Celebrate the Gutenberg's Sesqui at these Venues
All is organised and I look forward to you joining me to celebrate the arrival of the Gutenberg Immigrants to Wellington on 22 March 2026.
After much research, writing and planning we now invite you to register and pay to attend this Wellington gathering. Pre-registrations representing 40 people, representative of Gutenberg families, suggest that this will be a fitting memorial to our courageous ancestors. A programme for the day running from 10:30am - 5pm has been organised for central Wellington. During the morning around Queens Wharf and during the afternoon at the Loaves and Fishes room in Wellington Anglican Cathedral, Hill Street adjacent to parliament buildings. For more details visit: https://www.alve.nz/gutenberg-reunion.html In addition you are invited order the book written to coincide with this event, "From Bremerhaven to Wellington: the 1876 Gutenberg Immigrants to Aotearoa." Running to 230 pages and 75,000 words this history comments on why these immigrants came, who they were, biographies of 131 of the 165 immigrants and information about their first descendants. For those who attend, this is available at $30 per copy. Terry Alve 027 600 1926
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 The Gutenberg by Holly Perris who is a great great grand daughter of Gutenberg immigrants.Year 2026 has arrived and it comes with our March opportunity to celebrate the arrival in 1876 of some of our forbears. Yes, the Gutenberg arrived in Wellington harbour with 165 immigrants aboard who had sailed from Bremerhaven after earlier journeys from their European home countries - Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Germany. The sea voyage took 96 days: from 18 December 1875 to arrival on 23 March 1876.
Several descendants and friends have indicated their interest in attending a sesqui-memorial day in Wellington on Sunday 22 March 2026. If you want to express your interest in attending this day please signup here: https://www.alve.nz/gutenberg-reunion.html Formal registrations and payment will be invited later in January 2026. Associated with this sesqui-gathering is the writing of a memorial history in which I have written about:
Terry Alve 027 600 1926 Wellington or Petone Settlers MuseumsBoth of these Museums bordering Whānganui-ā-Tara shores are worth a visit. That's what I have done recently. Part of my motivation was to check their suitability for a visit from Gutenberg descendants on Sunday 22 March 2026 when we are together for the sesqui celebration of the Gutenberg's arrival in the Harbour. While neither has displays about the Vogel scheme or the ships, like the Gutenberg, I think the Wellington Museum displays are more helpful in gaining a better historical understanding of Wellington and its harbour. We plan to schedule a visit to the Wellington Museum on our Sesqui Sunday. Click on the images to visit websites.
The other two activities planned on Sesqui Sunday are a harbour crossing to Day's Bay on a East by West Ferry and Kai & Kōrero, possibly at the Loaves and Fishes hall at Wellington Anglican Cathedral, adjacent to the Parliamentary buildings (tbc). Bremerhaven to Whānganui-ā-Tara |
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| Summary of Information
Carlo Turchi |  Carlo Turchi 2 Aug 1830 – 21 Apr 1921 |
Carlo and his wife Santina, who travelled from Italy, were the largest family (7 children) who travelled aboard the immigrant ship Gutenberg which berthed in Wellington in March 1876. They initially settled at Jacksons Bay in South Westland before the community (up to 400 people) proved too inhospitable for the settlers to remain. In the late 1870s they moved to farm in Taranaki. Along the way they increased their family to eleven children. One of their sons was killed in the Somme during the first world war.
This is part of the story we have about the Turchis. We continue to gather such stories which will be published after the Reunion event.
This is part of the story we have about the Turchis. We continue to gather such stories which will be published after the Reunion event.
Dietmar's profile is another in this series that investigates who our German cousin's are. He appears, as do Peter Nocken and Jürgen Schmidt, in MyHeritage's Cousin Finder. When I trace his ancestry we see that Carl Alve's (Junior) grandfather - Wilhelm Alfer - was brother of Anna Alfer (Dietmar's 3xgreat grandmother). When we trace downline we see Brochagens and Forsters before Dietmar and his father Oswald were surnamed Höller.
 Dietmar Höller with two of his Chihuahuas Post created by Terry Alve | A Facebook search indicates that Dietmar and his wife Birgit breed Chihauhau dogs quite successfully. See https://www.el-dorado-chihuahuas.de/ On this website they describe where they live... "Together with our dogs we live in Ballersbach. Ballersbach? You don't know where Ballersbach is? Easy! In the middle of Germany. In the state of Hesse and only 7 km from the A45 motorway. Exactly in the triangle of Siegen, Gießen and Marburg." Interestingly, the Alves originate as we have discussed for many years, a little further northeast of Gummersbach in the Huckeswagen-Wipperfurth area of North Rhine-Westphalia. In fact, Dietmar's parents Oswald and Ingeborg Holler married at Wipperfürth in 1955.  An El Dorado Chihuahua |
Relationship Report
Alve-Selbach
Recently I was able to access DNA matches from my Uncle Ivan Alve's DNA sample. At age 94 he is a generation back from me and his matching is throwing up some new insights. In particular he is providing information about a new line of research; that into his and my Spahr=Witting ancestors in Germany.
As below, Heinz-Georg Selbach is a DNA match with NZ Alves. In particular his 3xgreat grandfather Gerhard Heinrich Spahr is brother to the Catharina Elisabeth Spahr who married Bernard Möllers - the parents of Maria Theresia Alve (nee Möllers) who travelled to A-New Zealand in 1876. Gerhard's and Elisabeth's parents Heinrich Spahr=Adelheid Witting are the most recent common ancestors between the Selbachs and the Alves. Adelheid was born in 1891 (place unknown) and she and Heinrich married in Beckum 1814. Adelheid died 1842 in Beckum.
As below, Heinz-Georg Selbach is a DNA match with NZ Alves. In particular his 3xgreat grandfather Gerhard Heinrich Spahr is brother to the Catharina Elisabeth Spahr who married Bernard Möllers - the parents of Maria Theresia Alve (nee Möllers) who travelled to A-New Zealand in 1876. Gerhard's and Elisabeth's parents Heinrich Spahr=Adelheid Witting are the most recent common ancestors between the Selbachs and the Alves. Adelheid was born in 1891 (place unknown) and she and Heinrich married in Beckum 1814. Adelheid died 1842 in Beckum.
While to date we know nothing more about Heinrich Spahr other than he fathered (with Adelheid) several children between 1816-1829, Catharina Elisabeth being my, and maybe your, ancestor. This diagram summarises what we know...
 | Having given thought to this DNA link between Ivan Alve and Heinz-Georg Selbach, I turned my attention to searching for anything more available about Adelheid Witting. My interest was piqued when a DNA match between Ivan and Wolfgang Zeigler indicated some Wittings are probably related. The mesage that came with the match was that Ivan's MRCA with Wolfgang's Witting line was likely to be Ivan's third or fourth great grandparent. In other words Adelheid Witting's parent or grandparent. The family tree that came with Wolfgang's DNA information identified these people (see below) as Wilhelm Antonius Witting (1769-1845) and his father Arnold Witting (1723-1797). Is Adelheid Witting Wilhelm's daughter? Several disqualifiers emerged as I pursued this line of enquiry.
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So I turned to consider Arnold Witting as the possible MRCA. Arnold (b.1723) had at least four other sons than Wilhelm Antonius:
- Wilhelm Herman Franziskus Christianus Witting (b.1752-)
- Johannes Josephus Witting (b.1754-)
- Wilhelm Anton Christian Witting (b.1756-)
- Joannes Fridericus Antonius Witting (b.1764-)
For the moment this is where my search pauses until another DNA match with the Wittings, or some other helpful information, is found. As in the above diagram I have Adelheid temporarily attached as a daughter to Joannes F.A. Witting (red). If he is not her father I am reasonably confidant that one of his brothers marked yellow, green or blue is. Once more is known we may also discover the reason for Adelheid marrying in Beckum aged 22-23. A preliminary hunch is that Heinrich Spahr her husband came from Munster, which is about 40 km away....
Jürgen Walter Schmidt is a relative on my grandma's Wagner side of the family. The family of Theresa Alve (née Wagner) emigrated from the Hesse region of Germany to Tasmania during 1855. They travelled with several of their Wagner and Nicolai kin seeking a better life in the Antipodes. Theresa made a visit to New Zealand in 1915 and was stranded in New Zealand as first world war heated up; she was not permitted to return home to Woodsdale, Tasmania as dislike of those with German ancestry intensified. By war's end she had met and married my grandfather Henry Alve, and the rest is history.
8th Cousins! | Most recent Common Ancestors (MRCA): Johann Valentin Höhn (1672-1755) and Maria Margaretha Höhn (née) Wintermeyer (1679-1736) | ||
Jürgen Schmidt
Jürgen Walter Schmidt (born 1954 in Wiesbaden) has lived in Darmstadt since his retirement and has been a member of the local Immanuel Congregation ever since. He was ordained on October 24, 1999, by Superintendent Wolfgang Schillhahn. From 1997 to 2017, he served as vicar, parish vicar, and parish priest of St. Michaelis Congregation in Kassel. Before studying Protestant theology in Oberursel and Mainz from 1992 to 1997, he served as church warden of the Christuskirchen congregation in Wiesbaden for 15 years. As superintendent, he led the Hesse-North church district from 2007 to 2013. Jürgen Schmidt is a trained telephone counselor. He is married and has four adult children. As a pastor emeritus, he regularly conducts substitute services in Darmstadt and Reichelsheim, as well as in other congregations in the Hesse-South church district.
Pastor Schmidt (Darmstadt) celebrated his 25th ordination anniversary on October 24 2024. The now 71-year-old Wiesbaden native was ordained a Lutheran pastor in Kassel, Schmidt is married to Renate, née Bellin. He and his late first wife, Renate, née Wengenroth, have four children.
Jürgen Schmidt is on Facebook and uses the MyHeritage genealogy programme to record his ancestry.
Pastor Schmidt (Darmstadt) celebrated his 25th ordination anniversary on October 24 2024. The now 71-year-old Wiesbaden native was ordained a Lutheran pastor in Kassel, Schmidt is married to Renate, née Bellin. He and his late first wife, Renate, née Wengenroth, have four children.
Jürgen Schmidt is on Facebook and uses the MyHeritage genealogy programme to record his ancestry.
Ten Generations - click image to enlarge
 Click on image to enlarge. | I discovered Peter-Jörg Nocken when I realised he had a link to my Lamsfuβ ancestors in the region of Hückeswagen where my grandfather Carl Wilhelm Alve was born and grew up. He is my 5th cousin as the image indicates. In March 2023 we had this exchange on the MyHeritage message board, Hi Peter |
Peter mentions Christian Lamsfuß who was born in the late 1600s. Me married Catharina von der Höhe and together they were the grandparents of Johann Wilhelm Lamsfuß (1759-1811) who married Catharina Gertrudis Kemmering (1763-1829). These two - Johann Wilhelm and Catharina Gertrudis - are Peter's and my most recent common ancestors (MRCA). They seem to have spent their whole lives in and around Hückeswagen. Another view of Peter's ancestry to our MRCA is this, If you click on the image you may get a larger view of this ancestry chart.
Peter-Jörg Nocken
Peter's ancestry chart above also depicts our most recent common ancestors (MRCA) - Lambsfuß=Kemmering - in the context of his wider maternal family tree: I find two things notable about this.
At the age of 80 we might assume he is well into his retirement now.
Terry Alve
- Anna Catharina Kemper nee Bosbach (b.1790 Kürten) is likely a close relative, if not the sister, of Wilhelm Bosbach (b.1792 in Kürten). Wilhelm was Carl Alve's grandfather - the Carl Alve who came to New Zealand in 1876
- Peter's grandfather, Peter Johann Scheurer (1879-1916), was killed in France fighting during WW1.
At the age of 80 we might assume he is well into his retirement now.
Terry Alve
MARGARET'S (MY WIFE) DNA MATCH AUTOCLUSTER REPORT
Names removed to preserve privacy.
Names removed to preserve privacy.
This weekend I have been working on my wife's DNA matches in our MyHeritage online geanealogy platform. A very helpful, graphical and powerful tool inluded is the Autocluster report. Margaret's is above. The coloured squares indicate groups of people who share a common ancestor (or ancestral line) with Margaret. Many of them are 4th or 5th cousins. In this report, 103 relatives have been assigned coloured squares. Usually the most accessible matches are towards the top and correspondingly the least accessible are at the bottom.
However, the second to last (dark blue) cluster in this report. highlighted with a yellow circle. gave me a surprise and yielded a new, confirmed match this weekend.
The blue squares contained the info below in the associated Autocluster spreadsheet...
However, the second to last (dark blue) cluster in this report. highlighted with a yellow circle. gave me a surprise and yielded a new, confirmed match this weekend.
The blue squares contained the info below in the associated Autocluster spreadsheet...
DATA RELATING TO THE THREE RELATIVES IN CLUSTER 18.
THEY ARE ALL PROBABLY DESCENDED FROM THE SAME ANCESTRAL COUPLE - M3G15!
THEY ARE ALL PROBABLY DESCENDED FROM THE SAME ANCESTRAL COUPLE - M3G15!
The figures in red relate to this new confirmed match. In the info available, this match was described as a 3rd or 4th cousin. The figures are:
A corollary to this discovery, on the basis that the three relatives indicated are in the same line, is that most likely they are all descended from the same ancestral couple - McMillan=Fraser. I deduce this on the basis that their matching DNA 44.97, 48.64 and 60.71cM means they are in same match territory.
Whereas I had previously doubted the likelihood of the Autocluster report lower level matches yielding good results, I move forward in my genealogical investigations confident that there are surprises to be found anywhere and everywhere as we closely examine the data and the various reports that help me to analyse it!
Terry Alve
- 60.71cM (centimorgans) is the match size in terms of shared DNA - usually around 4th cousin territory.
- 225 are the number of ancestors available in the family tree attached to this relative.
- 18 describes the blue cluster - 18th from the top.
A corollary to this discovery, on the basis that the three relatives indicated are in the same line, is that most likely they are all descended from the same ancestral couple - McMillan=Fraser. I deduce this on the basis that their matching DNA 44.97, 48.64 and 60.71cM means they are in same match territory.
Whereas I had previously doubted the likelihood of the Autocluster report lower level matches yielding good results, I move forward in my genealogical investigations confident that there are surprises to be found anywhere and everywhere as we closely examine the data and the various reports that help me to analyse it!
Terry Alve
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Terry Alve - family history researcher, Anglican priest and web developer
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