Currently, there are Schorbacks in Australia, mainly in the Wimmera and through to Melbourne. There are also descendants still residing near Jänschwalde in Germany and others in Maryland, USA. All Schorbacks likely originate from the ancestral German populations.

August Schorback at home in Williamstown.

Blazon of Arms: Azure, a pillar argent, on a terrace vert, encircled by a garland of roses.
Crest: A rose gules.
Symbolism: Argent - (Ar'-jent) White or silver. It represents purity, innocence, beauty and gentleness. Azure - A bright blue color which represents truth and loyalty. Pillar - Fortitude and constancy. Rose - The rose, which is popular in English heraldry, is usually shown singly and full-faced, with five petals, barbs and seeds. Red roses signify grace and beauty; Vert -The colour green. Represents the qualities of hope, joy and loyalty in love.

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They travelled from Germany aboard the barque 'Ohio' (450 tons) under master Herman Reuges. The ship had 3 masts in which the foremast and mainmast were square-rigged. The cabin passengers had paid a larger fare and travelled in ‘first class’ conditions. The Schorback’s and Selenka's travelled as ‘intermediate passengers’ and would have been subject to meagre accommodations that were decidedly more cramped. Food consisting of salted pork, flour, sugar, pickled fish and sauerkraut were rationed out to the travellers. This food was likely prepared in the galley by the mothers, where it was likely cold by the time it was returned to the family to be eaten. The berth where they stayed was likely constructed of plain wood that included no room for storage or belongings. Most belongings were stored in the ships hold which was only able to be accessed a few times during the trip. Toilet facilities and personal washing were limited on ships of this time. Freshwater was too precious to be used for anything other than drinking. The water used for washing and the toilet must have come from the ocean. Washing was likely done with a sponge and bucket filled with a long rope over the side. They arrived in Adelaide, Australia on 3 Feb 1858. The passenger list on on the 'Ohio' is the only recorded usage of the middle initial 'K', for Martin Schorback. The Trove Newspaper contains the record of 6 Schorbacks having arrived in Port Adelaide:  The South Australian Register, 4 Feb, 1858. Page 2.  Martin Schorback and family promptly left Port Adelaide and began farming land outside of Katyil, in North-Western Victoria.

By George French Angas - Port Adelaide 1846, held at the State Library of South Australia, Public Domain, 

A common barque of that time

Martin Schorback (1828) at the age of 30 and Anna Schorback nee Sellenka (28yrs) and their 4 daughters; Louise, Anna, Maria and Lisa (and Anna’s parents and brother) left their life in Jänschwalde to travel to Australia. Departing on the 22 Sep 1857 from Bremen, Germany. The hazards faced on this trip from Germany to Australia were probably not well understood by those departing. Least of all the arduous nature of the journey considering their youngest daughter Lisa who was only 1 year old. A return home was beyond all reasonable expectations at that time, and it also took an entire year to even send a letter and receive a response. When the formalities of acceptance by the Prussian authorities as an eligible immigrant were completed there must have been feelings of both excitement and sadness. Martin would be leaving his brother and father behind, likely never to see them again. The move would have been one that wasn’t taken lightly. Martin and his family would have left everything that they had known, where the Schorback family had lived for centuries. They were moving to another largely unknown country fated to never see his friends or family again.

Cottbus historians point to some reasons for such a dramatic move that link closely to the world’s first global economic crisis. The effects of the crisis in the USA were so wide-spread that the effects were felt in the farming community of Jänschwalde. In August 1857 the world’s economic climate took a dramatic nosedive. Only 8 of the 20 spinning mills in Cottbus had survived the period, making it difficult to make a living from wool farming. We can also understand the difficulties this created for Martin as a tailor. The 30-thaler interest rate in Cottbus and the funding of loans gave some financial relief, but most people found the going hard. The recent brown coal mining, initially a support for small businesses, gave some relief (Coal remains an important industry in Cottbus today). Thus, the turning point of the crisis could be initiated and the economy could begin to recover. The previous few years to Martin leaving also saw him suffer the loss of his 2-month-old son also named Martin and the death of his mother (Maria Groch), Although we can’t say for sure what the real reason was, the Schorback family had made their decision to move.
Between 1838 and 1855 many Lutherans immigrated to Australia. Eighteenth-century immigrants were overwhelmingly from the Lutheran and Reformed churches, although a small number belonged to churches in the Anabaptist tradition (the Moravians, Amish, and Mennonites).This also coincided with a large number of Germans also immigrating into Amercia in the 'second wave' since the first colonial times. No doubt having heard of favourable reports from previous settlers. Surely reports of fertile soil and weather consisting of mild winters would have been appealing when compared to the miserable winters of Prussia.  Probably more pronounced motivations to leave the fatherland included a want to avoid the miliatery draft, and get under the heel of marriage restrictions. More than a few Germans left to avoid the ever-increasing sophistication of the Prussian state and its military draft. Some also left to marry— some German states required ownership of a certain amount of property before a couple could marry, so some simply emigrated to avoid this obstacle.

One of the primary destinations with Port Adelaide, where the Schorback forebears arrived (along with many other Prussians).  Luckily the Germans are an excellent record keeping people, and upon arriving formed a number of orgnisations, particularly churches, where good records exist, even when shipping records in Australia at that time were not well kept. A Lutheran Pastor August Kavel from Berlin and George Angas, a Baptist from Northumberland in the UK were key figures in the mass migrations of Prussians to South Australia.  In 1834 the British parliament approved a colony in South Australia, appointing George as Commissioner. He had formed a company that purchased land for 12 shillings an acre. In 1836 he met August Kavel and was sympathetic to the plight of Kavel’s congregation. George saw the Prussians as hard-working, God-fearing and, therefore, the ideal settlers. As he had commercial interests in the area he forwarded 8,000 pounds of his own money to expedite the immigration (a significant investment for that time!)
The Schorbacks and Sellenka’s left Jänschwalde and would have probably made their way across the Oder river where they would have boarded a river barge to commence their 3-week journey to Bremen. Before boarding, they would have prayed with a pastor, who probably hadn’t the vaguest idea of what they were about to endure either.

Most of these German immigrants, no matter their religious affiliation, were farmers or worked in industries, like blacksmithing or cooperage, that supported agricultural life. In addition to adjusting to new circumstances and neighbors, these immigrants had to hew their farms out of the wilderness.

I have attached a clip showing Jänschwalde and surrounding countryside as it is today. Just trying to show the small quiet nature of the township, and beauty of the old buildings. The Powerplant at the start of the clip is still a key industry for the village. The last building, shown as 'residence' in the clip, shows the old Schorback farmhouse, which has now been converted into apartment housing.  All video credit again goes to Norbert who has been a font of information on all things Jänschwalde.

Below are photos from the Wendishe Fastnacht that has been celebrated for 180 years. It is from the villiage Werben and shows that the emmigrants from those villliages are still remembered.

Thanks to Norbert Zech for the following: The entries in the textbook for Anna and Louise Schorback (two of Martin's daughters) showing that they have emigrated to Australia.

Martin Schorback (1828)  it seems was an exceptional student. Very clever when compared to his peers. From my reading 1s and 2s are excellent scores. Students were assessed on 

1. Diligence

2. School attendance (whether the school was regularly attended)

3.Gaining knowledge and skills

(learned knowledge, wisdom)

4. Amounts / Behaviour

5. Knowledge and behaviour acquired at the end of school

Martin Schorback Grades

1. -2-
2. -2-
3. -1-
4. -1+ -
5. -2-

Anna Sellenk Grades

1.   -1-
2. -3-
3. -4-
4. -2-
5. -4-

Pastor Kavel brought many Germans to South Australia.

Related Surnames 
Martin and Anna’s 4 daughters went on to marry. 

• Louise married Martin Pumpa,
• Anna (Annie) married Carl August (August) Drendel
• Maria married Johann Kruger
• Elizabeth (Lisa) married Fredrich Pumpa

Once in South Australia

• Johann FW Schorback married Anna Maria Drendel (from marriage #2)
• Caroline married Johann G Janetzki
• Christine married Johannes Miller
• Carl (August) married Johanna Matuschka
• Johann G married Lydia Adler
• Auguste did not marry

Two babies Martin and Pauline died as babies.

Other surnames included in this family tree are: Schorback, Matuschka, Janetzki, Richards, Sonntag, Schwartz, Bell, Flavel

For the Schorback's Jänschwalde is the Heimat, that is the German name fo the 'home villiage. It is the place when Schorback's have resided for centuries.

Jänschwalde was settled in the 13th century. The Sorbian name of the probable first settler was Jansojc, which translates to Jänsch relatives in German. The settled place at this time was swamp and forest, part of Spreewald country. The township sat above the swampy Malx lowlands on a sandy island.   In 1346 Jänschwalde is mentioned in the so-called Meissen register as Kirchdorf, which had to pay 3 Groschen church tax to the diocese. The church was already established at this time, having been a log cabin, larger than a normal sized house with a thatched roof. The oldest bell named 'Maria' is said to date from the 15th century. The houses used large boulders as the foundation, and were compriced of logs with thatched rooves. The swampy land prevented the digging of cellars, as they would fill with ground water.

In 1700, a protocol from the Office of Peitz states: "Jänschwalde has 1 Schulze, a Krüger, 3 farmers, but including 1 desert, 12 Kossät and 2 Büdtner". After the Thirty Years' War, 7 farmsteads were abandoned and 2 burned down.

Up until present times, there were 6 larger and smaller ponds, the excaving of which was used to raise the main street, cemetary, church and the surrounding courtyards. In 1789 the Malx quarry was drained and the deforestation of the Broken Forrest  created more farming land. In the following years this saw the farming community expand to 80 farmsteads in the 19th century. The current church was built between 1806 and 1807,  Then the war years 1806 - 1815 came with much soldier lodging, governments, contributions and pressures of fühurerprinzip. In 1854, to make matters worse, 10 farms burned down in the village. 

More information on the German History can be found on the History Page

What has become known as ‘The Schorback Legend’ is referencing the German royal ancestry that is present in the bloodlines. The rumour, as it stands is not as noble as it might sound. A servant or maid from the royal family had fallen pregnant to one of the princes, possibly prince Frederick of the time. Prior to the unification of Germany, it was comprised of many small kingdoms and duchies. This may lend some possiblity to the idea, given that the royal link could come from a small region, rather than the 'Prince of Germany'. A map  of the the regions of Germany before unification shows many small pockets of rulership, and the rather disorganised system of kingdom division that existed. Although the map does show that Prussia was the most powerful and dominant region of that time

Upon researching the family tree, there is a curious bit of information that has been uncovered. Martin Schorback (1828), was born on the same day that his parents Hans Schorback and Maria Grochs were married. Needless to say, this would have been quite a busy day in these ancestral times of 1828. On the birth certificate, both Hans and Maria are listed as the parents, although the marriage document has the words ‘step-father’ listed. This could point to Hans (b: 1804) not being the biological father of Martin (b:1828).  The Schorback Legend remains a story that has passed through the generations. Although much doubt could be cast across the story these are some peculiarities that have been discovered.

Credit to Crista for the following:
HANS SCHORBACK´s death entry of 1835 in the original church book image, these words are really important. "Ob der Verstorbene einen Gatten und majorenne oder minorenne Kinder hinterlassen hat“ (If the deceased has left behind a spouse and children of or under age). The entry in Suetterlin writing is this: "Wittwe und 4 majorenne Kinder von welchen das älteste vor der geschlossenen Ehe und die anderen aber in der Ehe erzeugt.“ Translates as „Widow and 4 children of age of which the eldest was begatted before the marriage took place and the others within the marriage/ in wedlock“. Thinking about the text of the entry produces questions. Martin. was born on the day of his parents´ marriage in September 1828, but begatted before marriage. So, he is the eldest child referred to in the entry? Seems so. Hans can be his father, but just as well could not. If not the biological father, this may link up with your Royal Legend, Maria SCHORBACK, nee GROCH, would be the maid who had fallen pregnant to a Prussian prince?

Below I have included a painting of the Spreewalde, which is where Janschwalde is located. The painting was done by a 90 year old man 'Selleng' most certainly a decendant and relative of the Sellenks. This is his painting as it currently sits on my wall