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The Birthplace of Effingham County

Loest Research Library

      Is Making a Difference

  • Dylan Edward Mulligan – Loest Research Librarian
  • Tom Grovenstein – Assistant Loest Research Librarian
  • Open Saturdays 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or by appointment
  • Contact:  Dylan Edward Mulligan
  • Telephone: (912) 654-2454

For the updated LRL books and list of documents contained in the Loest Library in the GSS Museum at Ebenezer click on the link below.

    Loest Research Library Archive

Loest Research Library Archives (You Tube Channel)

Loest Research Library has YouTube videos made by the Loest Research Library.

Description
This channel exists to document speakers and presentations from Georgia Salzburger Society events mainly Landing Day in March and Heritage Day in September. Additional documentaries will be produced with a focus on preserving and sharing the history of the Salzburger and German-speaking community at Ebenezer in Effingham County, Georgia.

This channel is operated by the head librarian of the Loest Research Library at Ebenezer and a committee member of the same.

The library has new books. Some of the titles are listed below. Come by and see how they might help you with your family research.

Have you been inside the library? It is located on the second floor. It is filled with primary source materials and information regarding Salzburger history.

Research hours are Saturdays from 3 PM – 5 PM, or by special request. If you are researching the Salzburgers or family history, please contact Dylan Edward Mulligan at (912) 654-2454.

Dylan Edward Mulligan

Tom Grovenstein

New Books

1. Emigrants from the Kingdom of Württemberg before 1850 (1785-1815) Vol. 1 by Friedrich Wollmershäuser
2. Emigrants from the Kingdom of Württemberg before 1850 (1816-1835) Vol. 2 by Friedrich Wollmershäuser
3. De Brahm’s Report of The Southern District of North America edited by Louis De Vorsey, Jr.
4. If I Can, You Can Decipher Germanic Records by Edna Bentz
5. German Church Books, Beyond The Basics by Kenneth Smith

For more information, check the above link.

Where did the Loest Research Library get its name?

In February of 2013, the Board of Directors of the Georgia Salzburger Society voted to open a research library to collect and make available quality research materials relevant to the Salzburgers and allied families. The initial funding for the library came from the Loest Estate donation to the Georgia Salzburger Society. The source of this donation was Mrs. Alice Rahn Loest. The decision was made to name the library in her memory.

Mrs. Alice was the granddaughter of Rev. Sheppard Seneca Rahn (1845 – 1911). He was born near Ebenezer in Effingham County, Georgia, on February 14, 1845. The Rahn family is descended from the immigrant, Conrad Rahn. Sheppard Seneca Rahn served in the War Between the States in the Fifth Georgia Calvary. After the war he attended the Lutheran Seminary and was ordained into the ministry in November of 1874.

Mrs. Alice Rahn Loest (1915 – 2006) lived a life of service. At her death she was a member of St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, Florida. She served as a past President of the Evangelical Lutheran Women of Florida Bahamas Synod and was active with the Florida Lutheran Retirement Center Auxiliary. Mrs. Alice taught piano and organ lessons and also served as a church musician and choir director of several churches.

Let us not forget this special woman as we keep her memory alive through the Loest Research Library.