Story: Johanne Caroline Uebergang (1841 - 1901)

From "The Uebergang Families in Australia 1848-1985", added to this site 5 Mar 2008

Caroline, as she was known, was a daughter of Carl Gottlieb Uebergang and Eleonora Peucker. She was born at Bersdorf, Prussia on March 3 1841.

After arrival in Australia with her parents, brothers and sisters the family settled at Allansford in the Warrnambool district. They purchase farming land, the chief enterprise being dairying.

In those early years most girls after leaving school would be employed as domestic servants and for a good part of each year Caroline used to work in Lutheran homes in Hochkirch, now Tarrington. It is believed that she also worked at the manse for Pastor and Mrs Schürmann on occasions when babies were born.

It was while she was at Hochkirch that she met Johann Burger of Gnadenthal, near Penshurst, and they were married on January 8, 1861 in the Lutheran church at Hochkirch, by Pastor C.W. Schürmann. At the time of marriage she was only 19 years of age, and went to live on the Burger farm near Penshurst, where she ably carried out all the duties and responsibilities of motherhood, as well as working on the farm.

Caroline and Johann had 14 children, however 3 were lost in infancy. They and their family were faithful members of the Lutheran church at Tabor, which was part of the Hochkirch parish until 1909. Pastor C.W. Schürmann being the pioneer pastor from 1853 to 1893. All the children attended the church school at Tabor and would walk the three miles each way. The teachers at Tabor at this time were W.Elsze, G. Mackenzie, O. Tschirn and H.W. Zeunert. Almost all the school lessons in those days were taught in the German language. This language was used almost exclusively by Caroline and her family, however English had to be learned because business dealings were in English and it was also the language of the broader community.

Not very much is known of Caroline's personality other than she was always prepared to accept a challenge, trusting in God, as she went through life. She also had an enormous capacity for work. Strict discipline in the home and the Christian upbringing of her large family were certainly to her great credit. In all this she was ably supported by her husband Johann, who was known for his kindness and understanding nature.

Life, however, was cut short for Caroline, who died on October 13, 1896, at the age of 55 years. She was buried in the Gnadenthal Lutheran Cemetery, near Penshurst. The funeral service was conducted by the late Pastor Emil Darsow, of Tabor.

The above is extracted from
The Uebergang Families in Australia 1848 - 1985
© The Uebergang History Committee, 1985,
p. 440
Quoted with permission.