Introduction

The impetus for the Zebra-Project (an idea & title germinated by Tony FINNIS) came a couple of years after meeting John MUELLER, realising we were 4th cousins, and then understanding that the hundreds of photographs & old German publications in his possession were studies & possessions of our shared ancestors. 

John's vast collection includes the following family names in connection to his photographs.

ALTMANN, ALPERS, ASSENDE, BARTEL, BARRETT, BRAUER, BAUM, BRAENDLER, BODATSCH, BERRY, BINDER, BOTHE, BUTLER, BRASSE, BURGEMEISTER, BURFORD, COLLINS, CARPENTER, CHANDLER, CHRISTIAN, COPPIN, CLASOHM, CLOUGH, DIEDERICH, von DOUSSA, DAHL, DALLY, EY, EBEL, FECHNER,  FAEHRMANN, FIEDLER, FILLGRAF, FIX, FLADRICH, GALLASCH, GREGOR, GIERKE, GREISER, GUST, GRUNEBERGER, GRAETZ, HAEHNEL, HIRTE, HAMMER, HARDE, HERBIG, HEYSEN, HOLST, HOFFMANN, HARTMANN, HENNINGSEN, HENTY, HOENKE, HOLLAND, HUNTER, HEINRICH, HILL, HALLIDAY, JAENSCH, KUCHEL, KLENKE, KLAEBSCH, KRAMM, KAVEL, KUBERN, KORBER, KEEFE, KAESLER, KNISPEL, LIEBELT, LUBASCH, LEHMANN, LINDNER, LUUR FOX, LEYDEN, LÜNERT, LEDER, LEATCH, MINKWITZ, MARSH, MARKS, MARTIN, MUEHLBERG, MARSCHNER, MUES, MONKS, MACFARLAN, MULLER, MUELLER, van der MOLEN, MEYER, MENADUE, MAGOR, MENZEL, NELSON, NITSCHKE, NEWCOMBE, NORTON, ORMOND, PAECH, PIETSCH, PENERY, PETTY, PINK, PETERING, POHL, PFENNIG, POTTER, POOLE, PAULSEN, RAU, RICHTER, RODERT, RITTER, ROWE, SAWADE, SEIDEL, SEIFFERT, SOAR, SCHARENBERG, SCHULTZ, SCHULZ, STEINBORN, SCHREIBER, STEVEN, SCHUETTE, SCHMEISS, SÜSS, SCHNEEMILCH, SAWADE, STEIN, SCHUBERT, STARICK, THIELE, TEPPER, THOMAS, TRIMPER, de VALLUOIS, VAUGHN, VETT, WADE,  WOLF, WIETH, WARNER, WEINERT, WARNEST, WOOLEY, WILSON, WIGGE, WAKEFIELD, WITTWER, WOODLAND, WENDT, WIRTH, WHITE, WUTTKE, ZINCER, ZIMMERMAN, ZILM, ZEUNERT, 

Bretag, Braun, Clark, Cook, Everett, Fishlock,  Galpin, Gierke, Gogel,  Herbig, Hillebrand, Holland,  Kranz, Koenig, Korber, , Kubern, Menzel, Meyer, Pfeiffer, Schaefer, Schubert,  Stevens, Wakefield, White, and

Summary

It is Johns photographs that form the structure for these articles below.

No 1:  Meet John MUELLER. Reveals how John, a farmer from Paechtown, living much of his life in an original half hipped PAECH farm house, came to hold this historic collection, his relationship to one of the main photographers, & the connection between the photographer [DIEDERICH}, his wife [KUCHEL] & the photographed subjects.

No 2:  John's Archival Material Collection.  In this Collection the four oldest books are dated 1683 (German writing yet to be transcribed), 1735, 1773 & 1826 ('Johann Gotthilf SCHULTZ') & could have all been on the 'Zebra' in 1838 (There were 2 families of PAECH's on the Zebra).   There are another 16 German Books & 13 were published before 1900.

The following families have been identified in photographs in 'John Mueller's Photographic Collection'.  They are in alphabetical order of the wife's surname. To see the relationship of John to the following families revisit this page.

No 3:  Philippine PIETSCH & Joseph BRAENDLER.  Val BRAENDLER has kindly provided context to this families departure & arrival on the 'Adele' in 1856 along with their 8 children.  It connects four BRAENDLER brothers that married LIEBELT women, & the 2 BRAENDLER brothers who married PAECH sisters.  This article also provides details of the home, still standing, at 532 Echunga Rd, Biggs Flat, and was separately owned by two 1st cousins, both named Johann August LIEBELT.

No 4:  The LIEBELT- KUCHEL & the KUCHEL- KUCHEL relationships summary.

Anna Elisabeth STEINBORN, Johann Christoph LIEBELT Snr & Anna Dorothea SEIFFERT, Johann George KUCHEL.    Anna Dorothea SEIFFERT & Johann Georg KUCHEL arrived 1838, with 3 sons.  Their eldest son Johann Gottfried Erdmann KUCHEL married his 1st cousin & arrived later, in 1845.  Erdmann's wife's [Johanna Dorothea Elisabeth KUCHEL]  father was  Daniel KUCHEL whose older daughter was Maria Elizabeth KUCHEL.  

Maria Elisabeth KUCHEL married Johann Christian LIEBELT & they arrived in 1839, Christian's parents were Anna Elisabeth STEINBORN & Johann Christoph LIEBELT who arrived 1838 with the SEIFFERT & KUCHEL family, on the 'Prince George'.  Anna Elisabeth STEINBORN was one of the oldest Prussians to arrive in South Australia in 1838/9.  

This article sounds a bit confusing perhaps?  In short if you want to discover how the KUCHEL's from Kirchenbergen, near Windmill Hill, Hahndorf,  are related to Mrs Maria Elisabeth LIEBELT, nee KUCHEL of 106 Main St Hahndorf in 1839,  then you will find the connections here.

There is also some intrigue.  An 1869 newspaper report blames the family (wife & children) of Gottfried Erdmann KUCHEL for his premature death from an accident near the still standing Oakfield Hotel, Mt Barker [built in Mt Barker by Lachlan MacFARLAN who had married a LUBASCH.] and now called Auchendarrouch.  

There is also an architectural summary by Lothar BRASSE of an early KUCHEL/KUCHEL  house, and identification of the 13 individuals in the photograph taken by Edmund DIEDERICH.    This article is in 4 sections, Liebelt - Kuchel 1, Liebelt - Kuchel 2, Liebelt - Kuchel 3, Liebelt - Kuchel 4.

No 5:    1st child, Johanna Louise KUCHEL of Johanna Dorothea Elizabeth KUCHEL & Johann Gottfried Erdmann KUCHEL.  Johanna Louise KUCHEL, born in Prussia, married in 1859, Eduard David GREGOR from Prussia.  This article has 2 family group Golden Wedding photographs taken  in 1909.  Their 6th [of 9 children], are in 3 wedding photographs taken by Edmund DIEDERICH, & there are some unidentified 'GREGOR' photographs by HAEHNEL & Co.

No 6:  2nd child:  Johanna Dorothea KUCHEL of Johanna Dorothea Elizabeth KUCHEL & Johann Gottfried Erdmann KUCHEL.  Johanna Dorothea KUCHEL. born in Prussia, married in 1867, Johann Wilhelm August GUST from Prussia, & this article has one individuals unidentified photograph & 2 photographs of the same home, both labelled 'GUST' & with different individuals standing out the front. 

No 7:   5th child:  Johann Gottlieb KUCHEL  (Liebelt - Kuchel 3) of Johanna Dorothea Elizabeth KUCHEL & Johann Gottfried Erdmann KUCHEL.  Johann Gottlieb KUCHEL married Johanna Louise LIEBELT in 1871, both were born in Hahndorf, & Johanna Louise brings the LUBASCH ancestry into this family tree.  A majority of the photographs in John MUELLER's collection are related to this couple.  There are Golden Wedding photographs, taken in 1921 at the KUCHEL property on Echunga Road.  Along with numerous photographs of their 10 children & grandchildren including a wedding photograph from 1903 which was taken in front of the unique old barn on Darby Road. Hans HEYSEN sketched members of the COLLINS family, they were neighbours in Hahndorf.  

There children:  1st child:  Anna Bertha KUCHEL m COLLINS, 2nd child:  Gustav Adolph KUCHEL m BRAENDLER, 3rd child:  Johanne Caroline 1875-1876, 4th child:  Johann Gottlieb KUCHEL m SCHMEISS

No 8:   5th child:  Johann Gottlieb KUCHEL  (Liebelt - Kuchel 4) of Johanna Dorothea Elizabeth KUCHEL & Johann Gottfried Erdmann KUCHEL. This article contains over 60 of John MUELLER's photographs that are linked with the remaining 6 of their 10 children.  One is of Hugo MARTIN drinking Champagne & his friend Fred KUCHEL drinking Hochheimer in 1909 at the Pine Avenue home of the HENNINGSEN & PAULSEN family.  

In this article there are a number of KUCHEL family group photos where the individuals can be identified, a photo of Ferdinand MÜLLER in the uniform of the Prussian soldier [taken before 1875], as well as a HAEHNEL & Co photograph of his wife Johanne Eleanore PAECH & 2 children in 1882.  There are 3 confirmation certificates from 1895 & 1896 & a confirmation photo with Pastor BRAUER, & 13 photographs of the NELSON family. 

There remaining children:  5th child:  Gottfried Alfred KUCHEL m HENNINGSEN, 6th child:  Maria Emma KUCHEL m EY, 7th child:  Pauline Hulda KUCHEL m MUELLER, 8th child:  Martha Mathilda KUCHEL 1886-1887, 9th child:  Johanna Louise KUCHEL m NELSON, 10th child:  Johann Friedrich Wilhelm never married.

 are 16 photographs here below in part 1 & over 60 in part 2.

No 9:   7th child:  Johann Friedrich Hanfried KUCHEL of Johanna Dorothea Elizabeth KUCHEL & Johann Gottfried Erdmann KUCHEL.  Johann Friedrich KUCHEL, known as 'Hanfried', can be seen in two photographs.  Hanfried was 49 years of age when he married Emma KUBERN, & all of their children were born at Sawmill Gully. He died when his children were all youngsters.

There children:  1st child:   Johann Friedrich 1898-1898, 2nd child:  Caroline Dorothea KUCHEL died at 20 years, 3rd child:  Albert Edward KUCHEL m PENERY, 4th child:  Alma Othilie KUCHEL m ZEUNERT, 5th child:  Ida Clara Auguste KUCHEL m PINK

No 10:   8th child part 1:   Anna Elizabeth KUCHEL  of Johanna Dorothea Elizabeth KUCHEL & Johann Gottfried Erdmann KUCHEL.  This article provides information about Anna Elizabeth KUCHEL, their children & then Edmund DIEDERICH's timeline of when he worked with, photographers, HAEHNEL & Co & ,W.H. HAMMER.  There is an interesting fire in Goodwood in 1883, some self portraits, the land they purchased on Tischler Road,  the house they built, including discussion of the building technique & the interior design by Heritage Consultant, Lothar BRASSE, and finally DIEDERICH's obituary.

There children: 1st child:  Ida Clara Augusta m SCHARENBERG, 2nd child:  Wilhelm Paul m NEWCOMBE

No 11:  8th child part 2:  Rudolph Richard Edmund DIEDERICH arrived on 'Catania' 1881, a remarkable photographer.  This article makes a comparison study of all the original known DIEDERICH photographs & stamps, made available to the author, with those held in the State Library of South Australia.

No 12:  In John's Photographic Collection were 4 singular photographs of 4 of the daughters of Johann Gottfried LUBASCH.  I have already covered the story of the 2 wives & 7 daughters of Gottfried LUBASCH in 6 long articles.  The fact that I needed so many articles to cover the life & death of Gottfried (which brought a lot of controversy to the Old Lutherans in 1856), is that he was the most written about person by his contemporaries, who provided plenty of material.  

For the purpose of seeing the sisters from the 'John Mueller Photographic Collection' the four photographs can be found in the 2nd article which documents the newspaper reporting of the 1857 Supreme Court trial.  It also documents the practice of ‘blood letting’ by 3 generations of the LIEBELT family

 No 13:   One of Gottfried LUBASCH's daughters in the photograph from No 12, married Johann Gottlieb LIEBELT & made their home, now known as 'Balgara' off the Echunga Rd, outside of Hahndorf.  The home they eventually lived in, made of fachwerk & bricks is still standing and is believed to have been built by Johann Carl Friedrich FAEHRMANN.

This article explores the farm land and homes that the children of LUBASCH & LIEBELT moved to after they were married, which was a very little distance from the home they were raised in.  17 of 'John Mueller's Photographic Collection' photographs, groups & individuals are accompanied by maps, sections & current day photographs.

 No 14:  The FAEHRMANN family also have a number of articles written for them and this one concerns their youngest child surviving child Nickolaus Frederich Carl FAEHRMANN who had a blacksmith business in front of 108 Main St, Hahndorf.  One of the 'John Mueller Photographic Collection' photographs shows Nickolaus with his 2 children just a year before his tragic death.  Three newspapers reported on 34 year old Nickolaus's tragic death including the horrible injuries to his helper Charles HIGGINS.

This article also tells an interesting story of how, known as 'Fritz', at 16 years of age in 1888, he was found guilty of assault and as a result we look at the GALLASCH, GREGOR, MARTIN, PANJAS, RODERT, THIELE, WALTROWICZ, & WILLEMER families.  I also explore the working relationship between Nickolaus's father & the WILLIMERS.  I trace Fritz's wedding, his wife & the birth of their 3 children, & in some detail the origins & history of the 2 adjoining blocks of land 108 & 106 Main St, Hahndorf. 

No 16:  THIELE 

• Research by Elizabeth BARNES 

No 15:   This article opens with a 'John Mueller Photographic Collection' photograph of a well dressed; top hat, vest, overcoat and thick white full bearded Gottlob PAECH, longest surviving son of Johanna Karaline KLENKE & Johann George PAECH Snr, of the home he built now referred to as 'House No 3', Paechtown.  This is the same home that John MUELLER lived in for most of his adult life.  This is the home that held all of these photographs.  There are two photographs 1912c in this article of the old home, as well as some descendants.

No 16:   This article displays 8 photographs of Hahndorf Churches, including 2 confirmation classes Pastor BRAUN in 1928-1929c, & 5 with very large crowds in the frame. 

10. Unidentified Photo

10.  Unidentified  Photos

11.  THIELE

• Hermann August Etmann THIELE & Maria Louise LIEBELT

12. Article, research & photographic enhancement by Elizabeth BARNES.

• Samuel THIELE
• General Interest