Bernard Otto Holtermann papers, 1864-1876

MLMSS 968

fonds

1864-1876

422078

Microfilm : CY 1089, frames 1-80 (MLMSS 968)

2 volumes of textual material

Bernard Otto Holtermann (1838-1885), gold miner, merchant and parliamentarian, was born at Hamburg, Germany. He arrived in Sydney in August 1858 and unable to find work due to his lack of English took a job on a schooner out of Sydney. He returned in 1859 and met Polish miner Ludwig Hugo Louis Beyers with whom he travelled to Tambaroora in the Hill End area of NSW to prospect for gold. They began prospecting on Hawkins Hill in 1861 but had limited success until 1872 when a large gold reef was uncovered and brought to the surface almost intact. Holtermann built a house with tower at St. Leonards (now North Sydney) in 1874 and included in the tower a stained glass depiction of himself with the 'nugget'. Holtermann met photographers Charles Bayliss and Beaufoy Merlin at Hill End and encouraged them to photograph settled areas of NSW. Merlin died in 1873 but Bayliss continued with Holtermann's encouragement and succeeded in taking a panoramic view of Sydney from the tower of Holtermann's house. Holtermann was elected a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly for the seat of St. Leonards (1882-1885) and was an alderman on the first Hill End Borough Council. [ref:ADB 4]

1876; Biographical notes on Bernard Otto Holtermann; with reference to his mining activities and his interest in photography (Call No.: CY 1089)
1864-1872; Correspondence and other papers, includes papers on Tambaroora claim, 20 Aug.l864; miner's right, Jan. 1866; Hawkins Hill claim, 14 Oct. 1871; and 2 letters from Holtermann to the editor of the Hill End and Tambaroora Times, 4 Jan. 1872, regarding the burning of his effigy in public and finding gold at Hawkins Hill (Call No.: CY 1089)
1872-1873; Correspondence and papers, includes letters from George A. Russell, manager of Beyers & Holtermann Gold Mining Co. Ltd., 15 June 1872-1 Feb. 1873 (Call No.: CY 1089)

Information upgraded from Manuscripts Leaf Catalogue No. 1 (6-270B) as part of the eRecords Project, 2011-2012

This collection was listed in 2004 as part of the Sesquicentenary of Responsible Government in NSW 1856-2006 Project.