Carl Diercke (1872-1915) was the son of a famous German cartographer , Carl Diercke (Snr.) who created the Diercke Atlases. Carl Diercke (Jnr.) was married to Helene Blanche (Nellie) Parkinson. Nellie was the daughter of Richard and Phoebe Parkinson. Richard was a scientist of German/Danish origin, famous for his book, Dreissig Jahren in der Sudsee (Thirty Years in the South Seas). Phoebe was Queen Emma's sister, both of the Samoan royal family Malietoa. Together with Parkinson and Diercke they created the first commercial plantations in New Guinea in the late 1800's. The letters were written and received by Carl Diercke (Jnr.) at his plantation in Tinputz (Woskawitz) German New Guinea. In general the letters are requests for foodstuffs and sundry goods which were delivered mainly by the ship Sumatra. The family were stripped of land holdings by Australian officials after WWI because of the family's German links. Rudolf Diercke, son of Carl and Nellie Diercke, stayed in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands where he managed plantations for W.R. Carpenter & Co and later for the Catholic Church at Vunapope, East New Britain. Mr Chris Diercke, who holds the letter books, is Rudolf Diercke’s son.

Carl Diercke, Letter Book No.1 (letters-out), pp.1-41, 24 Jan 1907-22 Aug 1908

Carl Diercke, Letter Book No.2 (letters-out), pp.1-47, 11 Oct 1908-14 May 1909.

Carl Diercke, Letter Book No.3 (letters-out), pp.1-100, 13 Sep 1909-4 Jul 1910.

Letters-received by Carl Diercke, Rudolf Diercke , Helmuth Bertig et al., Nos.1-40, 1888-1964.

Letters-received by Carl Diercke, Rudolf Diercke et al., Nos.41-80, 1895-1964.

Letters re publication of English translation of Richard Parkinson’s book, Thirty Years in the South Seas, 1970-1985.

Hydrographic Office, US Navy, Emergency Reproduction of German Chart, S- Stiller Ozean, Insel Bougainville, Tinputz- & Teop Hafen, Maszstar 1:25000…, 1911.

See Finding aids for details.