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Monday, September 5, 2011

Early Residents - Gustav Larsen



Lauritz Gustav Larsen was born in Denmark in about 1836. This birth date was calculated from his death certificate, however calculating it from his naturalisation certificate suggests that he was born in about 1824. Axel Bech was Gustav’s nephew. They came to Australia in 1877 on the Hawkesbury and began a tobacconist’s business in Balmain. Gustav was naturalised in 1890.

In 1881 Axel married Mary Ann Hodgson, daughter of Joseph Hodgson, auctioneer, and Sarah Ann. Gustav never married. They all lived together, first in a brick two storey semi detached house in Darling Street, Balmain called Kronborg, and later they built a weatherboard iron roofed country cottage called Elsinore at Springwood, probably at the beginning of the 1880s.


Gustav Larsen died on 17 September at his Balmain residence from a cerebral tumour at the age of 58. He was buried in the Church of England section of Waverley Cemetery. It was reported that Axel and his family were Gustav’s only relatives in Australia. His property, valued at £2,304 1s 7d was left in trust to Mary Bech.


Bathurst Road (now Macquarie)
Elsinore would have been located
approx. opposite building in background.


Shirley Evans

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