Settlers from Northern Germany came into Natal in two main groups. The first to arrive was a group contracted to the Natal Cotton Company. This was a company established by Jonas Bergtheil, who had come from Germany in 1843 scouting for business opportunities in the region. He found one when he noticed cotton being grown. He set up the company and placed an advertisement in newspapers in the Kingdom of Hannover asking for farmers with families. 188 arrived in 1848 and they started farming in an area they called Neu Deutschland (today it is New Germany near Pinetown).
The other major influx of people was through The Hermannsburg Mission Society. From 1854 the mission sent missionaries, tradesmen and farmers to Natal to set up mission stations. What happened in many cases was that the mission ran out of money and the farmers and tradespeople had to earn an income from other sources, mainly farming.
What they all had in common was that they were of the German Lutheran confession. It was thus that they established their own congregations wherever there were sufficient numbers.
New Hannover
The contract with the Natal Cotton Company in New Germany was for 5 years. Many of the farmers did not renew their contracts and preferred to move further inland to set up their own farming ventures. Farmers from Hermannsburg joined them and by 1858 the numbers were strong enough to form a congregation of their own.
In the early years, all they had was a reed hut serving as a church and school. This was followed by a...
