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American Pioneers Series

Rev. George Whitefield (1714-1770) of England, migrated into Pennsylvania and Georgia

Rev. Whitefield and Rev. John Wesley had something in common. They were both members of the Church of England who objected to the theology that unbaptised infants and children were doomed for hell. The widely accepted philosophy during that era was a belief in pre-destination; only a select group could go to Heaven.

The Wesleys came to Georgia first on one of General Oglethorpe's first voyages, but Rev. Whitefield first went to Philadephia where he became immensely popular and drew large crowds. He reached Georgia in the 1740's where he met up with James Habersham of Savannah. Habersham, a school teacher, was horrified at the number of orphans living in the streets and had begun to provide housing for them. Whitefield joined forces with him and ultimately built the famous Betheseda Orphange in Savannah. He spent many evangelistic years travelling the Georgia landscape searching for converts to his religion. Over 18,000 sermans were recorded. His popularity extended into Europe, where he collected affluent patronages for his orphanage.