Nicolaus and Isobella (Bella) with children. Isobelle had three children by her first marrage to Henry Urquhart. Catherine (born June 30, 1873), John Henry Urquhart born August 5, 1875 and Walter James born September 11, 1878. Nicolaus and Bella produced four children. Dorothea, born February 6, 1883; Anna Bertha, born July 12, 1884; Ludwig Andreas, born October 4, 1884; and Otto Ernest, born October 28, 1887. My guess is that this photo was taken around December 1887, as Otto appears only a few months of age.

Nicolaus and Bella (Isobella)

From left to right...Garth? Nicolaus, Unknown, Nan, Glamis and Blair.

From left to right...Nicolaus, Louis, Nan, Unknown.

The back cover page of Nicolaus's diary where he lists his immediate family with dates.

Nicolaus moved to Waikiwi after his two years managing the Mill Creek Saw Mill in Stewart Island. Bella had a store on Mud Road, Waikiwi, and Nicolaus determined that it was not carrying its weight. To improve their financial position, he purchased two horses and a wagon. He became a hawker, selling goods from the Waikiwi store to all the sawmills in an area defined by Invergargill, Hokonui and Waikawa. He maintained this occupation for 16 years, after which he moved to the farm at Gorge Road. In Hokonui, he purchased Hokonui whiskey, a moonshine and presumably had a ready market at the sawmills.

A sketch of Nicolaus and his horses and dray by Fraser Niederer.

A drawing of Nicolaus in 1935, when he was aged 83, by J Cotton.

Passengers' ticket for the Cartvale on which Nicolaus travelled from London to Wellington 23rd, June 1874

Marrage licence of Bella and her first husband Henry Urquhart, who died when crushed by a falling tree at Lady Barkly sawmill, March 24, 1881....see newspaper report attached.

Mill Creek sawmill, Stewart Island, where Nicolaus was manager for two years, during which time he married Bella and then moved to Waikiwi where Bella had a shop.

This photo is apparently of Nicolaus, his mother Dorothea, and his  step-father, Ludwig Eckert, taken I am guessing, at the time of Nicolaus's confirmation in on Palm Sunday, 1867, when he was aged 15.

One big happy family...The Niederer's of Gorge Road

Newspaper report of the death of Bella's first husband, Henry Urquhart 24/03/1881.

Artificially colloured photo of Nicolaus and Bella taken maybe 1887

One of the last photos of Nicolaus take in the garden of the homestead at Gorge Road, note the book in his pocket...he was a widely read intellectual, a humanist, a remarkabe human.

If you have any information regarding the Niederer Family that you are willing to share, or would like to ask a question, please get in touch...

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