Chapter 12.2 – From Prussia with Love

To learn about the Laube’s story first hand, I have gone back in time to the year 1922 to visit Emma Emielia Dangerfield (Laube) at her home at 5 Blanche Street, Gawler where she and her husband Harry Dangerfield are currently living. I have gone back as “day care” to assist Emma care for their son Geoff who was hurt in an accident and needs constant care during his recovery.

 

“How do you know all this information, Emma?”

“The Laube’s were a very close family group and there was an account of their movements which was handed down through the family of the eldest child, Johanna Laube, then through her daughter August Matilda Mitchell (Laube), then granddaughter Melva Brus and finally her great granddaughter Vennetta Brus. According to Johanna Laube, on the ship they were allowed to bring only two large boxes or trunks filled with their possessions – no doubt clothing and material, some essential small household items, perhaps some small tools and implements and probably a number of treasured personal items. Their possessions were loaded onto wagons for the journey but Friedrich and Dorothea and their three children had to walk all the way to Blumberg where they made their new home.”

“Do you have any details of the route they took to their new home?”

“According to Johanna they went from Port Adelaide, through the area of Woodville and up through the Adelaide Hills via the thriving German settlement of Hahndorf that had been settled by the first German immigrants in the late 1830s. The Laube’s would first have travelled to Adelaide along the old Port Road. The old Port Road, although rough and unmade, was probably the most important transport route in the early decades of the Colony. Because of the fertility of the plains west of the city, many farms developed along Port Road. A number of villages and Inns also sprang up along the road to serve the needs of the new residents, travelers and immigrants.”

“I guess there were no railways on the plains from Port Adelaide at that time?”

“No railways were actually running at this time but the first railway in the Colony between the City and Port Adelaide was already in the process of being constructed when the Laube’s arrived at Port Adelaide. As they made their way along Port Road, they would have noticed the construction work going on, but the railway did not open until May 1856 but already at the end of 1854 construction work on the track and associated buildings would have been clearly evident.”

“Which way would they have travelled through the hills if they were heading to Blumberg?”

“Most likely, from the city they would have travelled to Glen Osmond and along the main track through the hills to Hahndorf. They would probably have then gone via Lobethal to Blumberg. It is about 45 kilometres from the Port to Hahndorf and a further 18 kilometres to Lobethal and another 16 kilometres to Blumberg. Their youngest child Wilhelm was only 4 years old and the trip by foot to Blumberg must have taken the Laube’s at least two days. They may have taken longer if they camped along the way and maybe stopped for a time at Hahndorf and Lobethal taking in the hospitality, stories and advice from other German settlers who had already experienced the Australian environment and way of life.”

“Do you know much about the other areas that were populated at this time, say between 1855 to 1860?”

“A little. Up to the end of the 1850s, northern agricultural settlement had extended in a narrow band from Adelaide across the Adelaide plains into the Adelaide Hills and northwards through the mount Lofty Ranges taking in the Barossa Valley and the developing towns of Gawler, Kapunda, Riverton, Watervale, Penwortham and Clare. With its higher rainfall and permanent water in many rivers and creeks, this area provided the most reliable conditions for the earliest farmers. The narrow area in the Clare hills section of the north Mount Lofty Ranges had a particularly favorable climate and rainfall and so Clare developed into a prosperous and busy town at the time. The main road south from Clare to Adelaide was especially busy.”

“So what did the Laube’s do when they arrived in Blumberg?”

“When the Laube family arrived in Blumberg it was a thriving little town with a Church, a cemetery, school, hotel and a number of shops and businesses. Their arrival at Blumberg would have been expected and they would have been warmly welcomed. After enduring the discomforts and fears of an unfamiliar long sea journey, the chance to again live in even a crude hut and to have the opportunity to build a new home and life among people of their own background and religious beliefs must have been a wonderful relief for the family. Friedrich most likely would have found work with local farmers or with one of the Blumberg businesses to give the family time to settle into their new town and assess the surrounding land and decide on where he might begin farming.”

“Yes, they would certainly have needed a transition period before they made too many decisions. So where did the Laube’s live in their early days in South Australia?”

“The Laubes lived at several locations in their first 50 years in South Australia. They lived first the town of Blumberg, now named Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills, Tower Hill, a location 6 kilometres west of Penwortham in the Clare Valley and Mount Lock, a location 13 kilometres north of Jamestown. Earlier, in December 1847, a group of German immigrants had arrived aboard the ‘Hermann von Becherath’ and eight settlers moved to Blumberg in Jan 1848. One of these settlers was Andreas Zadow who was the grandfather of Pauline Wilhelmine and Caroline Wilhelmine Zucht who married the Laube brothers Johann Friedrich and Friedrich Weilhelm Laube. Andreas Zadow and his wife Anna Elisabeth had a daughter named Anna Louise who married Gottfried Zucht before leaving Prussia. Anna Louise and Gottfried Zucht had four children; Ludwig was born in Prussia and the three daughters, Pauline Wilhelmine, Anna Louise and Caroline Wilhelmine, were born at Blumberg.

“What did they do about their worship? Was there a Lutheran congregation nearby?”

“Yes, there was. On the main road south of Penwortham were the villages of Watervale and Leasingham. Leasingham was the location of the Lutheran congregation who worshipped on the estate of Gottfried Schmert until St John’s Church in Auburn was opened a number of years later. The Laube’s were part of the Leasingham congregation and they worshipped under Pastor CA Hensel. It was a journey of 15 Kilometres through the ranges from where they lived at Tower Hill. The original Church was about a kilometre northwest of the current Church. Friedrich and Dorothea attended the new Church of the Holy Cross when it was completed in late 1860. They would have been at the old Church when their daughter Johanna married August Haeusler in September 1860 and on 27th December 1864 their second son, Friedrich Wilhelm was confirmed at the new Church. These two records of confirmation are especially significant because they contain the only known historical record of Dorothea’s second name – Elisabeth. No doubt Friedrich and Dorothea would have been at the old Church when their daughter Johanna married August Haeusler on September 1860.

“All these old records become so significant to the family as time goes on, don’t they?”

“Yes, they certainly do. It gives us a sense of history and establishes each person’s place in that history.”

“So what property did they eventually purchase? Do you have any details about that?”

“Yes, again I do. The family kept good records of the land, where it was and how much it cost. On 16th April 1856, some18 months after arriving, Friedrich Laube leased Section 6012 Hundred of Talunga, land which at the time was designated as Section 6012 of the Torrens Special Survey. The land was situated on the northern side of what is now named Wintons Road, about 3 kilometres west of the old Lutheran Church in Blumberg and the same distance northeast of Gumeracha. The land was on the higher ridges of the Mount Lofty Ranges and had an elevation of 449 metres at its highest point. Memorial Nos 222 and 223 in Book 99 deposited in the General Registry Office in Adelaide record details of the lease. The Section was owned by Edward Divett of Eaton Square, County Middlesex, Berhap Wodehouse Currie of Cornhill London and Charles Roberts of Mincing Lane, also in London. Early on 4th Nov 1849, the owners had leased the Section to brothers John and George Forster for a term of 14 years. Memorials 222 and 223 record the agreement of the owners and John Forster for the lease to pass to Friedrich Laube for the balance of the term of 14 years until 3rd November 1863.

“In the Rate Assessment Book for 1853, Friedrich paid an amount of 150 pounds for the balance of the lease. There was already a dwelling described as a ‘wooden house built’ on Section 6012. This is where the Laube’s lived, but today there is no longer any sign of the old house. Currently on the Section there is a stone dwelling near a small gully that drains the land towards the west. The house was built in the late 1800s by Mr Winton. According to the current owners of the house there was an old well that is now filled in along the gully west of the house. The Laube house may have been located near the old well and in the vicinity of the current house. A year later on 17th April 1857, Friedrich leased the adjoining Section 6013 on the opposite side of Wintons Road. The details are recorded on Memorial No 345 Book 134. In this case the owner was the South Australian Company of No 4 New Broad Street, London and the Memorial recorded the transfer of the lease of the land from John Forster to Friedrich Laube. Friedrich’s land holding of four Sections totalling 479 acres was relatively large. The land was elongated in shape around 3 kilometres long in an east-west direction with an average width of around 0.6 kilometres. The land extended from partway up the western slopes of Tower Hill westwards onto the gently sloping plains towards what was later to become the town of Kybunga. Because of the presence of the ranges rainfall was fairly reliable, probably ranging from about 16 inches at the western end and approaching 20 inches in the ranges near Tower Hill.”

“What was the land like at that time?” I wondered.

“Prior to settlement all of the area was covered in trees and an under storey of bushes and native grasses. The ranges including Tower Hill were covered with many large Blue Gums as indicated by the tall stately examples that still remain. The large trees of the ranges soon gave way to a variety of smaller eucalyptus trees and mallee on the plains to the west. Native pines were scattered throughout the woodland. Through the length of the four Sections runs Tower Hill Creek, a small narrow and steep-sided watercourse fed by gullies and springs flowing from the western side of the ranges. The creek would have been flanked on both sides by larger trees, probably Red Gums as it flowed across the western plains. Friedrich’s land had a light loamy topsoil that was formed by the runoff from the ranges. Friedrich and Dorothea would have put in hard work and long hours into developing this land and a home on it. Their son-in-law and daughter, August and Johanna Haeusler, were there to help as were their two sons Friedrich (junior) and Wilhelm. First the trees needed to be felled and the roots burnt and removed. They would have kept all the timber for building a house, sheds and fences and for firewood. Then there was the job of ripping and ploughing the soil for the first time. Friedrich first began developing Section 438 containing the plains area closest to Tower Hill and by mid 1867 had 20 acres under crop.”

“Districts seemed to change their names so often in those early years, it is sometimes hard to know what names apply to what land,” I commented.

“That is certainly the case. The district in which the Laube’s farm was located was called at different times Mount Lock, Jamestown, Caltowie, Mannanarie. Mount Lock is 13 k north of Jamestown and 15 kilometres northeast of Caltowie and 8 kilometres south-west of Mannanarie. It marks the southern end of the Narrien Range, one of the chains of low ranges forming the southern end of the Flinders Ranges. Friedrich first built a house on Section 439 on the banks of Tower Hill Creek close to the boundary between Sections 438 and 439. Today there is today a stand of tall poplar trees which is generally thought to be the location of this first Laube house and farmyard. The house was probably built from native pine and eucalyptus timber cleared from the land, probably with some pieces of sheet iron, canvas and hessian and perhaps bark and thatching for the roof. It may have had two or three rooms at the most. Near the house there would have been a shed or two and some yards for the farmyard animals to provide meat, eggs and milk.”

“I’m sure it would have had a beautiful rural aspect.”

“I’m sure the Laube family farm would have been a picture of prosperity, especially in winter and spring when the crops and grass were green. There were other nearby settlers beginning to carve out farms and there were undoubtedly many people passing through the area, so they would not have lacked for company despite the pioneering conditions in which they lived. Life at the time would have been relatively comfortable on the banks of Tower Hill Creek. For shopping and business purposes, the Laube’s had several options. They could have travelled to the nearby villages of Penwortham, Watervale, Sevenhill or Leasingham in the ranges or to Blyth Plains to the West. On occasions they may have travelled a little further to the larger centre of Clare where there were additional businesses and services. Friedrich, Dorothea and their family travelled into Leasingham where they worshipped as members of the Lutheran community.”

“I believe that Friedrich and Dorothea died quite young?”

“Yes, sadly, the Laube’s did not have long to enjoy the life they were building at Tower Hill. Dorothea died suddenly at home on 3rd Jul 1868 at the age of 57 years, approximately three years after they moved to Tower Hill and Just a few months after Friedrich had purchased the land. Dorothea was buried in the cemetery of St Mark’s Anglican Church at Penwortham on 6th Jul 1868 by the Rev DJA Boake and her birth is placed between 4th July 1810 and 3rd July 1811.

“How did Friedrich cope with his wife’s unexpected death?”

“Friedrich was distraught and shocked at the loss of Dorothea. Friedrich was relatively wealthy and prompted by Dorothea’s death and only 15 days later he wrote up his last Will and Testament. In addition to the 479 acres of land, Friedrich owned 10 horses, two wagons and a number of horned cattle, farming implements, household items and kitchen utensils. It was unusual that Friedrich divided Section 439, a mere 164 acres into four areas because Section 439 was the steepest of his four Sections of land, being located directly below Tower Hill and it had the least value for agriculture. What it did have was the best supply of water from springs and underground water in Tower Hill Creek and so Friedrich was probably ensuring that each of his children had a good supply of water. Dorothea’s death was a tragedy for the family but then, only six weeks and a day after the death of Dorothea, on 15th August 1868 at the age of 56 years, Friedrich, the family patriarch also died. His date of birth was between 16th August 1811 and 15th August 1812. Friedrich was buried next to Dorothea in the cemetery at Penwortham on 18th August 1868 by the Rev JA Boake.

“The family would have been devastated at the deaths of both of their parents in such a short period of time.”

“Very much so. Johanna, Friedrich and Wilhelm under the terms of their father’s Will were each left a one-third share of the four Sections at Tower Hill (about 160 acres each). Friedrich, Wilhelm, Johanna and her husband continued to develop and farm the land at Tower Hill for the next two seasons after the death of their parents, but during this period of time they were all naturally unsettled and trying to work out what direction their lives should take from there. The three children decided to move with their families to Mount Lock. Johanna and August Haeusler left Tower Hill between September 1871 and September 1873 and moved to the Jamestown area where August purchased land at Mount Lock. Friedrich and Wilhelm continued to live at Tower Hill. Being located on the western face of the ranges the land today has a high value for grain production and grazing. On 22nd March 1875 Friedrich and Wilhelm sold all four Sections of the Tower Hill property to Herbert Hilder ending the Laube ties with the old farm. Friedrich and Wilhelm also moved to the Mount Lock and Mannanarie area north of Jamestown. Clare was still the largest town in the north but the sale of new land in the early 1870s led to the development of new towns such as Gladstone, Caltowie and Jamestown.

“So that is the Laube story, and what an interesting story it is. Thanks so much for telling me all about it, Aunty, you have filled in so many gaps for me in the family history. There is still one thing I am not clear on and that’s where you were farming before you came to Gawler?”

“As you know for a number of years we were farming at Pinnaroo, but the family sold the farm in 1920 and after resting at Caltowie for a while towards the end of 1920 Dad and Joseph purchased a farm of about 205 acres on the north side of the Gawler river, opposite the town of Angle Vale. In 1921 the family moved to the new farm and their son Geoff attended the primary school there. Each day Geoff walked with his brother Lance the 1 1/2 miles across the River Gawler to school and even further when the river was in flood.

We had only been on the new farm for about a year or so when Geoff, our second son, fell from a horse while bringing in the cows. He is only 9 years old and such a little boy for such a serious accident. He needs constant care and that is why we are so grateful for your help in nursing him.We were sad to have to sell the farm but our son is more important to us than any farm. We purchased this house when we sold the farm and so here we are today. Harry has taken up building with his brother Charles. They are building a house for Mr Bright at the top of Lyndoch Hill at Gawler East. Harry also has plans to buy other cottages and do them up and rent them out. That way we should recover okay from selling the farm.”

“I understand Harry has joined the Christadelphian movement?”

“Yes, he has. When Harry was still on the farm he began studying the Bible with his brother Charles, Charlie Briggs and James Mansfield and on 22nd June 1922 at the age of 44 years, he was baptized by a Mr Ellis and became a member of the Adelaide Christadelphian Ecclesia.

“And what about you, Emma are you baptized as well?”

“No, but I am learning about the Bible and when I feel ready, I too will be baptized, maybe sometime next year.”

“Thanks once again Aunty Em for telling me the Laube story.

I left Aunty Em back in 1922 and returned to my own time in 1912, so glad that I had finally met and spent time with Harry Dangerfield and his wonderful wife Em with her German heritage and diligent German ways and work-ethic.