Laust Larsen
Image: Geoff Larsen
FatherLars Andersen b. 5 Jul 1804, d. 24 Apr 1854
MotherKaren Lauridsdatter1 b. 25 Dec 1815, d. 6 Apr 1879
Pedigree

Birth, Death, Marriage

Laust Larsen was born on 13 January 1843 in Aastrup, Denmark.1,2,3,4 
He married Anna Margaretha Naugardt, daughter of Peter Thomas Naugardt and Anna Johanna Hansen, on 10 December 1870 in Fryers Creek, Victoria.1,5 
He died on 23 January 1917 in Congupna, Victoria, at age 74.6,7,8,9 

Family

Anna Margaretha Naugardt b. 26 Jun 1848, d. 24 Sep 1904
Children
ChartsLarsen, Laust, descendant chart
Williams, Roy, pedigree chart

Story

Laust Larsen was born in Aastrup, Jutland, Denmark on 13 January 1843. He was the third child of Las (or Lars) and Karen.1,2,3,4
 
He was christened at the Aastrup church on 22 January 1843. Godparents were Nielsine Laursdatter (aunt, from Yderik), Thor troupe Sg. [?], Niels Christian Andersen (uncle, from Grene), Laust Nielsen (from Yderik), Christian Pedersen (from Aastrup) and Kirsten Marie Nielsdatter (great-aunt, from Aastrup).10,2
Aastrup church, Denmark, 2010
Image: Geoff Larsen
Christening font at Aastrup church, Denmark, 2010
Image: Geoff Larsen
Aastrup church, Denmark, 2010
Image: Geoff Larsen
At age 14, Laust was confirmed at the Aastrup church.11
 
At age 18, he was working on Hans Andersen's farm about 10 km south-east.12
 
Turbulent Schleswig
Schleswig is an area connecting Denmark and Germany. It has been disputed for hundreds of years.

In the early 1800s, Aastrup, Toftlund and Flensborg (German spelling: Flensburg) were all part of Denmark.

In the First Schleswig War 1848-1851, the Danes repelled the Germans. Laust Larsen, Magnus Riedell, and Anna and Catherina Naugardt were all children.

Following the 1864 Second Schleswig War, Schleswig became part of Prussia (within the German Empire). So Aastrup remained in Denmark, but Toftlund and Flensburg were now part of Germany. Laust Larsen was 21 years old, Magnus Riedell 27, Anna Naugardt 16 and Catherina Naugardt 21.

See map showing Aastrup, Toftlund and Flensburg. Aastrup is about 45 km north of Toftlund. Toftlund is about 50 km north of Flensburg.13,14,15
 
Emigration and Victorian Goldfields
According to the Constitution of Denmark, every Danish male over the age of 18 had to complete military service.

Laust was in Denmark for both the First and Second Schleswig Wars. He may have served in the second (February-October 1864), as he was 21 and most likely had completed military training. He would have heard stories of men forced to fight against their own family and friends during both conflicts, especially those near the Danish-German border.

When adding the lure of picking up gold nuggets in the Victorian goldfields, emigration to Australia must have seemed like a good option.16
 
The 20 year old Laust traveled to Liverpool where he boarded the Sarah Grice arriving in Melbourne 4 October 1865.

From there he went to the Fryers Creek mining area near Castlemaine.17,18
 
A settlement near Campbell's Creek had so many Danes working there it was called Copenhagen. Danes also ran a hotel and the general store making it an ideal meeting place.

Laust Larsen and Magnus Riedell struck up a friendship that would last a lifetime and soon see them brothers-in-law.19,20
 
They worked their separate diggings for around ten years and made enough for houses and a comfortable living.

The map below shows where the Larsen family lived in New Year's Flat, near Vaughan. The Riedell family lived at Chokem Flat, less then a kilometre north. For a current map of the area, see this goldfields area map.16
By the mid-1870s the gold was running out. And they heard of Crown land opening up about 140 km north-east in the Goulburn Valley.16
 
Naturalisation
Laust Larsen and Magnus Riedell believed that if you lived in a country and earned a living there, you should become a citizen.

On 20 May 1871, both men wrote letters applying for naturalisation. As an address for communication they gave the Campbells Creek Post Office.

Both applications were granted 12 June 1871.17,16,21
 
Future Wife?
In September 1867, Laust's friend Magnus had his wife Catherina and son with him at Fryers Creek.

Catherina had a younger sister, Anna Margaretha back in Denmark.

Two years later, Anna Margaretha left Denmark to join them, arriving in Melbourne in November 1869.
 
Marriage and Family
Margaretha Naugardt and Laust Larsen were married 'at the bridegroom's residence', Fryers Creek near Castlemaine on Saturday 10 December 1870. They had eleven children between 1871 and 1893, with two early deaths.

The residence was at New Years Flat (near Vaughan) in the Fryers Creek gold mining district. The marriage was performed by PG Jacobsen, Lutheran pastor.

Three children, Anna Caroline, Lars and Andrew were born there though only Anna Caroline survived past childhood. The other children were born in the Shepparton district.1,5
 
Their early married life on the goldfields must have seemed totally foreign. Not only were they now in an English-speaking country, but the immediate area was host to large communities of Chinese, Irish and Italians. This 1868 photo of nearby Vaughan is as they would have seen it.22
Vaughan 1868
Image: Shire of Mount Alexander
From Goldfields to Farmland
In the summer of 1876-77, the Larsen and Riedell families travelled by wagon from Fryers Creek to Congupna. Laust and Anna Margaretha had two children, Anna Caroline and Andrew. Magnus and Catherina had six children, Magnus jnr., Wilhelmina, Peter, Charles, Annie and five month old Matilda. As well as twelve people, the wagons were loaded with all the posessions of two families plus supplies for the approximately 180 km journey.16
 
Family Life
Magnus had prepared sites and basic accommodation in Congupna, but with two growing families, work began on more substantial homes.16
 
The four Larsens initially lived in a tent, pitched just inside their selection. Laust and Magnus then set about felling trees to build rooms of logs with clay plastered between them, gradually forming permanent homes.

Laust and Margaretha named their home 'Fairfield' and it remained lived in till 1925.23
 
On 29 June 1877, within a few months of arriving in the area, Laust and Magnus were signatories to a petition to the Minister of Education calling for a school in the Congupna parish. Petitioners included their children between the ages of four and fourteen who would attend.

The small school, Congupna State School No. 2164, was opened in July 1879.

All the Larsen and Riedell children attended the Congupna township school.24,23
 
10
Laust & Margaretha (Naugardt) Larsen
Image: Geoff Larsen
Farming in Congupna
In November 1874, while still in the goldfields, Laust applied for the lease of 200 acres of Crown land in Congupna adjoining that of Magnus Riedell.

Part of the application included the declaration:
I, Laust Larsen of Fryers Creek miner make oath and declare that on the 28th day of November 1874 at 9am o'clock, I dug a trench not less than two feet long, six inches wide, and four inches deep in the direction of the continuing sides, and placed conspicuous posts or cairns of stones with notices thereon, at the corners of the allotment hereunder described, and for which I hereby make application

The declaration was made two days later at the Campbells Creek Post Office and his allotment was described as 'East of M Riedell'.

The lease licence was effective 1 April 1875.25
Riedell & Larsen land, 1887
Riedell & Larsen land, 2017
Being the more skilled builder, Magnus loaded two pack horses with supplies and implements and set off to Congupna. Here he cleared a suitable area near a water supply and built basic accomodation. Laust meanwhile, worked the two diggings and looked after the two families. When accommodation was ready, Magnus returned to Fryers Creek.

In late 1876, they sold up and headed to Congupna where they began their new farming life.16,26
 
Laust later purchased other properties to support his farming activities, including a 124 acre Crown lease property south-west of the main one.27
Laust Larsen's 124 acre Congupna property, 1896
Death of Anna Margaretha 
Anna Margaretha suffered for several years from tuberculosis, known at the time as consumption or phthisis.

Anna Margaretha Larsen died of tuberculosis in Congupna on the morning of Saturday 24th November 1904, aged 56. She was buried at the Shepparton cemetery on 26 November.2,28,29
 
Most of the family was still in the family homestead; only the married Anna Carolina had moved out. Meta was the youngest at 13 years old. Eldest remaining daughter, Carnie became house-keeper and carer for her father and the younger family members.30
 
Laust, Denmark Visit 1906
In 1906, two years after wife Anna Margaretha died, Laust returned to visit family in Denmark.
 
Two family photos were taken beforehand to take to Denmark. One was a family portrait of Laust with his nine children. The other was taken in front of his 'Fairfield' homestead and included spouses and grandchildren.2,31
Bill (William Magnus), Mary, Deas (Andreas), Carnie (Karen), Bert (Albert), Mag (Margaret Elizabeth), Annie (Anna Caroline), The Pater (Laust), Dora, Meta (in front) Larsen, 'Fairfield', Congupna, 1906
Image: Margaret Pell, Laurie & Lorraine Phillips
Margaret Elizabeth Larsen, Dora Larsen, Annie Thelma Williams, Laust Larsen, Dora May Williams, Anna Caroline Williams (Larsen), Albert Frederick Larsen, Meta Alvina Larsen, Richard Cornelius Williams, Karen Larsen on horse, Andreas Laust Larsen, Mary Larsen, Cecil Roy Williams on Kit, 'Fairfield' homestead, Congupna, 1906
Image: Margaret Pell
He departed Melbourne in May aboard the Scharnhorst.

His return began on 22 August when he left Denmark for Liverpool. From there, on 30 August he boarded the Runic, arriving back in Melbourne in October.32,33,34,35
 
Laust, Karen & Margaret, Denmark Visit 1912
Laust returned to Denmark again in 1912, this time with daughters Karen and Margaret.

They left Melbourne in April aboard the Gneisenau, and returned in October on the Seydlitz.36,37
Carnie (Karen) Larsen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1912
Image: Geoff Larsen
Maggie (Margareta Elizabeth) Larsen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1912
Image: Geoff Larsen
Maggie (Margareta Elizabeth) Larsen, Laura Thorsell (from Denmark), Karen 'Carnie' Larsen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1912
Image: Geoff Larsen
Laust Larsen died of senile debility, anaemia and heart failure in Congupna on 24 January 1917, aged 74. He was buried at Shepparton cemetery on 25 January. He was buried with Anna Margaretha.7,6,9,38
 

Citations

  1. [S4] Laust Larsen and Margaretha Naugardt, marriage registration no. 4562, 10 December 1870.
  2. [S284] Laust Larsen detailed ancestor table, computer file, ancestor table, unpublished, 2010.
  3. [S455] Full genealogical table for Laust Larsen, computer file, ancestor table, unpublished, 2010.
  4. [S268] Ancestry.com.au, online, Denmark, Church Records, 1812-1918, Laust Larsen entry, 1843, viewed 22 April 2020.
  5. [S480] Anna Carolina Larsen, birth registration no. 26913, 4 November 1871.
  6. [S78] Shepparton Public Cemetery, cemetery and register.
  7. [S270] Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, registry and index, Laust Larsen entry, death registration no. 2971, 1917.
  8. [S449] 'Laust Larsen', VPRS 28 Probate and Administration Files, no. 152/110, probate, 1917.
  9. [S497] Laust Larsen, death registration no. 2971, 24 January 1917.
  10. [S213] Geoff Larsen, personal communication, 3 December 2010.
  11. [S677] MyHeritage, online, Denmark church records, 1576-1919, Laust Larsen, confirmation, Aastrup, Ribe, Denmark, viewed 12 May 2020.
  12. [S292] Dansk Demografisk Database, 1787-, online database, Laust Larsen entry, Hans Andersen household, Ribe, Malt, Malt, 1860.
  13. [S246] 'First Schleswig War', Wikipedia, online, webpage, Wikimedia Foundation, viewed 12 December 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Schleswig_War
  14. [S246] 'Second Schleswig War', Wikipedia, online, webpage, Wikimedia Foundation, viewed 12 December 2017, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Schleswig_War
  15. [S246] 'Flensburg', Wikipedia, online, webpage, Wikimedia Foundation, viewed 12 December 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flensburg
  16. [S89] The Riedell Family, letter, 1975.
  17. [S168] 'Laust Larsen', A712 Letters received, no. 1871/Z7135, naturalisation, 1871.
  18. [S40] Unassisted Passenger Lists 1852-1923, online index, PROV, 'Lars Lapin' entry, Sarah Grice, 1865.
  19. [S2] 'History of immigration from Denmark', Origins: Immigrant Communities in Victoria, Museum Victoria, 2015, viewed 16 December 2017, https://museumsvictoria.com.au/origins/history.aspx?pid=13
  20. [S2] 'Fryers Creek, Vic', eGold: A Nation's Heritage, Cultural Heritage Unit, The University of Melbourne, 2015, viewed 16 December 2017, http://www.egold.net.au/biogs/EG00250b.htm
  21. [S167] 'Magnus Ferdinand Elchior Riedell', A712 Letters received, no. 1871/Z7141, naturalisation, 1871.
  22. [S481] Heritage Study of the Shire of Newstead, Stage 2: Section 2, Environmental History, report prepared by Phil Taylor, May 2004.
  23. [S79] 'The early days of the Larsen family: Congupna', The Centenary of Congupna Schools and District 1884-1984, Congupna Centenary Committee, 1984, p. 19, story by Ursula Reynolds.
  24. [S79] The Centenary of Congupna Schools and District 1884-1984, Congupna Centenary Committee, 1984, p. 5.
  25. [S451] 'Laust Larsen', VPRS 626 Land Selection Files by Land District, no. 1045/19.20, land files, 3 March 1885.
  26. [S1] Matilda Riedell was the last child born in the Vaughan district in 1876, and Karen Larsen was the first born in the Shepparton district in 1877.
  27. [S452] 'Laust Larsen', VPRS 626 Land Selection Files by Land District, no. 11688/19.20, land files, 1896.
  28. [S116] Anna Margaretha Larsen, death registration no. 10704, 24 September 1904.
  29. [S18] '[Death Notice: Mrs Laust Larsen]', Shepparton News, 1877-, newspaper, Roy McPherson, 27 September 1904.
  30. [S17] Tallygaroopna and District Times and Tales: Published to mark the occasion of the centenary of Tallygaroopna primary school 3067, 1890-1990, Tallygaroopna school council, 1991, pp. 118-119.
  31. [S213] Geoff Larsen, personal communication, 12 March 2010.
  32. [S243] Outward Passenger Lists 1852-1923, online, PROV, 'L Larsen' entry, Scharnhorst, 1906.
  33. [S40] Unassisted Passenger Lists 1852-1923, online index, PROV, Laust Larsen entry, Runic, 1906.
  34. [S293] Danish Emigration Archives, 1869-1940, online database, 1869-1940, Laust Larsen entry, indirect travel, 1906, http://www.emiarch.dk/search.php3?l=en
  35. [S404] FindMyPast, online, Passenger Lists leaving UK 1890-1960, Laust Larsen entry, 1906.
  36. [S243] Outward Passenger Lists 1852-1923, online, PROV, 'Mr L, Miss M and Miss A (index transcript entry) Larsen' entries, Gneisenau, 1912.
  37. [S40] Unassisted Passenger Lists 1852-1923, online index, PROV, 'Mr L, Miss Karin and Miss Margaret Larsen' entries, Seydlitz, 1912.
  38. [S18] 'Obituary: Mr Laust Larsen', Shepparton News, 1877-, newspaper, Roy McPherson, 25 January 1917, p. 2, viewed 27 April 2020, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129955116