Ludwig & Elizabeth
Arrival in Australia
Ludwig Wilhelm & Katherina Elizabeth Mäthenius arrived in Australia aboard the 'Pauline' in May 1857. The name Mäthenius is listed at the bottom of the inward passanger list found here. The typed list shows Mathemus, but looking at the original, it is definitely Mäthenius.
The ship had left Bremen Germany on the 24th December 1856 and was bound for Moreton Bay, via Sydney with 93 German immigrants & cargo. According to the advertisements of the time the immigrants were available to work in a variety of fields. In later documentation, Ludwig is listed as a baker, there was one baker aboard the ship, but it's uncertain as to whether this was Ludwig. According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald dated 29th May 1857, the weather was particularly bad at the time the 'Pauline' arrived in Morten Bay, with lots of rain & flooding
First stop -- Queensland
So far I've been unable to find where in Queensland they lived. If Ludwig wasn't employed as a baker, it's likely that he was employed on a sheep station possibly in outback Queensland. Their first son Henry Peter was born about 1857, but I haven't found any birth certificate yet.
New South Wales
The next record I've found shows them in Sydney during 1861 when Augustus was born. He was born in Phillip St Sydney. Another record dated in 1865, shows that Henry & Peter were in Randwick Asylum for Children for one week. Again the OCR software has read Mäthenius as Mathemus (only one example I have of the surname being spelt incorrectly!). It lists Ludwig's employer as Shandler & Sons - I've been told this was a German baker who catered to the German immigrants in Sydney by baking German goods. From what we can tell, we believe that Elizabeth Mathenius may have been an alcoholic.
Their last child was a girl, Willhelmina, born in 1868.
Elizabeth Mathenius was found dead in her room on the 29th of July 1874. The death certificate says it was supposed to be apoplexy & she had been seen going to bed drunk on the 28th of July.
Ludwig Wilhelm & Katherina Elizabeth Mäthenius arrived in Australia aboard the 'Pauline' in May 1857. The name Mäthenius is listed at the bottom of the inward passanger list found here. The typed list shows Mathemus, but looking at the original, it is definitely Mäthenius.
The ship had left Bremen Germany on the 24th December 1856 and was bound for Moreton Bay, via Sydney with 93 German immigrants & cargo. According to the advertisements of the time the immigrants were available to work in a variety of fields. In later documentation, Ludwig is listed as a baker, there was one baker aboard the ship, but it's uncertain as to whether this was Ludwig. According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald dated 29th May 1857, the weather was particularly bad at the time the 'Pauline' arrived in Morten Bay, with lots of rain & flooding
First stop -- Queensland
So far I've been unable to find where in Queensland they lived. If Ludwig wasn't employed as a baker, it's likely that he was employed on a sheep station possibly in outback Queensland. Their first son Henry Peter was born about 1857, but I haven't found any birth certificate yet.
New South Wales
The next record I've found shows them in Sydney during 1861 when Augustus was born. He was born in Phillip St Sydney. Another record dated in 1865, shows that Henry & Peter were in Randwick Asylum for Children for one week. Again the OCR software has read Mäthenius as Mathemus (only one example I have of the surname being spelt incorrectly!). It lists Ludwig's employer as Shandler & Sons - I've been told this was a German baker who catered to the German immigrants in Sydney by baking German goods. From what we can tell, we believe that Elizabeth Mathenius may have been an alcoholic.
Their last child was a girl, Willhelmina, born in 1868.
Elizabeth Mathenius was found dead in her room on the 29th of July 1874. The death certificate says it was supposed to be apoplexy & she had been seen going to bed drunk on the 28th of July.
NEWS OF THE DAY. (1874, July 29). Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), p. 2. Retrieved October 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107141379
Although the name is Peter, the date is correct & I'm pretty confident there were no other Mäthenius' in Sydney (or Australia) at that time.
According to Elizabeth's death certificate, there were 4 children of the marriage & 2 girls who died. It lists an older girl - Maria - as well as Henry, Augustus & Wilhelmena. I've found no record of Maria in Australia, but she may have married before coming or stayed in Germany.
After Elizabeths Death
Ludwig stayed in Sydney for about 5 years after Elizabeths death. The Sands Directory (found at ancestry.com.au) has the following addresses listed for Ludwig
According to Elizabeth's death certificate, there were 4 children of the marriage & 2 girls who died. It lists an older girl - Maria - as well as Henry, Augustus & Wilhelmena. I've found no record of Maria in Australia, but she may have married before coming or stayed in Germany.
After Elizabeths Death
Ludwig stayed in Sydney for about 5 years after Elizabeths death. The Sands Directory (found at ancestry.com.au) has the following addresses listed for Ludwig
- 1876 Milson's Point St Leonards East (Baker)
- 1877 Tayt St Victoria (comes off Blues Point Rd in North Sydney)
- 1879 13 Phelps St Alexandria