ELSA VON BOETTICHER
(Heinrich's daughter, Granny's niece) B:1884
Elsa Franzeska Minnie Martha Backhaus, eldest child of Louise’s brother, Heinrich Christian Backhaus, was born in Germany in 1884. She migrated to Australia with her family in 1889 when she was 4.
Elsa attended Mundoo State School in Calliope from 13 November 1894.
Edward William Martin Von Boetticher - a seaman - was her first husband. Their son, Frank, was born in Mundoo, in 1905.
Edward, Elsa and their son Frank
Edward died on 15 May 1913, aged 54. In December of that year Elsa married John Hobbs.
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Elsa was a well-known and experienced midwife. Children were usually born at home with a midwife until about the 1940s. She delivered Louise Vass’ first two children, Carl in 1917 and Esa (Louise) in 1919.
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Elsa’s third partner was Rudolph Spannagle. Rudolph had a farm at Darradgee and a dairy farm at Coorumba.
HUGO AUGUST OSCAR BACKHAUS
(Heinrich’s son, Granny’s nephew) B:1887
Hugo was born in Germany in 1887 and was 2 years old when the family migrated to Australia in 1889.
In 1909, aged 21, he selected 80 acres of land at Kalbo, Innisfail, paying a deposit of £2/18/5. His application was accepted.
On 23 December 1909, Hugo married Margaret Helen Lennox, at the groom’s parent’s house, Mundoo.
Maggie was born of Scottish parents at Mt Morgan, QLD. She was 18 when she married Hugo. Her parents had a farm on the Barron River near Atherton.
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Hugo and Maggie moved to Home Hill, purchasing land for a cane farm, in 1918.
Hugo, Margaret, Bertha, Heinrich and Hugo Max
WILLIAM BACKHAUS
Theo's son, Granny's nephew
William and Annie Backhaus
William Backhaus was Theo’s eldest son, and their only child to survive to adulthood.
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Born in Mundoo on 23 November 1900, at the age of 16 William moved with the family to Townsville.
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In 1922, at the age of 20, he married Annie Isabel Asmussen. They had two boys, Stanley and Kevin.
According to the 1925 census William and Annie had moved to Burnside - a farm about 1km from Nambour where his family lived. William was a sugar cane farmer.
In September 1926 William was killed by a train.
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At the time of his death, their sons would have been 4 and 2 years old. William’s farm and estate were sold, and his wife, Annie, returned to Southport where her family had a parcel of land on Waverley Street. Her parents divided up the land so Annie had her own house.
The house in Waverley Street, Southport where Annie raised her sons Stanley and Kevin