The Immigration of Johann Eberhardt Hoelscher to Australia 1857

Eberhardt was most likely living in and around Marienhafe in north Germany( near the North Sea), and was 30 years old when he decided to emigrate to Australia. Eberhardt’s father, a clergyman at Marienhafe, “Yelto” died in March 1857 ,and his mother had already passed some 20 years earlier . Eberhardt’s brother became Pastor at Marienhafe . What made this decision for a 173 day journey to Australia? He embarked the 30th November 1857 on the 470 ton Barque” Diana”( Sail ship) to Moreton Bay.

Eberhardt, living in the kingdom of Hanover, joined immigrants at the port of Bremerhaven for a total of 104 immigrants to Australia . In those days the agents encouraged emigrants and accommodated them in the city of Bremen some 50 km upstream from the port. The agency of Bischoff and Co. took care of arrangements for these migrants. These migrants may have travelled by cart to the river Weser and then took a barge downstream from Bremen to Bremerhaven at the mouth of the river at the North Sea. The distance was considerable , at least 124 km from Marienhafe.

The reasoning for leaving Germany in the 1850’s were : grain prices were rising, farms were getting smaller and were not large enough to sustain a family. Many did not want their children to bare the brunt of upcoming wars ( Prussian war of 1866) , unemployment, indebtedness and impoverishment. Industrialization was also affecting any home industries and land prices were rising rapidly. Many were lured by cheap land in places like Australia and North America. The Agents like Bischoff and the migrant company of Heussler actively canvassed areas and wrote up shipping contracts with would be emigrants. The towns also paid “passage cots” in exchange for the individual giving up their citizen rights and promising to not return. We do know that Eberhardt did become naturalized in Australia around 1860 and was most likely eligible to be granted land , providing he made his passage payment. He may have given up his citizenship in order to make a new and better life in Australia for his family .

An advertisement appeared in the Moreton Bay Courier on the 12 th June 1858 extolling the virtues of the agent and Captain Husing for the:” kind and just treatment they received during the long journey”. Saying the “provisions were of good quality and warmly recommended to immigrants at home the firm of H Hischoff and Co of Bremen”. ( Signed by 36 immigrants). As there were 104 immigrants on board, and only 36 signed implies that perhaps contracts were written for those 36 or many vanished after being processed . We do not know if Eberhardt signed this advertisement. We do now know that the provisions were not adequate and that the shipper did not provide sufficient food and adequate medicines for the passengers. We also now know that the Captain gave food from his stores for the last two weeks of the voyage due to shortages. In fact , the agent was still busy trying to sell foodstuffs in October 1858 , some five months after landing. This included fruit, pasta and cheese – so where were these provisions ? And were they left over from the Captain and crew?

The barque ship “Diana” was first launched February 1856, and was noted as taking emigrants to New York in June of that year under the same Capt Hermann Husing . At that time it took 174 passengers, most being housed “between decks” ( which does not sound so comfortable!). There were 104 german immigrants on the journey to Australia, around the Cape of Good Hope , Africa to Moreton Bay. This trip was relatively long by sailing standards taking nearly 6 months. It is noted that the Captain was in

fact a part owner of the vessel, commissioned by F reck and Co. Bremen . The ship sailed under the Bremen flag.

Fast forward to 1861: Capt Husing of the Diana was sailing from Manila to Valparaiso( Italy) when going round the Cape of Good Hope- he had dreamt he would come across a ship wreck . He came across the English Barque “Augusta” next day taking on water on March 25th – The ship had been sailing from Cardiff to Manila. The ship had been taking on water since February in the Indian Ocean across from Namibia. Capt Hussing rescued the 13 crew, turned around and sailed back to Victoria , Australia taking 42 days to deliver the crew safely. For this he received much thanks from the Port Philip( Melbourne) Mayor including money to be given when back in Bremen and a gold watch. Much was written about this incident in the Australian papers . The” Augusta” sank completely that same night March 25 th, and if it was not for Capt Husing , quite likely all lives would have been lost . I would say that Eberhardt and family were in good hands. ( The “Augusta” is one of 10 ship wrecks in this area .)

Bremerhaven 1870

The image of Bremerhaven gives an idea of what it would have been like at the time of departure. The immigrants were processed at Bremerhaven emigration office, part of which exists today. Early Passenger lists were lost when Bremerhaven and Lehe were bombed by the Allies in WW2 (1945).

With the repeal of the assisted immigration act in Australia , the regulations concerning the importing of European “vine dressers” in 1855 - the recording of immigrants arriving from Germany was no longer required by the immigration agents’ department of New South Wales. Hence, not sure if there are any records of the arrival of Eberhardt and Magdaline.

Heussler Shipping Company

The shipping company was Heussler using Bischoff and Co of Bremen. JC Heussler moved to Brisbane in 1854 and was credited with bringing 2000 german migrants to Queensland , mostly from Hesse. He was involved in bonding migrants who were contracted to work for a period(The employers advanced the money for passage for those contracted) . Heussler also set up the German and Netherlands consul and was founding member of the Queensland club. Heussler also built “Fernberg” in 1865 , the official residence of the Queensland Governor since 1911.

We do not know if Eberhardt was bonded to work as an overseer on farmland. Once landed, he managed a farm for two to three years before becoming Post Master at the Rocky Water Holes general store. ( Rocklea).

Heussler became Queensland’s immigration agent in 1861 and promoted the policy of free passage to Australia for german immigrants as well as land orders for all immigrants. This resulted in overcrowding of ships and some deaths , however with later tighter controls the german immigration reaped enormous benefits for Queensland. These first immigrants, settled in the Logan River district- south west of Brisbane. J Heussler went on to become Queensland consul for Germany in 1880 and in 1897 he was appointed as Queensland’s commissioner in Germany. The early settlers were given a maximum of 40 pounds to buy land , 28 pounds upon landing and the balance after two years of residence.

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Rocklea+QLD,+Australia/@-27.522699,153.0107226,12z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x6b914fd87fa7682d:0x502a35af3de9700

Eberhardt settled in the west Oxley area at Rocky Water Holes ( Rocklea) after 1860 , the area had Archerfield to the south where Eberhardt was buried before being moved to Sherwood cemetery .The West Oxley area included land to the Brisbane River at Wacol. Rocky Water Holes was 12km south of Brisbane, bordered by Oxley Creek. By 1879 Rocklea was in the shire of Yerongpilly, where Eberhardt’s son, William, our Great Grandfather, lived in later years.

In 1859 Queensland became an independent colony and the Queensland government thought the german immigrants were “ sober, industrious, and a thriving class of community”. By 1860 land reform meant that migrants financed their own passage, and in return were given land orders on arrival. Did Eberhardt receive land and did he build the General Store at Rocklea in the 1860’s?

First German Settlement : 1838.

Moreton Bay area was originally a “Prison within a prison” for troublesome convicts. In 1838 through the encouragement of the minister John Lang, a group of missionaries , tradespeople and families( 20 in all ) arrived from Germany and were granted land in Nundah – 640 acres. The settlement became known as ZION Hill or “German Station” on the north bank of Kedron Brook. The idea was to bring Christianity to the blacks and it was set up as a mission. However, while some success was made teaching the aboriginal children to read and write, the mission failed and was closed in 1848. This was the first free European settlement in Queensland and some missionaries bought land when the crown land came up for sale in 1848 . When first settled, there were 14 houses, each with 5 acres of land and each street had a piece of square land at the end for the children . The first road to the German station ran from Petrie Terrace to the Breakfast Creek crossing at Kelvin Grove and it took an entire day to transport stores in a wheelbarrow by two men. Sadly the residents were starving and gained some government

relief for a time. These German missionaries as pioneer settlers played a noble part in building the state of Queensland.

German Station :

German settlement at German station dated 1880

After the small settlement of missionary pastors and their families at Nundah, the next major phase of immigration and settlement was in the 1850s/1860s with the need for shepherds in the Darling Downs region of southern Queensland. (We wonder if Eberhardt was overseeing a sheep station when he first arrived, however he described him being a manager of a farm)

Large pastoral holdings were being established and assisted passages were provided to many folk – the chance for a shepherding position for 2-3 years with an established wage. This enabled many immigrants work, ‘learn the country’ and then set themselves up with their own (small) property.

In addition large urban centres such as Brisbane, Toowoomba, Warwick, Maryborough, Bundaberg and Rockhampton had considerable numbers of skilled German tradesmen and merchants by the 1890s. For instance stonemasons, blacksmiths, cabinetmakers, undertakers, medical doctors and butchers were positions in which many German migrants were known to succeed. In centres such as Brisbane and Toowoomba. German clubs and societies were established to cater for the social and welfare needs of these large urban settlements. Today’s Brisbane German Club is a legacy of this earlier urban settlement group.

Many hundreds of Germans partook of this opportunity, and with the associated need for skilled tradesmen, large regional centres, such as Toowoomba, were centres of this ‘second phase’ of German settlement. Many labourers and shepherds brought their families. (Our great grandfather William Hoelscher settled in Toowoomba as a bank manager.)

To keep it in perspective in the early sixties, migrants were given money for land by 1860 - However , life was hard, in clearing land and living in tents prior to rustic hardwood “homes” ( No windows, made of pine and hardwood )Store keepers like Eberhardt might advance tools to the

migrants to clear land and assume the settler would deliver the produce back to them in return. In those days all transport to and from Brisbane was by boat so it was essential to own or borrow a boat at that time.

Eberhardt was in charge of the General Store( above ) by 1861 until his death in 1877. Magdaline took over the duties of the General Store until around 1883.

At the time of Eberhardt’s death, there were 8 children, the eldest being Charles who was 18 and the youngest was 2. Eberhardt was buried the 24th March 1877 at Oxley Cemetery located on the land of Thomas Grenier who also died that year. (The location of Archerfield Airport). Now posted as “God’s acre” historic Cemetery and later it is noted as being buried with his wife Magdaline at Sherwood Cemetery. Magdaline married again to Evelyn Bowden around 1885 and died in 1908.

At the time of death for Magdaline WC Hoelscher ( our great grandfather )was a witness living at Jane Street, West End. It would appear that three female children had died over time and in 1908 there were seven living children. Our grandmother Meta Lilian was likely named after Lily one of the living daughters. ( Her Aunt).

Pictures of Johann E, Magdaline and eldest children- possibly Charles, William and Louis.