26. Death Richard Walter Brown 22 Feb 1899

Registration District Poplar, sub district Bromley
When and where died - 22 February 1899, 41 Ettrick St
Name - Richard Walter Brown
Sex - Male
Age - 66 years
Occupation - Journeyman Baker
Cause of Death - Pneumonia, Exhaustion
Informant - Kate Brown daughter in attendance 41 Ettrick St Bromley

25. Letter to Frederick Brown 1901

This letter to Frederick Brown 1901, is some years after Frederick had been practicing as a baker in Richmond.
Date 10 October 1901
From T P Williamson Times Bakery Yass
To F Brown

24. Photographs 2

These photographs are in my collection and I can email digital reasonable copies if you want

 I always understood this to be Fred's brother "Tom" Brown, Ida Brown and Frederick Brown on the wedding day of Ida and Frederick.  From research elsewhere who was Tom?

 This must be around 1907 (Pa is Eddie Brown)

 Eddie Brown is lying on the ground to the left of photograph

 Eddie Brown 1920 (one of a matching pair with Olive Hindmarsh - see the Hindmarsh Blog)

Wedding Report for Eddie Brown and Olive Hindmarsh

 Reginald Brown (son of Eddie and Olive Brown) c1930

 Reginald Brown (son of Eddie and Olive Brown) 1944 enlisted RAAF

Alberta Lauer 1928 (Elyse Brown very similar at the same age)

 Albert Lauer c1915

 Ida Brown c1910-15

 Rui 7 months (beyond that I have no information)

Eddie, Olive, Babs and Reg at Wedding Breakfast Saracen's Head Hotel

23. Photographs 1

 Frederick and Ida Brown c1910.  From left to right Ida, Frederick, Frederick (father), Elsie, Jessie, Gordon (on floor), Ida (mother) and Reginald.

Most of the following are from Lorraine Tebbut

 Harriet Brown (wife to Richard Walter Brown) and Kate Brown. Looks to me mid 1890s.  Lorraine has annotated the picture to the right as Jack and Elizabeth Brown (nee Sharp).  I haven't identified a Jack Brown in my research (but he's there).

Three sons of Frederick and Ida Brown Xmas 1916 (left to right Gordon, Reg and Eddie)

 

 Three daughters of Frederick and Ida Brown Xmas 1916 (left to right Jessie, Ida and Elsie)

 Jack Brown, Elizabeth, Joseph and May.  Western Australia c1900.  Lorraine notes that she doesn't know of Jack and Elizabeth were married in Victoria, WA or England

 Jack Brown and May.  Lorraine notes that on the back of the photo, she is married and the dad had been sick.  c1920s

 Kate Brown (daughter of Richard Walter Brown)

 Walter Henry Brown (son of Richard Walter Brown)

Frederick Brown 1920.  Lorraine notes that Frederick died just after this photo was taken, as they were going down in the lift immediately following Jessie's wedding.

 Richard Brown (if this is Richard Walter Brown, then it is taken in 1830)

 Frederick Brown 1880s

Kate Brown 1949 London

22. Frederick Brown - son of Richard Walter Brown and Harriet Gooch

1866 Key Information from the Birth Registration
When and where born; 23 December 1866, St Peters Street, St Albans
Name; Frederick
Sex; Boy
Name and Surname of Father; Richard Walter Brown
Name Surname and Maiden Surname of Mother; Harriet Brown formerly Gooch
Occupation of Father; Strawhat Manufacturer (Master)
Signature, Description and Residence of Informant; Richard Walter Brown Father St Peters St St Albans
When Registered; 14 January 1867

1871 Census - Brown Family
Schedule Type Household
Registration District Poplar
Sub-District Poplar
Parish Poplar
County London, Middlesex
Father Richard W Brown, age 32, born Hampshire. Mother Francis Brown, age 35, born Herefordshire. Son  Walter H Brown, age 13, born Herefordshire. Son Horace Brown, age 6, born Herefordshire. Son Frederick Brown, age 4, born Herefordshire. Dau Kate Brown, age under 1, born Poplar.
This information from Familysearch.org index.  Looking at the digitised record on Ancestry.com, the script is very poor and hard to read.  For Richard W the birth place looks closer to Herefordshire or maybe Hertfordshire.  All the other mentions of birth place are "do" that is same as above (except for Kate which is clearly Poplar).  Mother "Francis" could be Harriet poorly written.

1881 Census, Residence 105 High St Poplar London, Robert (Head), Occupation Journeyman Baker, Age 49, Born St Albans Hertfordshire; Harriet (Wife), Occupation, Age 45, Born St Albans Hertfordshire; Frederick (Son) Occupation Plasterer, Age 17, Born St Albans Hertfordshire; Martin (Son) Occupation Baker, Age 21, Born St Albans Hertfordshire; Kate (Dau) Occupation Scholar, Age 11, Born St Albans Hertfordshire; Lottie (Dau) Occupation Scholar, Age 7, Born St Albans Hertfordshire.

1888 Frederick Brown resident in Melbourne Victoria. According to his son, Frederick Brown made a number of trips to Victoria, before he settled in Melbourne.  He was described as visiting South Africa as a ship’s baker.  The diamond in ring that his son Frederick inherited, was said to be a diamond won in South Africa by Frederick gambling.

1889 Frederick Brown Age 22. Batchelor B. 1867, St Albans Essex, England, Married 7 September1889, Ida Wild, Christ’s Church, Hawthorn Victoria, Witnesses Thomas William Joy and A H Brady

1890 Jessie Victoria Brown Born 29 July 1890 Bowen St Hawthorn, Victoria.  Frederick is identified as aged 23 and occupation baker, born St Albans England.  Mother aged 25, born Middleborough, England.  Jessie married Ruben Wellington Williams 22 April 1920.  Note that Frederick Brown collapsed and died on the evening of the wedding.  Jessie died 3 June 1946 (Richmond), buried 5 June 1946 Springvale.

1895 Ida Frederica Brown Born Hawthorn, Victoria. Ida married Albert Herman Lauer 1921.  Ida died Adelaide South Australia

1897 Frederick George Edison Brown Born 8 November 1897 19 Henry St Hawthorn. Informant Eva Wild of 533 Church Street Richmond.   Eddie married Olive Stella Hindmarsh 1922 Richmond.  Died Caulfield 24 May 1970, Buried Dromana 26 May 1970.

1899 Reginald Alfred Brown Born Melbourne.  Married Olive Marion Prowd 1927.  Died 2 September 1967, buried 4 September 1967.

1901 (3 April) Gordon Stanley Brown Born Richmond.  Married Eva Maude Adamthwaite 12 April 1924 St Stephens Church, Richmond.  Died 27 May 1960, Portarlington, Buried 30 May 1960 Fawlkner Cemetery.

1904 Elsie Irene Brown Born Richmond.  Married Rudolph Eberherdt Lauer (brother of Albert Lauer see above) 1927.  Died 4 April 1973 Malvern, Buried 7 April 1973.

The above information (about the children of Frederick Brown) is from Lorraine Tebbutt, who generously shared it with me.  Lorraine identifies Frederick Brown as Frederick Charles Brown born Ware Hertfordshire (my research doesn't agree with this, as can be seen from the birth certificate).

1918 Short-Weight Bread.
Inspector James Reid, the newly appointed officer of the Eastern Sub urbs Weights and Measures Union, made his debut at Richmond Court on Monday, when he charged Frederick Brown, 539 Church-street, with having sold short-weight bread. Inspector Reid said he stopped- one of defendant's carts and found 54 2-lb. loaves to be 42oz. short weight. A fine of 1/6 for each oz. short, with £1 5/6 costs was imposed.
Richmond Guardian (Vic_  1917 - 1918), Saturday 3 August 1918, page 2

1920 Frederick Brown dies Church St Richmond, Oedema of lungs, Arterio Scleroris and Heart failure.  Treated for 2 years, last treatment 22/4/20 Dr Matheson.  Buried Springvale Cemetery 22/4/20.

1920 Notice is hereby given, that after the expiration of  14 days of the publication hereof application will be made to the Supreme Court of the State of Victoria, in its Probate jurisdiction that the PROBATE of the LAST WILL and TESTAMENT of FREDERICK BROWN, late of 539 Church street in the State of Victoria, baker, deceased, may granted to Ida Brown of 530 Church street Richmond aforesaid widow, the sole executrix named in and appointed by the said will.
Dated this fourth day of June 1920
Alfred W Fergie 469, Little Collins Street Melbourne.  Proctor for the said executrix
The Argus (Vic), Saturday 5 June 1920, p22

21. Richard Walter Brown and Harriet Gooch - Marriage Certificate

1 Nov 1857 Groom Richard Walter Brown, Bride Harriet Gooch, Old Church, Saint Pancras, London, England

Marriage certificate identifies witnesses as Charles Stevens and Fanny Stevens, Minister CH Andrews and residence as Dextore St or Deutur St or Denton St (Wandsworth?).  Richard Walter Brown occupation Baker.  Father William Brown occupation baker, Father Henry Gooch occupation gun maker.

 

 

Marriage by Banns requires an announcement three Sundays before the wedding that they wedding is to take place. 

Denton Street is the address for both Richard and Harriet at the time of marriage. 

By August 1858 christening of their son Walter, couple were back living in St Albans.

I haven't done any research on Charles and Fanny Stevens.  But there are a few options from a cursory Google search.

20. Richard Walter and Harriet Brown - Strawhat Manufacturers

While the information in the preceding post is slim, a few assumptions and conclusions can be made or drawn. 

Its worth noting the social and economic conditions from 1870s to 1900. 
The Long Depression (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Depression) was significant though just one of a long line of financial crises "The United Kingdom, which had previously experienced crises every decade since the 1820s, was unusually insulated from the effects of this financial crisis, even though the Bank of England kept interest rates as high as 9 percent in the 1870s"

Strawhat manufacturing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_plaiting) "The plaiting of straw in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire and Hertfordshire formerly gave employment to many thousands of women and young children; but this had largely ended by the beginning of the 20th century: the number of English plaiters, all told, was not more than a few hundreds in 1907, as compared with 30,000 in 1871.^...The English industry was eventually killed by free trade from 1860 which allowed cheap imports of plait from Italy and later China and Japan."

Richard Walter Brown changed his trade from Baker to Strawhat manufacturer in the 1860s.  In the 1861 census, Richard is by trade a Baker.  By 1865, he has ceased his partnership with Betsy Rudd as strawhat manufacturer.  In 1866 Richard is described in the birth certificate record of his son as a strawhat maker.  By 1881 Richard is back working as a "journeyman" baker.

Without having any specific information about what happened - it was a bad time to start working in the strawhat industry.  Not only was the overall economy in England poor through out the 1870s, but competition was intense from 1860.  Richard and Harriet would have struggled to have any success.