TWiki > Pohos > PolishGenealogy > KreftFamily2	TWiki webs: CLife| Know | Main | Pohos | Sandbox | TWiki |
	Pohos . { Changes | Index | Search | Go }

Kreft Family

SURNAMES & THEIR ORIGINS

CHEŁKOWSKI/CHERKOWSKI (Pol) chełch. Toponym: Chełchy.

KOWALSKI (Pol) kowal. Meaning: smith, kowac- to forge metal.

KREFT (Ger) kraft. Meaning: strength, power; most often originated as a first name.

STOLZ/STOLC (Ger) stolz Meaning: proud.

• Johann Martin Kreft:
  John Martin Kreft (1847-1899), the son of Johann Kreft & Barbara Kowalska married (1868 Gardschau) Rosalia Cherkowska (Chełkowska) (1848-1911), the daughter of Adalbert Cherkowski & Catharina Stolc. They settled in the village of Scherpingen (Szczerbecin) in the Parish of Garschau (Godziszewo), West Prussia, in the ethnic region of Kociewie, in the district of Gdansk, Poland. Here they had their first two children being; Franz (1869-1869) & Johann (1870-1925). They then moved east to the village of Stenzlau (Stanislawie) in the Parish of Leibschau (Lubiszewo Tczewskie). Here they gave birth to Joseph August (1873-1952).

The family left the village of Stenzlau and joined local families Czablewski, Kruger, Max & Rosanowski who proposed to immigrate with assistance of the New Zealand Government. In the late spring they took ship from the port of Danzig (Gdansk), en route to Hamburg, where they set aboard the ship "Lammershagen" which set sail on the 1st of April 1875 arriving at Wellington on the 11th of July 1875. A brother to Rosalia, Johann Jacob Cherkowski, later immigrated to America with his wife Barbara and children aboard the "Belgenland". They departed from Antwerp, Belgium and arrived at Philadelphia, Pensylvania on the 14th of August 1891.

After a two week's stay at Wellington, the family were advised that there was an opportunity to go to the special settlement of Jacksons Bay on the West Coast of the South Island, along with about 300 new immigrants. Families were given assurance that this locality was near the Polish settlers who had previously settled at Waihola, of whom Rosalie's sisters Veronica & Franciszka resided, and that visits could be made to these family and friends at the settlement. On this good news they took passage in a small ship bound for Hokitika. Two days were spent at Hokitika waiting for the "Waitara" to take them one hundred and fifty miles south to their destination. The settlement at Jackson Bay had been quoted as nothing more than a "miserable, unfortunate and very sad fiasco". Some 26,000 hectares of land was set aside for a Special Settlement in Jackson Bay where the first party of settlers from Hokitika landed on the 19th of January 1875. Eventually about 120 Poles resided in Jackson Bay at various times during the life of the settlement. Hindered by the wet climate and lack of drainage accounting for crop failure, the isolation together with a growing shortage of renumerative work-provoked the general abandonment of the Special Settlement, and an exodus to other, more promising districts was inevitable. One such incident occured at the "Beach", the only place of entry or exit to the settlement. A school squabble between children blew up into an outrage when returning home and tales being blown to all proportions got mothers embroiled in the quarrel. Italian mothers, screeching-pulling hair, pushing, belabouring, and punching their opponents, raucously able German or Polish Women. The Men after work came running to support their wives of an afternoon of no abating in the free-for-all. It was quoted "All combatants were supplementing their blows with scurrilous shouts in their own language, ignoring the hopeful pacifiers who spoke only in English". The settlement soon ceased to exist around 1878.

• Rosalia Kreft (nee Cherkowska):
  

JACKSON BAY 8th March 1876

A ROAR from the Jungle-Prospector, letter to Editor of the Evening Star-HOKITIKA. Do not come to JACKSON BAY-more especially if you are a sober, steady striving men, losing your time and working entirely upon your own resources, without any aid from Government whatsoever.

If you should get stone-broke and on the shelf in this jungle, any settler will give you a few meals or a shake-down. Though poor, there is benevolence, generosity, and hospitality existing amongst them to as great an extent as I have ever seen existing in any colonial community. They are mostly the true grit. But the case is quite the reverse with Mr. D. MacFarlane, the Resident Agent, or any of his satellites that revolve around him in their own circle.

Mr. Editor, this place is dead and a total failure, and never can be a success.

It is unclear when the family finally moved across the South Island to Waihola but the Milton Parish baptism records record the following children: Maria (1876-1911), Rosalie (1879-1965), Albert (1881-1948), Martin (1884-1950), Barbara (1887-1935) & Catharina (1889-1954). There stay at Waihola was said to be brief and John & family settled on a block at Akarore on the coast south of Taieri Mouth near Milton in 1879. Lands and Deeds record Rosalia Kreft purchased on the 24th of July 1886, sections 40 & 42 on block VIII at Akatore. They remained in Akatore for the remainder of their lives where John worked as a farmer and later died on the 22nd of September 1899.

Photos & information kindly provided by George & Patricia Goodsir.

It is with regret that we have to record the death of Mr. John Kreft, an esteemed and highly respected resident of Akatore. The news of his death, which occurred suddenly, came as a heavy shock to his friends, as he was known to be a strong healthy man; he had been ailing for only two days previous to his decease. The funeral took place on Sunday and was largely attended, the very Rev. Father O’Neill officiating at the grave… "The Bruce Herald", 26 September 1899.

Rosalia later purchased sections 7 to 31 on block XVII, Tokomairiro, on the 5th of June 1902. Rosalia died at Milton on the 31st of July 1911. Both are buried at the Fairfax Cemetery, Milton. Grave

Editorials

Kreft Family Tree