Carl Julius Mühlberg

Carl Julius Mühlberg

Auckland, New Zealand

The New Zealand 1860s gold rush attracted German, Scandinavian, American and Chinese miners owing to lower start-up capital required in comparison to the Victorian goldfields. Germans were the largest group of non-British immigrants to settle in 19th century New Zealand. Not all immigrants were rural labourers or miners though; many were educated. They appreciated New Zealand’s civil rights and its advocacy of freedom of thought and speech, which contrasted with the severe censorship in the German confederation. Carl Julius lived in Auckland, New Zealand where he was naturalised a NZ citizen on the 10th of October 1862. His application letter reads, misspellings and casings are [sic]: 

Willunga, South Australia

In 1868, Carl purchased one acre in Lobethal (Lot 88) from Emil Robert Buck. This property was approximately situated at what is now, number 58 Mill Street, Lobethal. 

Documentation for this purchase records Carl residing at Willunga at the time. However, during the period 1866 to 1889, all his children were born in Lobethal. It is not known, how temporary or how often he was in Willunga. 

Carl and Johanna lived most of their lives at Lobethal, where Carl operated a boot maker store from their home ‘Rosedale.’ This was his primary income source, while less often is he documented as a farmer. Although in 1883 he was described in The Commercial and a Trades Directory as a basket maker. The ‘Rosedale’ property was based on the traditional Hufendorf layout, where the family aimed to be self-sufficient with a garden, orchard, pigsties, barn and milking sheds all on the ‘Rosedale’ property. The family also worked together to gain casual wages in nearby Charleston. The family even walked to Lyndoch to stook hay, sleeping in the farmer’s hay shed. In the morning, they were chased off the property by the farmer’s dog and without pay. 

Naturalisation in Province of South Australia

The family regularly attended St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lobethal where their six girls and three boys were all baptised. Carl Julius was one of the trustees in a land purchase for the church in 1902. Carl Julius was also lay reader in the congregation for many years, bell-ringer and churchwarden. The congregation presented Carl Julius with an armchair in recognition of his services. Daughter Selma carried on the duties as bell-ringer after her father, as well as decorating the Christmas tree and attending to the grave of Pastor Dr Carl Heinrich Conrad Lössel. The friendship of the Lössel and  Mühlberg families included Pastor Lössel’s second wife Hermine Lössel teaching the Mühlberg sisters the craft of creating hair flower arrangements. 

Of their three sons, only Paul Carl lived to adulthood. Tragically, Oskar Wilhelm died at nineteen years of age due to a horse riding incident at Milendella when the horse fell on top of him as he crossed a riverbed on way to Walker Flat. Oskar’s death record shows that Carl Julius Mühlberg was living temporarily at Milendella, which is where relations of Johanna’s family resided. One year later their youngest child Johann Ernst died age three of bronchitis before he reached hospital. 

Interestingly on the birth register, only four of the children were recorded with the English variant of the name Muehlberg, (Paul, Bertha, Alma and Hermine). In addition, Carl Julius was listed as Charles Julius Muehlberg in these same entries. Seemingly without pattern is the appearance of Johanna’s Christian name as Johanne in many entries and her surname as Borrmann instead of Bormann.

National Archives show that Carl Julius was granted naturalization on the 25th of May 1874. State records show that he voted in the state elections of 1884 and 1888. His occupation was officially listed as ‘Boot maker’ and residence ‘Lobethal.’ 

Carl Julius often travelled by foot to surrounding districts and Adelaide to measure and later deliver boots in the hope of being paid. During these times Johanna and the children would be fearful of local Aborigines after dark becoming overly inquisitive of the candle light illuminating the home. The local Aboriginal population although resentful of the pioneers whom established Lobethal in 1842 were shown much kindness by the pioneers whom provided clothing and attempted to assimilate the population. Unfortunately, much of the Aboriginal population succumbed to Tuberculosis.

Carl is known to have written copies of music manuscripts to be used for church services and folk gatherings. His daughter Selma donated these manuscripts to the Lobethal Lutheran church museum. The bound cover of these is labelled Mühlberg and dated 1844, making it the oldest known artefact of Carl Julius’ life. Carl also had artistic talent. Great granddaughter Audrey Gadkear has a pencil sketch of flowers drawn in 1847 by Carl Julius at age 14. Carl also planted roses in the garden at Rosedale. 

Over the period 14Jan1897 to 27 Jan 1905, Carl Julius Mühlberg had a mortgage loan on the Rosedale property to Gottfried Wilhelm Müller. 

Carl Julius Mühlberg suffered an illness for five weeks prior to his death on the 1st of October 1908 at age 75 of carcinoma ventriculi (stomach cancer) and morbus cordis (heart disease). He was buried at Lobethal Cemetery three days later. His occupation at time of death was listed as ‘Gardener’ according to his wife’s death certificate. His gravesite has since expired, however its location is block 6, section 4, grave 661. 

Johanna Lydia Bormann

Johanna Lydia Bormann was born in Lobethal shortly before midnight on the 12th of February 1846, the youngest of seven children to Johann Gottfried Bormann and Johanna Christiane Münke. The Bormann surname is geographical in origin, meaning ‘one who lives by a spring or well.’ Variations on this name may include Borman, Bormans and Bormanns. 

Following the passing of Carl Julius Mühlberg

After the death of her husband Carl Julius Mühlberg in 1908, Johanna acquired the titles to the following properties through Carl’s will:

• Section 5172 - 25 Acres on Magpie Castle Road. 

• Section 5124 - Lot 75 and part of Lot 74 - 101 Main Street, Lobethal; including the home ‘Rosedale’. 

• Section 5124 - Lot 88 - Later sold to Heinrich Friedrich Gustav Otto Grote of Lobethal on the 7th of April 1915. 

Johanna Lydia Mühlberg died on the 27th of March 1928 of morbus cordis (heart disease) at Lobethal, age 82 having outlived three of her children. She was laid to rest the next day at Lobethal Cemetery beside her husband. The funeral message was based on 2 Corinthians 6. Her gravesite location is block 6, section 4, grave 672 but as with her husband Carl Julius’ grave, has also expired. 

Johanna's will transferred the following properties: 

• Section 5172 - 25 Acres on Magpie Castle Road was transferred to daughter Selma Lydia Reuter, who in turn passed it to her son, Percival 'Percy' Ernest Reuter. 

• Section 5124 - Lot 75 and part of Lot 74 - 101 Main Street, Lobethal; including ‘Rosedale’ was transferred to daughter Selma Lydia Reuter and son-in-law Frederick Fox. Fred parted ownership two months later. 

Selma Lydia Reuter retained ‘Rosedale’ until 1960. Since then various descendants; Hill, Dalziel and Gadkear families have owned the property. As at 2006 ‘Rosedale’ (101 Main Street Lobethal) was owned by Kevin and Audrey Gadkear. The property appeared in 2015 in an online photo blog, 'Urban Exploration: The Ghosts of Christmas Past,' by Autopsy Adelaide. 

Last known location (2007), of Johanna's wedding ring, was with descendant, the late Audrey Gadkear. 

Descendants of Carl Julius Mühlberg & Johanna Lydia Bormann