A very interesting read is the documentation at the NAA on my husband's great grandmother, Mary Anne Schemioneck (nee Smith). Just put Schemioneck in the search, you won't be overwhelmed by responses. Briefly, after her husband died Mary Anne wanted to buy a block of land at Sandgate. Mary Anne had married German-born Carl in 1891. Carl was naturalised in 1892 (and was always known as Charles, rather than Carl). Charles died in 1941 and Mary Anne wanted to buy a block of land next to her son. Somebody was obviously worried about this woman with the German name wanting to buy land. The NAA documents start with a stat dec dated 25 June stating that she was born in Australia, married to a German who was later naturalised, has nine children (one of whom was rejected on medical grounds for duty in WW1), has three sons-in-law who served, supports the Red Cross, Comforts Fund and Red Shield, but doesn't have any war bonds. The file basically questions whether the widow of an enemy alien (said enemy alien lived here for 65 of his 75 years, 49 of them as a citizen) comes within the definition of "a naturalised person of enemy origin" under National Security (Land Transfer) Regulations. It passes through the hands of the Commonwealth Investigations Branch (Qld and Canberra), Northern Command, the Police, the Attorney General's Department, the Conveyancer of the Supreme Court of Queensland and the Solicitor General before she is finally granted approval to buy the land on 13 December. I guess you can't be too careful! On the other side of the family, I had heard anecdotes that my mother's family changed their name during the war and some members were interned. But this seems to be incorrect. Franz Baunach was known as Frank Bannah from soon after he arrived in 1854. I've enjoyed this discussion. BTW I've just started working with a woman whose parents came from Germany to New South Wales in the 1950s. She says that she is amazed at how much German heritage there is in Queensland. She said that growing up in and around Sydney she didn't see many Germans or hear German names. Nell Schemioneck Brisbane

What an interesting little anecdote Nell.. and what drama your husband's great grandmother's was put through just to buy her chosen piece of land... I just wonder if she invited those who complained, to the Housewarming when she got settled. :-)) Cheers Gay .. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Schemioneck, Nell" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 11:56 AM Subject: [SEQ-Germans] Germans in the war years >A very interesting read is the documentation at the NAA on my husband's > great grandmother, Mary Anne Schemioneck (nee Smith). Just put > Schemioneck in the search, you won't be overwhelmed by responses. > >

Yes Nell Many have the same type of story. My maternal great-grandmother, Marcella Ada HAYES, was a direct descendants of six convicts - yes, all her ancestors arrived in this country in chains, a real colonial lass. However, in 1890, she married Franz HELMRICH - from Neustadt Orla, Saxe Weimer, Germany now known as "07806, Neustadt an der Orla, Thuringa, Germany", and they had 8 children. He was naturalised in 1910 in Mackay, and they separated by 1912 (before the war) when he went to Fiji without her. In 1922, Marcella wanted to buy land, but foreigners could not own land - they had to be naturalised - and she had to prove that her deserted husband had been naturalised - "He disappeared about the year 1912 and has not been heard of since. His wife desires to obtain a transfer of certain real estate in Queensland into her own name, but is unable to obtain registration without production of evidence of her husband's nationality" At that time, if the man was naturalised, then so too was the wife.. She eventually returned to the Hawkesbury district and is buried at Rookwood. I never did find the land deeds in her name. Lorrae Glenore Grove Qld 4342 http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=helmrich -----Original Message----- From: Schemioneck, Nell [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, 9 November 2007 11:57 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [SEQ-Germans] Germans in the war years A very interesting read is the documentation at the NAA on my husband's great grandmother, Mary Anne Schemioneck (nee Smith). Just put Schemioneck in the search, you won't be overwhelmed by responses.