I would like to challenge some of the information about my great grandfather, Marx Block. I have copies of the following documents;
- South Australian Naturalisation Certificate. Naturalised on 5 Oct 1895, age listed as 59 (implying a birth year of 1836). Listed as being a native of Holstein, Germany.
- Marriage Record. Married on 5 July 1861, age listed as 23, implying a birth year of 1838. Father’s name: Hinrich Block.
The information about being born in Alsace-Lorrain, France or Germany is contained in a family history book, "With Pride, the Menzels of Hoffnungsthal”, published in 1984. Most of the people who contributed to this book were elderly at the time the book was produced and are long since dead, so I have been unable to confirm the veracity of this information. I have not been able to find any documentation of how and when he arrived in SA.
By the way, Holstein was under the control of Denmark in 1838, but became German territory in the later 1800s.
Regards,
Charles Bertelsmeier
