The Lutge Family in Australia

Maria Lutge (nee Jensen) is the mother of our Australian patriarch, Peter Benson Lutge.  She's my great, great, great grandmother! The 1855 Danish Census shows that Maria was born about 1810.  She seems to have lived her life in the small southern Danish town of Aabenraa.  You can read about the family's life  HERE.   In 2018, I visited our Danish town.  You can read about my visit  HERE. On 11 November 1835, Maria married Johann Friedrich Lutge in the local church.  You can still pick out their names from the church register even though they're in Danish! Maria and Johann lived in one of the homes in this small town square where they raised eight children.  It's about 300m from their local church. When Maria died on 9 July 1870, her oldest child, Peter Benson, was living in Australia.  This is shown on her death registration.  There are some differences between the ages of the children shown in this docum...

You can read all about it at my travel blog  HERE ... A great experience to be the first of the Lutge cousins to visit the home town that Peter Benson Lutge, out many times great grandfather, left in 1862!  If you're planning a visit to Denmark or Germany and would like to visit Aabenraa, please contact me for details and leads.

Well, the time is fast approaching when I'll be standing in the very square in Aabenraa where my 2nd great-grandfather, Peter Benson Lutge, was born and lived from his birth on 15 March 1837 until he left his parents and seven younger siblings in 1862 to settle in Australia.  Peter married Mary Bonner in 1864 and they had 10 children.  All us "Lutge cousins" are descendants of Peter Benson and Mary. You can read about Peter Benson Lutge here. We have quite a heritage in Aabenraa!  Here are our ancestors that I've been able to trace.  All the births shown in the chart were in Aabenraa - apart from one!  Peter Benson's father, Johann Friedrich Lutge, was born in Copenhagen.  So, Peter Benzen (or Bentzon), my 6th great-grandfather, was born in Aabenraa in 1718 - 300 years ago!  I'll be visiting Copenhagen but family history research will have to wait for another visit. Peter, his parents and siblings are shown as living at Vaegterpladsen, Aaben...

So just 2 years after Captain Cook "discovered" Australia, the great grandparents of Peter Benson LUTGE, our patriarch, were married in his home town in Denmark - 245 years ago! Through the wonders of modern technology, I can record that this shows the marriage between Carl Nicolai FLOR and Helena BENTZON on 04 December 1772 at Aabenraa, Aabenraa-Sonderborg, Denmark. We've previously seen the location of the town and also where it sits in Denmark.  I'll be visiting the town of my 5th great-grandparents and their descendants in July next year! Carl and Helena's daughter, Anna Christine FLOR, was born on 29 August 1781.  She married Friedrich LUTGE and they were Peter Benson's paternal grandparents.   Friedrich and Anna's son, Johann Friedrich LUTGE, was born about 1808.  He married Marie Cathrina JENSEN on 11 November 1835 and their first child was Peter Benson LUTGE.   Peter Benson was born on 15 May 1837 in Aabenraa and came...

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 Frie...