Judell, Leopold - I293

Leopold Jϋdell was born on 25 July 1848 in Altona, Schleswig-Holstein, the youngest son of a prominent local merchant, Wolff Jϋdell (1805-1877) and his wife Hannchen née Mendel.

The number of Jews permitted to live within the city of Hamburg was restricted, and a large community of Jews had developed in adjacent Altona, including the Jϋdell family which was of the Jewish Reform faith.

At this time several provinces of modern Germany were being united into a German Confederation with the help of aggressive Prussian occupation, and there was armed conflict in those parts of Europe where the changes were unwelcome. In 1867 control of Altona passed from Denmark to the Kingdom of Prussia.

Such turmoil and, probably, additional strain imposed on them by increased cultural discrimination, prompted Leopold’s generation of Jϋdells to emigrate from Altona. His brothers Hermann (b.1844), and Moritz Wolff (b.1847) migrated to South Australia, and other family members scattered widely to Berlin, Hanover, Vienna, Budapest and Bath in Europe, and to San Francisco and Milwaukee in the USA.

Having formally renounced his Prussian citizenship, and a few weeks before the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, 21 years old Leopold made his way to London in May where he boarded the City of Adelaide in May 1870 to join his brothers in South Australia. He had booked a second-class cabin for which he paid ₤19 sterling. The ship left Shadwell Basin in the River Thames on 24th May, called at Dartmouth and reached Port Adelaide on 18th August after a voyage of nearly three months. Throughout the journey Leopold kept a diary of each day’s events written in his native Germanic dialect. (Both his passenger ticket and his diary survive.)

He must have already known some English language, because within a few years he was writing in perfect English, including some lovely poetry.

After a short time with his brothers, Leopold worked for a branch of G & R Wills & Co, clothing merchandisers in Adelaide for two years Like the other employees he took board and lodging on the firm’s premises at the rear of the building.

In 1873 Hermann Judell returned to Germany. Leopold felt ready to enter a business partnership with Adelaide merchant Alexander Kauffman, and he became a storekeeper in Truro. In August 1920, when he celebrated his fifty years in the colony by publishing his reminiscences in a booklet, he mentioned fond memories of kangaroo hunts in pleasant company at Truro, and being lost on one of his horse-back trips to Blanchetown.

In 1877 Leopold moved to join another Jew in the firm of Levine & Judell which conducted a store at Jamestown, the thriving centre of a district newly-opened to settlers. On a visit to a little village of a few houses called Orroroo, Leopold saw its potential and bought a piece of land on which the firm L Judell & Co opened a large store in 1878. All his goods had to be transported from the railway terminus at Burra by bullock teams, and the carriage of his first shipment cost ₤800!

Subsequently, after buying his brother Moritz out of his interests in Orroroo, he set up the Commercial Hotel, and owned the stone quarries from which many of the other new town buildings were constructed. Leopold was becoming a prominent personality in the district.

Leopold had renounced his Prussian citizenship in 1870, and became a naturalized British subject of South Australia in 1878. He maintained his traditional religious convictions, although they did not survive beyond the next generation.

Leopold Judell married Rebecca Salom (1860-1931) in Palmer Place, North Adelaide on 25 February 1880. Rebecca was the eldest daughter of the prominent, wealthy importer and auctioneer Maurice Salom MLC (1832-1928) and his wife Kate née Solomon (1837-1928). The Saloms and the Solomons were also Reform Jews, and Rebecca’s bride price was 100 gold sovereigns paid in cash. Leopold and Rebecca produced six daughters and four sons (see below).

The Upper North district of South Australia was close to Goyder’s Line which had defined the edge of the salt-bush country where unreliable rainfall made it unsuitable for agriculture. Some early settlers there suffered very badly in drought years, and Leopold Judell fought hard to aid them. Although not a farmer himself, Leopold owned several farming properties, and he was an active promoter of such innovations as using the drill, superphosphate, the header and silos.

Leopold became a Justice of the Peace in 1898, and at times was required to take his place on the Magistrates Bench. He served for some years on the Education Department Board of Advice for the local area schools. He was the leading agitator for an Orroroo Water Supply and irrigation system until it was approved and built by the State Government. He was also an inaugural member and subsequent Master of the town’s Masonic Lodge.

Despite his keen interest in current affairs, including support for the Federation of the Australian colonies, he resisted consistent requests to become a politician at any level.

Leaving the management of the Jamestown shop to his eldest son Lester, and the one in Orroroo to his youngest Cedric, Leopold and his wife made a world tour for nine months in 1910, visiting Hamburg, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and America. On their return he entered semi-retirement at 16 Northgate St, Unley Park where he died after a brief illness on 5th May 1927. Rebecca passed away in 1931.

Leopold and Rebecca Judell’s ten children all started their education at the Orroroo Primary School. :

Kate Mendel Judell (1881-1961), born at Orroroo, she trained as a nurse at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital, before marrying medical student Brandon Saunders (1875-1952). They lived at Henley Beach where they had five children Margaret, Ivan, Sadie, Barbara (had a daughter Susan Paul) and Alan.

Olive Rachel Judell (1882-1943) was born in North Adelaide. She was quiet, kindly and unassertive, never married and lived with her sister Doris in a guest-house at Glenelg..

Lester Maurice Wolff Judell (1883-1976), born in North Adelaide, became a boarder at Prince Alfred College. He subsequently obtained his B Sc, and originally became a mining engineer with the Tasmanian Copper Company. Then he married Elsie Evelyn Winifred Skippen (1887-1982) and became manager of the Judell’s store at Jamestown. When this was sold to Eudunda Farmers, Lester became the owner and publisher of the local newspaper. He and Elsie had five children Lesley, Vivienne, Claire, Patricia and Maurice. They subsequently moved to live in Millswood.

Bertha Florence Judell (1885-1937), born in North Adelaide, married a farmer George Haldane Ragless (1883-1956), who developed severe arthritis and could not work. They had four children Donald, Peter, Betsy and Ross who, with their stricken father, had to be cared for by Bertha’s unmarried sisters following her early death.

Doris Hanchen Judell (1886-1949) was born in North Adelaide. She attended a business college and took a job with a tyre company on North Terrace, Adelaide. She loved parties and noisy gatherings, but never married and lived with her sister Olive at Glenelg. When Olive died, she moved in with her single-parent sister Vera at Glenelg and helped her with the boys.

Eric Hermann Judell (1888-1972) was born in North Adelaide. In trying times he had to leave school at the age of 12 or 13 to work for the firm, doing odd jobs that included unloading heavy stores. He married local girl Agnes Minna Yeates (1889-1976) in Orroroo, and they had one child David who married Judith Wigan. At the time of his brother Elias’ death at Gallipoli, Eric applied to join the AIF, but he was declared eligible only for service within Australia.

Elias Max Judell (1890-1915), who was born at Orroroo, attended Roseworthy Agricultural College at one stage. He managed a Judell’s store at Laura or Spalding from an early age, until he joined the AIF in September 1914. His unit sailed for Alexandria in February 1915, and he served in the Gallipoli campaign from May until August when he was killed by a shell on Walker’s Ridge and buried on Gallipoli.

Elsa Julie Judell (1892-1959) was born at Orroroo. She married Malcolm McRae (1891-1951) who served on the Western Front as a machine gunner during World War 1, and returned to join the South Australian civil service. They had one child Janet.

Vera Estelle Augusta Judell (1894-1976) attended Muirden’s Business College and became her father’s personal secretary. Leopold was now living in Unley Park and had a city office in Verco Buildings. Vera married Raymond Jack Last (1903-1993) who became a medical practitioner in Booleroo Centre. They had two children, John and Peter, before Ray was attracted to the Booleroo hospital matron and the marriage failed. Vera involved herself in community service, and took a job with Red Cross Transport to support herself and her two sons, who both graduated in medicine from the Adelaide University.

Cedric Leopold Judell (1897-1987) joined the Army in March 1915 and served in Alexandria, France and England. At 5 ft 3½ in he was said to have been the shortest man in the AIF. He married English girl Doris Evelyn Rider in London in August 1919, and they had two children Joan and Trevor. Cedric went back to the Orroroo store and eventually bought it. Doris disliked living in a small country town, so she and her sons remained in Adelaide. In later years Cedric and Doris gave long service to the Royal Adelaide Hospital as volunteers.