Kempe, Friedrich Adolf Hermann (1844 - 1928)

Born in Deuben, Saxony, on 26 March 1844, died in Tanunda, South Australia, on 8 March 1928 (?1929).

Kempe attended school at Coschuetz, worked in a coal mine for three years, then became apprenticed to a joiner in Dresden. As a travelling artisan, he visited many foreign countries. While employed at Oldenburg on the Lueneburg Heath, he came under strong Christian influences which culminated in his remarkable conversion. Admitted into Hermannsburg Mission seminary in Dec 1870 he was ordained in Hanover on 6 May 1875.

Together with W F Schwarz and three other fellow-graduates, Kempe sailed from Hamburg on 21 July 1875 and landed at Glenelg, SA on 16 Sept. He and Schwarz then proceeded to the Northern Territory to establish a mission at the Finke River, SW of present day Alice Springs. He was based at the Hermannsburg Mission from 1877 until 1893.

In 1882 Kempe published a paper on the plants of the Finke River in which he describes some of their local uses.

During this time he sent about 600 specimens to F.Mueller, and published two papers of his own in Proc. Roy. Soc. S. Australia. His specimens are in MEL.

Sources;Extracted from: A.E.Orchard (1999) A History of Systematic Botany in Australia, in Flora of Australia Vol.1, 2nd ed., ABRS. [consult for source references]
https://sites.google.com/view/australian-dictionary-of-evang/k-l/kempe-friedrich-adolf-hermann-1844-1928
https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n2618/html/ch07.xhtml?referer=&page=19

Collecting localities for 'Kempe, F,A.H.' from AVH (2021)

Data from 897 specimens