Frederich and Elise Juillerat
| Town/City | Nashua, NSW 2479 |
|---|---|
| First name | Frederich and Elise |
| Last name | Juillerat |
| Country of Origin | Switzerland |
| Date of Birth | 1844, 1836 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1871 |
| Submitted by | Gladys Adcock |
Story
Elise Paroz was the first of the children of Isaac Paroz and Suzanne Lardon of Saicourt, Switzerland, to emigrate to Australia in 1871. Her older brother, Ulysse, and his family followed her in 1874.
Elise was born on 2 February 1836 in Monter, Berne, Switzerland. She was the fourth and youngest child of Frederic Isaac Paroz and Suzanne Lardon. Elise\’s first marriage was to Friedrich Monnier. They had 4 children, 3 daughters and a son. We don\’t know what happened to the husband and children. Europe in the 19th century saw many epidemics, so it is possible that all were taken in that way. Elise remarried on 12 May 1867 to Friedrich August Juillerat, from Sornetan, a village very close to the Swiss German border.
Friedrich August Juillerat (Fred) was born about June 1844, the son of Jean Pierre Emmanuel Juillerat and Catherine Doriot. Fred\’s brother, Ferdinand Ernest Juillerat, married Sophie Paroz, a sister of Elise and Ulysse Paroz. They remained in Switzerland. Another brother Emmanuel Juillerat emigrated to the USA in 1881.
We don\’t know why Fred and Elise decided to take the big step of emigrating to Australia. Perhaps like many others they were finding conditions difficult in the Swiss countryside. Perhaps, if Elise\’s first family died in an epidemic, they thought Australia might be a healthier place to raise a family. Perhaps they were looking for adventure, or wanted to see what the rest of the world was like. Fred\’s photos show him with a twinkle in his eyes, so perhaps he was the kind to look farther than his backyard.
Whatever the reason, in April 1871 Elise and Fred and their two children, Louis Jules and Maria Josephine (Mary), set sail for Australia on the ‘Friedeburg’ from the rapidly expanding emigration port of Hamburg. Elise was pregnant with their third child. Wilhelmina (Lena) was born on the voyage, 8 days after they set sail according to Lena\’s recollections.
On 15 August The Brisbane Courier reported the arrival of the ‘Friedeburg’, adding that the Immigrants were a hardy looking lot, who appear to have been well used to workÉand as far as appearance goes, they promise to become as useful a class of settlers as have been received here under the Immigration Regulations for some time past.
It appears that Fred and Elise immigrated as part of an immigration scheme for German settlers, even though they were from Switzerland, not Germany. It seems likely that they passed themselves off as German to join the immigration scheme. By the time of the death of Elise in 1897 they were claiming to have come from Switzerland.
Elise and Fred eventually made the hazardous journey by bullock drays to Ma Ma Creek near Gatton where Fred took up a selection. Fred built a slab hut and began fencing with palings. A requirement of all land orders was to make improvements to a certain value within five years when title could be given. If this was not achieved the land would be forfeit.
In June 1878, Fred was granted title to the land having made the requisite improvements and satisfied the conditions of selecting land under ‘The Crown Lands Alienation Act of 1868’. He had cleared and cultivated 20 acres of land, built a 2-roomed slab house with a bark roof, and enclosed 45 acres with paling and wire fence.
While the family were living at Ma Ma Creek two more children were born to Fred and Elise: Ernest in September 1873 and Susette Emelie (Susan Emily) in November 1875. Jules, Mary, Lena and Ernest were among the first pupils of the Ma Ma Creek Provisional School which opened in October 1880.
After 15 years Fred sold the land and the family moved to a selection on the Bremer River in the Rosewood district about four miles from Rosewood. The family must have moved again because a hill just outside Ipswich in Redbank Plains, reputedly on land occupied by Fred and Elise, has been named Mt. Juillerat.
It was while at Rosewood that the family mourned the death of their eldest son, Jules, who died of Typhoid Fever at the age of 21.
The four remaining siblings all married partners from around the Rosewood area. Maria, Lena and Susette remained in the area for the rest of their lives. Ernest moved away in 1913.
Elise lived to see five grandchildren. She died on 1 June 1897 at Bremer Creek aged 61 years. Fred would have seen his 30 grandchildren. He died on 30 November 1924 aged 80.