Mary Elizabeth (Beyer) Donges (1842 - 1891)

Born 4 Aug 1842 in Birkenbringhausen, Kurhessen, Germany

Ancestors

Wife of Christoff Donges — married 9 Jun 1865 in Young, NSW, Australia

Descendants

Died 29 Mar 1891 at age 48 in Young, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Mary (Beyer) Donges has German Roots.

Mary's father was Andreas Beier from Frankenberg son of Christian Beier a clothmaker. Mary was always a Kleem, not a Beier, even though she gives her surname as Byer on her marriage certificate. Her parents were not married or partnered. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Marriage Certificate.

Mary & Christoff's headstone

MARY'S VOYAGE TO AUSTRALIA
Hamburg Shipping List
Beausite
The Beausite of the Johann Cesar Godeffroy line was a ship of burden 466 C.L.(1) and dimensions 192' 3" x 36' x 23' 5" (2). She was built in 1854 in New York and as the Hamburg ship Nuremberg was bought by Godeffroy on 4 April 1863 and renamed Beausite.
This was her second voyage from Hamburg to Australia. After leaving Moreton Bay, she went to Callao and then back to Hamburg in 1865. She made one further voyage to Australia in 1866. She was finally condemned and sold in 1870 in Montevideo.

(1) C.L. (Commerzlasten) was 6000 Hamburg pounds or two English tons. (2) These dimensions are repectively the length of the deck, the width of the hold at the widest point, and the height from the deck planking to the keelson. The measurements are given in Hamburg feet - 1 Hamburg foot = 286 mm whereas 1 English foot is 305 mm. 12 incbes(") = 1 foot(').

Hamburg Shipping List
Newspaper Report in The Brisbane Courier on Friday February 10, 1865.

THE BEAUSITE.
The German ship Beausite left Hamburg on the 23rd October, 1864, and cleared the coast of Germany on the 25th of the same month. She was only four days getting down the English Channel, and on the 29th October she had fairly entered the Atlantic Ocean. She made a rather long passage to the Equator, in consequence of meeting with contrary winds off the Canary Islands. The Line was crossed on the 28th November at 8 p.m., and on the 26th December she passed the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope.
Throughout the passage thus far she had very fine weather. Indeed the whole of the run from Hamburg to Moreton Bay has been remarkable for the prevalence of light winds; and during the time she was running her easting she was frequently delayed by calms. In the region of Tasmania she met with head winds, which prevented her passing through Bass' Straits, and she rounded the island on the 26th January, 1865. Thence she was 13 days in making Cape Moreton, which was rounded at 7.20 a.m. on the 6th February. She anchored in Brisbane Roads the same afternoon; having made a run of 104 days from coast to coast. Several vessels were sighted, but all at too great a distance to be made out.
The Beausite brings an addition of nearly 300 souls to our population, of whom about one half are single men. The proportion of single women is very small. On the passage out the immigrants, who were under the superintendence of Dr. Lang, enjoyed good health. The only deaths were those of eight children, who died of disorders incident to infancy on a sea voyage.
The passengers are unanimous in expressing their satisfaction at the treatment they have received at the hands of Captain Bruhn and Dr. Lang, and to the former gentleman a numerously signed address has been presented. Dr. Purdie, the health officer, visited the Beausite on the 8th instant, in the Diamond, s., and mustered and passed the immigrants. The single females and the families were brought up to town on that day by the Diamond. It was intended to convey the single men from the vessel to the depot in the ketch Perseverance, in tow of the steamer, but owing to the violence of the wind this could not be done, and they were left on hoard the ship. The Diamond made another trip to the Bay yesterday, and returned in the evening with them and all the passengers' luggage.

Sources

1. ↑ Private correspondence from Dr. Ulrich Stöhr of Bottendorf, Germany to Geoff Donges, 28 Sep 2000, detailing confirmation of known ancestors up to Kaspar Dönges b 1763, Wollmar, Hesse, Germany, copies in personal collection of Geoff Donges.
2. ↑ [1] National Library of Australia. Book Title: Emigrants from Hamburg to Australia 1864. Compiled by Eric & Rosemary Kopittke. Queensland Family History Society Inc.
3. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123567811/mary-donges: accessed July 7, 2024), memorial page for Mary Donges (1842–29 Mar 1891), Find a Grave Memorial ID 123567811, citing Young Cemetery, Young, Hilltops Council, New South Wales, Australia; Maintained by III (contributor 47426837).

• Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1949

Name Mary K Byer Marriage Date1865 Marriage Place Young, New South Wales Registration Date1865 Registration Place Young, New South Wales, Australia Spouse Christopher Danges Registration Number1685

Australia and New Zealand, Find A Grave Index, 1800s-Current Name Mary Donges Gender Female Birth Date1842Death Date29 Mar 1891CemeteryYoung Cemetery Burial or Cremation Place Young, Hilltops Council, New South Wales, Australia Spouse Christoff Donges