Land Orders and A New Start for Jørgen and Ellen
(Jonasdatter) Berthelsen in Queensland

Background

Although European immigrants were arriving in large numbers in the 1860s, not all of them were settling on the land as originally intended. Some new arrivals, unwilling to work in the country, were selling their Land Orders to unscrupulous speculators. The Immigration Act of 1869 sought to counter such abuse by introducing changes that provided offers of land per se, rather than orders of a monetary value which had been introduced in 1860. Such changes entitled each adult to 40 acres of country land and each child to 20 acres. In order to qualify for the land grant, assisted immigrants arriving at the public expense were now subject to three years continuous residency in the Colony.

A few years before Jørgen arrived from Hamburg in 1871, the Queensland settlement of Maryborough, just north of Brisbane, was attracting the interest of many English immigrants who arrived by ship through the port of Hervey Bay. Newly arriving Danes on the other hand, quickly established themselves locally in the fledgling communities of Pialba (formerly Bi-alba, derived from the Aboriginal word Barilba1) and Nikenbah (previously Aalborg based on Denman's Camp).

Jørgen, it seems, was known to Ellen before emigrating—in fact they were engaged to be married before he set sail to Queensland, for soon after her arrival in Maryborough in 1873, the two were wed. Jørgen swore an oath of allegiance to the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria at a Maryborough ceremony on 21 July 1875 which event made him eligible to select farming land, he already having satisfied the residency requirement laid down by the Homestead Regulations. As a denizen Jørgen became a British subject and his certificate of naturalisation dated 6 days later gave his age as 35, and his occupation as “tailor”. Image at right.

Most Scandinavians remained in fairly low status occupations with the main goal being to obtain an independent economic position. The government of the day was about this time promoting closer land settlement and with his newly acquired status, Jørgen took his chances, as did many of his countrymen, and selected 50 acres of pastoral land under the provisions of The Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1868. The application for land was dated 21 July 1875 and ultimately became known as Selection 892 Maryborough (Land Agent's District). It was situated in the vicinity of Portions 44 to 46, county of March, parish of Urangan attracting a first year's rental of £4.13s.0d ($9.30). This parcel of land proved so poor and unproductive that Jørgen relinquished his rights in writing on 2 September 1875, stating the land to be “worthless, being for the most part stoney and barren and unfit for cultivation”. Records show that he received only a refund of the survey fee, the rental being forfeited to the Crown. Jørgen was not alone in this action as several other selectors also surrendered their land grant stating similar reasons. Image at right.

Displaying determination and revealing the spirit of a pioneer, Jørgen made a second selection on 30 June 1881. This was an alternative parcel of 50 acres over Portion 49, parish of Vernon, close to Nikenbah. The Deed of Grant over Selection 959 Maryborough issued on 25 July 1882 at which time records show that Jørgen had managed to construct improvements valued at £102.10s.0d ($205.00). An inspection report described the improvements “as of an inferior standard” which included a 4-roomed hut, some fencing, a small garden and some cleared land for cultivation which was not planted. Ellen was in a poor state of health and this was obviously a matter of grave concern which forced the family to abandon their selection in favour of Maryborough township where medical assistance was close at hand. At the time of applying for his second grant of land, Jørgen's occupation was described as “labourer”.

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1. Christiansen, Joan. They Came-- And Stayed. Hervey Bay, Qld.: R & J McTaggart, 1991. Print.

The Homestead Regulations