Großvater Buring

My 2x great grandfather Heinrich Franz Rudolph Buring was addressed by his grandchildren as Großvater the formal German term Grandfather. Born 25 Aug 1844 in Berlin, Prussia he came to South Australia with his parents and brothers on the Princess Louise in 1849.

Picture of Heinrich Franz Rudolph Buring

Heinrich Franz Rudolph Buring President of the Adelaider Liedertafel

In 1858 at the age of 13 he went to work for tobacconists F. Armbruster & Uhlmann as an errand boy. Working his way up Rudolph became a partner in 1878 and sole proprietor in 1897.

My cousin Ian was wondering what had happened to the Buring Pipe Collection and I found out today while I was searching Trove!! Although on Trove it is listed as the ‘Burning’ Pipe Collection I know that it is the right one because of the blurb.

The collection is a link to German migration to South Australia, and to commercial enterprise in Adelaide rather than the better known activities on the land and in the wine industry. At its height the collection was reputed to be third or fourth largest in the pipe collecting world, and was well known amongst pipe collectors. ‘Buring’s Tobacconists’ became an iconic location and business in the development of Rundle Street as a commercial centre of Adelaide. The bulk of the collection was loaned for display at the Hahndorf Academy from the 1990s through to 2009. Attitudes towards smoking have changed so much in recent years that interpretation of the collection in future displays will be quite different.

The materials from which these pipes are made include white clay, meerschaum clay, cherrywood, briar wood, maple, staghorn, porcelain, bone, metal, gourds, and even crab claws. The dominating style of pipe is European, but there are examples from Africa and Asia, including opium pipes. The collection was first started by Emil Buring who took over the family business ‘Buring’s Tobacconist’ on Rundle St in 1923. He built on stock accumulated since 1853 when a cigar merchant from Hamburg named Uhlmann first opened the tobacconist shop which was sold on to Rudolph Buring. Emil’s sons Philip and Ralph took over the business after the Second World War and Philip Buring further developed the collection.

The Buring pipe collection consists of approximately 200 pieces dating from the 1850s to 1980. It includes a wide variety of pipes and smoking related items, ranging from the small and simple to the large and very ornate.

The pipe collection is stored at the Migration Museum in Adelaide, South Australia where I live so I’ve got the curator’s email address and will be making a time to go and see it some time. They said they are currently very busy so hopefully in a few weeks time.

It’s funny that it should mention (above) the achievements of other German emigrants on the land and in the wine industry as Rudolph’s brother is Theodor Gustav Hermann Buring of H. Buring and Sobels fame. Another find today via Google is this book on ebay.com.au ‘A History of H Buring & Sobels LTD which I bought straight away because I’ve always wanted a copy. I’ve seen it in the State Library and now I’ll have my own copy!! Yay!!

The South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA) 1871-02-27 2
Family Notices
MARRIED. BURING—RUBENI.—On Thursday, the 23rd instant, at the residence of his mother, by the Rev. J. Crawford Woods, Rudolph Buring, to Miss Maria Rubeni, of Nailsworth. DIED. WHITE.—On the 26th February, at Upper Start, Joseph White, aged 51 years.
Source: Trove

The Register (Adelaide, SA) 1911-12-06 5
BON VOYAGE. PRESIDENT AND CONDUCTOR OF THE LIEDERTAFEL.
BON VOYAGE. PRESIDENT AND CONDUCTOR OF THE LIEDERTAFEL. A large number of members of the Ade- laide Liedertafel met at the Aurora Hotel on Tuesday evening to wish Mr Rudolph Buring, sen. (President), and Mr. H. Heinicke (conductor) bon voyage. Among those present were Mr. Homburg, M.P., and Mr. H. C. E. Muecke (German Con sul). Mr. O. Bauer (Vice-president) oc- cupied the chair. The toast of 'The King' and 'The Kaiser' were honoured. The Chairman, in submitting 'The two guests,' remarked that the presence of so many was a tribute not only to the Lieder- tafel, but also to the two gentlemen who were about to undertake the trip to Europe. They had trusted Mr. Buring im- plicitly with their interests, and they had accustomed themselves to do so. (Ap- plause.) They were under a deep debt to their President. Both gentlemen had de- voted much time and trouble to the Lieder- tafel. Mr. Muecke said this departure had no sad side to it. The members were delighted that the gentlemen were undertaking, the trip, which, it was hoped, would be one of great pleasure. He trusted the travel- lers would soon return among them. Mr. F. Basse believed that all present experienced the same joy that Mr. Buring did in connection with the trip. Mr. H. Nettlebeck said that Mr. Heinicke had been the spirit of the Liedertafel and Mr. Buring the head. (Applause.) Messrs. 0. von Drehnan, F. Marcard, and O. Basedow supported the toast, which was most enthusiastically drunk. The guests made appropriate replies. Mr. E. Behmott sang, a solo.- The proceedings were con- cluded with the Abschiedslied.
Source: Trove

The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA) 1923-08-18 16
OBITUARY.
OBITUARY.

A well-known figure in the business life of the city was removed by the death of Mr. Rudolph Buring, which occurred at Norwood on Thursday night, after a long

illness. He was born in Berlin on Au- gust 25, 1844, and when five years of age accompanied his parents to Australia. They landed in this State, and took up their residence in Adelaide. Mr. Buring pursued his studies at the old German school, and subsequently at Mr. R. C. Mit- ton's Pulteney-street Academy. Upon leaving school he joined the firm of Arm- bruster & Uhlmann, tobacconists, Rundle- street. In 1878 he was admitted as a partner in the firm, and in 1897, upon the death of Mr. Armbruster, he became sole proprietor, and, with the assistance of his sons, carried on the business up to the time of his death. He joined the Com- mercial Travellers' Association in 1880, and was shortly afterwards appointed to the committee. On two occasions he served as vice-preeident, and, for two years was president of the association. During his term of office the new buildings were erected On North-terrace, and his associa- tion gold badge was placed on the founda- tion-stone. During his connection with the association, he attended conferences in Adelaide, Perth, Tasmania, and New Zea- land, as a representative of the South Aus- tralian branch. In 1911 he was elected to the office of united president of the

Federated Associations, and it was dur- ing his term that the sick and accident fund was created. Mr. Buring was for several years president of the Adelaide Liedertafel, a well-known musical com- bination. He was also the oldest sur- viving member of the Pulteney-street Academy Old Scholars' Association, was a member of its committee, and took a keen interest in its work. Though he took no active part in sport, he was a keen follower of cricket and a regular at- tendant at inter-State and international matches. His connection with the Al- bion Lodge of the I.O.O.F., M.U., dated from 1863, and he was also a member of the Australian Natives' Association. On February 23 1863, he was married to a daughter of the late Mr. H. Rubeni at St. Andrew's Church, Walkerville. She died many years ago. All the members o f the family of nine survive. They are— Messrs. A. H. H. Buring of Norwood: A.G.A. Buring, who served with the Tasmanian forces during the war: E. E. P. Buring and O. R. Buring, who were asso- ciated in the business: and E. A. Buring, of Melbonrne: Sister Mary Carolus (Sis- ters of St. Joseph), Mesdames A.W. Abbott (Torrensville), and F. Hooper (Renmark), and Miss M. Buring. Mrs. S. R. Gray. who was mayoress of Broken Hi in 1931, died suddenly at Richmond, in Victoria, on Wednesday night. Mrs. Gray was born in Cornwall 74 years ago. Coming out to Ballarat as a young girl, she went later to Moonta, where she married. Had she lived, she and her husband would have celebrated their golden wedding in January next. Mrs Gray went to Broken Hill 35 years ago with her h

1 Mr. R. Buring.
Source: Trove