Katharina (1833-1905)

Katharina HAUB 1833-1905

The second girl in the family to carry the name, Katharina was born on 13th September 1833 to Anna Margaretha nee Jost, wife of Johann Georg Haub. The Haubs had farmed in the village for centuries but the Josts were more recent arrivals; the name derived from that of a minor altar saint venerated in the Frankfurt to Giessen area. Before Katharina’s birth, a brother and a sister had died, but three girls born later brought to six the number of children who survived. In due course, five of these would emigrate.

Katharina’s father died when she was 18; no doubt this was a factor in the decision of Katharina and two of her young sisters, Katherina Elisabetha and Christina to leave. Katharina was on board “Marco Polo” when she left Liverpool on 5th December 1855 on her 12 week voyage to Melbourne; the other two would follow a few months later. In Katharina’s party was a Philipp Hauser, who would later marry her sister. Katharina went from Melbourne firstly to Ballarat and then north to Dunolly where she got work as a domestic servant. Less than a year later, on New Years Day 1857, Katharina was married. Her husband, Lorenz/Lars Ellingsen, was the 24 year old son of Elling Kundsen and Anna Frederickdatter. (By Norwegian custom, the father’s given name is taken by his son as his surname). Lorenz, like many other crewmen, had deserted his ship when it got to Melbourne to try for a quick fortune on the goldfields. The couple went to Carisbrook for the ceremony, which was held in the home of A. H. Smith, a Church of England minister.

Lorenz (usually known as ‘Lawrence Ellingsen’) prospected around the northwestern fields for several years. In 1858 Katharina had a son, whom they called Charles, at Pleasant Creek, near Stawell. A second son, Conrad Herman, was born two years later at Amherst. The only girl Katharina would have arrived at Barkstead in 1862; she was named Katharina Elisa for her mother’s sister. After the birth of a third son, John William, in Springdallah in 1864, life became a little less difficult for Katharina as the family settled at Sebastopol where the last three sons were born: George in 1867, Albert in 1869 and Frederick in 1872.

Katharina’s sisters had settled in Smythesdale, married to two of the four Hauser brothers from Nieder-Weisel, Konrad and Philipp. The families were close enough to be able to exchange visits. In 1876 Philipp planned to take up a land selection near Echuca, but Katharina Elisabetha developed cancer of the breast and she died later that year.

Katharina’s second son married in 1882 and he and his wife presented Katharina with the first of many grandchildren later that year. Unhappily, she lost her husband not long after this; Lawrence died on 16th January 1884, aged only 50. As only Frederick was still at school, Katharina was able to get by with help from her older sons. Her youngest sister, Christina, later moved to Ballarat and lived not far away.

Katharina lost her youngest son, Frederick, who lived with her, in 1902; otherwise, all her sons married. Katharina’s life came to its end in 1905; she was buried with Lawrence in the Old Cemetery at Ballarat.