.+64 3 477 5552
Select Page

Klass Family

     Click flag to open the families map locations

click on name or picture to go to Klass Family Tree at ancestry.com


 Click ship to open the Fritz Reuter ship page

Spoken Polish
If you would like to hear the Polish names and text spoken in Polish then we can help.
Firstly click on this link "Text to Polish" and then copy the text you wish to hear, and paste it into the translation box. You can either listen to it or have it download onto your machine.
Enjoy !!

SURNAMES & THEIR ORIGINS

 

BUCA (Pol) Buczec. Meaning: to hum, drone, buzz, or < buk a beech tree.

FORMELLA (Pol)  fornal. Meaning: stable-hand.

KLAAS (Dut) or KLAS (Ger) Niklaus, Klaus.

MAZA (Pol) mazać. Meaning: to smear, daub.

 

 

Jan Klass (b. 1796 –d. 1877) married Maryanna Anna Formela (b. 1792–d. 1841) who was born on 2 August 1792 at Zakrzewko, the daughter of Franciszek Formela (b. abt. 1770–d. 1838) and Elzbeita Lenger (b. abt. 1766–d. 1849). The family at Klobuczewo: Jan Franciszek (b. 1817–d. 1899 NZ), at Gołebiewo; Anna Elzbieta (b. 1820–d. 1870), Maryanna (b. 1823), at Mirowo; Franciszek (b. 1825–d. 1876), Michał (b. abt. 1826), at Zakrzewko; Jozef (b. 1827), Julianna Katarzyna (b. 1830), Marcin Andrzej (b. 1832) and Rozalia Barbara (b. 1835). Maryanna Anna (nee Formela) died on 15 December 1841 at Zakrzewko and was buried at St. Jakuba in Kłodawa. Jan Klass married on 9 October 1842 at St. Jakuba in Kłodawa to Maryanna Leszczynska (b. 1823–d. 1873), the daughter of Szymon Leszczynski (b. abt. 1784–d. 1864) and Kunedgunde Nowakowska (b. abt. 1773–d. 1863).  The family at Zakrzewko: August Franciszek (b. 1843–d. 1849), at Godziszewo; Franciszka (b. 1845–d. 1846), Jozefina Dorota (b. 1847–d. 1848), Rozalia (b. 1850–d. 1855), Jakob (b. 1851), Juliusz Albrecht (b. 1855), Weronika Elzbieta (b. 1858–d. 1894) and Jozef (b. 1861). Maryanna (nee Leszczynska) died on 14 September 1873 at Godziszewo and Jan Klass died on 27 November 1877 also at Godziszewo. Both are buried at St. Jan Nepomuk in Godziszewo.

Jan Franciszek Klass (Formella), a small farmer, (b. 1817–d. 1899) was born on 5 October 1817 at Klobuczewo, the son of Jan Klass (b. 1798–d. 1877) and Maryanna Formela (b. abt. 1791–d. 1841). Jan married on 22 November 1841 at St. Jakuba in Kłodawa to Apollonia Buca (b. 2 March 1821 at Postołowo–d. 1889), the daughter of Filip Buca (b. 1791–d. 1829) and Anna Maza (b. 1799–d. 1870). The family born at Klępiny: Katarzyna Maryanna (b. 1843–d. 1845), at Postołowo; Anna Katarzyna (b. 1845–d. 1923), at Sobowidz; Julianna Albertyna (b. 1848–d. 1849) and Paulina (b. 1850), at Małe Turze; Jan (b. 1854–d. 1857), Barbara (b. 1857–d. 1857) and Rozalia (b. 1858–d. 1947), at Sliwiny; Franciszka (b. 1860–d. 1869) and Jozef (b. 1866). As older daughters, Anna and Paulina, had migrated to New Zealand in 1872, It was thought better for Rozalia to be with her sisters in case something happened to them both. They left the village of Mieścin for Hamburg where they set sail aboard the Fritz Reuter on 16 December 1874, arriving at the Port of Napier on 18 March 1875.

 

Listed aboard were Johann Klass age 57, Paulina 53 and Rosalia 16. They travelled south to the settlement of Allanton where John worked as a labourer and retired. Apollonia (Paulina) died on 27 December 1889 at Allanton aged 68.  Unable to make a living, John was institutionalised at the Otago Benevolent Institute (Tall Boys) at Caversham in Dunedin on 8 August 1898. John was discharged on 14 March 1899 and sent to the Dunedin hospital where he died on 22 April 1899 aged 81. He is buried with his wife at the Allanton Cemetery.

 

Kim's photo - I think it's Rosalia and John Black

Believed to be John Black and Rosalia (nee Klass), originally shared by Christina Henry 15 June 2019, ancestry.com

 

Rosalia Klass was born on 11 September 1858 at Małe Turze.  She married on 18 July 1876 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at East Taieri to John Black (b. 1838 at Ballyglass, Ireland–d. 1920), the son of Michael Black (b. 1815–d. 1870).  The family born at Allanton were John (b. 1877–d. 1877), Rosalie (b. 1878–d. 1934), Annie Mary (b. 1880–d. 1949), Jane (b. 1882), James (b. 1884), Evangeline Mary (b. 1884), Joseph (b. 1888), Martha (b. 1890), Madgalene Pollina (b. 1892–d. 1985), Lucy (b. 1893) and Herbert William (b. 1898–d. 1971). John was employed as postmaster and shopkeeper at Allanton and died in Dunedin on 11 October 1920. Rosalia died in Dunedin on 21 September 1947 aged 89. Both are buried at the Andersons Bay Cemetery in Dunedin.

 

Rosalia Black with her daughters and grandchildren

Rosalia Black (nee Klass) with her daughters and grandchildren, originally shared by Christina Henry 15 June 2019, ancestry.com

 

John and Pauline Klass, Catholic Block Plot 14 at Allanton Cemetery, courtesy of Paul Klemick

Research Sources

Archives New Zealand, Passenger Lists, 1839-1973, FamilySearch.

Catholic Diocese of Dunedin, St Mary’s Church, Milton; Baptism Register.

Godziszewo, Kłodawa & Trąbki Wielkie Parish Records, Pelplin Diocese, Poland.

New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs Naturalisations, Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Websites

Andersons Bay Cemetery – Rose Black (1858-1947) – Dunedin City Council

Allanton Cemetery – John Klass (1817-1899) – Dunedin City Council

Headstone2

John Black and Rose (nee Klass), Block 80 Plot 2 at Andersons Bay Cemetery in Dunedin

Allanton Cemetery – Pauline Klass (1821-1889) – Dunedin City Council

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compiled by Paul Klemick (2025)

 

 

Chairperson .....  Ewa Rożecka Pollard
Phone ......+64 3 477 5552
 
Secretary ..... Anna McCreath Munro
Phone ..... 021 127 4974

Facebook ..... Poles Down South 

Contact Poles Down South

7 + 5 =

Poles in New Zealand   We would like to hear from Poles or people with any Polish connection, who visited New Zealand and particularly those of you who paid a visit or lived anywhere in Otago or Southland.
....................

Polski  “Poles Down South” jest stroną internetową organizacji polonijnej w Nowej Zelandii działającej w rejonie Otago i Southland na Wyspie Południowej. Siedzibą organizacji jest Dunedin.