An Interesting Journey

An Interesting Journey

I’m beginning an interesting journey to research and publish articles about my 1st cousin 3x removed Blanka Buring. Blanka is the sister of well known Australian wine expert Leo Buring. There are many, many websites, articles, books etc about Leo but very little about Blanka or her sisters Meta and Edelgarde. My main focus at the moment is Blanka. This will be a long term project which I’ll be able to work on in between my other work and interests.

No one in my immediate family had any photos of Blanka so I was thrilled to find one right at the start of this research.

I’ve done a small amount of editing to the photo as it is a newspaper photo and very poor quality. I haven’t been able to remove the discolouration and make it look passable yet.

Blanka was born in Adelaide, South Australia on 24 Mar 1881 and died in Avalon, New South Wales on 11 Jun 1956. She is the youngest surviving child of Theodor Gustav Hermann Buring and Henriette Friedricke Louisa Lina Dohrenwendt.

Blanka attended Norwood school and the Advanced School For Girls whose purpose was to prepare girls for entry into the University of Adelaide. She passed her Junior Examination in 1896 and Senior in 1898. Blanka then went on to study Invalid Cookery at the School of Mines in 1912 and Nursing at Adelaide Hospital (now Royal Adelaide Hospital) in 1913. In 1915 she also completed study at Queen’s Home which became the Queen Victoria Hospital. This study was possibly in midwifery or paediatric nursing.

After a time of nursing in Western Australia and after the death of her father she began travelling the world. Her trips throughout the 1920s and 30s included British Columbia, America, Crete, and Spain. I am yet to find out the full extent of her travels. The newspaper reports of her travels speak about her interest in social work particularly with regard to nursing and hospitals.

I am currently researching the influences in Blanka’s life growing up and whilst at university to see from where this interest in social work came. I have found connections to Catherine Helen Spence and indirectly Miles Franklin. Blanka’s uncle Heinrich Franz Rudolph Buring and his family were all part of the Adelaide Unitarian church right down through the generations to my mother. The Unitarian beliefs of social justice and individual beliefs (no one guiding creed) may have also influenced Blanka however I still need to confirm this.

I won’t go into detail of Blanka’s life achievements here on my blog just yet. This will come in future posts.

This is a far deeper dive into an individual’s life than I have previously undertaken. It differs from my usual genealogical research in that I wouldn’t usually look heavily into childhood or family influences in someone’s life. I do look at historical context and people’s achievements when researching but nothing like this depth of research. It is very interesting and has so many aspects of life in South Australia, feminism, German immigrants and Adelaide society that I am very happy to have found this wonderful person to research and write about. There is so little about Australian women’s achievements from the turn of the century that I’m hoping to add a small piece to the wider picture.

Another area where this research differs from genealogical research is the software I am using. Being a proponent of Free and Open Source Software I am using Zotero to gather and organise my research rather than a commercial, proprietary software such as Endnote or others. Not having been to university I hadn’t used this form of software before but I am finding Zotero extremely easy to use and will continue to use it in my future genealogical research.

The journey continues……….

People Present At William Chapman’s Funeral

Update: Since writing this blog post back in June 2012 I have since found out that my maternal Auntie’s husband is descended from William Thomas Oke who was at William Chapman’s funeral, they may have even been friends.  If anyone else has any information to add please leave a comment here or send me a message.

There were many people listed as attending my 3x great grandfather’s funeral at West Tce cemetery in Adelaide, South Australia.  Here is the previous blog post about  William Chapman.   In that post I asked if anyone recognised any names or could provide more information.  Thanks to those who responded and a big thank you to Michelle S. for searching the Biographical Index of South Australia and coming up with the following information.  Not everyone listed here was at the funeral.

I love how this puzzle of family and social history fits together.  The more I research the more I find the inter-connections between people and events fascinating.  The who knew whom, and how they knew them, and why they worked together or how they met is intriguing to me.  There are themes which are repeated throughout history, couples who met at church or at work, parents’ friends who gave their children jobs, musicians who played together, those who were part of the same organisations and had similar interests it goes on and on.  We are made to be such relational beings!

 

GOODEN Jas Ed par: Gus and Ellen nee CANEY
b: 23.12.1845 Brentford SRY ENG d: 17.7.1913
bd: Payneham SA arr: 1848 THOMAS LOWRY
occ: Cricketer, Collector, Clerk res: Norwood
m: Mary Ann ch: 2 children, Rose Emma
(1877-1880)

OKE William Thomas par: Paul and Lavinia, b: 30.9.1855
SA occ: Coachbuilder res: Nth Adelaide, Malvern
m: c1879 SA Jacobina nee STIRTON ch: Paul, Joanna
Elder (c1885-), Kath Gardiner, Irene HENWOOD

CONIGRAVE Joseph b: 5.12.1841 SA d: 3.4.1905
Adelaide SA lid: WTC 0cc: Policeman, Postal
Employee res: Glenelg, Adelaide
m: (1/2) 30.5.1872 Jane nee MIDDLETON
par: Joseph and Eliz b: c1843 d: 3.8.1893 ch: Elsie
Joseihine McFEAT, Arthur Hedley (1879-1900),
Florence Evans STROUT (1877-1968), Harry Stanley b Feb 1882 d Dec 1968, (Harry survived 4 months at Gallipoli in WWI) Kate Muriel CROSS, Dudley Garfield (1887-1978)
a : (2/2) Mary

Update: New information from the family of Joseph CONIGRAVE.

SCHEDLICH Carl Gustav par: Carl Gottfried
b: 22.4.1821 Dresden, Germany d: 8.8.1901 Mannum
SA arr: 1847 occ: Farmer, District Clerk, Postal
Employee res: Bugle Ranges, Macclesfield, Adelaide
m: 20.10.1853 Bugle Ranges SA Ann Euphemia nee
LINN par: Matthew and Ann nee DICK b: 8.5.1834
Kirkliston SCT d: 1906 Ch: Matthew Carl (1854-),
Carl Gustav (1856-), Mgt Christina (1858-1866),
Christian Whme (1860), Ann Euphemia
(1862-1866), Caroline Whme (1864-), Jane (Jenny)
Latta GOLDRIN(1866-), Alfred Louis (1868-),
Ferdinand Fried (1870-1951), Henry Jas (1872-1936),
Marie Louis REID(1875-), Jas Henry (1878-1878)

VIRGO Ed Lewes par: Jas and Lucy nee LUXFORD
b: 6.10.1840 SA d: 3.7.1905 occ: Postal Worker
res: Adelaide
m: 31.1.1861 Nth Adelaide SA Sarah nee PARKER
par: Abraham b: c1837 Bristol GLS ENG
d: 12.11.1919

CONDON William b: c1830 d: 20.9.1916 bd: WTc
arr: by 1878 occ: Mail Guard res: Adelaide rel: RC
m: Bridget b: c1838 d: 24.7.1916 ch: Wm
(1861-1936), Jas( 1863-1916), Thos (1864-1936),
Nellie (1867-1907)

GURR Valentine par: Geo and Ann b: 6.3.1841 Ssx
ENG d: 28.9.1915 bd: WTC arr: 1850 SULTANA
0cc: Postal Employee res: Adelaide
m: Mary b: (1850 d: 6.4.1924

KIDMAN Saml Geo par: Saml John and Caroline
b: 6.7.1838 SA d: after 1885 occ: Letter Carrier
res: Adelaide rel: C/E

My note: If this is the right person then he must have died after 1897 otherwise he couldn’t have been at William’s funeral.

HAMLYN Arthur par: Arthur and Honor Gudge nee
GARNAUT b: 20.3.1870 Pt Adelaide SA d: 25.1.1922
bd: Cheltenham SA 0cc: Letter Sorter res: Pt Adelaide
rel: Bapt
m: 5.7.1899 Alberton SA Thursza Cath nee BASS
b: 12.11.1872 d: 8.8.1935 ch: Arthur Henry
(1900-1972), Mabel HUGHE(S1 901-1959)

MADDERN John par: John b: 1860 Adelaide SA
d: 1912 occ: Postal Clerk res: Adelaide
m: Lydia nee POMERY par: Jas Rowe and Mary
Ann nee BOASE b: 1857 SA d: 1905 ch: Florence East
(1886-), John Carrington (1887-1941), Norman
Pomery (1890-1967), Edith Grace MASON (-1970),
Cecil Boase (1894-1957), Hilda Vera MOAR (1896-),
Stella Beatrice POTTER (1897-), Evelyn d(8), Fred
d. inf

MALEY William b: 9.9.1829 DUB IRL d: 1920
bd: WTc arr: 1854 occ: Postal Clerk, Postman
res: Adelaide rel: Meth
m: 1854 unknown d: 1909

HOWELLS Philip Arthur par: Philip and Janetta
b: 29.11.1853 SRY ENG d: 24.8.1921 Adelaide SA
an: 1855 COROMANDEL occ: Music Seller res: Nth
Adelaide, Prospect, Adelaide rel: Cong
m: 28.11.1878 Nth Adelaide SA Harriet Maria nee
NEWMAN par: Geo Gough b: 3.11.1855 SA
d: 3.10.1939 ch: Edith Emily ANNELLS (1880-1963),
Alice Ruby STAFFORD (1883-1965), Clarence Newman
(1884-1885), Hilda Marian DALL (1885-), Dora
SLOMAN (1887-1968), Arthur Victor (1889-1890)

FRAY John Hill art: 1884 GARONNE occ: Professor
of Music res: Adelaide rel: C/E
m: Alice Emily nee SMITH ch: John Leslie Hill
1896-)

GRIGG Thomas b: 28.8.1859 Teignmouth DEV ENG
occ: Music Teacher res: Adelaide rel: C/E
m: 7.7.1879 SA Rachel Ellen nee WORTHLEY ch: 5
dau

CAWTHORNE Charles W. par: Wm Anderson and
Mary Ann Georgiana nee MOWER b: 1855
d: 26.6.1925 bd: Nth Rd SA arr: by 1870 occ: Music
Warehouse
m: Amanda Dorothea b: c1864 d: 18.9.1923
ch: Augustus Eckersley (1886-1937)

PYBUS Wm Richd par: Wm b: 9.10.1848 Adelaide
SA d: 11.11.1917 bd: Nth Rd SA 0cc: Music Professor
res: Adelaide
m: 27.9.1880 Annie Emma nee SWEET par: Capt
b: c1857 d: 30.5.1950 ch: Gladys Marguerite
(1886-1956), Doris Marjorie CUMING (1892-1972), dau

BASSE Frederick b: c1852 Dusseldorf, Germany
d: 7.4.1913 SA 0cc: Jeweller, Gold and Silversmith
res: College Pk, Norwood rel: He
m: 4.1.1883 Adelaide SA Annie nee UHLMANN
par: H. C. ch: Elise Elsa (1886-1886)

TODD Sir Charles b: 7.7.1826 Islington LND ENG
d: 29.1.1910 lid: Nth Rd SA arc: 1855 IRENE
occ: Postmaster General, Government Astronomer
res: Adelaide rel: C/E
m: c1854 Allice nee GILLAM b: 7.8.1836 d: 9.8.1898
ch: Eliz SQUIRES(1856-1937), Chas Ed (1858-1917),
Hedley Lawrence (1860-1907), Maude (1866-1929),
Gwendoline BRAGG(1870-1929), Lorna Gillam
(1877-1963)

 

I hope this list can help someone piece together a bit more of their family history!!