The Skeleton Closet

Heloise

A square rigged ship built in Scarborough, Maine, USA in 1835. She was bought by Joh. Lange Sohn's Wwe. & Co. of Bremmen (this is Johan Lange Sohn's Widow) in 1838 for the tobacco trade. She made only one voyage to Australia with emigrants, and that was in March 1847 to Adelaide under command of Captain Jan Beckmann.

Dimensions:

329 tons carrying capacity

length - 108'

beam - 26'

Extract from the "South Australian" 19 March 1847 [List]

"The arrival of three large ships from Europe within the present week - two of them with emigrants numbering in all upwards of four hundred souls - has been hailed with great satisfaction by the colonists. The Bremen ship Heloise brings a large number of the better class of the German peasantry. They have all paid their own passage, and they bring, we are informed, more money than the emigrant ship has for years imported. They are healthy, and respectable people, and we doubt not they will do well".

"The emigrants of the "Princess Royal" are all English, except one family from Ireland. Judging from appearances and reports we had of them, these emigrants are of better stamp than usual."

Also under Arrived in the same edition:-

"The Bremen ship Heloise, Captain Beckmann, 155 days from Bremen.

Passengers - Dr. Bayer, Physician to the ship, Messrs. Menkens, Doussa, Beddies, Monikes, Pappe, and 198 others, viz: 1 mason, 1 shoemaker, 1 gold and silver smith, 1 butcher and sausage-maker, 1 miller, 1 cloth weaver, 2 cabinet makers, 40 farmers and labourers, 14 miners, 6 female servants, 38 married women and 103 children."

Also in the same edition under Imports:-

"Cargo of the Heloise, from Bremen - 10 pieces battens, 140 planks, 2 piano-fortes, 2 cases and 1 package, 40 cases wine".

Extract from the Adelaide Observer - 20 March 1847

"On board the Heloise from Bremen there were six births and six deaths, namely, four young children, an aged woman named Anna Roena Sighdon (in her 85th year), and a young sailor named Pelser Kerter, aged 20, who fell overboard before the ship was under canvas.

The ship was well provisioned with provisions, and even potatoes were served out to the passengers for 50 days after sailing.

We understand also that the Heloise brings Mr Meyer, a gentleman who came out to the colony by the last vessel from Germany, and is now established as a merchant in Adelaide, the credentials of his appointment as Consul in South Australia for the Kingdom of Hanover."

The only passenger list that exists for the Heloise is that which was printed in the Adelaide Register on 24 March 1847 and it is probably one of the best passenger lists I've seen yet because it gives their occupations and other information as well:-

Cabin Passengers:-

Bayer, Dr.

Menkens, Mr

Doussa, D

Menkens, Mr - merchant from Oldenburg

Doussa, Mr V - agriculturalist from Prussia (this could be Von Doussa)

Beddies, Mr - merchant from Hamburgh

Pappe, Mr - merchant from Hamburgh

Steerage Passengers:-

Anders, Mr - cabinet maker

Bierworth, Mr

Bock, Mr - miner - wife and 4 children

Calle, Mr - miner

Caviac, Mr - wife and child (this is actually Mackzowiack)

Dreyer, Mr - miner - mother, cousin and 2 children

Duneke, Mr - wife

Fernhaber, Mr - gold and silver smith - wife and 2 children

Fischer, Mr - miner - wife and 3 children

Flasenbeurg, --- - as servant (presume this is to Mr Christ. Nuske's family)

Gopp - miners - two brothers

Green, George - an experienced farmer - wife

Harms, Anna - cook - young widow

Herberger, Mr - miner - wife

Hermann - labourers - 2 brothers

Heusler, Mr - wife and 9 children

Hofman, Mr - miner - wife

Holfs, Mr - wife and child

Hubner, Mr - cabinet maker - wife and 2 children

Huff, Mr - wife and 4 children

Kean, Mr - wife and 2 children

Kirchner, Mr - wife and 3 children

Klientz, Mr - wife and child

Kreig, Charles - wife and child

Krieg, John - wife and 5 children

Leske, Mr - wife and 5 children

Lindner, Mr - wife and 2 children

Lorenz, Anna - young unmarried woman

Lorenz, Ossig - father and 4 grown up sons

Martin, Mr - wife and child

Mengel, Mr - wife, sister and 10 children

Mengler - miners - two brothers

Mibus, Mr - wife and 3 children

Monikes, Mr - labourer

Nebus, Gottlieb - marble mason - wife and brother in law

Niske, Christ. - wife and 3 children

Nuske, Christoph - wife and 4 children

Nuske, Samuel - wife and 3 children

Odermann, Mr - butcher and sausage maker

Olane, August - librarian - wife and 3 children

Olane, George - labourer

Ratka, Mr - wife and 3 children

Schach, Mr - miller - wife

Schach, sisters - unmarried and no mention of the number of them

Schlamelger, Mr - miner - wife and 2 children

Schoenig, Mr - shoemaker

Schultz, Mr - mason

Schulz, Mr - an experienced farmer - wife and 3 children

Semmler, Mr - wife and 4 children

Soft, Mr - wife

Spare, August - miner from Clausthal - wife

Spare, Henry - miner from Clausthal - wife and 2 children

Tiersch, G - wife and child

Tiersch, W - wife and child

Wilkowski, Mr - wife

Wruck, Mr - cloth weaver

Zadow, --- - 4 children