Peter Hartwig

Peter Hartwig (1778, Prussia – 1815, Sierra Leone) was a German seminarian and medical missionary, who worked on behalf of the Church Missionary Society in West Africa. His work in Sierra Leone, specifically in Freetown, expanded the Church Missionary Society and accelerated Western influence in that area.

Early life and education At twenty-five Hartwig joined the Church Missionary Society (CMS) and began his studies alongside fellow Lutheran Melchior Renner at the Berlin Seminary Missionary School under Dr. Jänicke. He spent fifteen months in Clapham, England, where he learned both English and the Susu language. He studied Susu at the School for Africans under William Greaves, a missionary from Edinburgh who had previously worked in Sierra Leone before returning to the UK.

Hartwig's decision to become a missionary was motivated by his desire to avoid serving in the military. In a letter written by fellow missionary Gustavus Reinhold Nylander he said: "He did not like to be a soldier in the Prussian army and for fear of being forced to it was custom in Prussia, he joined the mission, only to get out of his native country by that means." (10 July 1807).

In 1804 Hartwig married Sarah Windsor, an Englishwoman who had worked as a governess in the household of Reverend John Venn. That same year, Hartwig was ordained as a Lutheran minister and left for West Africa.

Mission work Hartwig and Renner were sent to the Freetown in Sierra Leone. Freetown, as indicated by its name, was founded for formerly enslaved Africans who fought for the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War. The settlement struggled with frequent sickness and a limited food supply. The missionaries were given specific instructions and duties with the primary goal of converting the local Susu people to Christianity. Hartwig was supervised by a corresponding committee of Sierra Leone Company officials. He was instructed to maintain frequent contact with the CMS by sending periodical reports as well as keeping a journal describing his experiences.