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Halba/Alba Family (pronounced Aalba)

SURNAMES & THEIR ORIGINS

ANIS possibly from German first name Hans or equvalent Jan or from son of Annis (Eng), the popular pronunciation of Agnes. Meaning: Pure/chaste.

BRZOSKOWSKI (Pol) brzoza. Meaning: birch tree, also seen in many habitation names.

HALBA/ALBA is a very old Polish name, which originated some 800 years ago. Meaning: helmet.

OSSOWSKI (Pol) Habitation names such as; Osow, Osowa, Osowo, Ossowo.

ROZCZOWSKI (Pol) possibly from rozczyniac. Meaning: to leaven (dough), blend yeast with flour.

Johann Carl Halba (1834-1914), the son of Jacob Alba & Anna Gendzierska married (1859 Liebschau) Brigitta Brzoskowska (1839-1920), the daughter of Joseph Brzoskowski & Helena Ossowska. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) at about 36 years of age, Johann was conscripted into the army. He was later known to fly the Prussian Regimental Banner once a year whilst living in New Zealand and was presented with the Regimental Emblem as a tribute indicating that he fought with distinction & courage. Johan in Poland worked as a farm labourer & Brigitta was reputed to be a governess, which indicated a reasonable education.

Due to the hardships that were endured in their own country they decided to migrate overseas for a better life. Their nephew, Joseph Anis (1863-1938), the son of David Anis & Rosalia Brzoskowska, came along for the journey, as they unfortunately could not have children of their own. Joseph was born in the village of Ließau (Lisewo) in the Parish of Kunzendorf (Konczewice). At the time of leaving, Joseph's family were living in the village of Liebschau (Lubiszewo Tcewskie), West Prussia, ethnically known as Kociewie in the greater district of Danzig (Gdansk), Poland.

• Remains of orginal sod hutt:
  They collected the necessary birth documentation, a requirement of passage, which they acquired from the various Parishes. The last document was acquired on the 25th of June 1872, just one month before departure. Johan & Brigitta left the village of Labuhnken (Trczinsk) along with their nephew Joseph to Hamburg, via Gdansk, where they set aboard the ship "Palmerston" on the 29th of July 1872 & arriving in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand on the 6th of December 1872. The family aboard ship were Johan 39, Johanna 30 & Jozef 9.

They set for Greytown (Allanton) with fellow countrymen to work on the southern railway line. By mid January 1873 they were living in Waihola where Johan purchased their property in 1874. Here he built his family a small but abiding sod brick hutt (still standing). It had a mud floor, no windows, one door & measured 4 x 2.5m in size and was about 3m high at the peak. Brigitta brought out with her from Poland a brass pestle and mortar, which has been handed down in the family.

Photo kindly provided by 'History of the Polish Settlers in New Zealand' pg 80-81

• Joseph (Anis), Brigitta & Johann Halba:
  At this time Joseph Anis was known as (Joseph Valentin Halba). In 1875 at the age of 12 years he commenced work with the New Zealand Railways and was placed with his father learning plate-laying.

After the railway work, it is believed Johan Halba is said to have taken a horse and sledge into the hills behind Waihola and cut manuka to sell or barter with. He was also listed as a labourer and tried his hand at farming. In the 1882 Freeholders Johan is listed as owning 21 acres to the value of Ł150 in the town of Waihola & was naturalised on the 10th of October 1893 as a farmer residing in Waihola. Brigitta (Johanna as she was more commonly known in New Zealand) was regarded as having a very frugal streak to her nature but leading the pioneer ladies usual hard life. The following is correspondence from Poland from Peter Brzoskowski (nephew), to his Aunt and Uncle Johan & Brigitta on the 8th of December 1894.

Greetings from far away

Praised Be To Jesus Christ

Lukoschin

8 December 1894

I reach for my pen to write to you with happiness and tears in my eyes as I hear that you are alive my dear Uncle and Auntie. I could not speak as I had tears in my eyes when the Parish Priest told me the news in his office. Dear Uncle and Auntie I was always under the impression that you were dead and had already ordered few masses for the repose of your souls in your memory. Dear Uncle and Auntie I have written to you a letter in which I posted a photo of myself in army uniform, but I received no reply. Dear Uncle and Auntie please answer me. You would like to know what wife I have, I have married Julianna Ludwichowska and my children are Franz (17 years old), Johan (15 years) who died, Anna (13 years), Michal (6 years), my brother Franz is in Klein - Malsau, my brother Jakob is in Sachsliben as master baker and Pauline married a carpenter and Anna married a bricklayer, but I do not know any of my brother-inlaws. Dear Uncle and Auntie, myself and my brother, Franz, we are well. I live in Lukoschin. Dear Uncle and Auntie please send me your photographs. We all send greetings to you Uncle and Auntie and your son Joseph. Peter Brzoskowski.

My Address is Peter Brzoskowski in Liebschau by Rukosin.

Dear Uncle and Auntie I beg you for your quick answer.

Photo kindly provided by Alan Halba.

Johan Halba died on the 19th of May 1914 aged 81 & Bridget Johanna Halba, who preferred to live almost in isolation, died on the 7th of December 1920 aged 87 at her son's home at Circle Hill. They are both buried at the Waihola Cemetery. Grave

• Brigitta & Johann Halba ouside their second home in Cull Street, Waihola. The Prussian Regimental Banner is flown to the left of the photo:
  On the 30th of December 1891, aged 28, Joseph married Theresa Augusta Barra at the residence of his parents in Waihola. They had a family of six children being; John (1893), Rosalie Theresa (1895), John Peter (1901), Theresa Josephine (1902), Joseph Francis (1906), & Lenora Briget (1907). It is believed the family lived in the Waihola district in the early years of their marriage living in a cottage on leased property just south of Waihola since 1901 to 1903. From here they moved to Taihape where Joseph worked as a section foreman on the railways and stayed for about five years.

The family then returned to Waihola and Joseph briefly worked on the Catlins line. He later worked from Lawrence on the Clarksville - Roxburgh line for about a couple of years. For a time Joseph walked from Waihola to Lawrence until he purchased a house in Whitehaven Street in June 1910 and sold in 1911.

Photo kindly provided by Alan Halba.

In September of 1915, at the age of 52, he left the railway after 40 years service and bought a farm at Circle Hill (of 118.10ha) which was later regarded as the "Halba Block". With the upsurge of rabbits in the country and the fact that he knew nothing at all about farming, he would not be told & stubbornly persisted with his idea that the shallow soils of the hills would grow grain crops successfully. After a continuous seven to nine years struggle he was forced to relinquish the property in January of 1925.

In July of 1921 he purchased a house on the corner of Cowper and Spenser Streets, Milton. In 1925 he commenced work for the Milburn Lime & Cement Company at Milburn quarry. On December the 2nd, 1925, both Joseph and his wife were finally naturalised as New Zealand citizens. In 1936, at the age of 73, bad health forced him to retire after 11 years at the Lime Kilns. He really enjoyed work and never took part in any outside affairs, being content with his home life. It was quite normal for him to work out in the rain while his 'mates' took shelter. The mates caught the colds and flu's while old Joe never seemed to catch a thing. Joe at the age of 60 was able to pace himself and work beyond those 30 years younger than himself.

It is known for certain that Joseph had a gold mine across the lake somewhere and usually had a tin matchbox filled at times with nuggets. Archie Sinclair, a local of Waihola, recalls a story that Joe Halba and Cyril Orlowski set out to kill a cattle beast. They duly shot the animal but it did not die. With no more ammunition they tied the sad animal up and using a pocketknife dug out the bullet. They then recharged the shot and fired again, this time being successful taking the whole process about two hours.

Joseph was a quiet homely man who was not blessed with a great deal of patience, especially when playing cards. He had a genuine love of children, which grew into a state of irritability as they grew. He also enjoyed a good argument but sometimes got rather heated and serious.

On the 1st of February 1938, Joseph died at his residence in Milton, aged 74 years of age & Theresa died at Balclutha Hospital on the 4th of December 1939 aged 76 years. They are both buried at the Fairfax Cemetery, Milton. Grave

Editorials

Halba Family Tree

Annis Family Tree