Lorenz Wilke was born 6 July 1813 in Hamburg, Germany. His wife was Louise Marienne Gruhmann, born 20 April 1816, also in Hamburg. They were married in Germany some years prior to their emigration to Australia.
Lorenz, Louise and their children - Agnes, Hermann, Rudolf and Louisa (all born in Hamburg) - left Hamburg on 20 November 1849 aboard the Livonia. Ships Captain - Huntemann. There were 90 passengers. Information was taken from a Customs newspaper of 21 March 1850, but no passengers are named. There is no known passenger list.
Louise (mother) was pregnant during the trip to Australia. Their daughter Agnes was known as Little Mother on the ship as her mother Louise was ill.
They arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia on 20 March 1850.
A third daughter - Margaret Livonia - was born shortly after the family arrived, on 28 April 1850 in Adelaide, South Australia.
The girl's second name Livonia, was taken from the name of the ship. In later years it was also the name on the Wilke homestead at Sea Parade, Port MacDonnell, in the South East of South Australia where the family eventually settled after living first in Adelaide and Blumberg (now Birdwood).
Lorenz was the only wool-classer in Adelaide at the time of their arrival, so was kept busy. After a stint in the Victorian goldfields where he was moderately successful, he relocated to Blumberg where he started a storekeeping business. He relinquished the business in 1865 and some years after retiring, in 1877, he made a journey back to the Fatherland
Lorenz Wilke died 3 June 1895 and is buried in the Hannaford Cemetery, Cromer Road, Birdwood (formerly known as Blumberg), South Australia.
His wife Marienne Louise nee Gruhmann died 28 September 1895 and is buried in the Nailsworth cemetery, Main North Road, Adelaide, South Australia.
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