Mary and Samuel were married in the District Registrar's Office, Concord, Sydney, NSW on 12 January 1865.

It was Samuel's second marriage.

The only child of Samuel Friedrich Christian and Mary Kirchner was my grandfather Samuel Frederick Christian who was born in the family home at John Street, Ashfield in 1866.

Yes, the "Samuels" are confusing - why did they do it?

NOTE: Previously on this page was a photo thought to have been a current (1995) view of the Kirchner family home - "Württemberg Cottage". New information has come to light which clearly shows that due to street numbers being altered in 1917 the photo was in fact not of the home built and occupied by the Kirchner family. No illustration of the home built by Samuel Kirchner has been located, if in fact it still exists!

A number of documents show that the family resided at No. 23 John Street, Ashfield prior to 1917, whilst on post 1917 paperwork the address is shown to be No. 34 John Street - the photo previously on this page was of the home standing at No. 23 John Street in 1995.

Samuel Friedrich Christian Kirchner

Mary Kirchner (nee Mead)

Mary Kirchner died of pneumonia at home on 18 December 1899 and is buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery Necropolis (Rookwood). She was nearly fifty-seven.

Her husband Samuel died a few years later on 18 October 1904. They lie together in grave 3727, section 6D in a far corner of Rookwood cemetery. The grave contains four people - SFC Kirchner and Mary nee Mead, and his son SFC Kirchner and first wife Esther. (See early photo of grave on page relating to SFC Kirchner and Mary Jane). The area is very overgrown, but the grave can be recognised and the inscription understood.

In Loving Memory of MARY BELOVED WIFE OF SAMUEL KIRCHNER SEN. WHO DIED 18 DECEMBER 1899 AGED 57 YEARS - Asleep in Jesus - (Samuel is also buried here)

In his will Samuel left quite a bit of property including the house in John Street, to his son Samuel from his second marriage. The residue of his estate he left in equal shares to his stepdaughter Jane and his only remaining son from his first marriage, George.

Jane aged 12 years


On the left Jane as a young lady, picture on right is some years later.


A photo very similar to the sepia picture shown above.
The previous two photos believed to be in sewing room of Jane's Croydon home.
Courtesy K Grigg per H Watkins

The Ashfield house appears in the will of Jane Ruckley (nee Mead) who died in 1937. She spent much time looking after her ailing step-father in the time leading up to his death, perhaps some arrangement was reached between her and her two step-brothers Samuel and George.

Samuel, the son of an Innkeeper from a tiny village in mid-Germany and his wife Mary, the daughter of a brickmaker from rural England, had ended their days a lifetime away from their roots.

Brought together by Fate to their final resting-place on the other side of the world!

They came from vastly different backgrounds and shared a life together in a totally different, and new, country. If they hadn't - well then, we wouldn't be here......

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