Journey to America – The Bornemann Diary

The Johann Christoph Bornemann Diary documents the Greiner Family & the new settlement in America.

Johann Christoph Bornemann was a surgeon associated with the University of Göttingen, located in the northern German duchy of Hanover. In 1752, he established a plantation along the Savannah River at the junction of Briar Creek, near Halifax. He traveled with his wife, her parents, their infant son, a maid, and a considerable amount of supplies. Bornemann obtained a grant for a “gentleman’s lot” spanning five hundred acres, which he named New Goettingen in honor of his homeland.

Much of what is known about Bornemann comes from an unpublished travelogue he wrote during his journey to Georgia. This narrative includes details of his travels through North Germany—from Hanover to Bremen—his crossing to England, his experiences in London, and the lengthy sea voyage to Georgia. In the introduction to this diary, he reflects on his heritage, mentioning his birth in 1716, his surgical education, service in Frederick the Great’s army during the First Silesian War, further studies at the University of Göttingen, and his marriage to Carolina Magdalena Greve.

At the end of his diary, Carolina Magdalena, his widow, recorded information about their children and noted her husband’s death in 1757 after five years in Georgia. She also provided details about her own lineage and her marriage to Johann Caspar Greiner, who had previously lived in the Swiss settlement of Purysburg on the Savannah River. Additionally, she documented the births and deaths of their children. After her passing, her second husband contributed to the biographical section by recording Carolina Magdalena’s death in 1773.