Jakob RICHTER 1828-?
When the first son born to Susanna (nee Haub) was presented for baptism in the Nieder-Weisel church on 29th September 1854 the father, Jakob Richter, was not an informant as he was “on his way to Australia”. Jakob, born 27th December 1828 to brick-maker Christoph Richter and Anna Margaretha nee Bill, had three younger brothers and two older sisters. Christoph was the only son of Franz Richter, a foot soldier in the Austrian army, and Margaretha nee Wilhelm. (Franz ended the marriage by a proclamation in an Austrian newspaper; Margaretha remarried but had no more children).
Jakob’s sister, Anna Elisabetha, married Johannes Winter and the couple went to Victoria in 1854. A brother, Philipp, was with them on “Fulwood”. The record of Jakob’s journey has not been found, but he must have travelled at about the same time. A brother of Johannes Winter, Friedrich, had also arrived in Victoria at about the same time aboard “Luisa”, which arrived a week after “Fulwood”. It is possible that Jakob was on “Victoria”, leaving Hamburg in August 1854 – there is a ‘Jakob Hicht’ on this passenger list.
These migrants spent time in Ballarat and around the Symthesdale diggings. In November 1859, Jakob Richter and Friedrich Winter were joint witnesses to the marriage of two Nieder-Weisel immigrants, Konrad Hauser and Christina Haub. Jakob probably returned to Nieder-Weisel soon after this event, as his wife gave birth to their second daughter, Anna Elisabetha (who was sponsored by his sister Anna Elisabetha Winter) in January 1862. At least two other children were born in the Richter home in Domgasse subsequently. Jakob does not appear in the 19O9 directory but Jakob Richter II was in Weisgang; this may have been his son.