Nettie Behrens
(8 November 1898 - 7 October 1937)
When Nettie was born, she had six older brothers and two older sisters.
Nettie and her siblings did their schooling at the Doncaster State School No. 197 which was constructed c1886 at 679 Doncaster Road to replace a previous timber structure.
Nettie had a happy childhood, and grew up on the family orchard.
Nettie Behrens was born on 8 November 1898 at the family home, 800 Elgar Road, Doncaster, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She was the youngest child of German-born Frederick William Ellis Behrens (22 June 1841 - 12 June 1907) who was known as William, and his Australian-born wife, Alice Martha Powrie (5 Nov 1857 - 8 Nov 1933):
Nettie was the youngest of nine children, six boys and three girls:
- Frederick (Fred) William Behrens (29 Oct 1882 - 5 Nov 1966)
- Ellis Behrens (16 Apr 1884 - 28 Apr 1965)
- Kenward (Ken) Behrens (16 Mar 1886 - 20 July 1934)
- Otto Behrens (29 Apr 1887 - 11 Nov 1963)
- Thomas (Tom) Behrens (25 Sept 1888 - 5 Nov 1970)
- Edmund (Ed) Behrens (20 June 1890 - 21 May 1933)
- Minna Behrens (3 Oct 1893 - 7 July 1973)
- Ruth Behrens (8 July 1895 - 19 Oct 1977)
- Nettie Behrens (8 Nov 1896 - 7 Oct 1937)
When Nettie was born, she had six older brothers and two older sisters.
Nettie and her siblings did their schooling at the Doncaster State School No. 197 which was constructed c1886 at 679 Doncaster Road to replace a previous timber structure.
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| Doncaster Primary School pre 1900 Some of the Behrens children may be pictured. Photographer unknown (Photo courtesy of A & N Holman) |
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Behrens family in early 1907 just before William passed away.
Back from left: Tom, Ken, Otto, Edmund
Middle from left: William and Alice
Front, from left: Ruth, Nettie, Minna
Absent: Fred & Ellis
(Photo courtesy of K J Bland)
|
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| Ruth, Nettie & Minna Behrens c1907 Photographer unknown (Photo courtesy of K J Bland) |
When Nettie was just eight years old her father, William, died on the morning of 12 June 1907. When he was buried at the Box Hill Cemetery, Nettie's six older brothers carried their father's coffin from the horse-drawn hearse to his grave.
Nettie was employed at the Sanitarium Health Food Cafe in Melbourne. The photo below from the Australasian Record, Vol 73, No 14, 7 April 1969, page 7, dated 1924, shows Nettie in the back row, second from the left:
On 1 October 1930, Nettie was an attendant for her sister Ruth when she married Edmund Martin (dates unknown) at the Mont Albert Seventh-day Adventist Church in Melbourne.
Nettie married Donald Edwin Sonter (3 June 1900 - 8 Dec 1979) in Canterbury, Sydney, Australia in 1934. His first wife was Ila McNee (1901 - 18 Jan 1930) who died aged 28 following a short illness. It appears that neither couple had children.
The Sonters lived on Kirkham Street, Moss Vale, Eden Monaro, New South Wales. Donald worked as a farmer and Nettie was a home maker.
Nettie was very spiritual and had a deep faith in God. She had a great singing voice and was well known in church circles for it.
The early 1930s were saw Nettie saying goodbye to several family members. The first to pass away was her brother Ed who died unexpectedly on 21 May 1933, aged 42, after an unfortunate accident in which a horse kicked him in the head. The family buried Ed at the Box Hill Cemetery. Six months later, her mother, Alice, died on 8 November 1933 in Doncaster, Victoria, and was buried in the same grave as her husband, in Box Hill Cemetery, Baptist Section, Plot B-40. The following year, Nettie's brother, Ken died on 20 July 1934 from consumption (tuberculosis), aged 48. He too was buried at Box Hill Cemetery.
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| Nettie Behrens c1914 Photo by Burlington Studios, Melbourne (Photo courtesy of K J Bland) |
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| Nettie, Minna, Alice and Ruth Behrens. The photo was taken at The Burlington Studios, Burke Street, Melbourne c1914. (Photo courtesy of K J Bland) |
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| Behrens sibblings at the wedding of Charles and Minna Stafford 1914. From left: Ruth Behrens, Tom Behrens, Charlie Stafford, Minna Behrens, Ken Behrens, Nettie Behrens (seated), Fred Behrens. Photo by The Burlington Studios, 294 Bourke St, Melbourne. (Photo courtesy of K J Bland) |
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| Behrens family picnic near Warrandyke c1915 From left: Charlie Stafford, Belle & Ken, Ruth, Nettie, Alice, Leo Stafford (boy) Photographer unknown (Photo courtesy of A & N Holman) |
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Alice Behrens (centre), with three of her children.
From left: Nettie, Otto (front) and Ruth.
Date unknown, but in the 1920s.
(Photo courtesy of K J Bland) |
Nettie was employed at the Sanitarium Health Food Cafe in Melbourne. The photo below from the Australasian Record, Vol 73, No 14, 7 April 1969, page 7, dated 1924, shows Nettie in the back row, second from the left:
 |
| Nettie is pictured in the back row, second from the left. Photo from Australasian Record Vol 73, No 14, 7 April 1969, page 7 (Courtesy of K J Bland) |
On 1 October 1930, Nettie was an attendant for her sister Ruth when she married Edmund Martin (dates unknown) at the Mont Albert Seventh-day Adventist Church in Melbourne.
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| Wedding of Ruth Behrens to Edmund Martin, 1 October 1930 Mont Albert Seventh-day Adventist Church, Melbourne. From left: Edmund Behrens, Nettie Behrens, Edmund Martin & Ruth Behrens. Photographer unknown (Photo courtesy of A & N Holman) |
Nettie married Donald Edwin Sonter (3 June 1900 - 8 Dec 1979) in Canterbury, Sydney, Australia in 1934. His first wife was Ila McNee (1901 - 18 Jan 1930) who died aged 28 following a short illness. It appears that neither couple had children.
The Sonters lived on Kirkham Street, Moss Vale, Eden Monaro, New South Wales. Donald worked as a farmer and Nettie was a home maker.
Nettie was very spiritual and had a deep faith in God. She had a great singing voice and was well known in church circles for it.
The early 1930s were saw Nettie saying goodbye to several family members. The first to pass away was her brother Ed who died unexpectedly on 21 May 1933, aged 42, after an unfortunate accident in which a horse kicked him in the head. The family buried Ed at the Box Hill Cemetery. Six months later, her mother, Alice, died on 8 November 1933 in Doncaster, Victoria, and was buried in the same grave as her husband, in Box Hill Cemetery, Baptist Section, Plot B-40. The following year, Nettie's brother, Ken died on 20 July 1934 from consumption (tuberculosis), aged 48. He too was buried at Box Hill Cemetery.
Nettie died in Moss Vale, NSW, on 7 October 1937 when she was 40 years old. She had suffered from sickness for some time prior to her death. Nettie's obituary was printed in the Australasian Record 15 November 1937, p7, as follows:
SONTER. — On October 7, Sister Nettie
Sonter of Moss Vale fell asleep and was
laid to rest on the following day in the
Bowral cemetery. Sister Sonter was the
youngest daughter of Brother and Sister
Behrens of Victoria, who accepted the mes-
sage and attended the first church in North
Fitzroy fifty years ago. Our sister's faith
in Jesus was firm. She had hoped to the
last that she might be spared and be used
by God to lead others to the Saviour. Her
beautiful voice will long be remembered by
all who have heard her sing. Her husband,
four brothers, and two sisters survive to
mourn their loss, among whom is Pastor E.
Behrens of Leeton. Considerable suffering
was the lot of this child of God before
she gave up the struggle with sickness, but
through it all she manifested a wonderful
degree of fortitude and courage. She now
rests from the turmoil, strife, and pain of
this old world, awaiting the call of Him
who is the Resurrection and the Life. We
sorrow not as those that have no hope.
G. BRANSTER.
Nettie was buried at the Bowral Cemetery, New South Wales.
Donald Sonter died on 8 December 1979, in Narara, Gosford, New South Wales.
SONTER. — On October 7, Sister Nettie
Sonter of Moss Vale fell asleep and was
laid to rest on the following day in the
Bowral cemetery. Sister Sonter was the
youngest daughter of Brother and Sister
Behrens of Victoria, who accepted the mes-
sage and attended the first church in North
Fitzroy fifty years ago. Our sister's faith
in Jesus was firm. She had hoped to the
last that she might be spared and be used
by God to lead others to the Saviour. Her
beautiful voice will long be remembered by
all who have heard her sing. Her husband,
four brothers, and two sisters survive to
mourn their loss, among whom is Pastor E.
Behrens of Leeton. Considerable suffering
was the lot of this child of God before
she gave up the struggle with sickness, but
through it all she manifested a wonderful
degree of fortitude and courage. She now
rests from the turmoil, strife, and pain of
this old world, awaiting the call of Him
who is the Resurrection and the Life. We
sorrow not as those that have no hope.
G. BRANSTER.
Nettie was buried at the Bowral Cemetery, New South Wales.
Donald Sonter died on 8 December 1979, in Narara, Gosford, New South Wales.
Bibliography
Anonymous. (1930, 24 January). Mrs. Ila Sonter. The Southern Mail. 2. Retrieved from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/128544177
Anonymous. (1969, 7 April). Melbourne Sanitarium Health Food Cafe Staff, 1924. Australasian Record. 7. Retrieved from http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Periodicals/AAR/AAR19690407-V73-14.pdf
Branster, G. (1937, 15 November). Obituary. Australasian Record. 7. Retrieved from http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Periodicals/AAR/AAR19371115-V41-46.pdf
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank K J Bland for supplying family records, and photographs for this project, and also for sharing his recollections about his grandparents.
Many thanks goes to A and N Holman for sharing their years of research, and for allowing me to use many photographs from their family collection.
I would like to thank K J Bland for supplying family records, and photographs for this project, and also for sharing his recollections about his grandparents.
Many thanks goes to A and N Holman for sharing their years of research, and for allowing me to use many photographs from their family collection.
Last updated on 25 February 2018
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