Where They Rest - The Burial Places Of My Brown Family

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 did move further afield, settling in Sydney, Queensland and even Western Australia.

Looking at these Brown family burial places together provides an interesting picture of how some from this branch of my family gradually spread across Australia, while so many remained close to the district where earlier generations had established their homes.

In this post, I have only brought together the burial locations of my direct Brown ancestors and their siblings.  I begin with the cemeteries where many family members are buried and then move 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 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 his brother Richard's, is unmarked with no headstone. 

Henry was one of several members of the family to bear the name Henry Johnson Brown, a name passed down through successive generations.

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. This burial place reflects the very strong connection Richard Joseph Brown and some of 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

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

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) and provides one of the closest connections between these earlier generations and my own family history.

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

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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

Spotlight On ... An Heirloom Ring, An Old House and Four Generations of Lismore Women

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, women’s names could easily disappear from the public record. Official documents often listed them only as “wife of” or “daughter of”, and many everyday details of their lives went unrecorded. That’s why small newspaper items — wedding notices, social snippets, obituaries and human-interest stories — are so precious.  

Finding these written words is like finding treasure!  During my family tree research, I discovered a handful of such clippings that not only named a group of women related to each other (and to me), but described their homes, their work, and even the jewellery they wore. Together, these newspaper clippings allowed me to follow an unbroken female line across four generations of the same family located in Lismore, New South Wales.

Our common ancestors are:  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

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When Peggy Eleanor Fraser (my paternal 3rd cousin once removed) walked up the aisle of St Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Lismore to marry Lawrence Harold Stumbles, the local newspaper - The Northern Star - published a short article that made a point about her “something old”, highlighting the fact that Peggy wore a wedding ring that had once belonged to her great-grandmother.

That small circle of gold linked four generations of Lismore women:

• Peggy Stumbles née Fraser   1924 - 2004

• her mother, Minnie Isabel Fraser née Atkin   1885 - 1962   

• her grandmother, Eleanor Jane Atkin née Jones    1863 - 1957   

• and her great-grandmother, Harriet Jones nee Lancaster-Exton (later Harriet Brown)    1833 - 1915

Their lives can be traced through a series of Northern Star newspaper items, each one adding more valuable detail about this family line on my family tree.  

Let's begin with the great grandmother mentioned in the article  ...

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Harriet Jones née Lancaster-Exton 
– the pioneer matriarch

(my paternal 2nd great-grandaunt)

After emigrating in 1844 from Lincolnshire in England to the Richmond District in New South Wales, Australia as a child with her "parents" James Exton and Susannah Lancaster, she spent about seventy-seven years in the area.

There is no definitive evidence that James was her father as her baptism record identified her as "illegitimate", and her mother's name was listed as "Harriet", not Susannah.  It's likely that Susannah was indeed her biological mother, but did not want her name on the record.  Whatever the circumstances of her birth, Harriet became the child of James and Susannah, and they were listed as her parents on her immigration record.

A few months before her fifteenth birthday, she married convict John Jones, with whom she had nine children. After his death she later married Henry George Brown, and had two more children. 

A detailed feature on the Exton family, printed in the Northern Star in 1995, adds rich context to Eleanor's life.

• Harriet's working life centred on sheep stations during her early teenage years, where she worked alongside her parents.  

• In 1860, thirteen years after her first marriage, her husband John Jones built a home for his growing family on the bank of the Richmond River at North Lismore, near what later became Arthur Park. 

• That house, lined with cedar panels and a teak floor, was known as 'Lochiel Cottage' at that time.

• From this home base, Harriet worked as a midwife for the surrounding countryside, riding out on horseback to attend women in labour.

• The Jones home later became known as 'Lochiel Hospital', a private and maternity hospital.  Significantly, the tradition of caring for local mothers and babies was carried on by her daughter and granddaughter at 'Lochiel' until 1927.

A much later clipping, written in 1981, when a reunion was being organised for people born in the house, confirms that 'Lochiel' operated as a private and maternity hospital between 1911 and 1927.

This Northern Star newspaper item explains 

• that Mrs Jones (Eleanor) “became the midwife for the surrounding countryside, making many of her visits on horseback,” 

• and that one of her daughters (Minnie) married Joseph Atkin, continuing the family’s involvement in the hospital.

The item goes on to explain that the house is now owned by Mrs. Fraser (Peggy) of Brisbane.  While mention is made that Mrs. Fraser's late husband was "a descendant of the Atkins", this was not correct.  It was Peggy who was a direct descendant of the Atkins - her grandmother Eleanor had married an Atkin, and her mother Minnie's maiden name was Atkin.

Returning to the matriarch of the family, Harriet, her long life is described in her 1915 obituary in the Northern Star. It describes her as one of the oldest links with Lismore’s past history. 

Her obituary notes:

• She passed away at the home of her daughter Mrs Joseph Atkin (Eleanor Jane Atkin nee Jones) in North Lismore, the same daughter who continued her midwifery and nursing tradition at 'Lochiel'.  

• By the time Harriet died in her late eighties, she had nearly 200 descendants – children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren – and was remembered for her bravery and hard work during the earliest days of settlement.

Through these articles we see Harriet not only as a pioneering settler, but as the founding figure in a three-generation line of local midwives and nurses.  Even in 1981, when the reunion at 'Lochiel' was announced, Harriet's legacy was still visible.  One of the prized objects to be displayed was the hospital's first admission book.  Harriet's home, and her life's work, had become recognised as an important part of Lismore's heritage.

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Eleanor Jane Atkin née Jones 
– “Mrs J. Atkin” of North Lismore

(my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed)

Eleanor - whose name sometimes appears in the records as Elena - was one of Harriet's daughters, and known to family and friends as 'Lena'.

It is easy to imagine that at some point that treasured wedding ring of Harriet’s passed to this daughter Eleanor, and then further down the line.

A short family notice from and edition of the Northern Star published in February 1882 records Eleanor's marriage:

This tiny notice tells us several important things:

• Eleanor / Elena married Joseph Atkin in 1882, when she was 19 years old.
• The ceremony was held at her mother Harriet's home (Lochiel) in North Lismore - the cedar house where Eleanor had grown up.
• Eleanor's father, John Jones, was deceased by the time of her marriage.

Eleanor and her husband Joseph bought and lived in Eleanor's parents' home, 'Lochiel' during their married life, and both Eleanor and her daughter used this home as both a private and a maternity hospital between 1911 and 1927.

In 1932, the Northern Star reported the golden wedding of Mr and Mrs J. Atkins of North Lismore - the surname was incorrectly recorded as 'Atkins' when it should have read 'Atkin'.

The article tells us that:

• The bride (Mrs Atkin) was 68 years old.

• She was a daughter of the late Mr and Mrs John Jones.

• The celebration took place at their home “Lochiel” in North Lismore, confirming that Eleanor remained closely connected to this remarkable house.

• Although the article states that 'Lochiel' was built by Eleanor's brother Oliver Jones, this was of course not correct.  The home had originally been built by Eleanor's father, John Jones, was 72 years old and had remained in the family.

This 1932 article included a photo of 'Lochiel', looking a little different to the photo later published in 1981.  Obviously things changed over the years and the house developed with the generations.

In 1949, an article title "Pioneer Family" shows Eleanor now 85, described as a well-known pioneer and trained nurse, sitting with three generations of her descendants.  

The photograph features:

• Mrs J. Atkin - Eleanor Jane Atkin nee Jones - (on the right)

• Mrs S. Fraser - Minnie Isabel Fraser nee Atkin - (on the left);

• Mrs Stumbles (incorrectly recorded as Stimbles) - Peggy Eleanor Stumbles nee Fraser - (in the middle);

• and baby Janette Stumbles, the youngest member of the line.

Together these notices show Eleanor's journey from her 1882 wedding at her family home, through decades of nursing and midwifery at 'Lochiel', to her later years as a respected "pioneer" of North Lismore, continuing her mother's tradition of caring for local families.

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Minnie Isabel Fraser née Atkin 
– the bridge between generations

(my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

The “Pioneer Family” caption names Eleanor’s daughter as Mrs S. Fraser. This is Minnie Isabel Atkin, who married Alexander “Sandy” Fraser.

Peggy’s wedding report later identifies her as “a daughter of Mrs M. Fraser and the late Mr Sandy Fraser, of Terania Street, North Lismore.” 

That tells us:

• Minnie is Peggy’s mother.

• Sandy Fraser had died by the time of Peggy’s marriage.

• The Fraser family were firmly settled in North Lismore.

Minnie was the granddaughter of immigrant matriarch Harriet, daughter of the pioneering nurse Eleanor, mother of the modern young bride Peggy,and grandmother of the baby Janette . 

Given the wording of Peggy’s wedding notice, Minnie was almost certainly the custodian of Harriet’s wedding ring, passing it on to her daughter on the day of her marriage.

Minnie also appears to have been the custodian of the family home 'Lochiel', as the 1981 article notes that the house was then owned by Mrs Fraser of Brisbane, showing that the family connection to Harriet’s old home continued well into the twentieth century.

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Peggy Eleanor Stumbles née Fraser 
– the heirloom ring bearer

(my paternal 3rd cousin once removed)

The wedding notice for Peggy Eleanor Fraser and Lawrence Harold Stumbles supplies the final link.

From it we learn that:

• The ceremony took place at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Lismore.

• Peggy was given away by her eldest brother, Mr Ian Fraser.

• She wore a gown of white lace over satin with a coronet of frangipani, and

• as her “something old”, Peggy wore a wedding ring which had belonged to her great-grandmother.

Family knowledge identifies that great-grandmother as Harriet Jones nee Lancaster-Exton.

A few years later, in that "Pioneer Family" photograph, Peggy appears again - this time as Mrs. Stumbles (incorrectly spelt as Stimbles in the article), holding her baby girl Janette.  Her mother Minnie and grandmother Eleanor sit beside her, while Harriet's memory is present in the background, symbolised in the heirloom ring.

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Why these clippings matter

In eras when many women’s stories were rarely written down, these brief newspaper items are extraordinary gifts. They give me more than just names and dates; they preserve addresses, occupations, ages, and valuable human details — a house called 'Lochiel' on the riverbank, lined with cedar and teak; a lifetime of nursing and midwifery; a wedding held in a family home which could possibly have been the oldest house in Lismore; a ring passed from pioneer great grandmother to modern bride.

Because of these scattered lines of print, I can follow the female line from Harriet to Eleanor, to Minnie, to Peggy.  In doing so, I can restore these amazing women to the centre of their own story — exactly where they belong.

Special Note to any family members:  

If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, or perhaps corrections that need to be made, can I graciously ask that you do so by either using the comments box below or email me via the contact form at the top of my blog.  

The Story of Mary Ann Catherine Davies / Memories ... August 24

This post tells the story of my paternal great-granduncle's wife, Mary Ann Catherine Davies (1866 - 1941).

We do not have common ancestors, obviously, as our relationship is through her marriage. We do, however, have something else in common: our birthplace, and this is the reason I'm adding her story to my family tree blog. 

Mary Ann is the first person I've found on my father's side of the family tree actually born in the same area as myself (and my brother). On my mother's side, the O'Donnell / McCane side, there are many relatives born near or in Bowen - aunts, uncles, cousins. My father's side of the family tree, however, has roots deep in southern Queensland and New South Wales, so discovering that someone on my father's side also comes from north Queensland has been a total surprise.

I'm publishing her story on the anniversary of her birth.

Anniversary of a Birthday

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page) 

Some family member's stories begin in the most rough and tough, unexpected places.  Mary Ann's life began on the banks of the Don River, near Bowen, Queensland, during the very early days of settlement in that region.  Her story is one of pioneering courage, resilience, and the enduring strength of family - a story that bridges the very first European settlements in northern Queensland to the rich family networks of New South Wales.

Roots in Early Bowen

One of the earliest photos of Bowen - taken in 1867.
The photo shows the main street and the port.

• According to her birth certificate, Mary Ann Catherine Davies was born on 27 August 1866, at “Don River near Bowen,” a reflection of her father’s occupation and lifestyle at the time. 

• Her father, John Davies (sometimes spelt Davis), was a bushman—a rugged rural labourer tied to the pastoral industry, living a self-reliant and often itinerant life. Her mother, Jane Jenkins McNeill, was one of the brave young women who journeyed to Australia seeking opportunity. Jane arrived in December 1861 aboard the ship 'Persia', the first immigrant vessel to arrive at Port Curtis (later Gladstone), at just 16 years old. She was among a small group of over 100 immigrants from Ireland and England, travelling as a single woman to find work as a domestic servant.

• Mary Ann was the second-born child of John and Jane, although their first-born sadly died soon after birth. Over the years, Mary Ann would have at least ten siblings, giving her a bustling, hand-to-mouth early childhood. The family most likely lived in tents or shacks by the Don River, as Bowen’s settlement was still in its infancy. By the time Mary Ann was born, Bowen’s population had grown to about 1,000, with cleared tracks serving as streets and the area beginning to establish itself as a hub for northern pastoral activity.

• Around the age of 10 or 11, Mary Ann’s family relocated to northern New South Wales, where her younger siblings were born, giving the family a slightly more stable environment as she approached adolescence.

Marriage and Family Life

• In December of 1882, aged 16 years, Mary Ann married my paternal great-granduncle, James Cusack,  who was 25 at the time. Permission to marry had to be given by Mary Ann's father, as she was under the age of 21. The marriage took place at her parents’ home in Lismore, New South Wales, suggesting that by then her family were enjoying a more comfortable lifestyle. 

Marriage Notice
The Northern Star Wed 3 Jan 1883 p2

• Mary Ann had married into a large, well-known Lismore pioneering family, highly respected in the area. There would have been some prestige associated to the union with the Cusack family. After the wedding, Mary Ann and James initially established their own household in Lismore, later moving to the Murwillumbah area, and then Byron Bay.

• Together, Mary Ann and James had thirteen children:

1. Florence Edith Cusack (1884–1889) – died at age 5

2. William Hugh Fay Cusack (1885–1933) – married Mabel Hicks in 1906

3. Jane Lillian Cusack (1887–1941) - never married

4. James Herbert Cusack (1889–1954) – served in WW1 1916-1919, married Edith Annie Grinstead in London in 1919

5. Alice May Grace Cusack (1891–1961) – married William J. Daly

6. Harold John Charles Cusack (1895–1942, twin) – served in WW1 - married Maud Mabel McDermott in 1917

7. Eliza Violet Cusack (1895–1961, twin) - married Alexander S. Forster in 1918

8. Ernest Thomas Stanley Cusack (1897–1919) – served in WW1, died of influenza while on leave from the front in London, England

9. Charlotte Bertha Cusack (1899–1971) – married Francis Sydney Busine in 1917

10. Marie Olive Cusack (1902–1965) – married Lewis Wooldridge in 1925

11. Eva Doris Ethel Cusack (1904–1966) – married James W. Milgate in 1926

12. Wilfred Harold George Cusack (1906–1978) – married Evangeline Grace Davidson in 1942

13. Mabel Eunice Susan Cusack (1910–1985) – married Harold R. Armfield in 1930

• Mary Ann’s early years as a mother were marked by both joy and sorrow. Her first-born, Florence, passed away at just five years old while Mary Ann was pregnant with her fourth child—a poignant reminder of the challenges families faced in that era.

Mary Ann Catherine Cusack nee Davies
- pictured later in her life.
Date of photo unknown.
(photo shared by Holmes_Lindy on Ancestry.com)

Trials of Widowhood and War

Mary Ann endured considerable hardship. Her husband, James, passed away in 1915 when she was just 48 years old, leaving her a widow with five young children ranging from 5 to 15 years old. Fortunately, her older children were approaching adulthood and likely assisted in caring for the younger siblings.

During this time, Mary Ann also faced the terrifying realities of World War I, seeing three of her sons depart for service between 1915 and 1916. Only two returned; the youngest, Ernest, tragically died of influenza while on leave in London. 

Despite these trials, Mary Ann’s resilience and devotion to family ensured that her household remained a place of care and continuity.

Later Life and Legacy

• Mary Ann lived to see most of her children grow into adulthood, marry, and have families of their own.  By the time of her death, she was surrounded by sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and at least 20 grandchildren. 

• She passed away on 27 December 1941, aged 75, at the St. Vincent's Hospice in Lismore.  She was buried at the Presbyterian Cemetery in Byron Bay, New South Wales.

• Her life, from a rough riverside settlement in Bowen to the established towns of northern New South Wales, was one marked by courage, adaptability, and enduring family connections.  Her story is a bridge between the early frontier settlements of northern Queensland and the well-established pioneering families of Lismore.  Her life reminds us of the strength, resilience, and enduring legacy of early settlers.

Mary Ann Catherine Cusack nee Davies
- pictured as an elderly woman in her 70s
Date unknown.
(Photo shared by bluehills05 on Ancestry.com)