The Schrader Letters 1871-1896

The Schrader Letters 1871-1896 Family letters written between members of the family of Dr CUD Schrader of Walcha, NSW, Australia

With an introduction and family profiles by Chris Honeyman

Edited by Caroline Gaden

Copyright 2011 Caroline Gaden

ISBN 978-0-9872474-0-7

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chris Honeyman’s letter

Who are the family?

Letters 1871

Letters 1872

Letters 1873

Letters 1874

Letters 1875

Letters 1876

Letters 1877

Letters 1883

Letters 1884

Letters 1887

Letters 1888

Letters 1890

Letters 1891

Letters 1892

Letters 1895

Letters 1896

Poem

Obituaries

Genealogical details

INTRODUCTION

The Schrader Letters date from 1871 to 1896 and give a wonderful insight into the loves and hates, quarrels and make-ups, triumphs and struggles of the Schrader family.

They were collected by Marea (Schrader) Waugh and passed on to her daughter Christian (Waugh) Honeyman.

In 1974 Chris Honeyman (1893-1987) and her friend Ernie Miller sorted these letters, and those of the Waugh family, into chronological order and typed them out. It must have been a real labour of love as the letters are difficult to read due to the style of writing, the sometimes quaint use of English, and the desire by the writer to completely cover every tiny space of paper!

Within the family there were several carbon copies which, in time, became more and more difficult to read. The original letters were passed to the care of family historian Caroline Gaden and her husband Bob, a great-great-grandson of Dr Schrader and in 1996 they published The Schrader Letters [ISBN 0 646 28936 5] . This book is out of print, however we now have the benefit of an electronic version. The original letters have now been deposited in the UNE & Regional Archives at the UNE Heritage Centre, corner of Dangar and Kentucky Streets, Armidale.

The photographs on the cover show Dr Christian Ulrich Detlev Schrader and his wife Caroline Christina.

(Two of Dr Schrader's daughters married two Waugh brothers and A History of the Waughs has been collated by Neville Maloney, 15 Colin Street, BANGALOW, NSW 2479.)

The Schrader Letters relate only part of the family story, many questions remained. As part answer to those questions Caroline Gaden has written a family history of the Schrader family, tracing Dr CUD Schrader's line back to their origins in Schleswig Holstein.

The book is called From Baron to Battler [ISBN 0 646 28937 3] and, as the title suggests, Dr Schrader was of noble birth, his mother being the daughter of a Baron. The book relates the story of the Schrader family in Europe prior to travelling to Australia and settling in Port Macquarie before buying land in the Walcha district. It includes the diary of Ludwig Schrader, written from 1873-4, when he was building the house at Holstein; it tells of the search for Montana, home of Constanza and Philipp; it includes some history of Walcha and the gold diggings at Glen Morrison, home of Augustus and his family. We discover why the family disapproved of Augustus' wife and what happened to Ludwig's two children and their mother.

From Baron to Battler also includes many certificates, the will of Dr C U D Schrader, the divorce papers filed by Augustus against his wife, a number of photographs and many leaves on the family tree. Parts were compiled during the author’s study for a Postgraduate Diploma in Local and Applied History at U.N.E. The hard copy of this book is also sold out (however copies of both books are available in the NSW State Library) but this too will be available in electronic format in 2012.

Any corrections or comments can be sent to Caroline Gaden cagaden@iprimus.com.au

*****

Chris Honeyman’s letter to the family

My dear Family -

Since I began writing the Waugh Family record, and now, as I attempt to do the same for the Schraders - my Mother's family - I realise what a loss it is not to have known any of my grandparents. My four grandparents died either before or within a few years of my birth. In the way of most children I had no curiosity about the past; the present had to be explained before any understanding of what yesterday or tomorrow meant.

I have very little material on which to build a story of the Schraders. The fact that my grandparents came from Germany and Denmark, and that a World War broke out in 1914 and 1939, when Germany was our enemy, snapped any link that may otherwise have remained. I do not possess any letters from his parents to their son - my grandfather, Dr C.U.D. Schrader - in Australia. There is one reference to his father, in a family letter in Australia, where he says his father was 'fonder of the sword and amours' than high society life in Copenhagen. Unless my current 1974 efforts to trace previous generations through the Archives in Kiel (Germany) and Haderslev (Denmark) are successful, I must confine this record to the letter which my Mother left among her papers - those written by members of the family to each other, in Australia.

There are a few letters and photos from Grandmother Schrader's relatives written to my mother in English. Pauline Oehlert was mother's first cousin. I leave these letters just as they are written. The history of Schleswig-Holstein, where my grandparents were born, is complicated. I do not pretend to ravel it here. You will read it up for yourselves if you are interested.

Grandfather - Dr C.U.D. Schrader - was born on February 6th, 1819, at Hadersleven, Duchy Schleswig-Holstein, and married Carolina Christina Vollstedt at Neumuhlen on 5-5-1845. Grandfather's names were Christian Ulrich Detlej and I was named Christian after him. He was an army surgeon when Schleswig-Holstein was fighting for freedom from Denmark in 1848. On the conclusion of that war he came to Australia in 1853, with Grandmother and four children - August, Sophia, Ludwig and Constanza. My mother, Marea (Mollie, Marie) was their fist child born in Australia, at Port Macquarie, N.S.W. in 1854.

It will clarify some details of those early years if I copy out official entries obtained from the Mitchell Library, Sydney.

Grandfather Schrader arrived in Sydney on 20th September, 1853, in The Alster from Hamburg. The Medical Directory of N.S.W. and Queensland has this entry in 1860:

'Schrader, C.U.D. (M.D. Kiel) Schleswig-Holstein. 1844. In 1849 Assistant Surgeon 1st class. In 1850 Staff Surgeon in the Army of Schleswig-Holstein.'

From the Archives of New South Wales Colonial Secretary (in letters) is Dr. Schrader's application for naturalisation, which is dated 1856 and in which he gives his place of residence as Port Macquarie. He is recommended for naturalisation by Edward D. Day, Police Magistrate, Port Macquarie, and R. G. Johnston, J.P., who state that they have known him for three years. Edward D. Day is listed in New South Wales 'Returns of the Colony (Blue Book) for the period 1855-1857 as Police Magistrate for Port Macquarie.

C.U.D. Schrader's Naturalisation Certificate was duly issued. It was No. 702 of February 25th, 1856, and stated that he was a native of the Duchy of Schleswig, was 37 years of age, and was residing at Port Macquarie.

The New South Wales Government Gazette of 1st April 1856, published a note dated 1-4-1856, inserted by the N.S.W. Medical Board, which stated -

'We certify that the undermentioned persons have submitted to this Board the necessary Testimonials of Qualification ..... Schrader, C.U.D. (M.D. Kiel) .....'

In the New South Wales Government Gazette of 23rd January, 1857, is a notice dated 9th January, 1857, that Dr. Schrader had been appointed as Coroner for the District of Port Macquarie. He is listed in the N.S.W. Blue Book as holding that position until 1862. The 'Australian Almanac' lists Dr. Schrader as residing continuously in Port Macquarie until 1864, and in Walcha until 1877. 'The Australian Almanac' then ceased publication but 'Moore's Australian Almanac' contains similar information, and continues to list Dr. Schrader at Walcha until 1890.

In the 'Aldine Centennial History of New South Wales' it is recorded that: - 'Dr. Schrader was educated at Kiel, Goettnigen, Copenhagen and Paris Universities. He graduated at Kiel in medicine, and was for some time assistant to the Professor Baron von Langenbeck, at that period Professor of the Clinical Surgery at Kiel University, and subsequently practised near Hamburg. At the outbreak of the 1848 Schleswig-Holstein war with Denmark, Dr. Schrader was appointed Staff-Surgeon, which he held until the termination of hostilities. He received the Iron Cross (with the sanction of the Prussian authorities) from the provisional government of Schleswig-Holstein. He is now in receipt of a pension for his services as Staff-Surgeon to the 1st regiment of Jagers. In 1853 he came to New South Wales and settled at Port Macquarie, where he filled the position of Hospital Surgeon and Coroner. Some eight years later he moved to Walcha, and combined sheep farming with his profession. From 1866 to 1875 he practised in the Newcastle district, thence returning to Walcha. Dr. Schrader was married in 1845 to a Holstein lady. They had 6 sons and 7 daughters, of whom 5 sons and 5 daughters are still living. He is a member of the Foreign Society of Physicians of Paris, and a frequent contributor on various subjects to the Australian Press.'

In one of my albums there is an old photograph of a military dinner which was taken during the Schleswig-Holstein war with Denmark. Grandfather Schrader is the man holding up his glass to be filled by the waiter. Among my books there are two copies of a little book of medical diagnosis and treatment written by Grandfather in Australia. It was written for the isolated families of our bush. The women in those circumstances won his sympathy and admiration.

My father - Reeve Waugh - told me that Dr. Schrader was a tall, fine looking man of commanding presence. Whilst a student the famous sculptor Thorvolsen used his arm as a model for strength.

A good story is told that he was a noted amateur wrestler, and that he walked from Berlin to Rome to meet an Italian wrestler, who, however, never accepted the challenge. So grandfather walked all the way back to Berlin!

As you will gather from the letter which Esme Miller and I have carefully copied, there was a warm regard between Dr. Schrader and his sons-in-law, Reeve Waugh, who married my mother, Mollie Schrader, and Jack Waugh, who married Louise Schrader, her younger sister. The Schraders and Waughs met in Port Macquarie, in their early days in Australia, and became life-long friends. Both my mother and father were born in Port Macquarie, where grandfather Waugh had established his 'Academy' and grandfather Schrader was a doctor and coroner. Some years later both families moved to Walcha where the Waughs settled on the land and Dr. Schrader bought a property for his two eldest sons, August and Ludwig, whilst he himself practised in the district. The lives of these two families are so intertwined that in writing of them separately I cannot avoid repetition, but perhaps this way will clarify their stories for later generations - should they be interested.

The Waughs eventually moved into the west, as my father relates in his Journal; and it was from there that Reeve and Jack, in 1888, bought 'Taloumbi' on the Clarence. It was there that we of the second generation of Australians were all brought up. In another place I have written something of our life at 'Taloumbi'. Aunt Laura Robinson (nee Waugh) used to spend holidays with the Schraders at 'Holstein', Walcha, and in her letters to me she has related that grandmother Schrader told her many stories of Germany. Grandmother Schrader said she and Dr. Schrader met in a 'field of cowslips' and it was 'love at first sight'. With disarming candour she also said that she was not of the 'high-born class' of the Schraders. I love this dear unknown grandmother of mine. Aunt Laura writes that grandmother must have been a beautiful girl, with lovely 'blue eyes, golden hair, and an exquisite complexion' - but with age she grew 'rather stout' - still, however, a 'pretty old lady'.

Grandmother Schrader I think was a born letter writer. If a letter should be a communication of gossipy contemporary news, personal and uninhibited, she, in her quaint German-English construction and use of words fulfils these essentials. She admonishes and praises, complains and rejoices, and pours out her heart in grief and love to her daughters. Her love of trees and flowers and vegetables, and the growing of them, was, I feel, the happiest part of her life in Australia. She hated change and loved 'Holstein', where they lived in the country at Walcha, as well as in the township in a home they called 'Anglea'.

Often I am conscious, in reading their letters, of how much my four grandparents must have longed