Hi Folks,
I have just come from a meeting with Detlef who is in South Australia at the moment Photographing German Headstones, which will be available on his site when he returns home. He has been helping me with some transcriptions.
In the course of our conversation I learned that he is very interested in Samuel Hoffmeister and he has asked if anybody can help him by turning up anything on the man who it is believed Watzing Matilda was based on.
Samuel "Frenchie" Hoffmeister a shearer and staunch unionist died by suicide when he apparently shot himself on the 2 Sep 1894 at Combo Water Hole, Dagworth Station, Kynuna Queensland.
Detlef has a file a mile high on the man, death certificate, inquest etc but has not been able to ascertain how or when Samuel came to Australia. None of the paperwork he has lists the mans age or place of birth. He was once informed the man was born in Berlin in 1862 and interestingly he has confirmed that there was a Samuel Hoffmeister born in 1862 in Berlin.
It is possible Samuel Hoffmeister may have come to Australia via South Africa. (Unconfirmed)
Detlef will be unable to join in the thread as he is travelling the country in a camper van for the next month before he returns home.
He has all the details of the actual case etc but would be very grateful if anything can be uncovered on this man. The things he would really like to know are
(1) Where and When was he born - Was he born in Berlin in 1862
(2) Immigration Details - Where did he travel from - Is his age listed - who did he travel with (did he come with family.)
Basically any other records anybody can come up with that may give an age and place of birth.
Would be lovely if somebody can come up with something............Kris
