William and Katharine Grossman
| Town/City | Wangaratta |
|---|---|
| First name | William and Katharine |
| Last name | Grossman |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
| Date of Birth | 1835 + 1835 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1857 |
| Submitted by | Margaret Grossman- Pullen |
Story
William (Christian Friedrick William) and Katharine came to Australia in 1857 from Esslingen, Wurtemburg, Germany, in search of a new and exciting life. The young married couple made their way to the north-east of Victoria because family from the same area in the Old Country had settled on new found land along the rich plains of the Ovens River, actually Reedy Creek, Wangaratta North.
[Settlement)
In 1858 the newly married couple built an attractive red brick cottage constructed from local timber and hand-made bricks, many featuring thumb prints and animal paws, possibly those of a family dog. The comfortable cottage consisted of a sitting room, two bedrooms and a large kitchen area. Smooth plastered walls were covered with dark blue wall paper featuring a scrolled edge, with hessian forming the ceiling. A wooden unlined wash-house was built some twelve yards from the cottage, its centre of attraction being a huge enamel bath which was Katharine’s pride and joy. Apparently she loved her bath. Water was drawn from a nearby well, an underground stream of soft sweet natural water.
William and Katharine had three sons, William(1858), Frank(1860), Frederick (—-) and a daughter Louise(—-), who were born before William’s (senior) untimely death in 1866. Sadly second husband Andrew Jackson, whom she married in 1867 was tragically killed, when he fell from his horse.
In 1873, Katharine married for the third time to Conrad Blume, orginally from Hamburg, Germany. They had two daughters Annie and Mary Blume.
Katharine made the most delightful jams, pickles and preserves which were stored in an earthen cellar that was carved out under the newly constructed living quarters built to accommodate the growing family. She had a most amazing display of preserves lining the walls of the underground cellar. Katharine was a great storyteller and an unsung pioneering lady as she walked over rough tracks day and night to deliver babies. At night she held a lantern in one hand and the leash of a trusty St. Bernard dog in the other.
Katharine died in 1922. Her cottage remains on the family property.
Impressions
On arrival the family very quickly established an orchard, vineyard, built an amazing wine cellar similar to the design of buildings from Esslingen, a blacksmith shop and a harness shed. All these buildings reflected knowledge and skills from the Old Country. The wine cellar is an icon as it is an absolute tribute to their skills as builders, managing with limited tools and resources. The Grossman Brothers were very musical, adventurous and young Frank even took himself to Halls Creek, WA in 1886 in search of gold. The journey proved to be rich in excitement and adventure, but unrewarding in terms of gold.
These characteristics of adventure, endurance, invention and determination to over come hardship will be with the family forever.
What a legacy. Thank you William and Katharine for coming to Wangaratta.