The Lutge Family in Australia

Having spent last Thursday at a study course on Irish records, it's a good time to share my findings to date about our matriarch, Mary Bonner.  Again there are many variations to the spelling of the name including Bonnor, Boner and Bonar.  Maybe we should just call her Mary B! Over the last year, I've been working with our Lutge cousin, Karen, on our family story.  We had Mary B's marriage and death registrations.  Based on these, we thought that Mary B was born in the late 1840s in County Donegal, Ireland and came to Australia in the early 1860s.  Our next stage was to find out about Mary B's birth family and voyage to Australia. A few weeks ago, we were sitting in a coffee shop, laptop between us and looking at the new information AncestryDNA provides called "Genetic Communities".  We've both tested with AncestryDNA and the strongest "Genetic Community" I belong to is the one formed around Donegal highlighting Mary B.  

We've set up this space to connect with Lutge descendants in Australia - to share stories and develop our understanding of the family in Australia and our Danish and Irish roots. Peter Benson Lutge was born on 15 March 1837 on Aabenraa, Aabenraa-Sonderborg, Denmark.  Peter was the oldest of the eight children of Johann Friedrich Lutge (Lytge or Lutje) and Maria Cathrina Jensen (Jensdr).  The various spellings demonstrate how difficult this research can be!  Equally, there can be absolute gems fall into you lap like this page from the 1855 Denmark Census. https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10258-1907202-/peter-b-lutge-in-1855-denmark-census?indId=individual-382609941-2000217&s=382609941 Dated 4 August 1855, Peter Benson, aged 17, is living at Vaegterplads in Aabenraa with his father, Johann Friedrich (47), his mother, Maria Cathrina (45) and his 2 younger brothers and 5 younger sisters - Cathrina Dorothea (16), Hans Jensen (14), Johann Friedrich (12)