As I continue researching my family history, I have been looking more closely at the final resting places of my ancestors. Cemeteries and burial records provide another way of tracing a family's journey, revealing not only where our ancestors lived and died but also the connections between generations.
My Brown family forms part of my paternal ancestry, stretching back through my grandmother, Grace Olive Brown (1885–1974), to earlier generations of the family in New South Wales and, before that, England.
The Brown family has a particularly strong connection with the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, especially Lismore. Several generations of the family lived in the district, and many are buried in its cemeteries. Over time, however, some family members moved further afield, settling in Sydney, Queensland and even Western Australia.
Looking at their burial places together provides an interesting picture of how this branch of my family gradually spread across Australia, while others remained close to the district where earlier generations had established their homes.
In this post, I have brought together the burial locations of my Brown ancestors and their siblings, beginning with the cemeteries where several family members are buried and then moving further afield. Some graves have surviving headstones, others are unmarked, and for a few ancestors the burial location remains a mystery.
East Lismore General Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales
East Lismore General Cemetery holds the graves of several members of the Brown family, including my paternal great-grandfather, Richard Joseph Brown, and a number of his siblings.
Richard Joseph Brown (1861–1947), my paternal great-grandfather, is buried in the Anglican section of the East Lismore General Cemetery, although his grave is unmarked and has no headstone. Richard was born in Lismore and lived his entire life in that town.
Several of Richard's brothers and sisters are also buried there.
His older brother, Alexander Johnson (Sandy) Brown (1849–1931), is also buried in the Anglican section of the East Lismore General Cemetery. He is buried with his wife, Margaret Jane Brown (née Bustard). Their grave has a surviving memorial.
Another sibling, Anne Caroline Penelope Edwards (née Brown) (1853–1910), is buried with her husband, Edward Hocking Edwards and grandson Robert.
Their substantial memorial, in the Non Sectarian section, provides a lasting reminder of this branch of the family and the connections between generations.
Henry Johnson Brown Jnr. (1855–1938) is also buried at East Lismore in the Presbyterian section. His grave, like Richard's, is unmarked with no headstone.
Another brother, William Norman Brown (1858–1937), is buried in the Anglican section at the East Lismore cemetery with his wife, Eliza Brown (née Cusack).
With so many members of this generation buried at East Lismore, the cemetery is particularly significant in my Brown family research. Some graves have substantial surviving memorials, while others, including that of my great-grandfather, remain unmarked.
Together, these burial places reflect the very strong connection Richard Joseph Brown and his siblings maintained with Lismore throughout their lives.
North Lismore Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales
North Lismore Cemetery is another important burial place in my Brown family history, containing the graves of two generations of the family.
My paternal 2x great-grandfather, Henry Johnson Brown (1820–1868), is buried here.
Henry was the immigrant who began my branch of the Brown family here in Australia. Born in Cumbria, England, he arrived in Australia with his sister Sarah at the age of 20 and began building a new life in New South Wales.
Sadly, his grave is unmarked, with no surviving headstone recorded in my research.
Henry was the father of my great-grandfather, Richard Joseph Brown, and is an important link in tracing the Brown family further back through the generations.
Also buried at North Lismore Cemetery is another of Henry's sons, James Irving Clark Stephenson Brown (1859–1947), my paternal great-granduncle. His grave is also unmarked.
Although neither grave has a headstone, knowing their burial locations is valuable. It establishes another connection between two generations of the family and the district in which they made their homes. It is particularly interesting that Henry, who had travelled from England to begin a new life in Australia, is buried in the same town where so many of his descendants would spend their lives.
Lismore Roman Catholic Cemetery, New South Wales
Another Brown family burial in Lismore is that of Lillian Ruth O'Donnell (née Brown) (1887–1911), my paternal grandaunt and a sister of my grandmother, Grace Olive Brown.
Lillian is buried at the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Lismore. She died in 1911, aged approximately 24 years. Her comparatively early death stands in marked contrast to the long lives of some of her siblings, particularly her sister Elsie, who lived into her nineties.
I have not yet obtained a photograph of Lillian's grave.
Wardell Cemetery, Wardell, New South Wales
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Marcella May (Marcy) Tyler (née Brown) (1892–1973), another sister of my grandmother, is buried at Wardell Cemetery.
Marcy is buried beside her husband, Alfred Loring Tyler, and their shared memorial survives.
Wardell is situated within the Northern Rivers district, adding to the concentration of Brown family burial places in this part of New South Wales. While some of Marcy's siblings eventually made their home further afield, her burial at Wardell reflects the continuing association of this generation of the family with the district.
Tintenbar Cemetery, Tintenbar, New South Wales
Sarah King (née Brown) (1822–1897) was a sister of my paternal 2x great-grandfather, Henry Johnson Brown.
She had accompanied her brother Henry when he emigrated from England to Australia, and both went on to establish their lives in New South Wales.
She is buried at Tintenbar Cemetery with her husband, Richard King.
Their substantial headstone is a particularly interesting surviving memorial from this earlier generation of the family.
Unlike the unmarked grave of her brother Henry at North Lismore, Sarah's burial place has a surviving monument.
Her grave provides yet another connection to the earliest generations of my Brown family in Australia and to the Northern Rivers district where both she and her brother settled.
Palmdale Lawn Cemetery and Memorial Park, New South Wales
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Elsie Myrtle Harris (née Brown) (1890–1982) was another of my grandmother Grace Olive Brown's sisters.
Elsie was cremated and a memorial plaque commemorates her at the Palmdale Lawn Cemetery and Memorial Park on the central coast of New South Wales. She had been living with her daughter at Booker Bay, also on the Central Coast, and her memorial is located relatively close to where she spent her last years.
The surviving memorial records her name and the years 1890–1982, together with the inscription "Peace, Perfect Peace." Elsie lived to approximately 92 years of age, in marked contrast to her sister Lillian, who died at such a young age.
The differences in their lifespans are a reminder of how varied the experiences of children born into the same family could be. Elsie's memorial also represents a different form of commemoration from the traditional cemetery graves and headstones of earlier generations.
Moorefields Methodist Cemetery, Kingsgrove, New South Wales
Eliza Duncan Gall (née Brown) (1863–1938) was a sister of my great-grandfather, Richard Joseph Brown.
She is buried at Moorefields Methodist Cemetery in Kingsgrove, Sydney, close to the family home in Lakemba. Eliza shares her burial place with her husband, Robert Gall, their daughter Janet, and Janet's husband, James Luther McClelland.
This family grave is particularly interesting because it brings together members of two generations and several different family surnames. It is a good example of how burial records can reveal connections beyond the original Brown surname, helping to piece together the wider family tree.
Eliza's burial in Sydney also reflects the movement of some members of the family away from the Lismore district during their adult lives.
Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney, New South Wales
Francis Summers Hayes (Frank) Brown (1865–1928), another brother of my great-grandfather, is buried in the Church of England section of Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney.
Francis had been living in the suburbs of Sydney for most of his adult life, and his burial at Rookwood reflects his long association with the city. Like his sister Eliza, who is buried at Moorefields, Francis was among those members of the family whose lives eventually took them away from Lismore.
I do not currently have a photograph of Frank's grave.
Gympie Cemetery, Gympie, Queensland
Gympie Cemetery is especially important to me because it is the burial place of my paternal grandmother, Grace Olive Connors (née Brown) (1885–1974).
Grace is buried beside her husband, George Connors. Her memorial records her death on 30 September 1974, and its inscription remembers her as a dear wife and mother.
Grace and George had led a rather nomadic life, working as milkers in the dairy industry in both New South Wales and southern Queensland. They eventually settled in Gympie when they were in the fifties.
Their movements reflect an aspect of family life that is not always apparent from birth, marriage and death records alone. Work and employment opportunities could take families from one district to another, sometimes resulting in quite considerable distances between relatives.
Grace's burial in Queensland, rather than in the Lismore district where so many of her Brown relatives are buried, is therefore part of the story of movement within the family.
Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland
Robert Frederick Bayley Brown (1866–1941), a younger brother of my great-grandfather Richard Joseph Brown, is buried in the War Section of Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane. Robert had served in the First World War, making him eligible for burial in this special section of the cemetery.
He had moved to Queensland around the age of 40, not long after the death of his wife, and subsequently made his home in that state.
His grave is unmarked, although its location has been identified.
Robert's burial in Brisbane is yet another example of the Brown family's connections extending beyond northern New South Wales into Queensland. It is also interesting that, although both Robert and my grandmother Grace are buried in Queensland, their final resting places are in different parts of the state, reflecting their individual movements and circumstances.
Karrakatta Cemetery, Western Australia
One of the more distant burial locations in the family belongs to John Thomas Brown (1850–1918), another brother of my great-grandfather.
John Thomas is buried at Karrakatta Cemetery in Western Australia. He had moved to Western Australia from New South Wales in his late forties, taking him a considerable distance from the Northern Rivers district where earlier generations of the family had settled.
His grave is unmarked, but its location has been identified.
Of the Australian burial places currently known to me, his is among the furthest from the family's concentration of graves around Lismore. It raises interesting questions about the circumstances that took John Thomas to Western Australia and the course his life followed there.
Burial Locations Still Unknown
Not every family history search leads to a known cemetery or surviving headstone. Several Brown family members remain without an identified burial location.
Two brothers of my great-grandfather, Richard Joseph Brown, died in early childhood:
Henry Johnson Brown (1847–1848), who died as an infant.
Elias Brown (1856–1858), who died at approximately two years of age.
Their exact burial locations have not yet been established.
The deaths of these two young children are a reminder of the difficulties faced by families during the nineteenth century. Although their lives were short, they remain part of the family's history and deserve to be remembered alongside their siblings who survived to adulthood.
There are also gaps in the earlier generation of the family.
The burial places of William Brown (born 1814), Alexander Brown (born 1816) and Ann Brown (born 1829), siblings of my 2x great-grandfather Henry Johnson Brown, remain unknown.
My research suggests that they may have remained in England, but their places and dates of death have not yet been established.
Further back still is my paternal third great-grandfather, Henry Johnson Brown (1782–1853).
His burial location has not been confirmed, although my research suggests that he may have been buried in or around Whitehaven, Cumberland, England, which was the birthplace of my 2x great grandfather and his siblings.
What These Burial Places Tell Me
When I look at the Brown family burial locations together, several interesting patterns emerge.
- The most obvious is the family's strong association with the Lismore and the surrounding Northern Rivers district of New South Wales following Henry Johnson Brown's arrival in Australia from England. Over time, however, the graves became more widely scattered. Some members of the family were buried in Sydney, others in Queensland, and one in Western Australia, reflecting the movement of individual family members away from their original home district.
- Another interesting pattern is the variety of cemetery sections in which members of the family are buried. This really surprised me! Among the burial records are Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Non Sectarian sections. This suggests different religious or denominational connections withing the extended family, although burial records alone do not necessarily tell the full story of an individual's beliefs.
- I was struck by the number of unmarked graves. At least six relatives in this collection have identified burial locations but no recorded headstone, including my great-grandfather Richard and my 2x great-grandfather Henry.
- Finally, there are those relatives whose burial places remain unknown. For some of the earlier Brown family members who may have remained in England, I have yet to establish their dates and places of death.
Remembering the Brown Family
The accompanying Brown Family Burial Places table records each relative's name, relationship to me, dates, cemetery location and additional notes, where applicable. It also identifies unmarked graves and burial locations that remain unknown.
As with all my family history research, this is a work in progress, and I hope to add further information as new records and photographs become available.
| Name of Relative | Relationship to Me | Burial Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| My paternal grandmother and her siblings | |||
| Grace Olive Connors nee Brown 1885-1974 |
Paternal Grandmother | Gympie Cemetery, Gympie, Queensland, Australia | Buried beside her husband George Connors |
| Lillian Ruth O'Donnell nee Brown 1887-1911 |
Paternal Grandaunt | Roman Catholic Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | No photo available |
| Elsie Myrtle Harris nee Brown 1890-1982 |
Paternal Grandaunt | Palmdale Lawn Cemetery & Memorial Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | Buried at a cemetery close to Booker Bay where Elsie had been living with her daughter |
| Marcella May (Marcy) Tyler nee Brown 1892-1973 |
Paternal Grandaunt | Wardell Cemetery, Wardell, New South Wales, Australia | Buried beside her husband Alfred Loring Tyler |
| My paternal great-grandfather and his siblings | |||
| Richard Joseph Brown 1861-1947 |
Paternal Great-Grandfather | East Lismore General Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | Unmarked burial plot – no headstone |
| Henry Johnson Brown 1847-1848 |
Paternal Great-Granduncle | Burial location unknown | No photo available |
| Alexander Johnson (Sandy) Brown 1849-1931 |
Paternal Great-Granduncle | East Lismore General Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | Buried with wife Margaret Jane Brown nee Bustard. |
| John Thomas Brown 1850-1918 |
Paternal Great-Granduncle | Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Karrakatta, Western Australia, Australia | Unmarked burial plot – no headstone. Had moved to Western Australia in his late 40s. |
| Anne Caroline Penelope Edwards nee Brown 1853-1910 |
Paternal Great-Grandaunt | East Lismore General Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | Buried with husband Edward Hocking Edwards in a plot with quite a substantial monument. |
| Henry Johnson Brown 1855-1938 |
Paternal Great-Granduncle | East Lismore General Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | Unmarked burial plot – no headstone. |
| Elias Brown 1856-1858 |
Paternal Great-Granduncle | Burial location unknown | No photo available. |
| William Norman Brown 1858-1937 |
Paternal Great-Granduncle | East Lismore General Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | Buried with wife Eliza Brown nee Cusack. |
| James Irving Clark Stephenson Brown 1859-1947 |
Paternal Great-Granduncle | North Lismore Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | Unmarked burial plot - no headstone. |
| Eliza Duncan Gall nee Brown 1863-1938 |
Paternal Great-Grandaunt | Moorefields Methodist Cemetery, Kingsgrove, New South Wales, Australia | Buried with husband Robert Gall, daughter Janet and her husband James Luther McClelland. |
| Francis Summers Hayes (Frank) Brown 1865-1928 |
Paternal Great-Granduncle | Church of England Cemetery, Rookwood, New South Wales, Australia | No photo available. |
| Robert Frederick Bayley Brown 1866-1941 |
Paternal Great-Granduncle | War Section, Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Unmarked burial plot – no headstone. Robert had moved to Queensland around the age of 40, not long after the death of his wife. He served in WW1. |
| My paternal 2x great-grandfather | |||
| Henry Johnson Brown 1820-1868 |
Paternal Great Great-grandfather | North Lismore Cemetery, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | Unmarked burial plot – no headstone |
| William Brown 1814- |
Paternal 2nd Great-Granduncle | Burial Location Unknown. | No photo available |
| Alexander Brown 1816- |
Paternal 2nd Great-Granduncle | Burial Location Unknown. | No photo available |
| Sarah King nee Brown 1822-1897 |
Paternal 2nd Great-Grandaunt | Tintenbar Cemetery, Tintenbar, New South Wales, Australia | Buried with her husband Richard King in a burial plot with quite a substantial monument |
| Ann Brown 1829- |
Paternal 2nd Great-Grandaunt | Burial Location Unknown | No photo available |
| My paternal 3x great-grandfather | |||
| Henry Johnson Brown 1782-1853 |
Paternal Great Great Great-Grandfather | Burial Location Unknown – Likely in Whitehaven, Cumberland, England | No photo available |
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