SURNAMES & THEIR ORIGINS

NEAS (Ger). Nies. Derived from the Middle Low German word nece. Meaning: son of grandson, nephew or younger son.

SCHIEFELBEIN (Ger) schief. Meaning; crooked or slanted and bein, meaning leg. Therefore, it can be interpreted as crooked leg or one who has a crooked leg.

STEINKE (Ger) stein. Meaning: Rock or appears in many Jewish names.

WESTPHAL (Ger) west, meaning west and fal or val meaning field or plain, collectively translating to Western field or western plain. It is also a geographical surname, indicating that the original bearers were from the region of Westphalia.

Church of St. George at Gniezno

Hermann August Friedrich Ferdinand Schiefelbein (b. 1844–d. 1900) was born on 26 March 1844 at Wieleń Pomorski. He married on 2 March 1869 at Gniezno to Christina Ernestina Neas (b. 1839–d. 1925)), the daughter of Johann Michael Neas (b. abt. 1794–d. 1842) and Anna Rosina Steinke (b. abt. 1804–d. 1862). Prior to marriage Christina gave birth to a son, Carl Gustav (b. 1864–d. 1866) at Podstolice. The family born at Ostrówki; Gustav Rudolph August (b. 1869–d. 1944), Female (1872–d. 1872), at Kąkolewice; Theodore Albert (b. 1873–d. 1949). Due to the discontent of unemployment and persecution, Hermann Scheifelbein joined an exodus late 1874 for Gravesend, London where they set sail aboard the P. Dallam Tower on 21 December 1874, arriving at Wellington on 17 March 1875.

Listed aboard were Herman Schieffelbein age 30, Ernestina 32, Wilhelmina 15, Rudolph 6 and Theodore 1. The Taranaki sailed to Otago with 160 of the Dallam Tower immigrants on March 22nd. A number of passengers travelled on to Invercargill taking the ship Wanganui to Bluff. The family settled at Makarewa where the rest of the family were born being; Wilhelmina (b. 1875–d. 1899), Emily Amelia (b. 1877–d. 1952), Lena Louisa (b. 1879–d. 1903), Frederick Henry (b. 1882–d. 1948) and Christina (b. 1884–d. 1965).  Herman was naturalised as a New Zealand citizen on 30 November 1887, a labourer at Makarewa Bush.

“The Rule of the Road.—Messrs J. L. McDonald and W. B. Scandrett, J’s.P., gave their decision yesterday in the case of Fannin v. Sheffelbein, in which plaintiff claimed L 5 damages caused to his bicycle through defendant’s dray colliding with it at the corner of Kelvin and Esk streets. Mr McDonald said that he and his colleague could not take the same view of the law, and not being able to agree, had decided to nonsuit the plaintiff, no costs being allowed.” Southland Times, 21 May 1898, p2.

Herman died at Makarewa on 13 June 1900 and Christina died on 19 January 1925 and is buried with her husband at Saint John’s Cemetery in Invercargill.

“DEATHS. SHIEFFELBEIN.—At the residence of her daughter, Mrs John Williams, 199 Esk street, on Monday, January 19, 1925, Christina Shieffelbein; aged 86 years. “At Rest.” The funeral will leave 199 Esk street on Thursday, 22nd inst., at 2.30 p.m., for St. John’s Cemetery, Waikiwi. Friends, please accept this (the only) intimation. —Macdonald & Weston, Undertakers.” Southland Times, 21 January 1925, p 4

Gustav Rudolph August Schiefelbein (b. 1869–d. 1844) was born on 30 October 1869 at Ostrówki. He married in 1896 at the Riverton Courthouse to Louisa Roberts (b. 1869–d. 1940), the daughter of William Andrew Roberts and Harriet Greenwood. The family at Riverton were William Henry (b. 1897–d. 1860), Harriet Louisa (b. 1899–d. 1954), Norman Rudolph (b. 1902–d. 1971), Albert Edward (b. 1904–d. 1988), Gladys Myrtle (b. 1907–d. 1944) and Phylis Amelia (b. 1911–d. 1981).

“THE COURTS. Before G. Cruiokshank, Esq., S.M.) MONDAY, JANUARY 19th. H. F. Dencker, Inspector of Noxious Weeds, proceeded against a number of residents for failing to clear noxious weeds. Amy Brewster was fined 20s and costs 7s for failing to clear broom from her property. Rudolph Shieffelbein was convicted and fined 10s and costs 16s for a similar offence, and similarly W. Frew and H. Beer were fined 10s without costs.” West Star, 20 January 1914, p 3.

“BUSHMAN KILLED. STRUCK BY FALLING BRANCH. An unfortunate fatality occurred on Thursday last at Waipango, a township about 15 miles from Riverton, when a man named Edwin James Mann, a resident of Colac Bay, with a wife and child, was killed by a branch of a tree striking his head. Deceased was employed as a bushman at Moore’s sawmill, and he and another man had just felled a tree. Suddenly a dead bough snapped off another tree, and he was struck on the head. Deceased was taken to the Riverton Hospital in a semiconscious condition and died there at 10 p.n. on Friday. An inquest will be held. INQUEST HELD. The inquest was held yesterday afternoon at Riverton, before the District Coroner (Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M.). Mr E. B. Patrick appeared on behalf of the sawmill owners, Messrs Moore & Sons, and Mr T. O’Byrne acted on behalf of the deceased’s relatives and the union. R. Sheffelbein, who was working with deceased at the time, gave evidence as to the happening. Witness himself was hurt when the bough fell, and several stitches had to be put into his thigh. Ninian G. Trotter, a medical practitioner, of Riverton, gave evidence that deceased was removed to the Riverton Hospital in a semi-conscious condition and that he died there at 10 o’clock on Friday night. The cause of death was a fractured skull. The Coroner returned a verdict that death was caused by a fracture to the base of the skull, no blame being attachable to anyone.” Southland Times, 3 August 1925, p 6.

Louisa died on 26 April 1940 at Riverton and is buried at the Riverton Cemetery.

OBITUARY. MRS L. SHEFFELBIEN. After a life spent in constant care of her family, Mrs Louisa Shieffelbien died in Riverton after a short illness, at the residence of her son-in-law, Mr W. Nicholson, South Riverton. Mrs Shieffelbien, who was 70 years of age, was born in Riverton in 1869, and was the youngest daughter of the late Mr and Mrs W. Roberts, who at one time kept a store in the neighbourhood of the present Aparima Hotel, when the greater part of the district was all in native bush. In 1895 she was married and continued to reside in Riverton. She was the first to be married in the new Courthouse. Mrs Shieffelbien all her life took a keen interest in the Christadelphian Assembly, and was a zealous worker for the church. She recounted many interesting experiences of her early years in the district, particularly when the only means of transport across the Jacob’s river was by punt. She also started school at Mr Teuson’s in South Riverton. She is survived by all the members of her family, Mr William Shieffelbien (Dunedin), Mr Norman Shieffelbien (Fortification), Mr Albert Shieffelbien (Momona), Mrs V. Winton (Invercargill), Mrs W. Nicholson (South Riverton) and Mrs J. Fodie (Queenstown); also, her brother, Mr Roberts, and her sister, Mrs Lambert.” Southland Times, 6 May 1940, p 7.

Rudolph died on 7 May 1944 at Gore and was buried at the Gore Cemetery.

Theodore and Helen Shieffelbein with their large family, courtesy of Raelene Steer on ancestry.com

Theodore Albert Schiefelbein (b. 1873–d. 1949) was born on 1 January 1873 at Kąkolewice. He married on 4 April 1894 at Gore to Helen Mclead Craig Cook (b. 1874–d. 1852), the daughter of James Miller Cook and Helen McLeod Craig. The family born at Gore were Edward James (b. 1898–d. 1955), Harold Herman (b. 1899–d. 1862), Helen Christina (b. 1900–d. 1936), Charles Norman (b. 1901–d. 1967), Henry (b. 1902–d. 1965), James Millar (b. 1903–d. 1903), Jessie Margaret Craig (b. 1906–d. 1959), Daisy Victoria (b. 1908–d. 1979), Duncan Cook (b. 1909–d. 1980), Alma Agnes Catherine (b. 1909–d. 1983), Leonard Robert (b. 1915–d. 1965), Norman Ivan (b. 1916–d. 1966) and Dulcie Amelia Joyce (b. 1924–d. 2010). Theodore worked as a general labourer in the area and moved the family to Collingwood after the family were born around 1925.

Theodore died on 30 April 1949, and Helen died on 22 September 1952.  Both died at Invercargill and were buried at the Eastern Cemetery.

Herman August, Lena Louisa & Christina Shieffelbein, St. John’s Cemetery, Block 16 General Plot 24

Rudolph Schieffelbein, Gore Cemetery, Block 97 Plot 21

Research Sources

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

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

Budzyń, Chodzież, Gniezno, Poznań, Szamocin & Wieleń Pomorski Lutheran Parish records

Websites

Theodore (Ted) & Helen Shieffelbein, Eastern Cemetery, Block 33 General Plot 367

Eastern Cemetery – Theodore Albert (Ted) Sheiffelbein  (b. 1873–d. 1949) – FindAGrave

Gore Cemetery – Gustav Rudolph August Schieffelbein  (b. 1869–d. 1944) – FindAGrave

Saint John’s Cemetery – Christina Ernestina Shieffelbein  (b. 1839–d. 1925) – FindAGrave

Saint John’s Cemetery – Herman August Friedrich Ferdinand Shieffelbein  (b. 1844–d. 1900) – FindAGrave

Compiled by Paul Klemick (2026) still in progress

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.
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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.