The Bentzen-Appeldorff Family, Hobart, 1872

Mariane Bentzen and the Appeldorff Family

Mariane BENTZEN, along with Jacob and Hans APPELDORFF, and their families, all arrived in Hobart Town, Tasmania, Australia on the ship "EUGENIE" in March 1872. They were all Danish. Mariane was to later marry Jacob and Hans’s younger brother Carl APPELDORFF.

Mariane Bentine BENTZEN

Marianne Bentine BENTZEN arrived in Hobart Town, Tasmania, Australia aboard the ship "EUGENIE", March 1872. She was a single, female, general servant, aged 25 yrs, Protestant (Lutheran) and could read and write. Her last residence was Skodsborg, Kobenhavn, Denmark, where she worked as a servant. On arrival in Hobart, Marianne was contracted to work for Mrs. Forgusen for 3 months.

Mariane was the 5th of six children and was born in 1846, Søllerød, Kobenhavn. Denmark. Mariane's parents Ole BENDTSEN and Karen RASMUSDATTER were married in Trintatis, Kobenhavn in 1840. Ole was a paper courier at the nearby paper mill.

Ulricke Abeline BENTSEN APPELDORFF was supposedly born July 1871 in Kobenhavn. No birth certificate has been found and no record of her leaving Denmark or arriving in Australia has been found.

Mariane Bentine BENTSEN, 27, Spinster, married Carl APPELDORFF, 30, Laborer, in Hobart Town, Tasmania, Australia in 1874, according to the rites and ceremonies of the Congregational Church, in the presence of Niels Peter and Johanne NIELSEN, (who had also traveled to Tasmania on the "EUGENIE".) Carl may have left Denmark in late November 1870, his ship left Gravesend, England, December 1870 and he arrived in Wellington, New Zealand in March 1871. His brothers Jacob and Hans APPELDORFF, with their families, arrived in Tasmania aboard the "EUGENIE" in March 1872.

Mariane and Carl moved to New Zealand, where their next two children were born, Matilda in Christchurch 1875 and Mary in Wellington 1877. Carl's brother Jacob, with his family, moved to New Zealand as well. They all moved back to Tasmania in 1878, after their brother Hans wrote and told them that cheap land was available at 5 shillings an acre. The APPELDORFFS settled in Sorell Creek, (later named Bismarck in the mid 1880's and renamed Collinsvale in 1915) just out of Hobart, and two more children, Ulrick, 1878 and Martha, 1882, were born here. Jacob and Hans had 100 acres and Carl 60 acres, all next to each other. Carl and Mariane moved in with Hans, before eventually moving to Launceston in the north of the state, where they settled. The remaining children were, Florence, born in 1884 in Goulds County and Grace in 1887 in Exton. Carl worked as a laborer, but would probably have had carpentry and cabinet making skills like his brothers. Mariane and Carl's daughters all worked as Tailors. Their son Ulrick worked in mining industry in the north before moving back south to Hobart.

Mariane died in Launceston in 1921, her residence was 8 Frederick St Launceston. Widow, Children: 1 living male and 3 living females. 3 deceased females. No death record has been found for Carl APPELDORFF.

Appeldorff Family

The APPELDORFF family had lived in Randers, Denmark since 1843. Their father Ulric was a blacksmith and unexamined veterinarian, who moved from Svendborg on the island of Odense, Denmark to Ålsoe, Randers in 1843. Jacob and Hans were born in Svendborg, Denmark; Carl was born in Ålsoe, Randers, Denmark. 2 other brothers had died in childhood. After their mother, Maren LARSDATTER, died in 1849, Ulric remarried in 1853, and had another 5 children. In 1856 Ulric moved to Grenaa, Randers and worked as an unexamined veterinarian. Jacob and Hans both did compulsory Military Service. Hans returned from his in 1862.

In 1869 another veterinarian arrived and moved into the same street as Ulric. After having libels written about himself in the local paper by the other veterinarian, Ulric moved to a nearby town of Kolindbro in 1871. About this time Jacob and Hans decided to migrate to Tasmania. In 1870 the Tasmanian Government had sent an Agent to Denmark and Germany to recruit new immigrants by contract work. On 24 May 1871 the brothers Jacob and Hans APPELDORFF advertised in the Grenaa newspaper, that due to their future departure, they will have a public auction on 3 June 1871 of their households goods, brewery equipment, carpenter tools, animals, etc.

Jacob and Hans APPELDORFF arrived in Hobart Town, Tasmania, Australia on the "EUGENIE" in 1872. Jacob 39, with wife Karen 32, and children Andrea 8, Karl 5, Marie 3 and Anna 1. Hans 32, wife Karen 28, children Ulricke 4 and Marie 8 months. Jacob was a Farmer/Carpenter and Hans a Farmer/Cabinet maker. They were Protestants and could read and write. There last residence was Grenaa, Randers, Denmark.

They were contracted to work for two years, before they could work for themselves. Jacob worked for a Mr. Cameron on the estate of "Lowestoft' at Berriedale. Jacob and Karen had a son William in 1873 at Berriedale. Jacobs’s brother Carl had told him how wonderful New Zealand was, so Jacob and his family moved to NZ. A son Peter was born here in 1876. Hans later wrote to Carl and Jacob in New Zealand about cheap land available, they returned to Tasmania in 1878. The brothers all bought land in Sorell Creek, (later named Bismarck in the 1880's and renamed Collinsvale in 1915.) Jacob and Karen had their last child Andrew in 1883. Karen died in 1891 and Jacob remarried. Jacob died in 1923 in Collinsvale.

Jacob's daughter Andrea Ulricka married Hans Peter Carl NIELSEN, who had arrived in Tasmania with his family on the "EUGENIE". Anna married Nicholas WESSING, whose parents and siblings had arrived on the "EUGENIE".

Hans had built a small house by the time Carl and Jacob arrived back in Tasmania. They all lived with Hans until Jacob built his own house. Carl later moved his family north to Launceston. The first house was just a wooden slab dwelling with thick bark for the roof, with dirt floors and mud plaster on the walls. The land that the brothers had bought was virgin bush, so it had to be cleared before any cultivation. As they had no horse and plough, the land was dug with mattock, picks, forks, etc. It was a while before anyone in the district had a horse.

Hans and Karen had 3 more children. Charles in 1874, Emily in 1876 and Albert in 1880. Hans died in Devonport, Tasmania in 1914. Karen had died in 1901. Hans’s daughter Ulricke married Laurets Peter LARSEN, who had arrived in Tasmania, with his family on the "EUGENIE".

Jacob’s, Hans’ and Carl’s descendants have know spread across Australia. Jacobs’s granddaughter still lives in Collinsvale.


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