Seppeltsfield; Joseph Seppelt (first generation)

The Seppeltsfield story begins with Joseph Ernst Seppelt, a merchant, who migrated to Australia with his family in 1849, from Silesia, in what is now Poland.

Joseph Seppelt was born in 1813 in Gompersdorf and moved to Wustewaltersdorf, Silesia in 1841 to conduct a business in manufacturing and selling tobacco, snuff and liqueurs. After completing his education he travelled extensively throughout Germany, Austria and Northern Italy.

Upon returning home, he entered the family business but the political and economic disturbances of the 1840s made him think of migrating to a land free of revolts and other social upheavals. He at first apparently considered going to Brazil, but decided to immigrate to Australia like other Germans were doing.

Joseph took his wife, Johanna Charlotte, his two sons, Benno & Hugo, and daughter Ottilie. He also took 13 families from his neighbourhood and a group of young men who had worked in his factory, with the hope of re-establishing the family business. The party left Hamburg on 5th September 1849 on the ship Cezar Helene and disembarked at Strode. They then took the vessel Emmy to Melbourne, where they arrived in January 1850. The ship then went on to Port Adelaide and it is unclear whether the Seppelt group disembarked there or whether they left the ship at Melbourne, and travelled overland to Adelaide. 

In 1850 the family settled at Klemzig. Whilst residing there Joseph purchased 80 acres at Golden Grove with the intentions of growing tobacco.  After discovering the area was unsuitable for such a crop he was attracted to the Barossa Valley where he and his family moved in 1851.

In February 1852, a deed was registered in Adelaide indicating that Joseph Seppelt farmer, of Seppeltsfield had purchased 158 acres of land in the Hundred of Nuriootpa from Hermann Kook, farmer of Tanunda at a £1 an acre. By this time the Seppelt family had cleared and planted their land with tobacco and wheat and had moved from Tanunda where they had lived for a short period of time. The area again proved unsuitable for the tobacco plant because, although it grew rapidly, the leaf was too strong to be used in the production of tobacco or snuff. However, because of the Victorian gold rushes, high prices were obtained for wheat and so the family had a good economic start. 

Joseph then decided to plant vines. Given his manufacturing background and knowledge of liqueur and cordial making it was not surprising that he saw the potential of making wine in the Barossa. He built a cellar and gradually explored markets for his wines until 1867 when he felt confident enough to begin the construction of a full-scale winery.

Unfortunately Joseph Seppelt did not live to see the coming to fruitation of his plans as he died on 29th January 1868 aged 55 years. Johanna Charlotte, Joseph's wife, only survived him a little over two years, dying on 13th April 1870.