Records of the Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Synod in Australia

LIBRARY | CATALOGUE | MANUSCRIPT FINDING AIDS

MS 3761

Records of the Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Synod in Australia

Access
Scope and Content Note
Background Note
Series List
Series Descriptions
Box List

Access

Open access reading. Open copying and quotation according to copyright conditions. [A1 B5]

Scope and Content Note

Date range: 1863-1917 (bulk), 1929, 1944-66

Extent: 54 cm (3 boxes)

The collection contains records relating to the Bethesda Mission Station at Killalpaninna, its outstations at Kopperamanna and Etadunna, all in South Australia, and to the Hermannsburg Mission in the Northern Territory. Included in this collection are correspondence, school and other reports, hymns, songs and Bible stories in Diyari, some miscellaneous papers and extracts on the Bethesda and Hermannsburg Missions from Australische Christenbote and Kirchen und Missions-Zeitung fur die evang. Lutherische Kirche Australiens.

Nearly all of Series 2, Correspondence, is in German and there are also some records in German in other series.

The collection consists entirely of photocopies, originally made in the 1970s from records held at the Archives and Research Centre, Lutheran Church of Australia. The photocopies were originally made on thermal photocopying paper so the quality of the copies deteriorated over time. They were therefore re-copied in October and November 2002 onto archival quality paper. New copies of some of the records are being sought from the Lutheran Archives owing to the quality of the original photocopies at this time.

The Library has determined the file order. Where available, file names supplied with the photocopies have been retained.

For a complete listing of material about the Bethesda and Hermannsburg Missions and the missionaries stationed there, that is held by the Institute, see the Mura® online catalogue.

The Archives and Research Centre, Lutheran Church of Australia, which is located in Adelaide, holds 18 boxes and 20 bound volumes of the Bethesda Mission records at SLA 307.100. The Mortlock Library of South Australia holds Letters from Rebecca Maltilina, 1907-17 at D 6755 (L) and Rose Vogelsang’s postcards from Bethesda Mission Station at D 6767 (Misc).

Photocopies of the published works listed in Series 9 have been placed in the Library’s book collection.

Background Note

The Evangelical Immanuel Lutheran Synod in Australia was established in 1866. Starting in October 1896, Synod Missionaries J.F. Gossling and E. Homann, Brother Johann Ernst Jacob and lay-helper Hermann Heinrich Vogelsang travelled from Langmiel, South Australia, to Lake Killalpaninna, on Cooper's Creek, South Australia, arriving in January 1867. They established a mission station there on the advice of Police Trooper Samuel Gason and J.P. Buttfield, Sub-Protector of Aborigines. The mission was abandoned after three months as the Aborigines became hostile, but was re-opened when the police depot was moved from Lake Hope to Kopperamanna.

Once Bethesda Mission was firmly established at Lake Killalpaninna it was extended to include outstations at Kopperamanna, on the shore of Lake Kopperamanna, and at Etadunna, nearly 20 kilometres to the east of Bethesda.

The Mission grew over the next few years with more missionaries being appointed, mail being delivered by the Marree to Birdsville mailman and a post office opening at Kopperamanna. In 1879 a school, houses, store rooms and dormitories were built and a church was opened in 1880

Johannes Reuther arrived at the Mission in 1888 and Carl Strehlow in 1892. They continued work on the translation of both the Old and the New Testament into Diyari, work that was begun by Wilhelm Koch and completed by Reuther in 1896.

One of the largest Lutheran missions, Bethesda reached its peak during the time Johannes Reuther and Carl Strehlow were stationed there. However, Bethesda was in decline by the beginning of World War 1 and it closed in 1915.

References:

'Flinders Rangers Research' website

'German Australia' website

Series List

Series	Contents
1	Legal papers, 1863-85
2	Correspondence, 1868-1929
3	Schools, 1896-1910
4	Reports, 1866-1956
5	Diyari/Dieri language
6	Miscellaneous papers, 1892-1966
7	Australische Christenbote extracts, 1877, 1894-96
8	Kirchen und Missions-Zeitung fur die evang. Lutherische Kirche Australiens extracts, 1902-03, 1908
9	Published works

Series Descriptions

1. LEGAL PAPERS, 1863-85

Item
1	‘Missions Acta’, 1863-65. Includes ‘Missions Acta’ (1863) and related papers, including correspondence. Handwritten in German
2	‘Missions Statuten’, 1885. ‘Missions Statuten’ of the Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Synod of South Australia. Handwritten in German

2. CORRESPONDENCE, 1868-1929

The bulk of this series consists of correspondence, although some other papers are also included. Most of the series is in German.

Correspondents include August Irrgang, N. Wettengel, J.G. Reuther, H. Vogelsang, C. Strehlow, G.J. Rechner and E. Homann.

Some other papers are included, for example, Missions Statuten (handwritten and annotated, 1882), a list of activities by the saddler and some reports.

Item
1	Letter from Otto Siebert. No date. In German
2-3	Homann correspondence, 1870-75. The bulk of the correspondence is from E. Homann, mainly writing from Hermannsburg. There are also a few letters from Luise Homann and two by Samuel Gason. In German, apart from Gason’s two letters
4	Administrative correspondence, 1868-79. Four letters relating to the telegraph line, mail route, and delivery of Aboriginal stores
5	Kopperamanna administrative, 1894-95. Correspondence. In German
6	Kopperamanna administrative, 1895-96. Correspondence. In German. Includes cutting of letter from G.J. Rechner in response to published article entitled ‘Lutherans in the Far North’ [no source, no date]
7-8	Administrative correspondence, 1897. In German. Includes newspaper cutting about native baptisms and marriages at Bethesda Mission Station
9-11	Correspondence, 1898-1900 (bulk 1899). Correspondents include J.G. Reuther, N. Wettengel, C. Strehlow, J. Irrgang, Jacob, G.J. Rechner, and Reudiger. Letters are from a number of places, including Killalpaninna/Bethesda, Hermannsburg and Etadunna. Also included is a school timetable compiled by N. Wettengel, a sketch of Reuther’s garden and an annotated ‘Mission Statuten
12	Allerlei von Bethesda Missions Station, 1900-11. Includes correspondence, map of the Mission, ‘Statutes of the Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Synod for the management of the Mission work amongst the heathen Aboriginals of South Australia’, ‘Bericht von Missionar Riedel, Bethesda’ (1911) and other papers. German, English, Diyari
13	Ruediger, Vogelsang, Jericho, Irrgang and Wettengel files, 1900-09. Correspondence. Includes a small miscellaneous correspondence file
14	Immanuel Synod: correspondence with Bethesda Mission Station and Hermannsburg Station, 1911-17. Included is correspondence with the Commonwealth Department of External Affairs, for example regarding the renewal of permits to occupy land and the annual balance sheet and its accompanying letter. Also a copy of a ‘Report on the Lutheran Mission, Finke River, N.T.’, which was undertaken for the Department by H.V. Barclay, Leader, Commonwealth Exploration
15	Correspondence, 1929. Correspondence (no signature) to Langdon Parsons regarding the election. Note with original thermal photocopies ‘from A. Heidenreich file’

3. SCHOOLS, 1896-1910

This series contains the monthly school reports written by Hillier when he taught at Killalpaninna and Hermannsburg. They are written in the form of a letter and may include requests for supplies, such as copy books or red pencils, reports on his health and other matters, as well as reports about the daily routines in the school and the progress of the pupils. The reports contain some first names of pupils. There is also a small correspondence file of Hillier letters.

There are also a small numbers of other papers relating to the schools, for example several letters from William Hunt, a teacher at Killalpaninna, and the 1907-08 school timetable for Bethesda.

Item
1-5	Hillier’s monthly reports of school work - Killalpaninna, 1902-06. Includes a small amount of correspondence, for example, a request for a quire of blotting paper
6-8	Hillier’s monthly reports of school work - Hermannsburg, 1907-10. Also a small amount of correspondence
9	Hillier correspondence, 1900-1908. Mainly letters to Rechner and Kaibel regarding teaching duties and other school matters
10	Letters from William Hunt, 1896. One letter is about arrangements for Hunt’s employment as a teacher at Killalpaninna, the other two about his work there
11	Student letters to Rechner from Pauline Ninpilina and Johannes Ngvvjanakana, 1899. Letters sent with teacher’s permission
12	Bethesda school timetables. Timetable for 1907-08 and undated timetable prepared by N. Wettengel. In German

4. REPORTS, 1866-1956

This series contains a variety of reports on the Bethesda Mission. Other reports were made as part of correspondence so can be found in Series 2, while specific reports on the schools can be found in Series 3.

Item
1	‘The moral conditions of the local natives formerly and now concerning the sixth commandment’. No author or date. Handwritten in German. Received by the Lutheran Church Archives in 1973 from J.J. Reuter
2	‘Report of the Lutheran Mission at Kopperamana [sic], Cooper’s Creek in South Australia from the beginning in 1866 to the 31^st of December 1884’
3	‘Report of the Sub-Protector of Aborigines, 1878. Contains sub-report from G.J. Rechner for Kopperamanna
4	Report for the year 1883, from the 1^st January 1883 to 1^st January 1884. Handwritten
5	Report for the year 1884 from 1^st January 1884 to 1^st January 1885. Handwritten
6	Reports from J.G. Reuther, January 1892 and September 1892. Handwritten in German
7	Report by Johann Flierl on Bethesda, 1898. Handwritten in German
8	‘Report to Protector of Aborigines’, by J.G. Reuther and accompanying letter from L. Kaibel, 1900. The report is on the Killalpaninna Mission station
9	‘Killalpanina [sic] Mission Station (Kopperamanna), Cooper’s Creek’, 1908. Published report by L. Kaibel, chairman of the Lutheran Mission of the Immanuel Synod [source unknown]
10	‘Report of visit to Bethesda’, by R.B. Reuther, 1944. Typescript
11	‘Caring for the Dieri [Diyari]’, by E.H. Proeve, 1951. Report on fund raising
12	‘Another visit to the remnants of the Dieri [Diyari] tribe’, by E.H. Proeve, 1956
13	Extract from what appears to be a report on a mission station. Missionary Strehlow is mentioned. ‘Fragment produced by Archivist Stolz’ is pencilled on original photocopy of printed report. 2 pages

5. DIYARI/DIERI LANGUAGE

This series contains a number of records in the Diyari language, mainly songs, hymns and Bible stories.

Item
1	‘Description of the human body in Diyari [Dieri] language’, containing note ‘…sent by Mr J. Irrgang…’
2	Wima – Dieri [Diyari], 1907. Handwritten hymns in Diyari. Several music scores included. Also a brief, unsigned letter (1907)
3	Hymns in Dieri [Diyari]. Handwritten. Front page inscribed ‘E.L. Vogelsang’
4	Hymns and songs in Dieri [Diyari]. Handwritten, with brief. unsigned covering letter
5	Hymns and songs in Dijari [Diyari/Dieri]. Includes one Bible story. Handwritten
6	Papers in Diari [Diyari/Dieri]. Two papers, no author or date. Handwritten

6. MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS, 1892-1966

Item
1	‘Part to be played by Aboriginal women in programme of assimilation’. Note attached to photocopies, ‘from A. Heidenreich file’
2	‘Mission among the Dijari [Diyari/Dieri]: looking back on a hundred years’ by P.A. Scherer, Part 8 (1966). [Copy of all parts held at P SHE]. Also letter to the Protector of Aborigines regarding forwarding of government rations, signature illegible (1892)
3	‘Unterredung ueber die Aust. Eingeborenen u. die Hbger-Mission swischen P.A. Scherer u. Walter Scheuble fuer Sued-West Funk, Baden-Baden, Deutschl.’, 1952. Typescript transcript of radio discussion.
4	Bethesda Mission Centenary celebrations, 1966. The Mission was abandoned in 1915 and the celebrations were held at the Langmiel Lutheran Church, Tanunda. Included are invitations, order of service and newspaper cutting on a visit to Bethesda by descendants of missionaries who were stationed there
5	‘The future of the missions’, by the Minister for Territories, Paul Hasluck, Missions Conference, Darwin, July 17, 1961 [Also available at PMS 2843]. Note attached to original photocopy ‘from A. Heidenreich file’
6	‘A neglected mission’, 1969? Typescript headed ‘For Lutheran Herald’
7	Fragment. Single page. In German [no author, no date}

7. AUSTRALISCHE CHRISTENBOTE EXTRACTS, 1877, 1894-96

This series contains photocopies of articles from Australische Christenbote.

1 item

8. KIRCHEN- UND MISSIONS-ZEITUNG FUR DIE EVANG. LUTHERISCHE KIRCHE AUSTRALIENS EXTRACTS, 1902-03, 1908

This series contains photocopies of articles from Kirchen- und Missions-Zeitung für die Evang. Lutherische Kirche Australiens for 1902, 1903 and 1908. Included are articles by missionaries stationed at Bethesda and Hermannsburg, for example, Wettengel and Strehlow.

1885-1920 of this serial are held in Rare Serials at RS 17/2

1 item

9. PUBLISHED WORKS

This series consists of photocopies of published works. They are held in the Library’s book collection.

1	Christianieli ngujangujara-pepa Dieri-jaurani. Pepaia buru kulnolu, Adelaide, 1880. Catechism, portions of scripture, hymns and prayers translated into the Diyari language by J. Flierl. 2 copies
2	Nujanujarajinkiniexa: Dieri jaura jelaribala. Adelaide, 1870. Diyari primer, with prayers and hymns. 2 copies
3	Extract. Source unknown. ‘H Vogelsang, Kopperamanna’ handwritten on first page. Bible stories, hymns and songs in Diyari. 2 copies

Box List

Box	Series	Items
1	1	1-2
	2	1-12
2	2	13-15
	3	1-12
	4	1-6
3	4	7-13
	5
	6
	7
	8

Back to top > Back to Series list

Finding Aid compiled by J. Churches, November 2002