|
a.
|
Note: Known was Wilhelm. He married Christina Thimke at Trampe, a suburb of Prenzlay, Germany in 1850 was nationalized on the 14th March 1878. Shortly after the death of his wife at Minden he disposed of the property at Minden and went to Tent Hill to live with his sons and their families. He passed away from heart failure at the age of 86 years and 10 months on 25th August 1909 and is buried at the Lutheran Church Ropeley. The Surname Schloss Is Of Occupational Origin. In Early Times Names Such As Smidt, Bakker Or Fisher Were To Be Found In Each Village Or Town. Each Bearer Of The Name Being Recognized And Referred To By The Occupational They Pursued. After A Time Occupational Names Became Hereditary Even Though The Bearer No Longer Followed This Trade Or Vocation. In This Case The Meaning Of The Surname Schloss, Is A Occupational Name For A Locksmith, To Lock Or Shut, Also Sometimes A Regional Name For Some One Who Lived In Or Near A Castle. Hereditary Naming Practise Began In Southern Germany Spreading Northward And Becoming Firmly Established By The 16 Th Century. Names Being Adopted From Different Sources Such As A Local Occupational Or Nicknames. Also Popular Was The Prefix Von Or Zu Being Recognized As Being Of Nobility. Early Records Of The Surname Or Variants Date Back To Aber Schloss In The Year 1360 In The Town Of Breslau, Also A Michael Schloss In 1368 At Nurnberg. Described Below Are The Celebrated Historic Arms For The Country From Which This Name Was First Recorded. The Interpretation Of These Arms Reflects The National Aspirations Of This Nation. Blazon Of Arms: Or An Eagle Displayed Sable Beaked And Membered Gules. Translation: The Tincture, Or Depicts Gold Or Yellow And Indicates The Bearer Was Generous, Alternatively It Indicates Elevation Of The Mind. Sable Represents The Colour Black, Which In Turn Designates Allegiance And Loyalty. Gules Being Red Indicates Military Resolution And Magnanimity. Crest: A Crown Or Motto: Got Mitt Uns Translation; God With Us CHARLES DICKENS The Charles Dickens was an iron sai;ing ship of 3 masts and had been built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1856. The ship was originally named "Danube" and owned by Bibby & Co and was registered in Liverpool, England., in 1876 the ship's name was changed to the "CkharlesDickens", sold to P>M> Sloman & Co, and registered with the Port of Hamburg. The ships captain was Frederick Bochwolt, the ship's doctor was Chritian Uterhart and the Matron was Mrs Croucher. She was not a very large ship being only 230 feet long , 30 feet wide and 18 feet deep and weighed 1329 tons. She was divided into three section, single females at th front, married couples and their families in the Centre and single males at the rear. All told there were 510 passengers on board made up of -6 fully paid, 13 assisted, 370 free and 119 free nominated. During the voyage there were 2 males and 3 females born, 1 marriage and the death of 1 single female , 1 male and 1 female child and 5 male and 2 female infants. Each person was allocated a sleeping space of 6 feet and 18 inches and if under 12 years of age only half that size. The conditions were cramped to say the least. The cargo on board included 50 cases of champagne, 130 cases of mincral water, 190 cases of beer, 27 bales of hops, 5 cases of cigars, 8 drums of caustic soda, 20 barrels of silicate, 1o cases of toys, 400 boxes of nails, 120 sacks of fine salt, 1346 sacks of coarse salt, 20 tons of rock salt and 10 cases of coffee. She left Hamburg on the 6 th April 1877, sailed directly to Queensland around the Cape of Good Hope and did not touch at any port during he voyage. She arrived in Moreton Bay on Friday 10 th August 1877. "The Queenslander" published a record of the voyage on August 25 th 1877. The report reads:-Captain Bochwoldt reports that the Charles Dickens ship, from Hamburg, with emigrants sailed from Cuxhaven in tow; April 6, light westerly winds, passed lightship at twelve o'clock, cast off tug, beating up channel; April 11, sighted lightship at Goodwin Sands, light westerly winds and calm;April 13, light easterly winds;May 1, sighted St Antonio;May 8, Popaul Hahl jumped overboard and was drowned;May 11, crossed the Equator, light variable winds; May 16, got south east Trades; Strong westerly winds and heavy squalls,passed the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope; June 4 , in running down easting winds from south to north-west, with heavy rain squalls, wind not keeping in one quarter,twenty-four hours under close-reefed topsail; July 1 sighted Tasmania, light winds from nort-east, and calms;coming up the coast light winds, north-east and heavy rain; July 10; light westerly winds and heavy rain; July 14 passed cape Moreton at ten A.M.,received pilot,north-west winds;at one o'clock anchored off Yellow Patch, strong westerly winds; 16 th light westerly winds, heating up channel from eight A.M. until four P.M., anchored of Cowan Cowan; July 17, eleven A.M., Norseman. s., took us in tow and towed us across the Bay; anchored at Bar at two P.M., westerly winds. A letter was sent to the ship on Sunday 12 th August from the health department stating that the passengers have to be quarantined fro a period of 18 days clear. A report was sent back to the health department on Saturday 18 th from James W. Wassell saying "I went alongside the Charles Dickens this morning when the doctor reported that the convalescent patients with measles are still doing well, with no fresh cases of measles, but there is now one case of fever, the nature of which he is at present unable to say. He appears very anxious to have the passengers landed without delay." By early afternoon all the passengers had landed at Peel Island with their luggage arriving by 3.30 P.M. on the same day. The Superintendent of Quarantine, Mr J>A> Hamiltor, then gave instructions that all the fittings of the ship had to be pulled down and burnt, that the ship had to be leaned and fumigated and that all the cl;othing and bedding had to be Shed. After landing on Peel Island the found that because of the large number of people {mainly families} had to use tents supplied by the Government. Supplies such as bread, vegetables and meat {in form of livestock} were shipped from Dunwich on nearly Stradbroke Island daily. Daily reports had to be filled out by the ship's doctor on the state of health of the passengers and sent to the Superintendent of Quarantine. The passengers were treated for their ailments and had to remain on the island for period because of he cases of Enteric Fever (now known as Typhoid Fever} that had occurred. On Tuesday 29 th Captain Bochwoldt advised Mr J.A. Hamilton that his instructions concerning quarantine had been carried out. The Superintendent had this to say " The single girls have finished washing all the clothes and bedding, all appear in the best of health. The single men will finish on Monday, they also are in the best of health anf there has not been a case among then except 2 of rheumatics, which are now better. They are a fine lot of immigrants. Kindly inform me if possible, when likely to be relived as I am baking four hundred and twenty pounds of bread daily for them at Dunwich", 4 children, 2 males, 2 females had died on the island. So finally after a voyage of 22 weeks (including 25 days on Peel Island) the Charles Dickens and its passengers arrived at Brisbane on Tuesday 4 th September. The events are best chronicled in newspapers of the day. Selected reports follow:- BRISBANE COURIER 18.07.1877 'The ship, Charles Dickens,which arrived in Moreton Bay on Saturday with 508 immigrants , from Hamburg, was visited by the Health Officer at half past two o'clock on Tuesday afternoon when the Surgeon - Superintendent, Dr Uterhart, reported that during the voyage that lasted 100 days Other had been much sickness, particularly amongst the children, there having been no less that sixty cases of measles, two of which proved faral- one death from this cause occurring on the 6 th and the other one on the 7 th day of the current month about a week before the end of the voyage. There were altogether 18 deaths and 5 births. The deaths were all children except 2. Viz Therese Frieberg, a single girl aged 22 who died of Peritonitis and Anna Maria Brener, a married woman aged 28 who died of Acute Oedema Cerebral. The other deaths were of children from four years downwards, the greatest number being infants- two dead from diphtheria, three from bronchitis, two from pneumonia, two from phthisis, two from convulsions, one from cramps, one from bright's disease and one from Apoplexy. It is not stated whether measles still prevail on board but we may assume that it does, the two deaths from this cause having occurred within a few days of the ship arrival in port. Neither is any reason given fro the occurrence of so much sickness; but the number of children on board at date of sailing was 172 which may be considered far too large a number of children for one vessel. The health officer ordered Captain Bochwoldt to hoist the yellow flag and has recommended that the ship and passengers be placed in quarantine. It is expected that "The Gazette Extraordinary" will issue orders today placing the ship in quarantine, and she will probably be towed over to Peel Island today ot tomorrow. The Immigrants are mostly German, But we notice in the list a goodly sprinkling of Polish names. THE TELEGRAPH 08.09.1877 The ship Charles Dickens will be towed from the quarantine ground to the anchorage by the Kate, tomorrow. The single men, single women, and a few married people will be brought to town on Friday, by the Kate. THE QUEENSLAND TIMES 09.09.1877 A telegram was received in town yesterday stating that the steamer Kate had proceeded to the Bay for the purpose of conveying the German immigrants recently arrived by the ship Charles Dickens to the Brisbane Immigration Depot. We understand that a number of them will be sent up to the immigration depot at North Ipswich tomorrow, so those desirous of employing this class of Labor will have an opportunity of doing so. THE IPSWICH OBSERVER 11.09.1877 A number of single men and girls and one married couple are waiting engagement at he immigration depot. Some of the German immigrants by Charles Dickens arrived late last night. THE IPSWICH OBSERVER 16.09.1877 All the immigrants with the exception of ten married couples and two single girls have left the depot. It is pleasing to notice that nearly one hundred immigrants have obtained employment here in less than a week, and it augers will for the future of immigration to Queensland when this occurs in such exceptional hard times. THE TOOWOOMBA CHRONICLE 18.09.1877 A petion was presented to th Governor today against the further imprisonment of the Danish sailors, who were sentenced to a year's imprisonment for breaking quarantine from the ship Charles Dickens. THE SCHLOSS ANCESTRY To write a story on the Schloss family we will naturally start in Germany. The story shall be laid out as much as possible in chronological order. As far as can be ascertained the Schloss family came from the Prenslau area. Prenslau, along with many of the places mentioned in the text were in an area known as Uckermark, which was a part of the Prussian State of Brandenburg. Germany was then divided into east and west. In the west the land was owned and worked by small farmers, whilst in the east, where our ancestors orginate, the land was divided into huge estates owned by the Junkers and worked by the peasants. These peasants, in our area of interest, were known as Uckermarks. These people were short, stocky, strong, and well known for their ability to work hard. The topsoil in this area was sandy and very thin, so it is assumed they were also excellent farmers. A story handed down through the generations gives some idea of th conditions under which our ancestors labored. It appears a fairly normal day consists of the woman gathering manure in the fields and transporting it ti the cultivation in baskets on their heads. Here they crumbled and scattered it while the menfolk followed up digging it in with hocs. An overseer complete wit hwhip supervised this work. All in all, not a very convivial working environment.
|
