored in the wilderness long be
fore the English had set foot on Georgia soil. In the
eyes of the modern world their work would be con
sidered a failure, although they accomplished much
for a time; but the souls brought to the knowledge of
the faith are of greater value than any “success” as
measured by the standards of the world.
Catholics in the Colonial Days.
About the year 1 729, a society was formed in
London for the amelioration of the condition of the
poor. It was composed of gentlemen of means, chief
among whom was General James Oglethorpe. The
oppressed debtors were the principal objects of their
interest and concern, and as there was no available
asylum or refuge in England it was decided to form
a new colony for their betterment in America. Ogle
thorpe and his companions applied to the Crown for
a charter, which was granted by George II on the
9th day of June, 1732; and the land lying to the
south of the Carolinas, between the Savannah and
the Altamaha Rivers, and extending from the Atlantic
coast to the Mississippi River, was designated, and
the name of “Georgia” was given to it in honor of
the King.
The charter was not to expire for twenty-one years,
and it stipulated that religious freedom and tolera
tion should be granted to all classes except to Papists.
There were also two other regulations included in
the charter viz: the exclusion of rum and negro
slaves.
The exclusion of Catholics was not an exception to
the general rule; it was the common policy of the
English in those days, as the history of all the Ameri
can colonies will show, Maryland alone excepted. In
the case of Georgia, however, there was evidently
more than one reason on the part of the British
authorities for such action: bigotry was no doubt the
chief one, but there was also the fear of a Spanish
attack on the new colony, and Catholics were held in
suspicion as possible Spanish sympathizers.
As to the exclusion of rum, it was claimed that it
would make the colonists “paupers over again”; beer
and wines were allowed. Negro slaves were excluded
because they would make the colonists “lazy and in
dolent.”
Oglethorpe, at his own request, was chosen to fit
out and accompany the first expedition, and the pres
ent site of Savannah was selected as the location of
the town. The first settlers landed on the Savannah
bluff and there pitched their tents the first day of
February, 1 733.
The charter remained in force for twenty years;
it was voluntarily surrendered a year before its ex
piration, and Georgia became a royal province in
I 732, About 1 749—just three years before—the
legal exclusion of rum and slavery was repealed; and
from 1732 onwards Catholics were no longer ex
cluded from Georgia by law.
Owing to this exclusion of Papists, as provided by
the original charter, it has been generally supposed
that there were no Catholics in the colony until the
time of the Revolutionary War. This is a mistake.
The charter granted no religious or civic privileges
to Papists, but there is evidence that Catholics were
in the colony even in the beginning.
In the famous trial of John Wesley in 1737, one
of the charges brought against him was that he
“divided the morning service on Sunday” and tried
to enforce “auricular confession” as a preparation
for communion. The accusation was made against
him that he was not a Protestant since he favored
such Popish practices; and yet when the jury was
empaneled to try his case Mr. Wesley objected to its
members on the ground that there was a Frenchman,
a Papist, an infidel, three Baptists, sixteen Dissenters,
and open enemies of his in the Anglican Church
chosen to try his case. This would indicate that, de
spite the regulations of the charter, there were some,
not of the Protestant faith, already in Savannah.
Peter Tondee.
Shortly after the laying out of the first streets and
squares in the town of Savannah, a vessel landed at
the bluff with some Jewish families on board, and
much objection was made to their being admitted
into the colony. After submitting the matter to the
trustees, however, it was decided that the charter did
not exclude members of any religious body except
Papists, so the Jews were allowed to remain.
Yet we find in the record of the allotment of town
and farm lots made in December, 1 733, the names
of some of these Israelites mentioned as receiving
grants of land, and with them, in Decker Ward,
Heathcote Tything, along with Benjamin Sheftall and
other Hebrews, occurs the name of Peter Tondee.
(Continued on Page Eleven)