This is a tale of historical sleuthing, the subjects (or subject) being Johann Heinrich Casper Meyer and Henry Meyer.
Johann Meyer arrived in Australia from Germany around 1854, aged 26, eventually settling in Brisbane. In 1858, he married Rebecca Pearson of Armidale. At this point he temporarily disappears from our view.
We first encounter Henry Meyer (or sometimes Meyers) in 1864 when we find him as the licensee of the Freemasons Hotel in Fortitude Valley. Later that year he applied for a licence as owner of the Clarendon Hotel in Sandgate. In the application, he stated that he was married with one child, and in May of that year the Meyers announced the birth of another child, a daughter, in Sandgate.
In January 1866, Henry Meyer applied to transfer the licence of the Clarendon to Thomas Haligan. The transfer application declares that the hotel is “now held under licence by Mr Henry Meyer [and] belongs to Rebecca Meyer.” In September of that year a notice appeared in the Brisbane Courier announcing the death at Sandgate of “Henry, only and beloved son of Henry and Rebecca Meyers”.
Henry was a colourful character whose time as a Sandgate publican was punctuated by several legal imbroglios. In 1864, he was charged with striking Ellen Cavanagh, a servant at the Clarendon. He was found guilty of aggravated assault and fined £5. Another incident at the hotel resulted in Rebecca Meyers being summoned to appear before the court for accidentally shooting a customer in the leg.
Other litigation involved Henry suing a Mr Slaughter over damage to a horse and, later, summoning William Deagon (later mayor of Sandgate), whom Meyer accused of having shot his pig. In 1864, he was declared insolvent, resulting in the sale of his household goods; and the following year he was charged and fined by the licensing authority for permitting card games in the hotel. The Clarendon, still owned by the Meyers, burned down in January 1867. Despite hearing “a great deal of evidence”, an inquest was unable to determine the cause of the fire.
Given his repeated legal embarrassments, it was probably as well that Meyer eschewed hotel-keeping and went into the baking business. He continued to live in Sandgate until 1875 when he gave notice to debtors and creditors that he was about to leave the district.
Tracing Johann Meyer to the Gold Coast
But what of Johann Heinrich Casper Meyer? He turns up in 1875 as buyer of a major landholding near Southport and a pioneer of what was to become the Gold Coast. He farmed sugar cane and conducted a ferry service across the Nerang River and, in later life, returned to the pub business as the proprietor of the Main Beach Hotel. At this point he was known variously as Johan or John Meyer or John Henry Casper Myer, the last being the name under which his death was notified in 1901.
All these name variations make Mr Meyer hard to track through the historical record. Fortunately, there are constants in this story – Rebecca (who died in 1914), wife of both Johann Heinrich Caspar and Henry, and their many children – which enable us to identify Johann and Henry as one and the same.
[With thanks to the Sandgate Historical Museum (opening hours: Sunday and Wednesday, 9am to 1.30pm. Adults $5, Children $3, Membership $20/$30).]
Read more stories from the Sandgate Guide print magazine here:
- Bramble Buzz: Updates from the Community
- A Brief Affair
- Why That Update Matters
- Are Buyers Finally Back in the Driver’s Seat?
- Sandgate Visitors Pigging Out After Their Incredible Journey
- The Magic of Jim Henson Comes to Brisbane
- Organic Gardening in September
- Fresh Start: The Budget-Friendly Way to Spring Clean
- Same Argument, Different Day
- Walk Steps Up for Children Facing Hardship
- Couple Styling – The Art of Subtle Coordination
- Skills That Open Doors
- When Emergencies Strike, Will You Be Ready?
- Multitude Choir Presents Dazzling Tribute
- Young Stars Set To Shine At Sandgate Youth Festival
- Spring into the School Holidays
- Retro Vibes to Take Over School’s Out on the Green
- The Film Industry – AI vs Humans
- Music to Their Ears
- Fitness at Any Age
