September 1855 – The Gersbachs’ New Life on the Macleay
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| City and Harbour of Sydney New South Wales from the height above Vaucluse, ca. 1855 [painted by G. E. Peacock] |
The Journey from the Rhine to New South Wales
On 1 May 1855, Anton and Margaretha (Margaret) Gersbach departed Hamburg aboard the Wilhelmsburg. Travelling with them were Anton’s second cousins once removed, Joseph Gersbach and his wife, Margaret, along with her mother, Anna Maria Jacoby.
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The Hamburg passenger list records Anton as 31, Margaret as 24, and their home as Eltville, Nassau. Anton’s occupation was given as vine dresser. Anton’s older brother, John, had arrived in Sydney earlier that year on the Catteaux Wattel (9 March 1855) with his wife, Clara, and their five children.
The Wilhelmsburg called at Bremer and Hobart before reaching Sydney on 22 September 1855. John travelled from St Marys to meet Anton and Margaret, accompanying them to Kempsey, while Joseph and his wife headed for Orange.
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Early Lives in the Rhine Valley
Anton Gersbach
Born 3 April 1823 in Eltville, youngest of three children of Nikolaus Gersbach and Maria Barbara Brand. His father died when Anton was just seven months old, and his mother later married Conrad Joseph Strobel. Anton’s half-brother, Peter, died young in 1849; his mother passed away in 1851. Anton left Eltville six months after John’s departure.
Margaret Songen
Born 17 June 1830 in Winkel, eldest of four children of Philipp Songen and Katarina Klumm. She left behind her mother and siblings — Adam, Phillip, and Catherina — to start a new life.
Anton Gersbach
Born 3 April 1823 in Eltville, youngest of three children of Nikolaus Gersbach and Maria Barbara Brand. His father died when Anton was just seven months old, and his mother later married Conrad Joseph Strobel. Anton’s half-brother, Peter, died young in 1849; his mother passed away in 1851. Anton left Eltville six months after John’s departure.
Margaret Songen
Born 17 June 1830 in Winkel, eldest of four children of Philipp Songen and Katarina Klumm. She left behind her mother and siblings — Adam, Phillip, and Catherina — to start a new life.
Anton and Margaret married in Winkel on 18 February 1855, just ten weeks before leaving Hamburg.
Anton and Margaret had ten children, all born on the Macleay River. Two died in infancy. Their descendants went on to play varied roles across New South Wales, from farming and religious life to raising large families of their own.
1. Phillip Gersbach (28 Dec 1855 – 10 Mar 1941)
Phillip’s birth date is recorded in the bible of his brother Francis, and he was conceived around the time Anton and Margaret left Hamburg.
He married Sarah Anne Campbell (1859–1933) on 4 Feb 1880 on the Macleay. Phillip and Sarah had eleven childrenand also raised their granddaughter, Margaret Mary (1911–2003), daughter of Henrietta, as their own.
Children of Phillip & Sarah:
Phillip Anton Robert “Frank” (1880–1939)
Catherine Margaret (1882–1972)
Mary Christina (1883–1962)
Josephine Frederica (1885–1968)
Charles John (1887–1977)
Antonetta Elizabeth (1888–1969)
Henrietta Pauline (1890–1979)
William Joseph (1892–1962)
Sarah Agatha Ann (1894–1990)
Rosalia Regis (1898–1985)
Raymond Leo (1900–1985)
2. Elizabeth Gersbach (11 Aug 1857 – 18 Aug 1857)
Died in infancy.
3. Frederick Joseph “Joseph” Gersbach (22 Feb 1859 – 24 Feb 1883)
Died aged 24, unmarried.
4. Francis Gersbach (9 Feb 1861 – 18 Jul 1947)
Married Margaret Killion (1862–1919) on 26 May 1885 at West Kempsey Catholic Church.
Francis died at St Vincent’s Hospice, Darlinghurst, aged 86.
Children of Francis & Margaret:
Pearl May (1886–1888)
Mary Irene (1887–1937)
Francis Joseph Macleay (1890–1990)
Margaret Essie - my “Grandma Woodie” (1891–1965)
5. John Henry Joseph Gersbach (15 Nov 1862 – 26 Oct 1938)
Died aged 75 at Leeton, unmarried.
6. Henrietta Catherine Gersbach (1 Aug 1864 – 28 Jul 1948)
Entered the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy, Parramatta, on 19 Mar 1894, taking the name Sister Rose Mary. Served with the Sisters of Mercy until her death at age 83.
7. Anthony (Anton) Gersbach (17 Aug 1866 – 1 Sep 1866)
Died in infancy.
8. Margaret Agatha Gersbach (9 Apr 1868 – 9 Jul 1956)
Entered the Mercy Convent, Gunnedah, on 24 Sep 1897, taking the name Sister Mary Regis. Died aged 88.
9. Elizabeth Anna Rosalia Gersbach (13 Jul 1870 – 19 May 1938)
Married Thomas Meade (1869–1939) on 20 Jul 1898 at Kempsey. Elizabeth died at Murwillumbah, aged 67.
Children of Elizabeth & Thomas:
Thomas Anton (1899–1972)
Mary Margaretha (1900–1959)
John Joseph (1902–1971)
Joseph (1904–1968)
Patrick Francis (1906–1973)
Margaretha Agnes (1909–1979)
Francis Michael (1912–1983)
10. Christina Catherine Antoinette Gersbach (23 Jul 1872 – 20 Apr 1950)
Died aged 77 at Griffith, unmarried.
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| Banks of the Macleay from Gersbach property |
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| 3 April 1891, Macleay Argus |
Building a Life at Aldavilla
Within two years of arriving, Anton purchased 35 acres on the Macleay River, naming the property Aldavilla after their hometown, Eltville. By 1910, it had grown to nearly 70 acres. Anton was naturalised in 1863.
The couple valued education highly, establishing a school on the farm for their children and neighbouring families. In 1875, Anton was appointed to the Board of Aldavilla Public School.
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| Farmland from site of Gersbach home |
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| Entrance to Gersbach property and trees planted by Anton on the site of second home |
This is my most treasured photograph of Anton and Margaret, taken on the verandah of their Aldavilla home after about fifty years on the Macleay. Anton was celebrating his 80th birthday on 3 April 1903, and Margaret her 75th on 16 June 1905, so the photo dates from that period.
Final Years and Legacy
Anton died at Aldavilla on 21 January 1909, aged 85, without a will. His son Phillip was granted administration of the £722 estate, and the farm was sold to the Ward family.
Margaret remained in her home until her death on 18 November 1911, aged 81. She is buried with Anton in West Kempsey Cemetery.
Aldavilla Today
The farm is now known as Gersbachs, and the district retains the name Aldavilla. No direct descendants of Anton and Margaret remain in the area.
When Margaret died, Phillip, John, and Christina were still nearby, but within a few years they moved south to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. Frank had been in Sydney since about 1890, Elizabeth was in northern NSW, and the two daughters in religious life remained in Sydney and country NSW.
