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Johann Gustav "Gustav" KERLE

Male 1867 - 1939  (72 years)


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  • Name Johann Gustav "Gustav" KERLE 
    Nickname Gustav 
    Birth 13 Mar 1867  Brandenburg, Prussia Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Gender Male 
    Immigration 8 Jan 1873  Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Find all individuals with events at this location  [3, 4

    • Arrived on the Lammershagen which had sailed from Hamburg 6 Oct 1872.
      KERLE Johann A 46, Johanne 32, Johannes 9¾, Johann 5
      The family was from Bärenklau, Brandenburg, Prussia.

    FamilySearch ID KPQV-DFC 
    FamilySearch link https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KPQV-DFC 
    Death 28 Aug 1939  Minden, Queensland, Australia Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 5, 6
    • MINDEN Mr. J. C. [J. G.] Kerle, aged 72, collapsed and died within a few minutes at the residence of his son-in-law, Mr. D. Neuendorff, last Monday. Because of ill-health he retired from farming in 1923, sold his property, and lived at Moore for 18 months. He then lived at Murgon for three years and a half, and afterwards returned to live at Minden with Mr. D. Neuendorff. Mr. Kerle was born in Brandenburg, Germany, and when five years old arrived in Australia with his parents on the sailing ship Lamershagen. After a short stay in Ipswich he came to Minden. For some years he was a member of the Tallegalla school committee. He is survived by a widow, four sons, three daughters, 31 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

      1939 'IRRIGATION PLANTS BEING PREPARED FOR USE.', The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), 9 September, p. 10, viewed 7 April, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40905124
    Burial Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery, 712 Tallegalla Rd, Minden, Queensland, Australia Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Notes 
    • Gustav, as he was known, was five when he migrated from Germany with his parents and brother.

      He did not have a lot of schooling although he was a foundation student of the Marburg School and also spent time at Minden School. In later years he served on the Tallegalla School Committee. Stories have been told that he had a big black dog that used to take him along a track through the scrub on his way to school.

      Gustav would have helped his parents on the farm after leaving school. He was only 17 years old when his father passed away. His mother was a bush nurse and would be called away from home leaving him to work the farm. His older brother had married and had a farm of his own.

      At this time a young girl, Wilhelmine Josefski, had migrated from Germany and came to live with a neighbour, fondly known as Auntie Bliesner. They met and married and Gustav and his new bride lived with his mother and continued to work on the farm.

      Their home consisted of slab walls, a shingle roof and dirt floor and was one long room with a fireplace at one end. As the family grew in number, Gustav built a house about six feet from their first home. This building was used for sleeping and the old kitchen was still being used at mealtimes when the farm was sold in 1916.

      Gustav was an accomplished accordion player and on a Sunday evening used to sit on the kitchen steps and play while the older members of the family and their friends danced in the yard.

      Times were harder than we can comprehend. They milked their cows, had no separator, but used to skim the cream off the milk and make butter and cheese. This was taken to Ipswich by German wagon and sold to Cribb and Foote. A water hole was a must as there were no tanks. The homes had shingle roofs and bark was taken from trees to make spouting and guttering. In dry times, water had to be carted from the Bremer River. Sometimes, it was carried for miles using shoulder yokes with a bucket hooked either side. Most times this water had to be boiled before they could drink it.

      In 1890, his mother married Jacob Naumann and went to live at Ropeley. From our records, Gustav bought the farm from his mother in 1888 and farmed there with his family until he sold it to his son, August in 1916. At one time, he also worked two farms, as records show he also bought the neighbouring farm from a Mr Wench in 1909.

      At times when his sons were still at home, he worked at a farm at Fairney View for his sister-in-law. Gustav and his wife lived on the farm at Minden until 1922 when their oldest daughter, Bertha, died at Moore, leaving nine children, the oldest 15 years and the baby two days old. They sold the farm to Dave Neuendorff, their son-in-law, in 1923 and moved to Moore where they lived for a few years. They then took Clarence, the baby, with them and moved to Barambah Creek and worked on share farms there and in the Murgon district. In about 1928, they moved back to Minden to live with their daughter and son-in-law, Meta and Dave. Gustav was still able to work with his chip hoe, although he suffered from arthritis.

      He passed away peacefully at home in August 1939 and is buried in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Minden. His wife lived on for many years and reached the grand old age of 102 years. She is buried beside her husband. Gustav was a sincere Lutheran and all his children were christened and confirmed either at Marburg or Minden. [7]
    Person ID I1270  Colston & Wenck families in Australia
    Last Modified 8 Sep 2018 

    Father Johann August "August" KERLE,   b. Abt 1830, Prussia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 30 Oct 1883, Ipswich Hospital, Chelmsford Ave, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 53 years) 
    Mother Johanne Christiane "Hannah" HANDERK,   b. Abt Oct 1840, Prussia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 22 Mar 1914, Marburg, Queensland, Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 73 years) 
    Marriage 1861 
    Family ID F5688  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Wilhelmine JOSEFSKI,   b. 22 May 1866, Jacobsdorf, Kreis Rosenberg, West Prussia (Jakubowo, Pomorskie, Poland) Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 10 Oct 1968, Minden, Queensland, Australia Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 102 years) 
    Marriage 23 Oct 1885  Minden, Queensland, Australia Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 8, 9
    Family ID F407  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 8 Sep 2018 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 13 Mar 1867 - Brandenburg, Prussia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsImmigration - 8 Jan 1873 - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 23 Oct 1885 - Minden, Queensland, Australia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 28 Aug 1939 - Minden, Queensland, Australia Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery, 712 Tallegalla Rd, Minden, Queensland, Australia Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend Address Cemetery Farm Town Parish City County/Shire State/Province Country Region Not Set

  • Sources 
    1. [S19] Josefski, John & Trevor, Josefski Family 1786-2005, (2005), p 40.

    2. [S98] DERN, David & Julie, Dern Index Queensland, Monumental Inscriptions, (David & Julie DERN 1999), MI, Minden Luth.

    3. [S218] Perth DPS Passengers Arriving in Australasian Ports, (http://www.perthdps.com), Passenger Ships into Queensland (1866-1875).

    4. [S144] Eric & Rosemary Kopittke,, Emigrants from Hamburg to Australia: 1866-1869, (Brisbane, QFHS, 1992), Lammershagen 1872.

    5. [S342] National Library of Australia, Australian Newspapers, 1939 'IRRIGATION PLANTS BEING PREPARED FOR USE.', The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), 9 September, p. 10, viewed 7 April, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40905124.

    6. [S2] Queensland: Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages, Death registration: Johan Gustav Kerle, Death date: 28/08/1939, Mother's name: Christine Hamderk, Father/parent's name: August, Registration details: 1939/C/3304.

    7. [S614] Kerin-Lea Hall, "Re: Comments - Gustav & Wilhelmine (nee Josefski) Kerle", email message to Jennifer Crockett 06 Apr 2012.

    8. [S8] Queensland Pioneers Index 1829-1889, (Brisbane, The Registrar-General, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, 2000), 1885/ 001403.

    9. [S2] Queensland: Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages, Marriage registration: Gustav Kerle, Marriage date: 23/10/1885, Spouse's name: Wilhelmine Josefski, Registration details: 1885/C/1403.