Another Uncle? Introducing Johann Gottlieb Hoffmann...

Setting out to re-connect our Hoffmann family in Australia has been quite a journey. I commenced decades ago having been brought up with my Grandfather’s siblings visiting regularly. I was also aware of some cousins (Schoffs and some others) being mentioned in conversation but this was about as diverse at it got (which was plenty while growing up). Then I found out that great grandfather had a brother and there followed some more Hoffmann relatives. This led to finding that great great grandfather had a sister, and a half brother, and half sister. Which brought a slew of Hoffmanns as well as Paechs and Nuskes. More recently, some research from these more recent relatives has identified sisters that also immigrated in the years after great great great grandfather arrived in Australia. This added the Teusners and the Juettners/ Blumels to the expanding list of blood relatives as well as some siblings that remained in Prussia. More recently I have furthered this research locating the names of some more nephews/nieces from the Prussian lines as well as being able to follow back Great Great Great Grandma’s family (Luchs) by another generation as well.

Johann Gottlieb Hoffmann (1806 to 1868)

Most recently I feel I have found another branch. It is probable that a brother of great great great grandfather (JSG) arrived at a very similar time as his 2 sisters did (1848 on the ‘Wappaus’).

JSG Hoffmann had a younger brother called Johann Gottlieb, born on the 21st May 1806.
Wilhelm Iwan has a Johann Gottlieb Hoffmann, wife and daughter emigrating from Neudorf near Liegnitz ready to leave at the same time as the two Hoffmann sisters and families are listed. Neudorf is a village similarly distributed to the villages the other Hoffmanns are from.
The Biographical Index of South Australians 1836 – 1883 records a Johann Gottlieb Hoffmann immigrating to South Australia on the ‘Godefroy’ in 1848. It lists his wife, Anna and his daughter Christiane Pauline (her married name will be Gutsche b.1842 d.1915)
His daughter’s birthday aligns with the age Iwan records in 1848 (6 years). As do dates for various life events in Australian Birth, Death and Marriage records and the Church books of Lobethal and Blumberg.
The couple (Johann Gottlieb and Anna Maria) had a son in 1855 (Albert Gottlieb) with his dates working in as well.
There are naturalisation papers for Johann Gottlieb on record, again verifying immigration dates, age, originating town and place of residence in South Australia. This is in full alignment with Iwan, the SA Biographical Index, and research into the Hoffmann siblings.
Johann Gottlieb signed his naturalisation papers which indicates education in line with the other Hoffmann siblings.
A real bonus is the naturalisation request submitted by his daughter in 1913 after her husband’s death. This confirms their place of origin etc. and states the emigrating ship as the ‘Godefroy’.
At this time I have located no extra information for his wife, Anna Marie. Iwan refers to her as Frau Bauer, where as her surname is listed as; Horn, Hornich or Hornig in other records. It is possible that ‘bauer’ could mean the wife of a farmer? or that she was a widow with her married name being ‘bauer’.
Johann Gottlieb settled into the Adelaide Hills alongside JSG, his sisters and their families.

There were a number of other Johann Gottlieb and Anna Hoffmanns around the Blumberg area at this time, and although this complicates matters somewhat. Our Hoffmanns (JSG, JG, Teusner, Blumel and Jeuttner) still tended to separate themselves from the others in what was a rather small part of the country.

The facts as laid out above tend to tell a story, but the most compelling part of the puzzle is found in the Church Books of both Lobethal and Blumberg. There is continued and non contradictory sharing of family occasions evident over a period of years between all siblings. It starts with JG’s wife Anna being a godparent for the first Hoffmann Grandchild born to Carl Hoffmann in 1854, and one of the later is a Teusner travelling all the way from Lyndoch to be a witness for JG Hoffmann’s daughter’s wedding in 1862.

Johann Gottlieb Hoffmann is listed as being buried at Blumberg with his 2 children and some of their families. I can’t find any more details about his wife Anna nor her final resting place.
(A few days have passed and some more information has surfaced regarding Anna Hoffmann)

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It would be good to find a member of Johann Gottlieb’s line (a Hoffmann or Gutsche descendant) that might know some more, or maybe one day a DNA match might verify the relationship beyond a doubt. Until then I will keep looking.

Update (Dec’20):

SA Historian Reg Butler has come to the same conclusion when reviewing the Hoffmann family lines. He has noted: Likely that Gottlieb Hoffmann Senr was a relative to Samuel Gottlieb Hoffmann farmer Lobethal. Reg has also added another piece to the puzzle indicating that Gottlieb Hoffmann’s first wife Christina Baumann (recorded by Wilhelm Iwan as emigrating) had died in December 1848 in Hamburg. Due to the date of ships leaving Hamburg, to me it is more likely that the death occurred in late October 1848. Thanks Reg for your research and providing another avenue of investigation!

Another Uncle? Introducing Johann Gottlieb Hoffmann…

Johann Gottlieb Hoffmann (1806 to 1868)

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