Parish records of nearly every community in Unterfranken1  are stored in the State Archive Wurzburg. Following an official order, copies of all christenings, weddings and deaths of a town had to be sent there. The books of the village of Sommerhausen are stored under the shelf mark "Pfarrmatrikelzweitschriften2 number 38963902."

1Translated means 'Lower Franconia' - an administrative district in the southern half of central Germany.

2Pfarrmatrikelzweitschriften: duplicates or copies of the parish registers.  The state archives in Würzburg has these public records for the period between about 1825-1875. They're particularly helpful if you can't view the actual church records.

The following information came from those records.  Please note that dated entries are given in European style - day.month.year.

Johann Marcus Bauer
of
Germany and South Australia

 

GENERATION I

1. Johann Marcus Bauer was born in Schernau (a suburb of the town Dettelbach in the county Kitzingen today) on 2.4.1810, son of Johannes Bauer and his wife Anna Maria Dauth or Maria Barbara Dauch.  On 20.10.1833, he married Maria Luise Chevalier. She was born on 23.6.1808 in Bad Homburg vor der Hoho, daughter of Peter Jakob Chevalier and his wife Margaretha, nee Rittershausen.  She died on 13.1.1847 at the age of 37.

Johann Marcus Bauer and Maria Luise Chevalier had the following children:

  i. Karl Friedrich Justus, born on 22.2.1834; died 31.7.1834.
  ii. Johann Friedrich, born on 17.7.1835.
  iii. Anna Friederike Katharina, born on 12.7.1837.
  iv. Georg Leonhard Albrecht, born on 30.4.1839; died 9.10.1840.
  v. Johann Paulus, born on 1.11.1840.
  vi. Johann Andreas Peter, born on 25.12.1841.
  vii. Johann Michael, born on 3.6.1843.
  viii. Anna Sabina, born on 29.7.1844; died 3.5.1845.
  ix. Sabina Klara, born on 12.8.1845; died 6.9.1845.
  x. Johann Georg, born on 20.12.1846; died 27.1.1847.

On 20 or 25.7.1847 in Sommerhausen, Marcus Bauer took Barbara Dorothea Leichtlein from Remlingen, Wurzburg as his second wife. Unfortunately her date of birth is not recorded, though the church books of the congregation Remlingen show that Barbara Dorothea Leichtlein was registered as an illegitimate child of the Remlingen churchwarden, Martin Johann Leichtlein, who also worked as a barber and surgeon. There in no information about her mother.

The following children were issue of Johann Marcus Bauer and Barbara Dorothea Leichtlein:

  i. Anna Margaretha, born on 12.11.1848, died 20.11.1848.
2. ii. Johann Georg, born on 28.12.1849.
  iii. Johann Georg, born on 8.2.1852.

Why the last two children carry the same name cannot be ascertained from the parish records.

Marcus and Barbara Bauer either died after 1875 (the registers end in 1875) or the family left Sommerhausen. I rather suspect the second option, as the surname Bauer doesn’t recur.

 

GENERATION II

2.  Johann Georg Bauer was born at Sommerhausen, Bavaria on 28.12.1849.  He  immigrated to South Australia on the ship “Dunkeld” in 1879.  On 2.6.1883 Johann Georg married Sarah Jane Gridley (born 15.6.1863; died 26.8.1930) at St. Martin’s Church of England, Campbelltown,, South Australia.   She was the daughter of William Walter Gridley and Sarah Ann Stow.  

Johann Georg died on or about 23.10.1925.  He was found dead in his house after his neighbours told his son, Walter George Bauer, they had not seen him for a few days.  He is buried at Port Pirie Cemetery, South Australia.  Sarah Jane Bauer is buried at Hope Valley Cemetery, South Australia.

Johann Georg Bauer and Sarah Jane Gridley had the following children:

  i. Walter George (George), born in Adelaide 7.3.1884; died 10.10.1963.  Married Lillian Mary Cordon 5.11.1908.
  ii. Dorah Jane, born in Adelaide 16.7.1885; died 18.10.1919.  Married Patrick Meffert 28.9.1904.
  iii. Marks Edmund (Johnny), born in Paradise 29.5.1887; died 2.12.1972.  Married Blanche Parry 3.11.1923.
  iv. William James, born Balmoral 30.4.1889; died 4.7.1890.
  v. Friedrich Wilhelm (Fred), born Port Pirie 15.10.1891; died 3.4.1986.  Not married.
  vi. Sabina Louisa (Win), born Port Pirie 21.5.1893; died 7.4.1972.  Married John (Jock) Weir 3.5.1924.
3. vii. Alfred Johann (Pacer), born Port Pirie 12.9.1895; died 19.9.1959.  Married Emma Louisa Amber 24.5.1919.
  viii. Wendelina Alice (Lena), born Port Pirie 20.9.1898; died April 1981.  Married Edward Foggo 6.10.1932.
  ix. Sarah Henrietta (Ettie), born Port Pirie 15.5.1901; died 4.11.1921.  Not married.
  x. William Leonard (Len), born Port Pirie 16.5.1904 ; died 12.7.1978.  Married Millicent Lorna Harvey 17.3.1945.

 

GENERATION III

3.  Alfred Johann (Pacer) Bauer married Emma Louisa Amber on 24.5.1919 at Campbelltown, South Australia.  She was the daughter of John Amber and Elizabeth Harriet or Elizabeth Sarah Pope.

Alfred Johann Bauer and Emma Louisa Amber had 6 children, two of whom are:

  i. Emma Jean (Jean), born St Peters 5.12.1919; died 28.12.1987.
  ii. Cyril John (John), born Hindmarsh 25.12.1931.  John died after a long fight with cancer at about 6am 3.4.1998 at Yorketown Hospital, South Australia.  He is buried at Minlaton Cemetery, South Australia.

 

Source:  Transcripts of the church books of the Protestant congregation Sommerhausen.

Submitted by Glenn Bauer [23June2004]