Eugenie Alma (Janie) OTTO
married Samuel SMITH
Janie was born 11 January 1866 in Zwickau, Germany - she was eight years old when she sailed from Germany with her family. She died 23 January 1937 and is buried in the Witta Cemetery, Qld.
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It is believed Samuel sailed from England on "The Illawarra", arriving in New South Wales 29 July 1883, age 22 yrs. The passenger list notes his mother as "Anna", he was from York with occupation of Mason. These facts agree with those noted on the Marriage Certificate.
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Janie & Samuel were married on 19 December 1885 in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane.
They were both living in Brisbane at the time.
Janie & Samuel's Marriage Certificate
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Children of Janey & Samuel
Elsie Anna b. 1 June 1887, Brisbane Qld; d. 11 May 1962, Brisbane, Qld.
m. Harry Cocks 14 February 1912 (in Peachester?)
Oswald Frederick b. 18 February 1889; d. 4 May 1962
m. Annie Mable Noon 2 December 1914
May Violet b. 5 May 1894; d. 1 May 1896
May was born with Spina Bifida / Hydrocephalus and died from convulsions.
From right Oswald Smith 1st Cousin, Brent & Pearl Otto, Oswald's son Noel, Oswald's wife & daughter, wife Mable
at left Father Ern Hugo Otto
Oswald Son to Eugene Alma (Janey) Otto m. Samuel Smith​
Harry Cocks married Elsie Smith, a grand daughter of the Otto family of Peachester. They had five children; Eddy, Doreen, Phyllis, Eileen and George. The family lived on land owned by William Turner between Hodgens Road turn off and the Crohamhurst turn off, where Harry worked as a local cream carrier. In ca 1933 the Cocks family moved to Bald Knob, where they lived in 'Buena Vista' and Harry worked as a share farmer on Con Burgess dairy farm. Harry later retired to St. Lucia with his eldest daughter.
From Picture Sunshine Coast
What Happened to Janie & Samuel?
May's death in 1896 took place in Enoggera Road, Enoggera, Brisbane. It is interesting to note that the Funeral Notice placed in the Brisbane Courier newspaper by K.M. Smith, Undertaker, invited the friends of Mr Samuel Smith to attend the funeral of his daughter, May Violet. There is no reference to Janie, with no invitation to "family". The funeral was to move from his residence, Enoggera Road.
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May is buried in Toowong Cemetery. Buried with her is her cousin Cyril Leslie Henry Kruger who died in 1923, aged 21 yrs, from pneumonia. It is unknown as to why these two should be buried together.
Janie's nephew, Dexter Ronald Kruger (son of Matilda & Albert Kruger), wrote a story about the courtship of his parents, commencing in 1898. The story contains a reference to Janie living with her parents in the family home together with her daughter, Elsie, and that her husband was not there. There is no mention of their child, Oswald.
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There is a further reference to Janie in "Peachester Pioneers ... A Centenery History" (October 1985) ...
"Janie (Eugene) married a man Smith. Later on, after the death of her husband she lived on part of the home property at Peachester."
​Unfortunately, there are quite a few errors in the Otto stories in this publication and no death record of a Samuel Smith, who could be Janie's husband, has been found at this stage.
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Note: Research has been conducted on a few "Samuel Smith's", however, none fit the relevant known facts of Janie's husband.
According to Electoral Roll entries Janie was living in Peachester in 1921 and again in1930. In 1925 she was at Cross Street, Red Hill, Brisbane where her father was also living in 1925.
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In 1936 she was at Bald Knob which was the home of her daughter, Elsie and husband Harry Cocks. Janie died in 1937 and is buried in the Witta Cemetery.
Janie's Inheritance
According to the Will of Auguste Ernestine Otto, made in November 1918, Janie was left all livestock, a one-third share of all moneys and the house together with five acres of land. It is believed the house referred to would have been the main Otto residence in Peachester at the top of Otto's Pinch. Auguste died in May 1919. Janie's brother, Hugo Ernest, was left a life interest in the remaining 155 acres and upon his death the property was to pass to his children.
Certificate of Title to the five acres was granted to Janie on 12 January 1921. It was stamped "succession duty not paid", however, a further stamp indicates that some time later the duty was paid although the date is unclear. It was finally converted to "Lot 1 on RP 8453 on 14 April 1986".
Map shows Lot 1 (5 acres) marked in red. It appears as though the new road, providing easier access to Peachester than that provided by Otto's Pinch, cut almost through the middle of Portion 37v, dividing the land left to Hugo.
This is a map showing the location of the five acres left to Eugenie - Title Ref 11475147
Lot 1 on RP8453
​19 Otto Road, Peachester
There are family stories that Huey "took over" the family farm after his parents, Friedrich & Auguste, retired to Brisbane. There is no record of Auguste living in Brisbane before her death in 1919 and Huey had built the new Peachester Post Office, with home attached. According to "Peachester Pioneers ... A Centenary History" Huey's wife, Maud, ran a tea room and took boarders. Could the boarders have been in the original Otto house? Huey & Maud had six children and also ran the Post Office from their home so perhaps there was no room for boarders? A tea room, though, could have fitted with the Post Office business.
However, all Otto's gradually faded from Peachester and the original house ceased to exist. Janie's nephew, Brent Otto (son of Hugo & Maud) continued to have an attachment to Peachester and visited now and then. At some point he took possession of the "Five Acres", as it came to be known, and built a shack on the property. It was some years later that he applied for Title by adverse possession, which was granted in 1994.
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It is unknown, upon Janie's death, why the property did not pass to her children, Elsie & Oswald.