John was born as Johannes in the tiny Prussian village of Hörnsheim in Hessen to mother Anna Elisabetha Hinkler. The original German records give his date and time of birth as the 26th September 1852 at 4 in the morning. His baptismal record shows he was christened the following day (27th September 1852) at nearby Lützellinden by Pastor Schonebohm with the names of five witnesses and their relationship listed. No father is given in the record – the column for name, surname and profession of the father is empty – and the column for whether the child is legitimate or illegitimate specifies "Unehelich", meaning illegitimate.
When Johannes was seven years old, his mother married Ludwig Volk. The German records detail that it was a first marriage for both of them, she being some nine years his senior. Six months later, Anna gave birth to Johann's half-sister. After the birth of another three half-siblings for Johann, the family immigrated to Australia. Leaving Hamburg on the 5th August 1865, Anna and Ludwig plus the four children set sail aboard the "La Rochelle", the records showing that Johann was 12 (consistent with a birth in 1852). Anna must have already been heavily pregnant, because three months later, she gave birth on board ship near Miller's Point, South Africa. Tragically, just before the family arrived in Queensland, Johann's two-year-old half-brother died at sea. So, although the family left Hamburg and arrived in Queensland with four children, it was a different four.
Anna and Ludwig went on to have five more Australian-born children (although tragically, one died in infancy). Ludwig, by all accounts, brought Johannes up as his own son, although he always kept his mother's surname Hinkler. The family settled in outback Queensland where Ludwig (who had been a butcher in Prussia) worked as a teamster, driving large bullock drays laden with wool around the countryside. Apparently, Anna and the children often accompanied him on such journeys.
Later, the family moved to Bundaberg where they lived in Woodbine Cottage at 69 Gavan Street (now Gavin Street, although the house is no longer there). At 39 years, Johann (now called Jack) married Francis Atkins Bonney on the 2nd February 1892 in Gympie. It was Woodbine Cottage that Jack's son, famed aviator Bert Hinkler was born in on the 8th December that year.
Mention should be made of the fact that there is much misinformation about this family. Anna, it seems, having broken free from the judgemental attitudes of her contemporary Lutheran villagers, "reinvented" herself. On immigrating to Australia, she obviously attempted to hide the fact that Johann was illegitimate, and to that end, created a fictious but deceased father of the same name: Johann Hinkler. (Incidentally, no German records for such a man's birth, marriage or death exist.)
This explains the numerous errors on the various Australian certificates (including the erroneous maiden names of Will or Burk), however the original German records give full and accurate details. Please note that I have written a biography of John's mother Anna Hinkler (later Volk) which, after voting on by the board of the Hinkler Museum in Bundaberg, was accepted into their collection. Here you will find all the German records that I have sourced.
Nikki Stern
(Great granddaughter of Anna Volk (née Hinkler).
When Johannes was seven years old, his mother married Ludwig Volk. The German records detail that it was a first marriage for both of them, she being some nine years his senior. Six months later, Anna gave birth to Johann's half-sister. After the birth of another three half-siblings for Johann, the family immigrated to Australia. Leaving Hamburg on the 5th August 1865, Anna and Ludwig plus the four children set sail aboard the "La Rochelle", the records showing that Johann was 12 (consistent with a birth in 1852). Anna must have already been heavily pregnant, because three months later, she gave birth on board ship near Miller's Point, South Africa. Tragically, just before the family arrived in Queensland, Johann's two-year-old half-brother died at sea. So, although the family left Hamburg and arrived in Queensland with four children, it was a different four.
Anna and Ludwig went on to have five more Australian-born children (although tragically, one died in infancy). Ludwig, by all accounts, brought Johannes up as his own son, although he always kept his mother's surname Hinkler. The family settled in outback Queensland where Ludwig (who had been a butcher in Prussia) worked as a teamster, driving large bullock drays laden with wool around the countryside. Apparently, Anna and the children often accompanied him on such journeys.
Later, the family moved to Bundaberg where they lived in Woodbine Cottage at 69 Gavan Street (now Gavin Street, although the house is no longer there). At 39 years, Johann (now called Jack) married Francis Atkins Bonney on the 2nd February 1892 in Gympie. It was Woodbine Cottage that Jack's son, famed aviator Bert Hinkler was born in on the 8th December that year.
Mention should be made of the fact that there is much misinformation about this family. Anna, it seems, having broken free from the judgemental attitudes of her contemporary Lutheran villagers, "reinvented" herself. On immigrating to Australia, she obviously attempted to hide the fact that Johann was illegitimate, and to that end, created a fictious but deceased father of the same name: Johann Hinkler. (Incidentally, no German records for such a man's birth, marriage or death exist.)
This explains the numerous errors on the various Australian certificates (including the erroneous maiden names of Will or Burk), however the original German records give full and accurate details. Please note that I have written a biography of John's mother Anna Hinkler (later Volk) which, after voting on by the board of the Hinkler Museum in Bundaberg, was accepted into their collection. Here you will find all the German records that I have sourced.
Nikki Stern
(Great granddaughter of Anna Volk (née Hinkler).
John was born as Johannes in the tiny Prussian village of Hörnsheim in Hessen to mother Anna Elisabetha Hinkler. The original German records give his date and time of birth as the 26th September 1852 at 4 in the morning. His baptismal record shows he was christened the following day (27th September 1852) at nearby Lützellinden by Pastor Schonebohm with the names of five witnesses and their relationship listed. No father is given in the record – the column for name, surname and profession of the father is empty – and the column for whether the child is legitimate or illegitimate specifies "Unehelich", meaning illegitimate.
When Johannes was seven years old, his mother married Ludwig Volk. The German records detail that it was a first marriage for both of them, she being some nine years his senior. Six months later, Anna gave birth to Johann's half-sister. After the birth of another three half-siblings for Johann, the family immigrated to Australia. Leaving Hamburg on the 5th August 1865, Anna and Ludwig plus the four children set sail aboard the "La Rochelle", the records showing that Johann was 12 (consistent with a birth in 1852). Anna must have already been heavily pregnant, because three months later, she gave birth on board ship near Miller's Point, South Africa. Tragically, just before the family arrived in Queensland, Johann's two-year-old half-brother died at sea. So, although the family left Hamburg and arrived in Queensland with four children, it was a different four.
Anna and Ludwig went on to have five more Australian-born children (although tragically, one died in infancy). Ludwig, by all accounts, brought Johannes up as his own son, although he always kept his mother's surname Hinkler. The family settled in outback Queensland where Ludwig (who had been a butcher in Prussia) worked as a teamster, driving large bullock drays laden with wool around the countryside. Apparently, Anna and the children often accompanied him on such journeys.
Later, the family moved to Bundaberg where they lived in Woodbine Cottage at 69 Gavan Street (now Gavin Street, although the house is no longer there). At 39 years, Johann (now called Jack) married Francis Atkins Bonney on the 2nd February 1892 in Gympie. It was Woodbine Cottage that Jack's son, famed aviator Bert Hinkler was born in on the 8th December that year.
Mention should be made of the fact that there is much misinformation about this family. Anna, it seems, having broken free from the judgemental attitudes of her contemporary Lutheran villagers, "reinvented" herself. On immigrating to Australia, she obviously attempted to hide the fact that Johann was illegitimate, and to that end, created a fictious but deceased father of the same name: Johann Hinkler. (Incidentally, no German records for such a man's birth, marriage or death exist.)
This explains the numerous errors on the various Australian certificates (including the erroneous maiden names of Will or Burk), however the original German records give full and accurate details. Please note that I have written a biography of John's mother Anna Hinkler (later Volk) which, after voting on by the board of the Hinkler Museum in Bundaberg, was accepted into their collection. Here you will find all the German records that I have sourced.
Nikki Stern
(Great granddaughter of Anna Volk (née Hinkler).
When Johannes was seven years old, his mother married Ludwig Volk. The German records detail that it was a first marriage for both of them, she being some nine years his senior. Six months later, Anna gave birth to Johann's half-sister. After the birth of another three half-siblings for Johann, the family immigrated to Australia. Leaving Hamburg on the 5th August 1865, Anna and Ludwig plus the four children set sail aboard the "La Rochelle", the records showing that Johann was 12 (consistent with a birth in 1852). Anna must have already been heavily pregnant, because three months later, she gave birth on board ship near Miller's Point, South Africa. Tragically, just before the family arrived in Queensland, Johann's two-year-old half-brother died at sea. So, although the family left Hamburg and arrived in Queensland with four children, it was a different four.
Anna and Ludwig went on to have five more Australian-born children (although tragically, one died in infancy). Ludwig, by all accounts, brought Johannes up as his own son, although he always kept his mother's surname Hinkler. The family settled in outback Queensland where Ludwig (who had been a butcher in Prussia) worked as a teamster, driving large bullock drays laden with wool around the countryside. Apparently, Anna and the children often accompanied him on such journeys.
Later, the family moved to Bundaberg where they lived in Woodbine Cottage at 69 Gavan Street (now Gavin Street, although the house is no longer there). At 39 years, Johann (now called Jack) married Francis Atkins Bonney on the 2nd February 1892 in Gympie. It was Woodbine Cottage that Jack's son, famed aviator Bert Hinkler was born in on the 8th December that year.
Mention should be made of the fact that there is much misinformation about this family. Anna, it seems, having broken free from the judgemental attitudes of her contemporary Lutheran villagers, "reinvented" herself. On immigrating to Australia, she obviously attempted to hide the fact that Johann was illegitimate, and to that end, created a fictious but deceased father of the same name: Johann Hinkler. (Incidentally, no German records for such a man's birth, marriage or death exist.)
This explains the numerous errors on the various Australian certificates (including the erroneous maiden names of Will or Burk), however the original German records give full and accurate details. Please note that I have written a biography of John's mother Anna Hinkler (later Volk) which, after voting on by the board of the Hinkler Museum in Bundaberg, was accepted into their collection. Here you will find all the German records that I have sourced.
Nikki Stern
(Great granddaughter of Anna Volk (née Hinkler).
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