Wendish Heritage Society of Australia
Our Society exists to collect, preserve and research Wendish and German family history, culture and heritage. All who share this heritage by birth, marriage or simply by common interest are welcome to join.
Current Featured Content
Worldwide Wendish Connection
Our mission is to connect the Wendish (Sorbian) people and their descendents around the globe through a variety of methods not least of which is basic information.
The Wends of Texas
An early examination, in chronological sequence, of the circumstances and events in the lives of the little known Texas pioneers, the Wends. The inclusion of an Appendix comprising the names and other information concerning the Wendish passengers who set sail in 1854 to find a new way of...
Women in Wendish Booth
Photograph of Emma Wuensche (left) and Mary Schimank, standing in the Wendish Gallery booth, at the second annual Texas Folklife Festival. The booth is sponsored by the Wendish Culture Club; one woman is holding a piece of wood that says, “Texas Wends 1854-1973.” Lace doilies for sale are...
Woman Preparing Wendish Noodles
Photograph of a woman making Wendish noodles at the Texas Folklife Festival. She is wearing a bonnet, sunglasses, a shawl, and a checkered skirt. She is scooping up some noodles out of a large pot in front of her. Other pots and pans are also visible on the...
Touring the Wendish Homeland
In the region of Schleife, which consists of the villages of Schleife (Slepo), Rohne (Rowno), Mulkwitz (Mulkecy), Mühlrose (Miloraz), Trebendorf (Trjebin), Halbendorf (Brězowka), and Groß Düben (Dźewin), the Advent season tradition of the gift-giving Christkind (dźěćetko) is kept alive. According to the tradition, a young woman who will...
Wendish Communities Fedor – Part I
The early names for the Fedor community were Bluff Creek, Moab, and West Yegua (YEHwah). Yegua is the Spanish name for mare and became the name for a creek. The name change to Fedor began when August Polnick, an early Wendish settler, decided to move to Thorndale, and...
Johann Kilian’s Call
Following is the text of Rev. Johann Kilian’s Call to serve as pastor for the group of Wends that emigrated on the Ben Nevis in 1854. The original document is located in the archives of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Serbin, Texas and a typed copy is included with...
The Wends at Thorndale and Noack
The Wendish road to Thorndale first led to Hochkirch, or Noack, as it is called today. The distance separating the two communities is about 9 miles. On September 21, 1871, 7 years before Thorndale even existed, Peter Zieschang purchased 440 acres of land on Brushy Creek in southern...
Johann Kilian Bio
Johann Kilian (1811-1884) & Maria Groeschel (1823-1881) Portrait Family Tree