A Journal of a Voyage from London to Savannah in Georgia

A Journal of a Voyage from London to Savannah in Georgia records George Whitefield’s first transatlantic voyage to the American colony of Georgia in late 1737 and early 1738. Whitefield (1714-1770) was at this point a young Anglican minister recently ordained and on his way to take up missionary work in the new Georgia colony that James Oglethorpe had founded in 1732.

The journal records the broad details of an eighteenth century transatlantic sailing voyage, including the various weather conditions, the daily routine aboard the ship, the religious services Whitefield conducted for the passengers and crew, and the various incidents and observations of a sea passage that typically took six to ten weeks. The voyage was a serious experience for the young Whitefield and contributed to the development of his ministerial vocation.

Whitefield made several subsequent transatlantic voyages across his long career, eventually crossing the Atlantic seven times. His American work was central to the Great Awakening religious revival in the colonies and made him one of the most famous figures in eighteenth century colonial American religious life.