Above: The only photograph that I have of my grandfather John George "Jack" Brown. He was the father of my maternal grandmother, Ivy Ellen Brown.
Jack Brown was born was born on 24 October, 1873, at Bagshot, near Bendigo in central Victoria. He was the second child and eldest son born to 37 year old miner Robert Brown and his 22 year old wife Rosa Corvan.
Jack was educated at the small state school at Kamarooka, and was 19 years old when his father Robert died suddenly in 1894. It would have fallen to young Jack to help his mother raise his younger siblings, and to bring in a wage to assist in supporting them all.
John George Brown had been residing in Bendigo, and working as a labourer when
he married Charlotte Willett in the Yarrawonga Methodist Church on March 30, 1906.
Information on the marriage certificate stated that John George Brown,
bachelor, 31 years old ( he was actually about to turn 33 that year), born Bendigo
to Robert Brown, miner, and Rosa Corvan, married Charlotte Willett, spinster, 21
years old, born Peechelba to Seymour Willett, miner, and Ellen Dives.
The minister was George A. Wong, and witnesses were Richard Stephens and
Maggie Wong.
Charlotte was about six months pregnant when she married Jack Brown- their
first child John George was born three months later on June 23, 1906. Charlotte
was in fact keeping up a Willett family tradition....she herself was an illegitimate
child; her grandmother Ellen Dive was about four months pregnant when she
married Semer Willett in 1863, and Semer’s mother Isabella Standen was 4 to 5
months pregnant with daughter Maria when she married James Willett in 1838. At
least their husbands could be certain of the fact that their new wives were fertile
and capable of producing the large families that were the norm back then!
Charlotte and Jack Brown were living at Rowan Street, Wangaratta, when their
son was born. Jack Brown’s occupation was given as ‘labourer’, his age as 32 and his
birthplace as Bendigo. Charlotte was 21 and born Peechelba.
At some stage during the next few years Jack and Charlotte moved to
Bundalong and then Yarrawonga, and most of the rest of their family were born in
either of the two towns:- Edward in c. 1908; Lillian in 1909; Eileen b c. 1912,
Margaret c. 1915; Ivy Ellen in 1917; Robert in c 1920 and Leslie c. 1922.
Jack worked in labouring jobs around the district, and all of the children were
schooled at the Yarrawonga State School. Eileen Olive Brown did not survive
childhood- she contracted pneumonia in late July of 1914 and died four days later
on August 2, 1914, aged only 2 years.
My mother, Lesley Margaret Oakley (daughter of Ivy Brown and known always as
Margaret) died in 2005, and she had very fond memories of her ‘Nanny Brown’(Charlotte
Willett), who lived with Ivy and her family for extended periods. As they grew older, Jack and Charlotte found that they had ‘irreconcilable differences’, and while never divorcing,they separated and lived apart. When my mother was a little girl (she was born in 1942) Jack lived in Murphy Street, Yarrawonga, and since Ivy and her family lived right next door in the early years of their marriage, so did Charlotte! My mother remembers loving both of her grandparents and visiting Jack through the dividing fence. He would spy Charlotte bending over hanging out the washing on the clothesline, and bribe my mother to scoot back and pinch her on the bottom whilst she was bending over.
Electoral Rolls follow the movements of the Brown family up until 1938:
1914: John George Brown, Bundalong, labourer
Charlotte Brown, Bundalong, Home Duties.
1919: As above.
1924: As above
1931: John George Brown, Lynch Street, Yarrawonga, labourer
Charlotte Brown, Lynch Street, Yarrawonga, home duties.
Edward Semer Brown, Lynch Street, Yarrawonga, labourer.
John George Brown Jnr, Lynch Street, Yarrawonga, labourer.
1934: John George Brown, Hovell Street, Yarrawonga, labourer
No sign of Charlotte
John George Brown Jnr, Telford Street, Yarrawonga, labourer.
Isabella Roslie Brown, Telford Street, Home Duties.
1936: John George Brown, Hovell Street, Yarrawonga, Labourer.
Charlotte Brown, Telford Street, Yarrawonga, Home duties.
Edward Semer Brown, Telford Street, Yarrawonga, labourer.
John George Brown Jnr, Telford Street, Yarrawonga, labourer.
Isabella Roslie Brown, Telford Street,Yarrawonga, Home duties.
Charlotte was opposed to excessive drinking, which was unfortunate as her
husband and sons were very hard working timber cutters who all enjoyed a beer or
two. At the time of her death in 1961 she was living at 51 Hume Street,
Yarrawonga, which was the home of her eldest daughter Lil. She was 76 years
old, and died in Yarrawonga Hospital after suffering from hepatic carcinoma for
six months.
Jack Brown had predeceased his wife by 12 years. He died on October 17, 1949, in the Wangaratta Base Hospital, aged 75 years. His cause of death was "cerebral thrombosis, one month, and atheroma, years" (Atheroma definition: "A deposit or degenerative accumulation of lipid-containing plaques on the innermost layer of the wall of an artery")
Jack Brown was buried in the Yarrawonga Cemetery on October 18, 1949.On his death certificate his remaining children were listed as: John 43; Edward 42; Lillian 40; Eileen deceased; Margaret deceased; Ivy 32; Robert 30 and Leslie 29.
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