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Oh my goodness!

Can I marry you?  LOL.

Time for bed now after a long day spent well with my family, hence the late night posts that keep me awake at night knowing I have this puzzle not solved.

Talk soon Dave x

Subject: A daughter’s 15-year search: Finding the Armin for my Dad in Heaven

Hi everyone,

I am writing this with a very humble heart and tears in my eyes. I have been a part of this community for a long time, and so many of you have been so kind to me. I want to sincerely apologize for my recent posts about the Fanny Kirchner. I was holding onto that name because I so desperately wanted to find the answer for my family, but I am setting that aside now. I am starting fresh, led by my heart, my research, and a promise I made to my father.

My dear Dad passed away four years ago. Before he left us, I spent years making sure our ancestors were recognized as original settlers with Picture Ipswich, fulfilling a deep wish of his. I will never regret a single second of that time, because seeing the look of pride on my Dad’s face when I told him they were finally honored is a memory I will carry forever. Now, I pray to him every day, and to my grandparents and great-grandparents, asking them to give me a sign—to lead me to the truth.

The Story I Need to Find:
My great-grandfather, Carl Frederick Schmeider, was born at the very beginning of our Australian story. Our family history tells us he was born in Botany Bay/Port Jackson while the family’s ship was held in a desperate quarantine due to a smallpox outbreak.
I am now focusing everything on the ship Armin (or Arnim). I have discovered a major clue: while some shipping lists only note two passengers, the official 1859 Health Officer’s Report for Port Jackson proves there were actually 292 passengers on board. Because of the smallpox, they were held at the Quarantine Station and weren't officially cleared to land until February 1859. This matches my great-grandfather Carl’s birth and every word my father ever told me.

The Brick Wall and My Plea:
I have reached out to the Museums of History NSW, but they could not find my family in their digital lists. Because Fredolin arrived under a special German labor scheme, their names were left off the standard records, and the original German manifests were destroyed in the WWII bombings. It feels like they were almost erased from history, but I know they were there.
I know they eventually found peace at Portions 11 and 14, Parish of Goolman, near Peak Mountain. Fredolin built our legacy at Hillside and Schmeider’s Lagoon, but the ship that carried them to those shores is the final piece I need to find for my Dad.

Is there anyone out there who knows something—anything—that can help me? Is there a diary, a local record from February 1859, or a quarantine list that names those 290 missing souls? I have tried for 15 years. I just want to look up at my Dad in heaven and tell him I finally found it. I want to tell the truth of the Schmeider name.

Please, if you have any information on the Armin, or the other 1859 ships like the Main or the Wandram, reach out to me. I am doing this for the love of my Dad and the history of my family.

Thank you for your kindness and for helping me find the start of our story.

Thank you Sue,

I appreciate your kindness and understanding.

I have also been searching for ships arriving in Australia during this period through the Trove newspapers that were quarantined for small pox.

I read an article that quoted that often the shipping records were kept from the last port that was departed from.  In other words, if my family left from Bremen or Hamburg and stopped at the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, the records would reflect their departure there. 

Sadly, not many shipping records during this time that arrived in Sydney, then departed to Melbourne, the number of immigrants are listed, but not all of their names.

Yes, it is very sad when family history and stories passed down does not correlate with the records and newspaper articles available to us and you feel defeated trying to justify the why and when.

If anyone would like to assist me in my search for answers, I would appreciate your input or access to what is not available online. 

With my deepest respect and apologies,
Leisa.   x

Dear Debra,

Thank you.

I never thought about that.  I had been on the NSW State Library/Archives/BDM websites, however, I was unsuccessful.

I will contact the library about the church records.  My dad always wondered how they travelled from Sydney to Brisbane to be in the Fassifern area.  I used Trove to look up names on paddleships during the year they arrived to when they settled near Ipswich.  However, it was with no success.

Again Debra, I am very grateful to you for assisting me with my family research. 

With so much thanks,
Leisa

For Lisa. x
 
New information supporting my great grandfather being born on the Fanny Kirchner.

With thanks,
Leisa