1.VioletBate, born 1886; died 8 March 1956 in Bexley North,Sydney,NSW,Australia.1. She was the daughter of 2. RichardHenry PalmerBate and 3. EmmaSimmons. She married (1) JohnSteenPetersen 4 December 1909 in Congregational Church, Waterloo,NSW.2. He was born 30 September 1885 in Denmark as Kai Lykke Gunnar Sten Petersen3, and died 14 December 1971 in St. George District Hospital , Sydney,NSW,Australia.4. He was the son of Andreas Vilhelm Pedersen and Sofie Caroline Lemming.
More About Violet Bate:
Burial: 1956, Woronora Cemetary,Sutherland,NSW,Australia.
Education: Attended Corunna school probably until the age of 11 or 12.5
Religion: Organist at the Tilba & Corunna & Tilba Westylean Church.5
Residence: 4 December 1909, Darlinghurst6
Notes for John Steen Petersen:
only Holga, Poul and Kai ( John) survived childhood.
About 1300 A.D. it was just a very little town called Stenlase (meaning a field without stones) When the town grew up you got two parts - Stenlase-Magle (the big part) and Stenlase-Lille (lille means little). Then the big part became a town on its own called Sten Magle (big stones),so it is still named.
Steen is as the Danish Embassy told you, a name, but in the old Danish "stone" was spelled "Stein" and I suppose that Stein has changed to Steen. We dont use "ei" in words in Danish anymore, but "ee" instead of "ei".
Iknew that we descent from a little village here in Sjolland called Stenmagle.
(The story of Stenmagle is an excerpt from a letter to Elna Peterson from her cousin in Denmark whom she corresponded with regularly. It is in answer to the question of what the family name " Steen" means and where it originated. The letter was shown to Margaret Peterson by Elna in the late 1960s.)
Post card dates & addresses show that John & Poul did not go to USA till 1903 when John was 19 Y.O. therby dispelling the story that he stowed away on board a ship when he was 12 Y.O.
Postcard dated 22/7/08 from Poul in Omaha, to John in San Francisco, asking to let me know if you go to Australia. This seems to suggest that John had no firm plans, & other postcards see him in Hawaii, Fiji, possibly Auckland, & eventually Sydney.
Other postcards from Holger, Andreas,& Sophie ask John 'will you be home soon', suggesting he was much missed, as was Poul.
Postcard dated 15/8/08 to John from Poul in Omaha, saying that he does not know when he is leaving, if he leaves at all, & that he may not even come to New Zealand.
A mothers postcard to her son dated 7/3/13,enquiring about the little darlings,Elna & Owen, & wishing she could only see them once. Also wishing poul would come home.
Poul never visited Australia.
John turned up in Denmark out of the blue in 1957 appearantly unannounced according to Birthe & Anne Lise who remember his arrival clearly. One of them had to go over the street to fetch thier father from a neighbours place.
Birthe & Anne Lise recall that he came by ship & as the Suez Canal was closed he came via Cape Horn, South Africa.
Australian aunt Elna never visited Denmark.
Elsie & Bill Baker were the only ones to meet Else ,Werner , Birthe & Anne Lise in Denmark. Rae & James Doak were in Kobenhavn in the late 1970s but were unable to visit because Else & Werner were sick. Alan & Margaret Peterson finally tracked Birthe & Anne Lise down & visited them in June/July 2002 & reconnected the family.
More About John Steen Petersen:
Burial: 1971, Woronora Cemetary,Sutherland,NSW,Australia.
Christening: 29 April 1886, St. Jakobs Church, Kobenhavn, Osterbrogade 59, 2100 Kobenhsvn.7
Emigration: 1897, stowaway with older brother to U.S.A.
Home Town: Bet. 1885 - 1897, Stenmagle, Sjolland, Denmark.
Nationality: Danish
Naturalization: 22 February 1940, name spelt Peterson,ht.5ft.9.5ins.,grey eyes,tattoos on both arms.8
Occupation: Aft. 5 July 1915, painter and decorator9
Passpport: 11 December 1956, visited Denmark, Germany, Holland, Singapore.10
Probate: Unknown, executor Permanent Trustee Co11
Residence: 8 January 1908, San Francisco, U.S.A.12
