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 or work in certain professions.
My 3xGreat grandparents Carl Friedrich (Frederick) and Susetta Beseler made the momentous decision to leave their homeland and emigrate to Australia. 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 and other areas of the Germanic Federation.
In Essex, England, the Fordham All Saints church was originally built in approximately 1340 and restored in 1861. In 1965 it was designated a Grade 1 listed building. It was my father's family church for many generations and their home was only a short walk away.
As in many small villages, the Church was at the centre of village life. Many of the records I have for my family centre around the church - baptisms, weddings, funerals, Sunday School, fundraising and poor relief - and several such events were not only to be found in the church records but also reported in local newspapers, such as the funeral above.
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