Well, we're back again, at the same old brickwall. Can some kind should add anything to this female from the Qld BMD, Deaths? 1917/C2008 Abel KUMMERFELD Father - Hans Heinrich Anything that may identify or eliminate her before I go off and buy another (wrong) death cert. I can't find any sign of a will. David ======= Email scanned by PC Tools - No viruses or spyware found. (Email Guard: 7.0.0.21, Virus/Spyware Database: 6.16990) http://www.pctools.com/ =======

I concur with Gay's statement that 'generic' information shouldn't be used if more specific information is available ... in any area of our research. Provisioning varied greatly from ship to ship, era to era, etc. and was influenced by factors such as what shipping company or agent was involved, whether the ship was 'British' or 'Foreign' (different vessels operated under different statutes), the caliber of the Captain involved and whether the ship experienced unexpected delays as a result of bad weather, etc. (If a ship has been provisioned for a 24 week voyage and it actually takes 26, 28 or more weeks, that will obviously have an impact on even the best provisioned/disciplined ship.) With regards two of the three vessels/voyages I have researched extensively, the "Pauline" from Bremen to Moreton Bay via Sydney (arriv. May 1857) and the "Diana" from Bremen to Moreton Bay (arriv. May 1858), provisioning was, in fact, a real issue / point of contention, in terms of the quantity, quality and distribution, with complaints being made by the immigrants aboard these ships in both the English and German-language press, here and in Germany, to the Consul for Bremen, etc. after arrival. Complaints such as these, as well as those concerning a lack of segregated accommodation or medical personnel aboard, high mortality rates, physical abuse by crew, etc., were, in fact, the impetus for a (NSW Legislative Council) Parliamentary Inquiry into German Immigration in 1858. (Queensland not being a separate Colony at that point.) It's important to note that, even when the type and amount of provisions was stipulated, these were not necessarily met. For instance, for the "Fanny Kirchner" which arrived in Sydney from Bremen (but was registered to Oldenburg) in early 1858, the following was set as a weekly provision per passenger: Sunday: half pound beef, flour for pudding, dried fruit and, per eight persons, a bottle of wine. Monday: half pound pork, sauerkraut and potatoes. Tuesday: half pound beef, legumes. Wednesday: fish, legumes and potatoes. Thursday: half pound beef, thick rice with treacle and raisins. Friday: half pound pork, legumes and potatoes. Saturday barley with treacle and raisins. As well as, for every adult passenger per week: two ounces coffee, one ounce six drachms tea, four ounces sugar, half pound butter and five pounds bread, as well as salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar, as required. (All meat was salted and the 'bread' would be ship's biscuit.) However, the Doctor aboard the "Fanny Kirchner" stated during the Inquiry mentioned above, that there was 'deficiency in every kind of food', it was never given out in the quantity stipulated, never weighed ('some persons got more, and others less') and that, in addition, what food was apportioned was very badly cooked/prepared. The wine and sugar were never issued. (He further stated he had been informed that some of the women aboard had 'carried on an improper intercourse' with crew for the purpose of procuring food and that he had seen children who frequently 'picked out what was given to the chickens'.) Generally speaking, with regard to the ships arriving from German ports, the immigrants aboard those arriving in the 1860s experienced better conditions than those endured on earlier voyages, as shipping lines/agents, local authorities, etc. came under mounting public and State pressure to 'lift their game'. However, as Gay stated, immigrants' experiences differed greatly and it would, therefore, be prudent for us to find as much information as possible relating specifically to the conditions which prevailed on the ship of interest to us, rather than make generalizations or assumptions. Rgs Lisa