Hi Albert & all list members I have been a member for sometime but this is my first posting. Albert, I have been following with interest the discussions on the German communities in Australia, particularly NSW. I would be interested in reading your story. There was certainly a reasonable German population around Glen Innes, Emmaville Wellingrove & Deepwater. My Dad told me that and his Grandparents were German. I am trying to find information on the arrival in the colony of Arthur KNAUF[F]. He and his brother George were naturalized in the 1870's. If anyone has come across the name I'd love to hear from them. Joy in hot, but lovely Wagga NSW. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Albert Grulke" <grulke@bigpond.com.au> To: <AUS-GERMAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 3:44 PM Subject: [AUS-GERMAN] Hunter valley Germans >I have completed a work in regard Germans to the Camden valley south-west >of > Sydney in the 19th century. I am happy to make my story available on the > list of privately if anybody is interested. > > I am now pursuing the Hunter valley region. I find here a rather large - > almost said 'massive' - list. It certainly would equal some of the German > settlements in Queensland and South Australia. > > What has got to me is why they lost their German traditions and language > so > quickly. It seems that within a generation there was no evidence of it > having ever been a German community. > > Was it due to the large Irish, Scottish and English influence? > > Was it because unlike Queensland they had no Lutheran Church? > > I find it amazing. I know that for my part at least the language fell by > the > wayside. My grandparents were first generation Australian and to my > knowledge they could not speak German. However we did retain some of the > other traditions such as in food. We certainly knew that our ancestors > came > from Germany and we were proud of that fact. > > So I ask, "Why did the Hunter Valley Germans just fade away so quickly?" > It > is not like as in the Camden where they were just a small pocket in the > tens. In the Hunter the German families were in the hundred and maybe > thousands. > > Anybody got a clue? > > Albert Grulke curious in cloudy miserable Melbourne in January. > > > > ==== AUS-GERMAN Mailing List ==== > Remember, to unsubscribe, send an email to > aus-german-l-request@rootsweb.com with unsubscribe in the subject line. > > ============================== > New! Family Tree Maker 2005. Build your tree and search for your ancestors > at the same time. Share your tree with family and friends. Learn more: > http://landing.ancestry.com/familytreemaker/2005/tour.aspx?sourceid=14599&targetid=5429 > > >