John Kilian
January Kilian ( officially Johann Kilian, English John Kilian, born March 22, 1811 in Döhlen Hochkirch, † September 12, 1884 in Serbin, Texas ) was a Sorbian Evangelical Lutheran pastor and leader of those 558 Sorbian emigrants Europe in 1854 left, to settle in Texas.
Life
January Kilian was born as the son of Peter Kilian and from Niethen born wife Maria (born Mättig ) in Döhlen ( Delany ) at the foot of Hromadnik. His mother died in 1813, his father in 1821. Upon the death of the father of the only ten year-old Jan got in the yard Döhlen overwritten, but this was initially managed and leased because of his minority by his uncle Johann Mättig from Niethen. Kilian first attended a so-called " angular School" in Rachlau, a neighboring his native village, and the Gymnasium in Bautzen. He then studied theology at Leipzig University, where he served the income from the lease and the subsequent sale of the Doehlen Court's livelihood. In 1834 Kilian curate in his home town Hochkirch and 1837 as successor to his recently deceased uncle, a pastor in Kotitz.
Already in 1817 were in neighboring Prussia, the Lutheran and the Reformed Protestant Church was united into a church by decree. Some Lutherans had then in 1830 founded the Old Lutheran Church, which was only recognized in 1841 under strict conditions as a church. In the border Sorbian places Klitten and Weigersdorf there since 1843 small Old Lutheran churches. January Kilian it supported from Kotitz. In 1848 he finally moved across the border to Weigersdorf.
On November 14, 1848 married January Kilian Maria Groeschel from Sarka, with whom he later had four children, of which only one was growing up. The wedding ceremony took jaromer Hendrich IMIS ago in the villages Weiger church.
Work
Kilian translated numerous religious works from German into Sorbian, published their own hymn books and wrote hymns and poems.
Emigration to Texas
End of January 1854 Kilian led a group of about 600 Sorbs from different places of Upper Lusatia, eg Dauban, Groeditz, United Saubernitz, Jahmen, Klitten, Malschwitz, doctor blade and Reichwalde on the English ship Ben Nevis in the direction of America. Two thirds of the emigrants came from the Prussian, third from the Saxon part of Upper Lusatia. The emigrants left the Lausitz partly from economic, partly for religious and partly for linguistic reasons and wanted to find a new home in North America. Already during the stopover in Ireland 15 passengers of a cholera epidemic had fallen victim; during the three-week quarantine died more 23 On October 22, the Ben Nevis stabbed Course on Galveston in Texas lake. On the ship to another 18 passengers died.
In the vicinity of Austin, they founded the settlement Serbin, in which were still held until 1921 Sorbian services. Almost thirty years served Kilian there myself yet as a priest. Meanwhile, the descendants of the emigrants are anglicised; However, they still retain Sorbian traditions and cultivate relationships in the Upper Lusatia.