The Judith was in danger of not making the trip safely for death and illness left no one skilled at navigating a ship on the high seas. However, Rev. Bartholomäus Zuberbühler, who had no prior experience sailing, used his knowledge of geometry to figure out how to navigate the Judith safely to Georgia. Upon their arrival in Georgia, Clara and the three Treutlen children were indentured to Michael Burckhalter of Vernonburg. Pastor Johann Martin Boltzius of the Salzburgers in Ebenezer took notice of the extraordinary talents of John Treutlen and endeavored to remove him to Ebenezer in order to enroll him at the school there. However, Boltzius found it difficult to arrange for permission for Treutlen's attendance at the school because of Clara's history of abandoned husbands, children born out of wedlock, and Catholicism. Treutlen's "wicked and worldly parents" were also probably the reason that his true origins remained hidden for so long. For 200 years, it was believed that he was born in Berchtesgaden, Austria. According to that story, the Treutlens, on their way to America, were attacked and the father captured and imprisoned by Spanish pirates. The father was supposed to have died in a Spanish prison in 1744. This story avoids many of the facts of Hans Michel's and Clara's lives together that people of the 18th century may have found disagreeable. The story thus gained credence and then took on a life of its own over the next 200 years. However, marriage, birth, and other documents, which were recently discovered in Europe, have provided a more accurate picture of the Treutlens' European origins and their voyage to America. Early career Overcoming the burden of his parents' past, Treutlen was enrolled in the school at Ebenezer. He did extremely well in his studies at Ebenezer and acquired a broad education in a wide variety of subjects in Latin, French, German, and English. He profited from growing up among the Salzburgers. As an adult, he was described as a man who possessed "an enlightened reason, Adam's natural intelligence and ability to give a name to every animal, knowledge of the laws of the land, and some discernment of practical religion." In 1756, Treutlen married Marguerite Dupuis, an orphan who was also educated at Ebenezer. He soon began acquiring land and established for himself a large plantation and a successful merchant business. In 1768, he was appointed Justice of