Week 10 of #52Ancestors focuses on Worship. Religion has played a major role in the lives of our ancestors, and how they chose to worship had the potential to impact their lives in many different ways. The church, faith and religion were central to the lives of so many, and had the potential to impact where people lived, how they earned a living, who they married, even whether they could own land of work in certain professions.
My 3xGreat grandparents Friedrich (Frederick) Carl and Susetta Beseler made the momentous decision to leave their homeland and emigrate to Australia. The Beseler family arrived in Adelaide on 1 April 1848 on the ship Pauline, having departed their homeland from the port of Bremen, Germany. Passengers listed were Frederick Beseler, Shoemaker, Mrs Beseler and 5 children. The family lived in South Australia for several years before travelling overland to Victoria, settling in the area of Learmonth.
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| The Beseler Family at Ivy Rock Station |
Large numbers of Germans emigrated to Australia and the United States, mainly for economic and religious reasons. Many emigrants were of the Lutheran faith.
The Lutheran Church in Australia had begun in 1838 with the arrival of about 500 migrants from Prussia, led by their Pastor, August Kavel. They were sponsored personally by George Fife Angas of the South Australian Company, who had taken pity on their religious plight and the persecution they were facing in Prussia.
The Beseler family working on their farm
The Beselers flourished in Australia. Frederick Beseler was naturalised as an Australian citizen in 1848, and his son Edward followed in 1963. They purchased land, married and raised families and integrated into the Australian community. Seeking freedom to worship and the opportunities to own land offered in Australia paid off for the family, as it did for so many others.
Naturalisation Certificate of Frederick Beseler, 1848
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