Severin Family
Carl Johann Joachim Sevreman was born in Prussia on 2 March, 1835 and migrated to Australia as a 19 year-old on the ship “Australia” to Port Adelaide in South Australia on 1 November, 1854.
He began farming at Freeling in South Australia and changed his name to Severin. He married Maria Magdalene (Beckinan) Severin on 14 October, 1864 in Schoenfeldt, South Australia, and later moved to Western Australia. He died in 1898 in Katanning aged 62 where he is buried. The couple had a family of four boys, including the eldest, Carl Christian Severin (1865 – 1947 – Katanning), and two girls, all born in South Australia, who all came over with their parents and also settled in the Katanning area.
Carl Severin took up land in the Katanning area in 1892 and it is still in family hands today. He was the only one who kept to farming except for one girl, who married a farmer in the Woodanilling district. Carl married Mariana Wilcox and they had two children, both boys – Reginald and Louis. Louis moved to Brookton in 1933 to continue farming.
Times were very hard for the early settlers; clearing had to be done the hard way by burning down the big trees and chopping down the smaller ones. No bulldozers to push them down and to push them into heaps again after the burn. Fencing was done with a spade and crow bar and building was usually done by the settler himself with a little neighbourly help.
Of course social life must have been practically non-existent as the miles seemed to be a lot longer then, and transport was crude. Carl built his house of mud bats made on the spot and the timber was bush timber trimmed up with an axe. That place survived the white ants for many years.
His two sons attended school at Marracoonda when the eldest was six years of age. It was a one-teacher school, with at one time, over thirty children on the roll.
His son Reginald’s early days of farm life were a big contrast to today’s standards – a four-furrow plough, a thirteen-run drill and a 5 ft harvester and prices for produce were a lot lower than today’s prices: butter at one shilling (10c) a lb, eggs at about the same price per dozen and bread about 6d a loaf. Naturally they lived off the land as much as possible and a few pounds in currency went a good way.
Carl’s brothers stayed around Katanning most of their working days. One worked at the mill, another was in the railways and another worked at various jobs and agencies but he eventually went to Perth. Reginald took over the farm in 1935 and Carl and Mariana retired to live in Woodanilling in 1936. That same year Reginald married Lilian Mathews and they had four sons and one daughter.
MARRIAGE
Severin – Meharry
Great Southern Herald
14 November, 1903
On Wednesday last the marriage of Mr Alfred E. Severin with Miss Sarah Jane Meharry was celebrated at “Hillside Lawn,” the residence of the brides father, Wm Meharry Esq. Rev A. K. Ross officiated. After the welding ceremony a very large number of guests assembled at the breakfast, and several toasts were honored. The presents were numerous and costly.
APPLICATION FOR A WAYSIDE HOUSE LICENSE.
Great Southern Herald
30 November, 1910
To the Worshipful the Justices of the Peace acting in and for the district of Katanning, in Western Australia.
I, HENRY JOHN SEVERIN, married, Licensed Victualler, now residing at Woodanilling, in the district of Katanning, do hereby give notice that it is my intention to apply at the next Licensing Meeting, to beholden for this district, for a Wayside House License for the sale of fermented and spirituous liquors, in the house and appurtenances thereunto belonging, situated at Woodanilling aforesaid, upon portion of Woodanilling suburban lot 115, containing three sitting rooms and seven bedrooms, exclusive of those required for myself and family, rented by me from Elijah Richard Bell, at present occupied by me and licensed under the sign of “the Woodanilling Hotel” as a Wayside House, and which I intend to keep as an inn or public house. I have never held a license before.
Given under my hand this twenty-first day of November, one thousand nine hundred and ten.
H. J. SEVERIN.
HOUSEHOLDERS’ CERTIFICATE.
We, the undersigned, householders, residing within the district of Katanning, do hereby certify that the above Henry John Severin, of Woodanilling, licensed victualler, is a person of good fame and reputation, and fit and proper to be licensed to keep an inn or public house for the sale of fermented and spirituous liquors therein.
Witness our hands this twenty-first day of November, one thousand nine hundred and ten.
H. Kippin.
E. W. R, Becker.
P. N. Rogers.
Henry Trye.
E. P. Brennan.
A. D. Smith, Austral Terrace, Katanning, solicitor.
AUNT MARY’S COLUMN
Western Mail
23 June, 1949
“LITTLE LETTERS”
BERYL SEVERIN (Marracoonda, via Katanning).
There is no money needed for you to become a member of the Children’s Corner of “The Western Mail.’* If you wish you may send a small donation to the Silver Chain which will entitle you to become a Silver Link of the Nursing Association. You will enjoy reading “The Water Babies,” Beryl. Welcome, dear.
LAWRANCE SEVERIN
Senior Citizen of the Year
Great Southern Herald
31 January, 2020
By Daryna Zadvirna
Lawrance Severin accepts his award from Shire President, Liz Guidera
Lawrance Severin received the senior citizen of the year award for his service to the Katanning Agricultural Society and Kobeelya Baptist Fellowship.
“Lawrance has been a long-time continuous active committee member of the Katanning Agricultural Society for the last 50 years and has been awarded a life membership for his valuable service,” Ms Guidera said.
“He has also spent countless hours over the last 30 years attending the Kobeelya gardens and helping keep the grounds neat and tidy – he’s often been working at Kobeelya when no one else knows he is there.”
Pioneer Wall – Katanning