Carl Friedrich Edward Graetz (1860 - 1948)

Born 19 Jul 1860 in Siegersdorf, South Australia (Tanunda)

Ancestors

Husband of Johanne Auguste Pauline (Eisen) Graetz — married 5 Feb 1880 in Emmaus Lutheran Church, South Australia, Australia

Descendants

Died 9 Aug 1948 at age 88 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Michael Graetz [send private message]

Biography

Carl was born in 1860. He passed away in 1948.

"After four daughters, Eduard and Johanne Graetz must have rejoiced at the birth of a son. The baby, who was born on July 19, 1860, was given his father's names, Carl Friedrich Edward, but was known as Carl or Charlie. With Carl Heinrich Thiele, Auguste Wilhelm, Eleonore Kappler and Ferdinand Schlosser as godparents, he was baptized by Pastor H.A.E. Meyer in the Lutheran Church at Bethany. It was at Bethany, too, that he received a little schooling.

"Before he was 10 years old, the family moved from Siegersdorf to St Kitts for about five years before transferring to Emmaus in the Eudunda area.

"When Charlie's sister, Hulda, and her husband, Ernst Fechner, were establishing themselves in Gippsland, Victoria, he helped them to clear their land. He decided against farming in Gippsland himself because the scrub was too dense.

"At the age of 19 Charlie married 23-year-old Johanne Auguste Pauline Eisen, daughter of J. Samuel Eisen, in the Lutheran Church at Emmaus, on February 5, 1880 Pastor D.W. Georg officiated.

"The young couple's s first home was at Mannum, on the River Murray, 58 miles east of Adelaide. Charlie, who had learnt the stonemason's trade from his father and grandfather, built his own home of local stone and earned his living as a mason. Here the first three children - Annie, Susie and Ted - were born.

"His eldest sister, Johanna, and her husband, Carl Jorgensen, were at that time farming at Wild Dog Creek , between Boolcroo Centre and Melrose, in the north of South Australia. They persuaded Charlie and Pauline to join them. Two more children - Sophie and Arthur - were born while they were there. But Charlie had no wish to work all his life for someone else. His ambition was to have a farm of his own. He went to look at an area near Horsham, Victoria and came back to get his family. They travelled by waggon, trucking it by rail through the Ninety-Mile Desert (now Coonalpyn Downs) and continuing on to Norton's Creek where they settled and where Philip was born.

"Here Charlie was his own boss, but land in this area was held only on a one-year's renewable lease. The first season was very wet and they got no crop, so they moved to a new farm at Victor's East with a similar leasehold. The older children received most of their schooling at Victor's East, and here Agatha (Gertie) was born, but still the wet seasons allowed them little return for their labour. They moved to Mackenzie Creek, seven miles from Horsham, where Wally was born, but here the problem was native cats breeding in an old quarry from which they emerged by night to plunder fowls and geese.

"This part of Victoria was , in Charlie's opinion, too wet and too badly infested with a weed called drake for successful farming. He decided to move to New South Wales. In the summer of 1894 he harvested his last crop at Mackenzie Creek. The wheat had to be hand-picked by his daughters so that it could be sold for a good price as seed wheat before the family made a fresh start.

"In January 1895 they set out. Their two furrow plough was dismantled and packed in the bottom of the waggon with all the household goods. Bags filled with chaff for the horses were piled on top. These provided bedding for the family when they camped in their tent at night. The waggon was drawn by five horses - three leaders and two on the pole. In addition, they had with them a stallion and a light horse. As they travelled, Charlie drove the waggon, Pauline led the stallion from one side of the waggon and Ted led the light horse on the other side. Annie looked after the younger children and Susie nursed Wally the baby, then three months old.

"When they approached the River Murray at Koondrook where there was a punt, they realised that wet weather had made the steep, high banks soft and slippery. However, they decided not to delay as more rain seemed likely. The whole assemblage was too much for one punt-load, so Charlie, Pauline and Ted crossed first, taking the stallion and the light horse. While Pauline kept control of the stallion on the far bank, and ten year-old Ted held the other horse, Charlie went back and brought the waggon across the river on the punt. When the five horses and the loaded waggon were just at the top of the steep, slippery bank on the northern side, the S-hook gave way, uncoupling the leaders. Pauline still holding the stallion, grabbed for the leaders' heads to stop them from bolting, as the two staunch pole horses, almost falling on their knees, struggled over the crest with the waggon. Once on level ground , Charlie jumped down and ran to relieve Pauline of the wildly excited stallion. What could have been a serious mishap had been narrowly averted. If the waggon had rolled backwards they would all have been in the river. The punt had already left the northern bank to allow passage of a steamer.

"The family 's destination was Myrtle Park, a small station near Finchley between Deniliquin and Jerilderie, where they share-farmed for two years, but left because of drought. In 1896 Charlie put in his crop at Myrtle Park, moved his family to Brucedale, north-east of Wagga Wagga, and went back to do the harvesting at Myrtle Park, but got little more than his seed because the season was so dry.

"The family lived at Brucedale for two years and Bella was born at Wagga Wagga in 1897. In August 1898 Annie and Susie travelled by buggy to Pleasant Hills, a distance of about 60 miles, where they stayed for three months to receive confirmation instruction. They were confirmed in October by Pastor H.W.E. Bemmann . During the Brucedale period Charlie also share-farmed with a man who had drawn a block near Coolamon in a ballot for land.

"His interests were always farming and horses, but as he owned only a plough and harrows, he was forced to sow by hand while Ted or Susie followed with the harrows. The older girls sometimes took employment away from home but their father needed their help on the farm. One of their regular tasks was to clean the wheat after each harvest by ladling it into the winnower and turning the machine by hand.

"In January 1899 Charlie rented land from Mangoplah Station which he was required to clear, and also worked on the station, owned by John Cox, 20 miles south of Wagga Wagga. Here his fortunes began to improve.

"In 1901 Charlie, Pauline, and some of their family made a trip by train back to South Australia for the wedding of Pauline's youngest sister. Annie was a bridesmaid, Ted a groomsman, and Susie a waitress. Bella went, too, as she was too young to be left behind. They stayed in Tanunda with Charlie's widowed mother, and visited other relatives, including the Tate family. John Eisen, Pauline's brother, took them by spring cart to Springton for the wedding. While they were away, Ernst Klinberg, who was engaged to Annie, helped the rest of the family look after the farm at Mangoplah until their parents returned.

"The summer of 1904-5 is remembered in southern New South Wales as a time of high temperatures and disastrous bushfires. For a week the men at Mangoplah had been battling to prevent the many outbreaks from gaining a hold on the station, but on New Year's Day, 1905, the fires burnt out of control and devastated the countryside, sweeping on a broad front right to the coast. Several lives were lost, including one at Mangoplah. Dwellings, public buildings, crops, orchards, stations and farms were totally destroyed, and scores of families were rendered homeless.^[1]

"Charlie's crop was burnt out; but the house and machinery were saved. One pig got out and headed for the dam, but the fire caught it; the rest were burnt in the sties. The fowls had been thrown into the pug-hole in the hope of saving them, but they died from the heat. The house, which was built of pug, was doused with water, but Pauline and the children were kept busy putting out little fires whenever slabs caught alight. The two strippers and the winnower had been brought to the front of the house for protection.

"After his crop was destroyed, Charlie drove his horses through the fire on to burnt ground to save them. After days and nights without rest he was near exhaustion. His family dragged him into the cellar to recover.

"While they lived at the old home at Mangoplah, three of the children were married. Annie's husband was Ernst Klinberg, of Jindera. Ted married Selma Joppich and they rented a farm at Mangoplah. Susie was married to Fred Semler who share-farmed and later bought a block from the sub-division of Mundawadra Station, Henty.

"When the outside blocks of Mangoplah Station were sold, Charlie bought 'Hilltop' and built himself a home. He had at last achieved his ambition of owning his own property. From there, Sophie married Bill Klimpsch, a neighbour, in the Klimpsch home, 'Thornleigh'.

"Having paid off Hilltop, Charlie bought another property at Mountain Creek between Holbrook (then known as Germantown) and Culcairn. It was from Mountain Creek that Gertie and Bella were married. For a time Hilltop was leased out. and later taken over by the youngest son, Wally.

"In July 1924 Charlie and Pauline decided to revisit South Australia. Pauline had not made a complete recovery from rheumatic fever, and Charlie had heard of a good doctor in South Australia whom he wanted her to visit. Several of Pauline's sisters had died, and she was longing to see the others again.

"They travelled with two trotters in the buggy via Dimboola, Victoria, where they visited the Jorgensen relatives. While in South Australia they stayed for some time with Pauline's sister, Mrs Niejalke, at Birdwood. On the return journey they were guests of the Walter family at Renmark and arrived back in New South Wales before the winter of 1925.

"Two deaths had occurred in the family during their absence. Their youngest son, Wally, who was on the Hilltop farm, caught pneumonia in August 1924 and died leaving a wife and three young daughters. Sophie's twelve-year-old daughter, Edna Klimpsch, died suddenly in October.

"Pauline's health had also deteriorated. They stayed with the Semlers at Mundawadra where she lived for nine months, and died in December 1925 from diabetes.

"Charlie's great interest was horses. He owned a trotter called Napnell which won the Canobolas Handicap at t he Orange Show in 1928. Although the horse gave him much pride and joy, he did not derive a great financial return from owning it, as it was on lease to other trainers during its best years.

"After his wife's death Charlie stayed with his children in turn He visited South Australia twice more. Some of his relatives in the August Graetz family, also horse-lovers, remember his visit to Adelaide in the early thirties. In 1937, with Red Mick (sired by Napnell) in the sulky, he travelled westward again. The Henty Observer marked his departure with a photograph over the following caption: 'Mr C.F. Graetz (aged 75), a retired farmer of the Henty district, sets off for a 500 mile journey to South Australia by horse and sulky'.

"It is not known whether he reached Adelaide on this occasion, but his stay in Renmark is recalled by the families of his nephews, the Walter brothers.

"Even in old age Charlie would never be parted from his horse. When the daughters with whom he had made his home retired to live in Albury and The Rock, he stayed on farms with his granddaughters, Sue Phillis at Coolamon and Vera Pumpa at Henty. He died in hospital at Wagga Wagga in 1948, aged 89."

Sources

1. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald, various dates, January 1905

• Graetz, Joyce and J.G. Graetz Reunion Committee "Wider horizons : a second J.G. Graetz family history" J.G. Graetz Reunion Committee, Croydon, S.A, 1979, pp. 86-90.