Andreas Diflo was born in 1810 in Fechenbach, Miltenberg, Bayern, Germany as the first child of Lawrence Diflo and Anna Maria Linke.

When he was 44, Philipp married Julianna Lohr, daughter of John Lohr and Cath Kirchgepher, in 1854 in Germany.

Philipp with his wife and infant daughter Maria emigrated from Liverpool 11 January 1855 on the ship 'Commodore Perry'. Baby Maria died on the voyage, and the ship arrived Sydney, Australia 26 April 1855. Philipp is listed as reads and writes, and was 45 years old on arrival.

The Diflos and the other Dorfprozelten assisted immigrants arrived under the German Vinedresser Bounty Scheme which subsidised German families with knowledge of viticulture, and their employers, in order to establish and promote the colony’s wine industry. In reality the immigrants were more usually used in other capacities, especially shepherding on the vast stations of Moreton Bay’s Darling Downs. Andreas Diflo’s immigration record states that the family had been allocated to work for Frederick Castilla of Sussex St and Botany in Sydney. However Castilla did not take up at least some of his allocated employees and they were re-allocated to other employers. The Diflo family were among those who were sent to different employers and it is reasonably clear that Andreas and Juliana were probably recruited to Westbrook station near Toowoomba within a few months of arriving in Sydney. The life of a shepherd was an isolated and confronting one and it differed enormously from the close communal life they were used to in their home village. The Diflos were fortunate to be less remote than many of the other German immigrants posted to distant properties as far west as Roma.

In Australia, Andreas was known as Andrew.

Philipp Andreas Andrew Diflo and Julianna Lohr had the following children:

1. Maria Diflo was born in 1854. She died in 1855 in Died on board the ship 'Commodore Perry' on the voyage to Australia.

2. Joseph Diflo was born in 1856. He married Sophia Charlotte Schulz in 1878 in Queensland, Australia. Joseph died in 1925 in Queensland, Australia.

3. Mary Diflo was born on 06 April 1858 in Westbrook, Queensland, Australia. She married Peter Erbacher in 1880 in Queensland, Australia. Mary died on 11 March 1939 in Drayton, Queensland, Australia.

4. Michael Anton Diflo was born in 1860 in Queensland, Australia. He married Ernestine Wilhelmine Gierke in 1884 in Queensland, Australia. Michael died in 1929 in Queensland, Australia.

5. Anne Diflo was born in 1863 in Queensland, Australia. She married Peter Ott on 14 February 1883 in Queensland, Australia. Anne died in 1959 in Queensland, Australia.

6. Rosa Diflo was born in 1866 in Queensland, Australia. She married Leonhard Valantine Muhling in 1885 in Queensland, Australia. Rosa died on 10 November 1951 in Queensland, Australia.

7. John Andrew Diflo was born on 29 September 1869 in Queensland, Australia.

Andreas was naturalised on 17 April 1860. He stated he was living at Westbrook, where he was employed as a shepherd. He was fifty-one years old and a native of Germany. He was said to have arrived on the Bergu in 1855. His nominators, William Beit and Thomas Muir, had known him since his arrival on 18 September 1855.

In August 1869 Andrew Diflo was a signatory to a petition sent to the Catholic Bishop regarding the lack of pastoral care for the German community in Toowoomba. Several other Dorfprozelten Catholics were among the frustrated church members who felt their engagement with church sacraments was affected by Father Dunne’s lack of German language skills and his bias towards an Irish model of Catholicism. Despite this it appears that Andrew continued with his Catholic faith as the family’s church involvement is shown in baptisms and marriages. In 1872 Andrew Diflo was a witness at the marriage of another Dorprozelten immigrant, Hildagardis Hock widow of George Günzer, to Franz Bodmann. George Günzer had also worked at Westbrook after his arrival from Dorfprozelten in 1856 so the two families would have known each other well, both in Moreton Bay and in Bavaria.

Andrew died on 3 October 1880[1] in Toowoomba, Queensland, age 71, and is buried in the Drayton and Toowoomba cemetery.

In his will of 10 September 1880, Andrew divides his property between his wife Julia Diflo and their son, Michael Anton Diflo of Toowoomba. Julia was to receive “all that piece or parcel of land situated near Toowoomba on the south side of Gowrie Road being portion 457, County of Aubigny, parish of Drayton” comprising 6 acres. His son Michael Anton Diflo was to receive the land on the north side of Gowrie Road, being portion 456 and comprising 29¼ acres.  His wife and John Karl were the executors.

Citations:

1. Queensland Government - Births, deaths, marriages and divorces, C582

External Links:

Andreas Diflo and his Juliana Löhr and family - From Dorfprozelten to Australia

‘Commodore Perry’ Ship records - Andreas Diflo - 26 April, 1855

Classified Advertising - The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933) Saturday 26 February 1881 p 7

In the Supreme Court of Queensland. ECCLESIASTICAL, JURISDICTION. In the WILL of ANDREW DIFLO, late of Gowrie-road, near Toowoomba, in the Colony of Queensland, Farmer, Deceased. NOTICE is hereby given that, after the expiration of fourteen days from the date of the publication hereof, application will be made to the said Honorable Court that PROBATE of the WILL of the abovenamed Andrew Diflo, deceased, may be granted to JULIA DIFLO and JOHN KARL, both of Gowrie-road afore-said, the Executrix and Executor named in the said Will. Dated this 22nd day of February, a.D. 1881. JAS. MURRAY, Proctor for the said Executrix and Executor, Margaret-street, Toowoomba. 2308

Know more than me about Andrew, email me here