Konrad ADAMI 1837-?
On her first voyage to Melbourne the sailing ship “Glenmanna” left Liverpool with 286 passengers on board; ten percent of these were from the village of Nieder-Weisel, the first organised group to be assembled and escorted by agents from Germany to the Channel and thence to England.
Travelling with a party of Hausers were two young men, Henri Hincelman and Konrad Adami. The latter was the second son of Jakob Adami I and Katharina nee Haub; five other sons and three daughters had to rely on Jakob’s uncertain income as a jobbing linen-weaver for their sustenance until they were old enough to find employment, usually casual. To worsen matters Jakob died when his youngest child was only four. Konrad was already in Victoria by then, having reached Melbourne on 14th February 1855, 109 days out of Liverpool. Two small ships, both from Hamburg, arrived within days of “Glenmanna” with 30 other migrants from Nieder-Weisel, so it was a sizeable group of villagers who made their way to the diggings at Ballarat.
Many of Konrad’s companions followed other rushes to outlying fields such as Smythes Creek, Linton, Happy Valley. Where Konrad spent his time is unknown as he left no trace of his movements. The Knipper group who were on “Glenmanna” with him went back to Nieder-Weisel after about three years and he may have travelled with them.
On 3rd March 1861, Konrad was married in the parish church in Nieder-Weisel; his bride was Anna Margaretha Hauser, youngest daughter of Johann Jakob Hauser and Anna Elisabetha Bill. Soon after this ceremony, Konrad left the village for the second and last time, taking his bride to North America; they settled in San Fransisco and raised a family of loyal Americans.
Konrad was born on 2nd October 1837, and Anna Margaretha on 11th October 1840.