Articles
These articles relate to Wendish migration and settlement in Australia. Members and other interested readers are invited to submit relevant articles for possible publication on this site.
"Windish" Wends from Hungary
An article with the title "Windish Lutherans at Home and Abroad" published in The Lutheran Quarterly, the theological journal of the Lutheran Church of America and the American Lutheran Church in May 1955 has been sent to us by Archivist...
Wendish "Kashubs" in Pommerania
On page 37 of his book "The World of the Ancient Slavs ", Zdenek Vana has described the tragedy and disappearance of the Slavs who occupied most of north-western Europe during the Middle Ages....
The 1854 Voyage to Australia by the Malvina Vidal
The Malvina Vidal brought more than fifty Lower Lusatian Wends to Australia, most of whom settled in South Australia. This article describes the voyage, a story told through newspaper articles, letters and memoirs.
Westgarthtown
An article about the German and Wendish immigrants who first settled at Westgarthtown near Melbourne in March 1850.
Three outstanding Zwar leaders in Victoria
Three outstanding Zwar leaders in Victoria Wendish Heritage Dinner Talk - Kevin P Zwar Sat 8th Oct 2005...
The Helene 1851
The Helene is a summary of a presentation by Kevin Zwar to the Wendish Heritage Society on 18th September 1991 at the Society's Helene Banquet - the 140th Anniversary of the Helene's journey to Australia - held at Box Hill,...
Helene Passenger List 1851
Compiled by the Rev Dr H F W Proeve in 2002 from a variety of sources including Hamburg Shipping List; German researcher, 'Deutsche Auswanderung nach Australien 1849-1851'; The 'Observer' (Adelaide) 27.12.1851; G Nielsen 'In Search of a Home'; Family Histories...
WEND NEWSPAPER ITEMS
News Items in the Wendish newspaper 'Tydzenske Nowiny' in Saxony relating to the Migration to Australia...
THE PRIBISLAW 1849/50
THE 1849/50 VOYAGE TO AUSTRALIA BY THE PRIBISLAW The Pribislaw brought almost fifty Upper Lusatian Wends to Australia, most of whom settled in Victoria. These Wends included the Graff, Hempel, Hoehne, Kaiser, Pannach, Rosel, Schuster, Seiler, Stephan, Wuchatsch, Ziesche, Zimmer,...
PRIBISLAW 1849/50 PASSENGER LIST
PRIBISLAW PASSENGER LIST AS RECONSTRUCTED BY ROBERT WUCHATSCH No passenger list for the Pribislaw has ever been found....
Books on Wends
How to purchase books on the Wends in Australia. Kevin P Zwar...
Hahndorf's Heritage
by John Noack...
Remembering The Once Mighty Murray
by John Noack...
Treasure at the Bautzen Archives
In June 2008 I revisited the Bautzen Archives (Archiv Verbund Stadtarchiv/Staatfilialarchiv Bautzen) to continue my Wuchatsch family history research, a project I have been working on for almost 40 years. My interest in family history was stimulated by George Nielsen...
Confusion over Saxony and Prussia
When the pious Lutherans built their first Churches in South Australia, they put a large bell up in their church tower. The bell would be rung vigorously for a few minutes before services to scare away the dangerous animals...
Conservation of Photographs
The State Records of NSW published in its Newsletter Now and Then (Number 21 August 2006) the following hints in regard to keeping photos safe from harm. Photos deteriorate because of (1) the inherent instability involved in the printing...
A NIEDER WEISEL STORY
by Don Hauser Nieder-Weisel was once one of many small, peaceful communities that became deeply troubled by the events that occurred during the mid-nineteenth century. High taxes, religious differences, over population and the devastating crop failures in the 1840s forced...
The German-speaking Settlers of the Hamilton District
by John Noack (based on the research and the power-point presentation by Betty Huf.) On Friday 3 July 2009 at Knox Lutheran Church in south-eastern Melbourne, Western District historian Betty Huf gave a power-point presentation on the German-speaking early...
THE WENDS APPEAL TO KING OF SAXONY
THE APPEAL TO THE KING OF SAXONY FOR BETTER TREATMENT OF THE WENDS Introduced by Kevin Zwar This document gives an excellent insight into life for the Wends under German rule in the mid 19th century....
Wend-surfing
The Internet's Google search-engine is able to find about 240,000 websites or items relating to "Wends" which are available for viewing. The following small selection of items relate to the Wends or Sorbs in Lusatia Germany; in Texas and Ohio...
Visit to East Germany, September - October 2009
The close of the summer season welcomed Klaus Hattwich and yours truly (Clay Kruger) to the country of origin of our forebears....
Tour of U.K. and Germany, September-October 2009.
In planning this journey, Klaus Hattwich and I (Clay Kruger) aimed to follow the trail of Martin Luther (1483-1546) in Germany, also to focus on visiting cathedrals, palaces, churches and other historic venues. Our first port of call was London....
Ship "Royal Charter" and passengers lost in an 1859 hurricane.
Most family history research relating to ancestors on passenger lists concentrates on the ships which sailed from Europe to Australia. Some of these ships disappeared without a trace, while some were known to have been wrecked. Either way, their passengers...
Lutheran Almanac Summary Book
Geoff Saegenschnitter has very kindly provided the Wendish Heritage Society Australia Inc. with a copy of his latest valuable project - a Lutheran Almanac Summary Book. Download file...
Hoffmeister's Matilda
A german shearer and unionist called Samuel Hoffmeister has entered the debate about the background to Andrew Barton (Banjo) Patterson's poem "Waltzing Matilda". Samuel was involved in the dispute between shearers and squatters at Dagworth Station near Winton in Queensland...
THE WENDS IN VICTORIA by John Noack
A talk on "The Wends in Victoria" was presented by John Noack, President of the "Wendish Heritage Society Australia" on Saturday 8 May 2010 at 2pm at a meeting of the Wend/Sorb Society in South Australia. This was held in...
