John William Hinkler was born in 1852 and passed away in 1927. He was a son of John Hinkler and Annie Wills. [1]
John married Frances Bonney in 1892 at Bundaberg, Queensland. [2] They were the parents of three sons and two daughters:
John served in 52nd Australian Infantry Battalion and the 42nd Australian Inffantry Battalion. He suffered Trench Fever (gassed) and was transferred to field hospitals and then to a hospital in Torquay. He was discharged in 1918..
John passed away on 13th October 1927 at Bundaberg. [3] He was survived by his wife and their five children.
John was born as Johannes in the tiny Prussian village of Hörnsheim in Hessen to mother Anna Elisabetha Hinkler. The original German records give his date and time of birth as the 26th September 1852 at 4 in the morning. His baptismal record shows he was christened the following day (27th September 1852) at nearby Lützellinden by Pastor Schonebohm with the names of five witnesses and their relationship listed. No father is given in the record – the column for name, surname and profession of the father is empty – and the column for whether the child is legitimate or illegitimate specifies "Unehelich", meaning illegitimate.
When Johannes was seven years old, his mother married Ludwig Volk. The German records detail that it was a first marriage for both of them, she being some nine years his senior. Six months later, Anna gave birth to Johann's half-sister. After the birth of another three half-siblings for Johann, the family immigrated to Australia. Leaving Hamburg on the 5th August 1865, Anna and Ludwig plus the four children set sail aboard the "La Rochelle", the records showing that Johann was 12 (consistent with a birth in 1852). Anna must have already been heavily pregnant, because three months later, she gave birth on board ship near Miller's Point, South Africa. Tragically, just before the family arrived in Queensland, Johann's two-year-old half-brother died at sea. So, although the family left Hamburg and arrived in Queensland with four children, it was a different four.
Anna and Ludwig went on to have five more Australian-born children (although tragically, one died in infancy). Ludwig, by all accounts, brought Johannes up as his own son, although he always kept his mother's surname Hinkler. The family settled in outback Queensland where Ludwig (who had been a butcher in Prussia) worked as a teamster, driving large bullock drays laden with wool around the countryside. Apparently, Anna and the children often accompanied him on such journeys.
Later, the family moved to Bundaberg where they lived in Woodbine Cottage at 69 Gavan Street (now Gavin Street, although the house is no longer there). At 39 years, Johann (now called Jack) married Francis Atkins Bonney on the 2nd February 1892 in Gympie. It was Woodbine Cottage that Jack's son, famed aviator Bert Hinkler was born in on the 8th December that year.
Mention should be made of the fact that there is much misinformation about this family. Anna, it seems, having broken free from the judgemental attitudes of her contemporary Lutheran villagers, "reinvented" herself. On immigrating to Australia, she obviously attempted to hide the fact that Johann was illegitimate, and to that end, created a fictious but deceased father of the same name: Johann Hinkler. (Incidentally, no German records for such a man's birth, marriage or death exist.)
This explains the numerous errors on the various Australian certificates (including the erroneous maiden names of Will or Burk), however the original German records give full and accurate details. Please note that I have written a biography of John's mother Anna Hinkler (later Volk) which, after voting on by the board of the Hinkler Museum in Bundaberg, was accepted into their collection. Here you will find all the German records that I have sourced. Kind courtesy of: Nikki Stern (Great granddaughter of Anna Volk (née Hinkler).
Johann was born in 1852. He passed away in 1927.
John William Hinkler Event date: 13/10/1927 Event type: Death registration Registration details: 1927/C/3798 Mother: Annie Wills Father/parent: John Hinkler
June 1st, to Bert and Margaret — a Son. Brother for Linda. The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld.) Fri 4 Jun 1954 Page 16 Family Notices [1]
ment is announced of Margaret, younger Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. C. Matheson, Bardon, to Alan Herbert, younger Son of Mr. & Mrs. J. W. Hinkler, Albion. The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. ) Sat 17 Apr 1948 Page 8 Family Notices [1]
dence of Mri. J. W. Hinkler, North Bundaberg, who received the guests In a navy crepe de Chine frock re- lieved with mastic, with a hat lo match. Morning Bulletin Sat 28 Nov 1931 Page 5 Family Notices [1]
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Cheers, Linda
Featured National Park champion connections: John is 21 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 21 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 21 degrees from George Catlin, 21 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 24 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 21 degrees from George Grinnell, 27 degrees from Anton Kröller, 23 degrees from Stephen Mather, 14 degrees from Kara McKean, 23 degrees from John Muir, 18 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 30 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
or. 2511) August, to Bert and Margaret (nee Mathcsoni— a Dauehter (Llndn Margaret The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. ) Wed 30 Aug 1950 Page 18 Family Notices [1]