August Friedrich Feldhahn was the third child of Michael Friedrich and Luise Wilhelmine Feldhahn and was born on the 21st June, 1870 at Vernor, Lowood, Queensland.
August also attended the Harrisborough Primary School along with his brother Wilhelm and sister Mary.
August married on the 29th November, 1893 at Lowood to Augusta Louise Bernhagen who was born at Lowood on the 26th October, 1874. She was the only child of August Bernhagen and Johanna Wittenhagen of Prospect Street, Lowood.
August and Augusta lived the first few years with her parents, working the properties from their home near Lowood. August and Augusta had a family of 9 children, 6 boys and 3 girls.
In 1898 when Buaraba Station was first broken up for settlement, August bought 924 acres which he stocked with cattle and worked from their farm at Tarampa. They also purchased 500 acres at Atkinson's Lagoon called "Cyrus Glen". Some of the children attended the Lagoon School. Years later in 1910 when Buaraba Station again came on the market, August purchased more land.
A civic-minded man, August was an active member of the local shire council.
August died at Lowood aged 60, on the 13th July, 1930 and was buried in the Lowood General Cemetery.Augusta continued to live on the same land that was purchased at Buaraba in 1910.
Augusta died on the 21st August, 1954 at Lowood and was laid to rest beside her husband in the Lowood General Cemetery. After Augusta's death the farm was transferred to her son Fred.
Michael Friedrich Feldhahn third child of Michael and Dorothea born on the 31st January, 1839 Trampe, Prussia, Germany. He was only 10 years of age when his father died in Hohen Gustow, Prussia.
Michael married on the 16th August, 1863 Litzlow, Prussia to Luise Wilhelmine Brege born 4th May, 1838 at Battin, Prussia, daughter of Christoph Brege and Luise Meissner of Lutzlow, Brandenberg, Prussia.
They spent their first years of married life in their native country, but having ambitions and with little chance of realising them in troubled Germany, they decided to immigrate to the new "promised land", Australia.Michael and Luise and Michael's sister Friedericke and her husband Gottfried Sprenger along with Friedericke and Gottfried's first child Gustine, aged 1 year and 5 months, decided to set sail on the 23rd October 1864 from Hamburg, Germany aboard the ship, the "Beausite" and arriving in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia on the 7th February, 1865.
They were part of three hundred and two passengers of which half were single men. Very few single girls were listed. The medical supervisor was Doctor Lang.On the 5th June, 1866 Michael's mother died back home in Hohen Gustow, Germany leaving behind 1 major child (over 21 years), Caroline and 1 minor child, Ernestine and 2 children in Australia, Michael and Friedericke. Michael was only 26 at the time.
The Feldhahns can claim to be part of one of the early waves of German migrants to settle in Australia. Michael selected 40 acres of virgin land in 1869 as Leasehold at Vernor, commonly known as the "scrub"), on the outskirts of Lowood, after 5 years made Freehold. Like most of the German immigrants, they were poor of worldly possessions and worked very hard to establish themselves on their land.
Being a Godfearing man, Michael took strength from his religion and often took services in the Baptist faith, including officiating at the opening of the new German Baptist Church in Lowood on the 8th July, 1900.
While residing at Vernor the three eldest children attended the Harrisborough Vested Primary School, (now known as Fernvale State School), which opened in 1874.
The school building had originally been a cotton store. Due to the Civil War in America, cotton growing was a thriving profit crop for some years. Schooling for our early settler children was spasmodic as the children were often kept home when help was needed on the farm.The family later moved to Lowood where they bought land and a grocery store. Luise known as "Minna" died in 1901 and is buried in the Vernor Cemetery.
Michael later remarried, his second wife was a widow Mrs. Peiper formally Ernestine Schultz, born 1852, died 10th August, 1916. Interred in the Vernor Baptist Cemetery.
Michael died of Gout in Ipswich Hospital on the 13th January, 1918 and was interred in the Lowood Cemetery on the 14th January, 1918.
The German ship Beausite left Hamburg on the 23rd October, 1864, and cleared the coast of Germany on the 25th of the same month. She was only four days getting down the English Channel, and on the 29th October she had fairly entered the Atlantic Ocean. She made a rather long passage to the Equator, in consequence of meeting with contrary winds off the Canary Islands. The Line was crossed on the 28th November at 8 p.m., and on the 26th December she passed the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope. Throughout the passage thus far she had very fine weather. Indeed the whole of the run from Hamburg to Moreton Bay has been remarkable for the prevalence of light winds; and during the time she was running her easting she was frequently delayed by calms. In the region of Tasmania she met with head winds, which prevented her passing through Bass Straits, and she rounded the island on the 26th January, 1865. Thence she was 13 days in making Cape Moreton, which was rounded at 7.20 a.m. on the 6th February. She anchored in Brisbane Roads the same afternoon; having made a run of 104 days from coast to coast. Several vessels were sighted, but all at too great a distance to be made out.
The Beausite brings an addition of nearly 300 souls to our population, of whom about one half are single men. The proportion of single women is very small. On the passage out the immigrants, who were under the superintendence of Dr. Lang, enjoyed good health. The only deaths were those of eight children, who died of disorders incident to infancy on a sea voyage. The passengers are unanimous in expressing their satisfaction at the treatment they have received at the hands of Captain Bruhn and Dr. Lang, and to former gentleman a numerously signed address has been presented.
Dr. Purdie, the health officer, visited the Beausite on the 8th instant, in the Diamond, s., and mustered and passed the immigrants. The single females and the families were brought up to town on that day by the Diamond. It was intended to convey the single men from the vessel to the depot in the ketch Perseverance, in tow of the steamer, but owing to the violence of the wind this could not be done, and they were left on board the ship. The Diamond made another trip to the Bay yesterday, and returned in the evening with them and all the passengers' luggage.
On the 9 March 1865 Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, Michael Frederick Feldhahn was born and by the time his brother August was born in 1870 he went under the name of Wilhelm Feldhahn though known here in Australia as "William".
He attended the Harrisborough Primary School, (now known as Fernvale State School) from his home at Vernor near Lowood, commonly known as the "scrub".
William never married or had a family, he died at the age of 75 years from 1(a) Coronary occlusion (b) myocarditis and cardiac decompensation, 2. Asthma 1(a) sudden (b) indefinite 2. indefinite, on the 20 March 1941 Ipswich General Hospital, and was buried the same day in the Ipswich General Cemetery
Menna Feldhahn was the fourth child of Michael and Luise (known here as Louise) and was born on the 29th May 1872 in Ipswich, Queensland.
Menna at the age of 4, she was accidentally burnt by fire at Wivenhoe, and she died on the 12th July, 1876 and is buried at Wivenhoe Pocket, Queensland.
Anna Feldhahn sixth child of Michael and Minna was born on the 19th May, 1878 at Fernvale, Qld, and died from debility of birth aged 16 days on the 4th June, 1878 and buried in the Fernvale Cemetery.
Herman "Harry" Edward Feldhahn was born on the 16th April, 1894 at Lowood, he was enrolled at the Tarampa State School in 1904, and after attending the Tarampa State School he became engaged, mainly in farm work.
His marriage to Miss Helena Malvena Denning was solemnized in the Tamborine Methodist Church on the 17th October, 1917.
Helena known as "Lena" was born on the 19th December, 1899 Lowood.During Herman's lifetime, gained employment in a number of occupations and in various areas, but was employed mostly in farming until the late 1940's when he and his son Allen became engaged in carpentering in Rosewood and later in Ipswich, where he eventually retired.
Herman was a devoted churchgoer, and since 1929 he was a member of Churches of Christ at Kingaroy, Marburg, Brisbane (Ann Street Church), Rosewood and Ipswich.
At Rosewood and Marburg he was involved in lay preaching and was also active in the capacity of organist and Sunday School superintendent. For a period of eight years, during the late 1960's, and the early 70's, he and his wife Lena acted as caretakers at "Teen Ranch", Marburg.He was a resident of Fassifern Retirement Village at Boonah for the last two years and three months of his life.
He died on the 6th March, 1989 and his funeral was on the 9th March leaving the Boonah Church of Christ for the Warrill Park Lawn Cemetery.
His wife predeceased him in 1985, 13th July in Ipswich, after 68 years of married life.