Memories ... February 19

Anniversary of a Birthday

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page) 

Today is the anniversary of the birth date of my paternal grandfather, George Thomas Brown.

I have written a longer, far more detailed post about my grandfather before (follow this link if you are interested in reading: The Story of George Thomas Connors), but for this 'Memories' post I will simply include some of the important events in his life.

• George was the fourth of ten children born to Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah (Susan) Fullagar Hukins.

• He was born on the 19th of February 1880 in the township of Meroo, New South Wales.

• His siblings included 

          - Mary Ellen, born in 1874

          - John Edgar, born 1876

          - William Adolphus, born 1878

          - Alice Adelaide, born 1882

          - James Alfred, born in 1884

          - Percy Jerome, born 1886

          - Cyril Ernest, born 1888

          - Frederick Augustus, born 1890

          - Erice Sylvester, born in 1892

• George spent his childhood years learning the work of dairy farming, following in the footsteps of his father.

• Over his lifetime however, George was employed in various occupations.  He worked on railway gangs.  He worked as a butcher, and he also found employment at a forestry logging camp at one point.

• In 1906, when he was 26 years old, George married Grace Brown in Lismore, New South Wales.

• They went on to have 11 children, but sadly lost two of their children in infancy.

• George and Grace were married for 60 years, until George passed away.

• In 1966, at the age of 86, George died.

• He was buried at the Gympie Cemetery.

• George was survived by his wife and his nine children.

The Story of Joseph Edward Browning / Memories ... February 14

This post tells the story of my paternal 2x Great Grand Uncle, Joseph Edward Browning  (1845 - 1919).

Our common ancestors are: William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns.

I'm publishing this post on the anniversary of his birth.

 Anniversary of a Birthday 

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of the birth date of the only family tree member I know for certain was born on February 14.  

• Joseph Edward (known as Joe in his adult years) was born on February 14, 1845 to father William Henry Browning and mother Anne (known as Nancy) Littlejohns.  

• Joseph's parents (my 3x great grandparents) were English immigrants who had landed in Australia in 1840 as bounty immigrants.  They already had seven children who had been born in England.  Sadly, one of their daughters had passed away before they emigrated, so they arrived in Port Jackson as a family of eight.

• Five years later, according to the Browning family bible, Joseph Edward was born at 4.00am in the morning, while the family was living in the Richmond River District.  Father William and wife Anne (Nancy) were employed by Ward Stephens as shepherds on his sheep station.  Joseph Edward would be the second of the four children born in Australia.

• The Browning family moved around quite a lot, working as shepherds or labourers on various properties in the northern areas of New South Wales, and so it was that Joseph Edward's baptism didn't occur until three months after his birth.

• Joseph was baptised on May 31st, 1845 according to the Church of England rites.  By this time, the family were in the Clarence River District.

• Most of Joseph's childhood and teenage years were spent living a nomadic life, as his father and mother worked as shepherds throughout that time.  

• By 1861 however, the family were living near Lismore on the north coast of New South Wales and both Joseph Edward and his father William were appearing before the Lismore Court!

As excerpt from the research of Esme Smith in her 2001 publication 'The Browning Story: Tracings From The Past'.

"On February 1861, William appeared before the Lismore Court to answer a summons lodged by Alexander Campbell of Tunstall Station, that he trespassed on the Tunstall run and drove cattle from the property.  The complaint was not proven and therefore dismissed by the magistrate.  On that date Joseph Browning also appeared before the same court and made a plea of guilty to trespassing and and driving a bullock from the Tunstall run.  He was fined twenty shillings and costs were awarded against him, in default of forty-eight hours imprisonment."  

(information sourced from the State Records of NSW, Deposition Book for Lismore for period 11 October 1860 to 12 December 1874)

 

• It sounds like father and son were up to no good, but Joseph Edward (aged 16) took the fall!  Cattle stealing from the large cattle stations (runs) was rife at this time, and was obviously a practice of the poor stealing from the rich for the sake of family survival.  Whilst not to be condoned, it can certainly be understand.

• When Joseph was just 18 years old (not 22 as recorded on the marriage certificate) he married Eliza Wilson who was aged 17.  They married in March of 1863 at Casino, New South Wales.  

• They began their married life at Rosehill, a logging settlement outside Lismore.  

• Rosehill was in the vicinity of Tunstall Station and while Joseph had previously been employed at Tunstall as a stockman, he was working as a sawyer, cutting cedar, at the time of his marriage.

• Joseph Edward and his wife Eliza went on to have 12 children over a period of 28 years.

          - Henry Joseph was born in 1864

          - Mary was born in 1866, but died not long after birth

          - Susanna came along in 1867

          - Joseph was born in 1870, but sadly died in 1876

          - William was born in 1873

          - Amelia came along in 1875

          - Sarah Ann came along in 1878

          - James was born in 1881

          - Samuel was born in 1883

          - Francis was born in 1889

          - Jack came along in 1890

          - then Robert was born in 1892.

• Just two years after his marriage, Joseph Edward was back in court once more, in 1865, when he was 20 years old.

• This time it was a dispute about the ownership of cut timber.  The settlement of Rosehill was near a river and once the cedar trees were cut down and trimmed, they were rolled down a chute into the river and they would then float to the mill.  Unfortunately, many disputes arose about just owned the logs once they were in the river.  Sometimes sawyers would brand their logs, but perhaps helped themselves to quite a few that weren't actually theirs!!!

• Joseph Edward went to court, taking action against a William Holman Berry, for theft.

• During the hearing, Joseph gave the following evidence:

"I am a conditional purchaser residing on Terrania Creek.  On, or about, the 1st of June a black named Jimmy Woolgary and his gin were at Rosehill wharf.  He told me he was putting on cedar for Mr. Berry.  I had the cedar planks on the wharf and I missed them.  I saw the black with the raft of Mr. Berry. 

 

I went to Mr. Berry when I missed the two planks (about a week after) and I said he had got them and had sent them to Mr. Breckenridge's sawmill.  He said he would allow my father for them.  I told him the planks had nothing to do with my father and after went to him and wanted him to settle with me for them but he would not listen to me. 

 

I served a notice on him and he called me back and said he would allow me a pound for them now and would send the stuff to Sydney and what it fetched he would give me back."

          (information sourced from the State Records of NSW, Deposition Books for Lismore, for period             11 October `860 to 12 December 1874). 

• Berry agreed to pay Joseph the cost of the cedar planks.  Joseph however was still out of pocket because of the cost of the court action. 

• At some point (I have yet to discover exactly when) Joseph ceased working as a sawyer.  He went on to work as a teamster and became a land owner. 

• By the time Joseph was 40 years old, he and Eliza were running cattle on 184 acres that they held at Rosehill.  According to the Parliamentary Return of Landholders 1885, they had 5 horses and 45 head of cattle. 

• An interesting newspaper item, written by a woman named Mrs. Mary Graham, appeared in a Lismore newspaper in 1936.  She had lived at Tunstall Station many years before and had known many of the early residents of the Lismore district very well.  The item mentions her visit to the Browning family at Rosehill in the early 1900s and talks about Joseph (who would have been in his 50s at the time):

Pencil & Wash Drawing titled 'Australian Bullock Driver' by William Strutt
Created c. 1851
Out of copyright
Held by the National Library of Australia

So ... he was a brilliant stockman who could make a fine stockwhip and wield it with expertise.

He wore snowy moleskin trousers, a Crimean shirt and finely plaited cabbage tree hats!

He would have looked something like the man depicted in this drawing done by artist William Strutt around 1851.

The distinctive cabbage tree hat was an Australian invention and very popular during the 19th century.

It was named the 'cabbage tree hat' because it was made from the leaves of the Cabbage Tree Palm.

• Joseph lived through the years of WW1 and sadly saw two of his sons march off to war, Jack and Robert.  Thankfully Robert returned, but unfortunately Jack never did.  

• Joseph and wife Eliza had received a telegram stating that their son Jack had been wounded in action in February 1917, but by the time that telegram had arrived, Jack had been killed in action in France, in March of 1917.  Such a cruel blow!

• Then tragically, in early 1919, the last of Joseph's siblings died.  By this time Joseph had experienced the passing of both his parents, all of his six sisters and three of his brothers.  Joseph must have felt the loss of his youngest brother very keenly.

• Joseph himself then passed away just a few months later in November of 1919, aged 74.

• An obituary was published in the Northern Star, the tone of which implies the respect that was held for this "old sterling type of bushman" who "was a man of unassuming nature ... always prepared to help those in distress." 

• Joseph was buried at the East Lismore General Cemetery

• He was survived by his wife Eliza and nine children.

• Joseph and his wife Eliza had been married for 56 years and upon his death, Eliza had a lovely tribute inscribed on his tomb.  I think it's fitting to read her words on the day this post is to be published - Valentine's Day.

"You are always in my thoughts dear husband. 

Tis sweet to breathe your name.  

In life I loved you dearly.  

In death I do the same."

 

          

Memories ... February 7

Anniversary of a Birthday /  In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of my paternal Grand Aunt Lillian Ruth Brown's birthday .....  

.....  and the passing of my maternal Great Grand Uncle Thomas Farrell.

Here's some of Lillian's story:

Our common ancestors are: Richard Joseph Brown and Ellen Cusack.

• Lillian was born in 1887 in Lismore, New South Wales.

• She was the second of four daughters born to Richard Joseph Brown and Ellen Cusack.

• At the time of her birth, her father Richard was 25 years old and her mother Ellen was 24.

• Lillian's older sister Grace (my paternal grandmother) had been born two years before Lillian.  Then when Lillian was 3 years old her sister Elsie came along.  When Lillian was 5, her sister Marcella (Marcy) was born.

• The sisters grew up in Lismore, New South Wales.  They were the descendants of well-known pioneering stock on both their paternal and maternal sides (the Browns and Brownings on her father's side, the Cusacks and the Extons on their mother's side).  As such the girls inherited a well-respected family name.

• After leaving school, Lillian worked as a dressmaker for a number of years.  

• In 1906, when she was 20 years old, Lillian married James Alfred Connors.

• James was in fact the younger brother of George Connors (my grandfather), who had married Lillian's sister Grace (my grandmother) that very same year.

• Lillian and her husband James welcomed their only child into the world in April of 1907, a daughter named Lorna Mary Grace.

• Sadly, Lillian became a widow just six months later, when her husband died as a result of burns inflicted during a tragic accident at his workplace.  (I have told James Alfred Connors' story before.  For anyone interested in knowing more, follow this link:  Fire and its Tragic Consequences!)

• Lillian re-married just over a year later to an Irish immigrant named Jeremiah (Gerry/Jerry) O'Donnell, who hailed from County Cork.  Lillian was 21 years old at the time and Jeremiah was 23.  

• Sadly, Lillian and Jeremiah lost their first born, a son named Roger, on the day he was born in 1909.

• Their daughter Lillian Margaret was born 1911.

• Unfortunately though, Lillian would never see her two daughters grow up.

• Standard practice for women giving birth in hospitals in the early 1900s included the women remaining 'in confinement' at the hospital for a couple of weeks after giving birth.  Tragically, Lillian contracted pneumonia while in confinement, became weaker and weaker until her heart gave out and she passed away.

• Lillian was only 24 years old when she passed away on the evening of August 31st, 1911.  She died at the maternity hospital which was known as Nurse Atkins' Private Hospital, in Lismore.

• She was buried in the Roman Catholic section of the Lismore Cemetery.  I have yet to locate her exact resting place.

• Lillian was survived by her second husband, a daughter aged 4 and a newborn aged just 14 days.  She was also survived by her father Richard, her mother Ellen, and her three sisters, Grace (my grandmother), Elsie and Marcella (known as Marcy). 

• Interestingly, Lillian's second husband did not provide details of Lillian's first husband on the death certificate, nor indeed the name of Lillian's first child.  I think there's a story there that I have yet to uncover!

Here's some of Thomas's story:

Our common ancestors are:  Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney/Downey.

• Thomas's birth record shows that he was born on the 15th of January 1868 in Holmside, County Durham, England.   

• At the time of his birth, his father Michael Farrell was 34 years old and his mother, Susan Downey / Muldowney was 26.

• Thomas was the second of nine children born to Michael and Susan, and he was the oldest boy. 

• Thomas was born at a place named 'East Field House' which was part of a row of small, rather humble, colliery houses, built by the owners of the coal mines and coke works in the Durham Coalfield area of north-eastern England to provide housing for the their workers and families.  It was substandard housing and families often lived in tiny one-room cottages, quite inadequate for housing large families.  The harsh living conditions became a breeding ground for disease and ill-health.   

• Sadly, Thomas's younger brother Michael died as an infant when Thomas was 5 years old.

• The 1881 England Census shows that Thomas was working as a 'screener' at a colliery when he was only 13 years old.  While Thomas was working above ground (a whole lot better than being down the mine), the work was laborious and the days were long.  

Definition of 'screener':  watches that coal passes over screens and dust or small coal is properly sifted through; may also pick dirt from conveying belt as coal passes to screens.

• It was not uncommon at the time for children to start work when they were 7 or 8, sometimes younger!!  I suspect that Thomas had started work a few years before the census date.

Australia Passenger List - Queensland
Ship - Chyebassa

• Thomas emigrated to Australia at the age of 19, along with his father, mother and six of his siblings.  Two of his sisters (my great grandmother Margaret and her sister Helen Ann) had already emigrated and were living in Charters Towers.

• After arriving in Townsville in September of 1887, Thomas and the other members of his family travelled to Charters Towers to meet up with his sisters.

Australian Electoral Roll 1903

• The 1903 Census shows Thomas living on Bridge Street in Charters Towers, with his father, mother and Thomas's occupation was listed as 'miner'.  He was 35 years old at this time.

• Thomas remained living on Bridge Street until he became ill later in life.

• Thomas worked as a miner in Charters Towers until he became quite ill in his late 50s.

• Thomas never married, but was very close to his family throughout his lifetime.

• Thomas's three youngest brothers, Patrick, James and Matthew, all went off to serve in WW1.  Tragically, his brother Patrick was killed in action in 1917.  Brothers James and Matthew did return home.

• Sadly, Thomas also experienced the loss of both parents and another brother before the end of 1919.

• His father Michael died in 1917, the same year as his brother Patrick was killed in action.  Thomas's brother Michael died in 1918.  Thomas's mother Susan died in 1919.

• When the war finally ceased, things had changed quite dramatically for Thomas.  His three sisters and his brother James had all married and moved away from home.  His brother Matthew was the only sibling left in Charters Towers, and was living with Thomas at the family home on Bridge Street.

• Then, quite unexpectedly in mid-1922, Thomas's brother Matthew also passed away.  Thomas was now living on his own in Charters Towers.

• The 1925 Electoral Roll lists Thomas as still living on Bridge Street and his occupation was still 'miner'.  Thomas was 57 years old.

• Thomas became very ill with pulmonary tuberculosis in 1926.  He left Charters Towers to live with his older sister Margaret (my great grandmother) at her home on the family farm at Molongle Creek near Gumlu.

• On the 7th of February 1927 Thomas passed away at the age of 59.  He would have only just celebrated his 59th birthday a month before.  (Note:  his age is recorded incorrectly on his death notice and on his headstone.)

• Death notices for Thomas appeared in the Northern Miner (a Charters Towers newspaper) and the Townsville Daily Bulletin.

• He was returned home to be buried at the Monumental & Lawn Cemetery in Charters Towers, alongside his brother Matthew.  Unfortunately, both burial sites are now quite severely damaged and need repair.

• Thomas was survived by his three sisters and his brother James.

An interesting note:

• The brother still living when Thomas passed away - James - also suffered with pulmonary tuberculosis for a couple of years before he died, and this was listed as one of the causes of his death as well!

Memories ... February 6

Anniversary of a Birthday:   

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of the birthday of my Great Great Grandfather, Henry Johnson Brown.

I have written a longer, more detailed post about Henry previously (those who are interested, please follow this link: The Story of Henry Johnson Brown  )  ...

but for this 'Memories' post, I will shorten his story considerably to just include the more important events in his life.

Whitehaven, by the sea, in England

• Henry was born in 1820 in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England.

• His parents were Henry Johnson Brown and Eleanor Gowan.

• When Henry was born his father Henry was aged 38, and his mother Eleanor was 30.

• Henry was the third of five children born to Henry (Snr.) and Eleanor.

Assisted Immigrant List

• At the age of 20 Henry emigrated to Australia.  He and his younger sister Sarah came as bounty immigrants aboard The Royal Consort in 1840.

• Back in England, Henry had worked as a printer but on arrival in Australia, he found employment with Clark Irving on Ellengowan Station in 1841.

• Henry then went on to obtain work as a cook on Ward Stephen's Runnymede Station. 

• He met Caroline Browning, an English immigrant, while working at Runnymede and they were married in 1846.

• There was a considerable age difference between the spouses ... Henry was 25 and Caroline was 15.

• They went on to have 12 children over a twenty-year period.

• In early 1849, Henry and Caroline left Runnymede Station and found work at neighbouring Lismore Station with William Wilson for a little while.  

• They did not stay long at Lismore Station however.  Between the end of 1849 and the end of 1850, Henry and Caroline had moved to several areas including Stanthorpe (which as the time was part of New South Wales) where Henry worked on Maryland Station as a watchman.  He was also working as a part-time hawker.

• By the end of 1850 they had returned to the Richmond River area and Henry began work at Bald Hill (later known as Bexhill) as a timber cutter and dealer.

• Timber cutting was notoriously hard, dangerous work and the lifestyle associated with this work was also difficult.  Henry and his family, like others at the Bald Hill camp, had to live in huts or tents without basic amenities.

• Henry lost interest in this life and became interested in becoming a timber dealer.  He had taken his family back to the Lismore area by 1852 and had set up a saw pit on the river back, engaging men to work with him.

• He purchased logs, milled them and then sold the timber locally as well as out of the district.

• Henry built a home for his family and a few years later, around 1854, extended it into Lismore's first hotel named the Cedar Squarers' Arms.

• He obtained a liquor licence but continued working as a timber merchant.

• Henry became the proud owner of several more blocks of land in the town of Lismore, before debt problems raised their ugly head in 1867.

• Tragically, Henry died quite suddenly in 1868, aged 48, before his insolvency case could be settled.

• Most of the land Henry had bought was lost to creditors, and his family was left in rather dire circumstances.

Memories ... February 4

Anniversary of two Birthdays :   

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of the birth dates of two very special people in my family ... my paternal Grandmother, Grave Olive Connors nee Brown, and my paternal Aunt, Betty Patricia Hodgins nee Connors ... mother and daughter.

I have written about my paternal grandmother before and for anyone interested here's the link to her story:  The Story of Grace Olive Brown 

I have not yet written about my aunt, so today seems a fitting moment in time to tell some of her story.

• Betty Patricia Connors was born in 1929 in the town of Beaudesert in Queensland.

• She was the youngest of eleven children born to George Thomas Connors and Grace Olive Brown, although by the time she came into the world two of her siblings had sadly passed away.

• At the time of her birth, her father George was 48 years old and her mother Grace was 44.  Of course, Grace would have been celebrating her own birthday on the day she was giving birth to her youngest daughter. 

Betty (centre front row) holding the hands of her twin brothers Reggie and Bede
while her older brother Tommy and oldest sister Beryl look on.
Photo likely taken around 1933 when Betty was aged 4.
(Photo shared by my cousin Keith Connors) 

• Betty attended the Gympie Convent School until she was in Year 8.  She then left school and started working for a tailor.  She would have been around 14 or 15 years old at this time.  This was however not a career path she would go on to follow.

Betty at her Debutante Ball 1947, aged 18
(Photos shared by my cousin Keith Connors)

• At the age of 18, Betty made her 'debut' and attended her Debutante Ball.  This was a very important social event in the life of a young lady.  Attending a deb ball was regarded as the moment you were officially launched into society and could start your social life.  From then on, a young lady could attend various dances, balls, dinners and other social events with eligible young men!

Betty standing in the middle of the photo, dressed in her nurses' uniform.
Her nieces Pat and Ann are standing to the left, and her parents, Grace and George to the right.
Photo likely taken in 1948 when Betty was 19 years old.
(Photo from my father's collection) 

• Betty began her nursing training around the age of 17 or 18 at the Glandore Hospital in Gympie.  Nursing turned out to be a passion of hers during her lifetime.

Photos taken around 1946-1947
 

John Frederick Hodgins
known as Bunny

• When she was 20 years old, Betty married John Frederick Hodgins, known as 'Bunny' Hodgins.  He was a working musician, a music teacher and an absolute "wizard with the banjo".   Bunny and Betty shared a great love of music throughout their married life.

• They were married for 45 years, until the passing of Bunny in 1994.  They had one daughter together.

• Betty passed away in 2022 at the age of 93.  She was laid to rest with her dear husband Bunny at the cemetery in Gympie.

• Often when the cousins start reminiscing about our Aunty Betty, the first thing that comes to mind was her great love of singing and music.  She also had a fantastic sense of humour, a great love of family and a rather quiet, dignified and graceful presence.

Sharing some other photos of our beloved Betty:

My Aunt Betty holding me ... on the front steps of my grandmother's house in Gympie
1960 ... Betty  would have been 31 years old

My Aunt Betty, far left, standing with her daughter while her mother Grace (my grandmother) holds me
1960

Aunty Betty with some of her siblings and her beloved husband
L-R: Betty, her brother Bede, her husband Bunny, her sister Olga, her sister Chris, and her sister Beryl.
Photo taken in 1986 when Betty was 57 years old
(photo from my own collection)

Betty with some of her siblings in 1999, when she was aged 70.
L-R:  her sister Chris, her brother Reggie, her sister Olga, her sister Beryl and Betty

Betty celebrating her 90th birthday in 2019
(photo shared by my cousin Carmel)

My Aunt Betty at her 90th birthday celebration
surrounded by her daughter, her son-in-law, her grandchildren and partners, and her great grandchildren
(photo shared by my cousin Carmel)