Elsewhere on this site it is noted that JAL Hein and his family returned to Germany for about 9 months in 1889. It is not known why, and whether they originally intended to return. Also it has not been determined how they did return, although they went on two different ships. A mystery which had intrigued Don Hein is that his grandfather was the only member of the family who stayed in Mount Gambier. Here, in one of his Chronicles, he speculates.
Why didn’t Lou go back to Germany with the rest of the family?
In previous Chronicles we noted the return to Germany of the family in May 1889 and their return to Australia in May 1890, and that the second son Julius (Lou) did not go with them. The reason that the family went to Germany is not known, perhaps it was an important family event. Nor did we know why Lou did not go with them but there is some circumstantial evidence.
The Sons of Temperance Mount Gambier Pioneer Pledge Book No 1, carries the following entry in the handwriting of the initiate: [name] J. H. G. Hein [age] 21 [residence] Ardno [trade] labourer [status] single [birth] Feb 8 68 [place] Hamburg [country] Germany [date of initiation] Nov 14 1889. This proves that Lou was in Australia at the time the rest of the family was in Germany. It further shows that he was working at Ardno, a district just over the Victorian border on the Mount Gambier-Casterton road. But doing what? And why he did not go to Germany with his family?
The Gould family had come from England in 1849 going first to Strathalbynm then Langhorne Creek, but soon moving to Glenburnie (about 7km east of Mount Gambier). Most of the family later went on to Warracknabeal (Vic) but one of the sons, Isaac Gould (1835-1910) and his wife Hepzibah Wooding, stayed on to set up a road construction business. Around 1890 the Casterton road was being upgraded and it is quite probable that was the work that Lou was involved in.
Isaac and Hepzibah had seven children mostly girls one of whom was Sarah Ann Gould (1855-1934) who married Thomas Jeffree (1850-1892). They had nine children the eldest of who was Annie Florence Jeffree (1875-1944). It was this granddaughter of the same road contractor Lou worked for whom he married in 1902. Although Annie was only 15 in 1890 when Lou signed the pledge and worked at Ardno, it is not known how long he continued to work for his future wife’s grandfather. A romance could have blossomed strong enough to cause him to stay close to Glenburnie rather than venture abroad. [Toni and I started to go together when she was 15 and nothing would have dragged me away. Ed.]