The grandfather of August and Gustav was Johann Heinrich Weidenbach who worked at the Naumburg an der Saale town church of St Wenzel where he was the verger and the teacher at the girls’ school . Johann Heinrich was born in Dec/Jan 1741/42 and died in Naumburg on the 18th March 1792, at the age of 50. It appears that he was not born in Naumburg because he was granted Naumburg citizenship on 16/6/1772. Johann Friedrich married Sophia Christiane Dorothea (née ????) and had two sons - Friedrich August and the elder son Heinrich Traugott Weidenbach, who married Dorothea Christaine Nagel and had five children, three of which survived and migrated to South Australia.

Naumburg town records also indicate that a certain Johann Friedrich Weidenbach (roofer with master craftsman's diploma) obtained Naumburg citizenship on 14/5/1739. Perhaps he was the father of Johann Heinrich ???

Heinrich Traugott Weidenbach's occupation is listed as: 1809 "Weißbäcker" (pastrycook?); 1811 baker's assistant; 1821 carriage driver; 1825 police service.

He married Dorothea Christiane Nagel and had five children:

 Amalia Augusta: born 9/8/1809, died 16/8/1809 - buried in Naumburg Cathedral Cemetery.

 Dorothea Rosina: born 14/1/1811, died 18/1/1811 of "Stichfluss" (asthma) - buried in Naumburg Cathedral Cemetery.

  Johanna Eleanora: born 8/12/1811 .... ( It is assumed that this is the same person as Sophia Henrietta Johanna / Sophie Emily Weidenbach who      married Carl Lange in Australia)

 Gustav Adolph: born 16/3/1820 ...... emigrated to Australia 1849.

 August Friedrich: born 19/6/1821 ..... emigrated to Australia 1846.

 

AUGUST FRIEDRICH WEIDENBACH          GUSTAV ADOLPH WEIDENBACH

 

August Friedrich Weidenbach

Pamela Illert has kindly provided the following summary:

In 1846, (at age 25) August Friedrich Weidenbach emigrated to Australia aboard the Pauline departing 30 May 1846 from the Port of Bremen arriving 27 September 1846 at Port Adelaide. The shipping records list him as age 25, single and a coach builder. August was accompanied by Freidrich Wilhelm Berling (listed as age 51 and a cabinet maker), Wilhelmina Berling (age n/a and presumably Friedrich’s daughter) and Gustaphus Friedrich Adolphus Berling (age 14 and presumably Freidrich’s son). August Weidenbach and Wilhelmina Berling later married one another in South Australia.
In August’s Memorial by an Alien for Naturalization dated 1853, August states he had resided in South Australia for 6 and a half years (hence emigrated about 1846), was age 31 (hence born about 1822). Most importantly, he was born in Naumburg on the River Saale in Prussia (as were most of his siblings). At that time (1853), August was working as a farmer in Hope Valley with his brother (Gustav Adolph Weidenbach).

Soon after, August Friedrich Weidenbach (born about 1821) and Juliane Wilhelmine Berling (born about 1815) married one another 10 July 1854 at the Residence of Carl Kolwe, Hope Valley. After their arrival in 1846, Juliane, her father Freidrich and brother Gustaphus settled at Blumberg (later renamed Birdwood). After their marriage, the South Australia Directories also list August Weidenbach as working as a blacksmith and living in Birdwood. They had no children.

 August and Juliane were close friends of Juliane’s brother Gustav. They were the godparents of his first child and Gustav paid ₤75 to release August from gaol after he was arrested for insolvency on 29 September 1887. (August did not ever attend any Court proceedings relating to this matter as he provided the Court with a series of letters indicating he was unable to travel from Birdwood to Adelaide on the basis of a range of medical conditions including heart disease and an ulcerated leg. After 2 years, the Court dismissed proceedings against him).

It seems most likely that August (originally trained as a coach builder in Germany and listed in the South Australian Directories as a blacksmith at Birdwood) and Gustav Berling (listed in the South Australian Directories as a coach builder and machinist at Birdwood) worked together as friends and relatives to build a range of vehicles including the first horse drawn omnibus to travel between Adelaide and Glen Osmond (as suggested by oral traditions), the famous Berling’s Excelsior Folding Seat Buggy which converted to both a family buggy and a sports model (advertised in the Mt Barker Courier, 01 September 1880) along with a series of diverse inventions that were patented and details of which can presently be found in the Public Records Office of South Australia.

August died on 5/3/98, at Blumberg, aged 78 years.

Berling’s Excelsior Folding Seat Buggy

 

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Gustav Adolph Weidenbach

Pamela Illert has kindly provided the following summary:

In 1849 (age 28) Gustav Adolph Weidenbach emigrated to Australia aboard the Princess Louise departing 26 March 1849 from the Port of Hamburg arriving 07 August 1849 at Port Adelaide (via Rio de Janeiro).

In Gustav’s Memorial by an Alien for Naturalization dated 1853, Gustav states he had resided in Australia for 4 years (so emigrated in 1849), was age 32 (so born about 1821). Most importantly, he was born in Naumburg on the River Saale in Prussia (as were most of his siblings). At that time (1853), he was working as a farmer at Hope Valley with his brother, August Freidrich Weidenbach. Gustav worked as a farmer and hawker all his life at Nantawarra, Cunliffe and North Rhine. He died in November 1899 in Cunliffe.

Gustav Adolph Weidenbach and Marie Helen Rathmann married one another 27 February 1854 at the Residence of Mr. Rathmann, Blumenburg and had 14 children.

1. Gustav Adolph Traugott Weidenbach (born 18 January 1855 at Blumberg died 1922) and Louise Johanna Lostroh (born about 1854) married one another 16 November 1883 in the PM Church, Kadina and had 3 children.

2. Mary Clara Weidenbach (born about 1856) and James Docking (born about 1851) married one another 11 November 1876 in the Wesleyan Church, Moonta and had 14 children.

3. Anna Elizabeth Weidenbach (born 17 November 1857 at Blumberg died 1959) and Carl August Schilling (born about 1864) married one another 22 March 1886 in the Residence of Gustav Adolph Weidenbach, Kadina and had 8 children.

4. Gustav Heinrich (Henry) Weidenbach (born 09 May 1859 at Blumberg died 1922) and Mary Edith Symons (born about 1872) married one another 19 July 1892 in the Residence of Mrs. Symons, Moonta and had 3 children.

5. Carl (Charles) Richard Weidenbach (born 22 March 1861 at Blumberg) and Elizabeth Horsley had an illegitimate daughter Beatrice Horsley (born 15 July 1889 at Hd of Horsley). Carl and Louisa Jane Browning (born about 1871) first married one another 29 September 1891 in the Wesleyan Church, East Moonta. Charles and Alice Theaksone (born about 1872) second married one another 18 November 1896 in the PM Manse, Moonta Mines. (She was the widow of his brother, Freidrich August Weidenbach). Charles and Alice Jane Bodinner (born about 1870) third married one another 16 April 1898 in the Residence of Mrs. W. Bodinner, Cross Roads. Although Carl had an illegitimate daughter, he had no children by any of these 3 marriages.

6. Friedrich August Weidenbach (born 31 July 1862 at Blumberg died before 1896) and Alice Theakstone (born about 1872 died before 1898) married one another 19 July 1893 at the Residence of Thos. Allan, Kadina. (After Freidrich’s death, Alice second married Freidrich’s brother, Carl Richard Weidenbach). They had no children.

7. Max Hermann Weidenbach (born 22 June 1864 at Blumberg). There are no marriage or birth records in South Australia.

8. Gustav Hermann Weidenbach (born 13 June 1865 in Blumberg). There are no marriage or birth records in South Australia.

9. Louisa Helena (Helene Louise) Weidenbach (born 08 September 1868 at Stonewell died 1959) and Charles Knut Benson (born about 1861) married one another 26 January 1887 in the PM Church, Cunliffe and had 6 children.

10. [Pauline Clara (Clara Pauline) Weidenbach (born 15 December 1869 at Gnadenfrei) and Robert Richard Symons had 3 children. There is no marriage record in South Australia.

11. Alwin Benno Weidenbach (born 24 June 1872 at Kapunda) and Sarah Moloney (born about 1872) married one another 25 January 1898 in the Catholic Presbytery, Brompton. There are no birth records in South Australia.

12. Ernest Edward Weidenbach (born 10 January 1875 at Moonta). There are no records of his marriage or of birth of his children in South Australia.

13. Emma Helene Weidenbach (born 24 August 1877 at Moonta Mines) and Samuel Robert Price (born about 1876) married one another 28 November 1900 in the Residence of Mrs Weidenbach, Moonta Mines and had 4 children.

14. George Albert Weidenbach (born 24 March 1881 at Greens Plains) and Lilas Wadge had an illegitimate daughter, Alice Emma Wadge (born 01 September 1903 at Port Hughes near Moonta).

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A1. Marien Parish records

Until February 2011 there was some controversy as to whether August and Gustav were sons or nephews of "Painter Weidenbach". The family relationship was finally clarified when Ingo Weidenbach translated some records held by Don Elks. These were contained in a letter from a certain Werner Happ, written from Naumburg to a Mr Weidenbach sometime before 1989. These extracts show Weidenbach births, christening and deaths in the early 19th century and are consistent with the data taken from the Naumburg Einwohner Buch and presented previously on this website.

A2. Gustav Adolph Birth Certificate

A3. Passenger List Extracts         ( from TheShipsList http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/passengerlists/index.htm )

A3.1. The Barque Pauline, 1846.    

Captain Lüder Stelljes, from Bremen, Germany 30th May 1846, arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia 27th September 1846

A3.2. The Princess Louise, 1849 

Captain Bohr, from Hamburg 26th March 1849, via Rio De Janeiro, arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia 7th August 1849

 

A4. Naturalisation Certificates for Augustus Friedrich and Gustav Adolph, 26th January 1853

NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA   http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/recordsearch/index.aspx

 

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