Images courtesy of JB and reproduced here with thanks
Charles (Carl) Ziems aged 24 years arrived in Melbourne from Liverpool on the James Carson on 13 July 1854. With him was his brother Fritz aged 12 years and sister Caroline aged 19 years. To see what Charles got up to before he settled in Wollongong see the Ziems page.
Charles married Sarah Jane Johnston in Sydney in 1861. On the 12 April 1862 Charles Ziems of Liverpool purchased 28 acres, one rood and 28 perches described at the time as at Fairy Meadow for £350 (Book 77 No. 875). This land was at what is now known as Woonona. By 1863 Charles had a licence operate the Bulli Royal Hotel which was on this land. I do not know if Charles Ziems built the hotel. Charles signed his name on the indenture and the seller, Michael Sennett of Sydney signed with an ‘x’ mark.
Charles and Sarah’s first child Fredericka Sarah was born in 1863. That same year Charles paid a total of 17 pounds as sponsor for Sarah’s mother Jane and sisters Agnes, Margaret and Jemima to come to come to Australia. By 1875 Charles and Sarah had nine children. Sarah died in 1877 when the youngest was only two years old and Charles died just four years later leaving six girls and three boys aged between six and 18 years without parents.
The children of Charles and Sarah Ziems:
- Fredericka Sarah 1863-1939
- William Julius 1865-1949
- Henry Charles 1866-1975
- Charles John 1868-1925
- Matilda Ann 1869-1935
- Jane Elizabeth 1870-1927
- Jemima Agnes 1872-1954
- Rachel Caroline 1873-1955
- Marion Ruth 1875-1946
With Charles’s brothers Julius and Frederick also in the Illawarra at Fairy Meadow/Corrimal and Towradgi there was a large support network for the children. Sarah’s sister Agnes was also nearby at Thirroul with her husband William McCauley and their young family. It is not known who cared for the younger children after their father Charles died but it was his brother Julius who was one of the executors of his will and trusted to ensure the financial management of Charles’s assets. The other executor was Henry Strange Fry, a Woonona businessman, JP and returning officer who was probably a friend of Charles Ziems. Both had established themselves in the area when it was still sparsely populated, Fry in the 1850s and Ziems in the early 1860s. The will specified that the properties owned by Charles were not to be sold until the youngest child, Marion, attained the age of 21 years, with income to be used to support the children until that time. At the time of his death Charles Ziems owned 28 acres of land at Woonona/Bulli and portions of land in Melbourne.
After Marion came of age the Woonona/Bulli land was subdivided and sold by auction on the 31 August 1901 with the proceeds shared equally between the nine children. The auctioneer was Henry Fryer of Albion Park, the brother-in-law of Henry Charles Ziems, one of the nine children.
At the auction of the Ziems subdivision Hannah Ball, wife of Thomas Ball of Woonona, purchased lots 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 for £2,816. The Balls also purchased lots 16 and 16A in a separate transaction. On lot 3 was the original Bulli Royal Hotel which Charles Ziems had operated from 1863 until his death in 1881. Hannah’s husband Thomas was already a successful cordial manufacturer at Woonona and he erected a substantial brick hotel adjacent to the original wooden hotel which survived until the 1980s when it was sadly and suddenly demolished. Some of the original hotel remained until 1921. On 25 October 1920 a council building inspector recommended improvements.
The renovations identified were not undertaken and at a council meeting of 26 April 1921 an order to demolish the old building was issued as it was dangerous to the health of the public. Thus the last remnants of Charles Ziems hotel building were removed (Illawarra Mercury 29 April 1921). There are no known photographs of the original hotel but one object remains, a wall clock:
See who else purchased lots at the auction.
Charles and Sarah Ziems family photographs
Like their Ziems cousins they left a rich legacy of photographs, some of which are reproduced here.
The six daughters of Charles and Sarah Ziems.
Left to right: Jane Elizabeth, Jemima Agnes ‘Mime’, Rachel Caroline, Marion Ruth, Fredericka ‘Rica’ and Matilda Ann ‘Tillie’.
Fredericka Sarah Ziems
Fredericka was born 1863 at Bulli. She married widower Reverend Henry Kell Tate (1861-1937) in 1906 and they spent their married life at Kurrajong. They did not have any children but Henry had three daughters from his first marriage to Amy Gertrude Harper. Fredericka died at Kurrajong in 1939.
Rachel Caroline Ziems
Rachel was born in 1873 at Bulli. She married school teacher John Clowes (1876-1964) in 1903 at St Augustine’s, Bulli. Rachel and John had three daughters, Phyllis, Winifred and Elizabeth. They spent most of their married life in Austinmer but moved out of the area in the 1950s. Rachel died at Kurrajong in 1955.
Marion Ruth Ziems
Marion was born at Bulli in 1875 and lived most of her life in the northern suburbs of Wollongong with her sister Rachel and family. In 1935 she was in the Waterfall Sanatorium probably due to contracting tuberculosis. Marion did not marry and died in 1946.
William Julius Ziems
Eldest son William was born at Bulli in 1865. He married Alexandria Josephine McLoughlin (1869-1948) in Sydney in 1889. William and Alexandria had four daughters and six sons between 1890 and 1908. William died in 1949.
Henry Charles Ziems
Henry was born at Bulli in 1866. He married Sophia Fryer (1867-1915) at St Augustine’s, Bulli in 1890. Henry and Sophia had four sons and two daughters. Henry lived in Albion Park after his marriage, conducting a general store for many years. He was involved in many community organisations including the Literary Institute, Returned Services League and Agricultural Association. Henry died in 1951.
Charles John Ziems
Charles was the third of the three sons born to Charles and Sarah. He was born at Bulli in 1868. In 1891 he married Elizabeth Lillian Palmer (1869-1969). In 1892 he was grocer at Newtown trading as the ‘Mongolian Tea Company’. Charles and Lillian had at least one child, Eric Garnet. Charles died in 1925.
Matilda Ann Ziems
Matilda was born at Bulli in 1869. She married a Welshman Ebenezer Thomas Jones (1863-1908) at Sydney in 1902. They had two children Myfanwy Frederica and Trevor Ewen. After Ebenezer’s death in 1908 Matilda worked as the postmistress at North Richmond. She died in 1935.
Jane Elizabeth Ziems
Jane was born at Bulli in 1870. In 1913 she was living at North Richmond where her widowed sister Matilda lived. Jane did not marry and died at Hurstville in 1927.
Jemima Agnes Ziems
Jemima was born at Bulli in 1872. In 1893 she married William Bartlett (1865-1929) at St Augustine’s, Bulli. Jemima and William had four children. Jemima lived in the Bulli area for most of her life but was living with her daughter Gwendoline at Eastwood at the time of her death in 1954.
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