The Gersbachs from Eltville to Kempsey, Orange & St Marys

These were my father's words as I grew up hearing about Anton and Margaretha Gersbach, my second great-grandparents, and their son Francis (Frank), my great-grandfather!  We knew Frank as "Pargie".  He died 7 years before my birth but was always talked about with such love and affection that I feel close to him.   Our earliest photo of "Pargie" aged 24 Sydney, 1885 Then, there was his bible that always fascinated me as a child - beautifully coloured and with those faded photos of Anton and Margaretha who'd come from German to Australia.  When I started to research the family, it provided wonderful details of a large and close family!  So, it's time to start documenting what I've found in the hope that others will add to the story, correct as necessary and share any treasured photos of our Australian/German ancestors. The starting point, are two small towns on the Rhine, Eltville and Oestrich-Winkel, just over 8kms apart and not far from Frankfurt...

Eltville, Germany Catharina is my paternal 3rd great-grandmother.  She was baptised in the Catholic Church in Eltville on the Rhine River on 19 September 1801.  Her parents were Adam Klumm and Catharina Stein.  She had at least two sisters - Anna Maria (b1806) and Barbara (b 1818).   Catharina married Phillip Söngen (sometimes recorded as Songer).  They had at least three children - Margaretha (known as Margaret, my 2nd great-grandmother) was born on 16 June 1830 followed by Phillip and Catharina.   Catharina died on 6 June 1887 in Winkel only a few kilometres from Eltville.  Her husband had died many years earlier in 1848.  Margaret married Anton Gersbach early in 1855 and set our for the long voyage to Australia a few weeks later.  Margaret and Anton arrived here in September 1855 just 2 months before the birth of their first child and Catharina's first grandchild, Phillip.   They went on to have 10 children.  Two died as infants....