September 1855: The arrival of the Gersbach's in the Kempsey area
I've written this post to mark the one hundred and tenth anniversary of the death of our matriarch, Margaret Gersbach (nee Songen).
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| City and Harbour of Sydney New South Wales from the height above Vaucluse, ca. 1855 [painted by G. E. Peacock] |
On 1 May 1855, Anton and Margaretha (Margaret) Gersbach departed from Hamburg on board the Wilhelmsburg. Also on board the ship were Anton's second cousins once removed, Joseph Gersbach, his wife, Margaret, and mother-in-law, Anna Maria Jacoby.
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The Hamburg passengers' list records Anton as 31, Margaret as 24 and their place of residence as Eltville, Nassau. Anton's occupation is vine dresser. You can read more about the German migration to New South Wales in the 1850s HERE. Anton's older brother, John, had arrived in Sydney on board the Catteaux Wattel on 9 March 1855 with his wife, Clara, and their five young children.
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The ship called at Bremer and Hobart before arriving in Sydney on 22 September 1855. Anton's brother, John, travelled from St Marys to meet the ship and accompany his brother and sister-in-law to Kempsey. Joseph and Margaret made their way towards Orange. As well as Anton showing his brother John living in St Marys, Margaret records that she has an uncle, Joseph Kappel, living in Sydney. Joseph was the husband of Margaret's late aunt, Catharina Songen.
Their early lives
Anton Gersbach was born on 3 April 1823 and was baptised the following day at the Catholic Church in Eltville. He was the youngest of the three children of Nikolaus Gersbach and Maria Barbara Brand. Anton left his older sister, Elisabeth, leaving Eltville six months after his brother John. Their father had died when Anton was 7 months. Barbara then married Conrad Joseph Strobel. Their child, Peter, was born in 1829 and died in 1849. Barbara died in 1851.
Margaret Songen was born on 17 June 1830 and was baptised the following day in the Catholic Church in Winkel. She was the oldest of the four children of Philipp Songen and Katarina Klumm. Margaret left her mother and three siblings, Adam, Phillip and Catherina, when she set off for the colony.
Anton and Margaret married on 18 February 1855 in Winkel just ten weeks before they left Hamburg for their new life on the other side of the world.
Their children and grandchildren
Anton and Margaret had ten children. Two girls died as infants. All of the children were born on the Macleay.
- Phillip was born on 28 December 1855. This date is recorded in the bible of his brother, Francis. Phillip was conceived around the time Anton and Margaret left Hamburg. Phillip married Sarah Anne Campbell (1859 to 1933) on 4 February 1880 on the Macleay. Phillip died on 10 March 1941, aged 85, at Leeton. Phillip and Sarah had eleven children. They also raised their granddaughter, Margaret Mary (1911 to 2003), as their child. She was the child of their daughter Henrietta.
- Phillip Anton Robert (known as Frank) (1880 to 1939),
- Catherine Margaret (1882 to 1972),
- Mary Christina (1883 to 1962),
- Josephine Frederica (1885 to 1968),
- Charles John (1887 to 1977),
- Antonetta Elizabeth (1888 to 1969),
- Henrietta Pauline (1890 to 1979),
- William Joseph (1892 to 1962),
- Sarah Agatha Ann (1894 to 1990),
- Rosalia Regis (1898 to 1985) and
- Raymond Leo (1900 to 1985).
- Elizabeth was born on 11 August 1857 and died on 18 August 1857.
- Frederick Joseph (known as Jospeh) was born on 22 February 1859. He died on 24 February 1883, aged 24. Joseph never married.
- Francis was born on 9 February 1861. He married Margaret Killion (1862 to 1919) on 26 May 1885 at the West Kempsey Catholic Church. Francis died on 18 July 1947, aged 86, at St Vincents Hospice Darlinghurst. Francis and Margaret had four children-
- Pearl May (1886 to 1888),
- Mary Irene (1887 to 1937),
- Francis Joseph Macleay (1890 to 1990) and
- Margaret Essie - my "Grandma Woodie" (1891 to 1965).
- John Henry Jospeh was born on 15 November 1862. He died on 26 October 1938, aged 75, at Leeton. John never married.
- Henrietta Catherine was born on 1 August 1864. On 19 March 1894, she entered the convent of Our Lady of Mercy Parramatta taking the name of Sister Rose Mary. She died on 28 July 1848, aged 83, at Parramatta.
- Anthony (Anton) was born on 17 August 1866 and died on 1 September 1866.
- Margaret Agatha was born on 9 April 1868. On 24 September 1897, she entered the Mercy Convent, Gunnedah taking the name of Sister Mary Regis. She died on 9 July 1956, aged 88, in Gunnedah.
- Elizabeth Anna Rosalia was born on 13 July 1870. She married Thomas Meade (1869 to 1939) on 20 July 1898 at Kempsey. Elizabeth died 19 May 1938, aged 67, at Murwillumbah. Elizabeth and Thomas had seven children-
- Thomas Anton (1899 to 1972),
- Mary Margaretha (1900 to 1959),
- John Joseph (1902 to 1971),
- Joseph (1904 to 1968),
- Patrick Francis (1906 to 1973),
- Margaretha Agnes (1909 to 1979) and
- Francis Michael (1912 to 1983).
- Christina Catherine Antoinette was born on 23 July 1872. She died on 20 April 1950, aged 77, at Griffith. Christina never married.
Settling on the Macleay
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| Banks of the Macleay from Gersbach property |
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| 3 April 1891, Macleay Argus |
Anton was naturalised on 29 January 1863.
As their family grew, Anton and Margaret established a school on the farm for the local children. The NSW Government Gazette of 5 February 1875 records that Anton was appointed to the Board of Aldavilla Public School along with Thomas Ramsay, Thomas Davy, Augustus Rudder, Michael Cassin and Patrick McPhillips.
The local Kempsey newspaper makes many references to the family - Anton's vineyard, John's cricket feats and, in June 1878, Anton's contribution to the foundation of the Catholic Church at West Kempsey. The snippet on Anton's sixty eighth birthday makes interesting reading!
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| Farmland from site of Gersbach home |
Back in 1995, my Dad, Frank, recorded recollections of the stories his grandfather, Francis (Frank) Gersbach had told him about Anton and Margaret. Here are a few-
- Anton's first home at Aldavilla was made of cedar and rosewood. I asked my grandfather why use this beautiful timbers. His reply was "soft and easy to cut". The house was washed away in the big floods of 1864. Margaret and her sixth child Henrietta (a baby) were trapped inside the rising waters. They were rescued by three ladders being tied together to form a bridge.... The family never saw the house again... There was no mention of cedar with the new house.
- Anton grew corn (maize). He also grew grapes to make his own wine. He must have had over half an acre of grapes as he legally had a still to make brandy. This was legal if you had half an acre of grapes. With the brandy, he could fortify his wine if he wished. My grandfather said it was good wine. His father drank a bottle a day all his life.
- I think Anton had a pit to saw wood. My grandfather said it was a rotten job especially in the pit. He grew his own tobacco and made plug tobacco by dampening it down with wine and honey. Then leaving the box under the foundations of the house so that the weight of the house was on the block of wood, then leaving it for some weeks.
- Anton and Margaret were very conscious of the need for education of their children. They never spoke German except when they were annoyed. They realised their children must have an adequate education so they built a school for their children and neighbouring children.
- As an old man, Anton would go into Kempsey to visit his friends. Having had a few drinks, he would then go to sleep in his sulky and his old horse would take him home to Aldavilla.
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| Entrance to Gersbach property and trees planted by Anton on the site of second home |
Anton celebrated his eightieth birthday on 3 April 1903. Margaret celebrated her seventy fifth birthday on 16 June 1905. The photo dates to that period.
The second picture was taken on the same day. Anton and Margaret are with their oldest son, Phillip, his wife and eleven children.
While I can't identify all those in the photo, it's likely some of Margaret and Anton's younger children are also in the photo. One of my Gersbach 3rd cousins has these and other photos HERE.
Anton passed away at his home on 21 January 1909. He was eighty five. He died without a will. On 27 May 1909, a letter of administration was granted to his son Phillip "a market gardener of Frederickton". Anton's estate was valued at £722.16.11. Early the following year, the farm at Aldavilla was sold to the Ward family. It remains with Ward descendants.
Today the farm is named Gersbachs and the area is named Adlavilla. No descendants of Anton and Margaret have remained in the area. Phillip, John and Christina were living in the region when their mother died. Within a few years, they moved south when the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area opened. Son Frank had settled in Sydney about 1890. Daughter Elizabeth was living in Port Macquarie when her father died and had settled in northern NSW by 1930. Their other two daughters were nuns in Sydney and country NSW.
Aldavilla is eleven kilometres west of Kempsey and home of the local airport. The school established by Anton and Margaret is no longer in a small farm building but a modern complex of buildings for the children from the local area.
