John George Herbert Fraser Brunner
Our remittance man according to Uncle Ossie. Registered at birth as John Fraser Brunner he added the George Herbert when he came to Australia ca.1880 from Oxford, England. Sent out here to keep him away from his Father's young wife, Clara, who was only 6 years older than himself, our young John. John never returned to England and I think he knew he never would - so why not add his Father's name, George and Herbert, Clara's 3rd son - now, you can make up your own story there....
Parents - George Brunner and Emma Evans were married in 1850, Oxford ,England.
A daughter was born in 1851, they named Sophia Elizabeth - and she was 25 when she married Robert Alexander MacBrair - a civil engineer & surveyor, in 1876 and had 3 girls and 2 boys. Their eldest son Lawrence was killed in action at France; Flanders in 1918.
Our John Fraser was born 1857 and he was 27 when he married Emily Mary Briggs in Australia in 1884.
Mother Emma must have had trouble in her pregnancies, because there is a 6 year gap between the first 2 births and when she gave birth to her next child George in 1859 she died from complications and the baby died also.
Parents - George Brunner and Emma Evans were married in 1850, Oxford ,England.
A daughter was born in 1851, they named Sophia Elizabeth - and she was 25 when she married Robert Alexander MacBrair - a civil engineer & surveyor, in 1876 and had 3 girls and 2 boys. Their eldest son Lawrence was killed in action at France; Flanders in 1918.
Our John Fraser was born 1857 and he was 27 when he married Emily Mary Briggs in Australia in 1884.
Mother Emma must have had trouble in her pregnancies, because there is a 6 year gap between the first 2 births and when she gave birth to her next child George in 1859 she died from complications and the baby died also.
John's Father, George, didn't marry again until 13 years later, in 1872.
He was 46 when he married Clara Ann Millard, she was 21 and our young John was going on 16....so there's your entanglement.
George & Clara went on and had 8 more children but sadly the twins died at birth.
William Frances Fraser..............1873 - 1950
George Harrison........................1874 - 1953
Edith........................twin............1875 - 1875
Walter Mackenzie...twin............1875 - 1875
Herbert Thompson....................1876 - 1941
Clara May Guest........................1882 - 1969
Lilian Fraser..............................1885 - 1936
Violet Frances...........................1892 - 1959
Aunt Jane, Herbert, Father George, Mother Clara, William, sitting in-front, Clara, George. ca.1888
William Frances Fraser..............1873 - 1950
George Harrison........................1874 - 1953
Edith........................twin............1875 - 1875
Walter Mackenzie...twin............1875 - 1875
Herbert Thompson....................1876 - 1941
Clara May Guest........................1882 - 1969
Lilian Fraser..............................1885 - 1936
Violet Frances...........................1892 - 1959
Aunt Jane, Herbert, Father George, Mother Clara, William, sitting in-front, Clara, George. ca.1888
In the 1871 census we find our John G F Brunner (he uses the George initial here) recorded in the Temple Cowley school as a boarder at the age of 14 with 76 other boarders.
Some interesting history snippets - In 1841 the Old Manor House on the main road of Temple Cowley (Hollow Way) had become Cowley College, a middle-class all boys school, later known as Hurst's Grammar School. In 1852 it was extended with an L-shaped school-room below and dormitories above, at the Junction with the Oxford Road and in 1870 a chapel was added. The buildings were purchased in July 1876 for a Military College and in 1914 the Military premises and grounds of 88 acres were purchased for the Morris Motor Factory.
Click to read the beginnings of the Morris Motor Car - note: Elizabeth Brunner as one of the sources
Click The Changing face of Cowley - The Alternative History of Oxford.
Some interesting history snippets - In 1841 the Old Manor House on the main road of Temple Cowley (Hollow Way) had become Cowley College, a middle-class all boys school, later known as Hurst's Grammar School. In 1852 it was extended with an L-shaped school-room below and dormitories above, at the Junction with the Oxford Road and in 1870 a chapel was added. The buildings were purchased in July 1876 for a Military College and in 1914 the Military premises and grounds of 88 acres were purchased for the Morris Motor Factory.
Click to read the beginnings of the Morris Motor Car - note: Elizabeth Brunner as one of the sources
Click The Changing face of Cowley - The Alternative History of Oxford.
The pin point on the map below is where George built his new house in South Hinksey, Oxford and to the south east is Cowley, where the boarding school was, only a five or six kilometre distance from the Brunner home.
George Brunner earned a comfortable wage as a Bank Actuary and Registrar of Births & Deaths in the City of Oxford to support his growing family and could afford to have live-in servants, as was the custom in the 1800's. He built a new and quite substantial home called 'Bellevue' for his new young bride, in Lake Street, South Hinksey, Berkshire, a poorer area, on the outskirts of the City of Oxford and employed a gardener for the large acreage the house was on. By the time of his retirement he favoured the warmer climate on the coast of Brighton and ended his days in Steyning in 1895 aged 70.
Clara was only 44 years old when George died, leaving her with 3 young girls between the ages of 3 and 13. We like to think that George left Clara some substantial means of support to carry her into her old age.
The story is told by the sons of John Fraser that his only legacy from his Father, was a pair of gold, diamond studded, cuff links. He was so chafed and annoyed by what he considered to be total neglect that he tossed them violently across the room and refused to even wear them.
Clara was only 44 years old when George died, leaving her with 3 young girls between the ages of 3 and 13. We like to think that George left Clara some substantial means of support to carry her into her old age.
The story is told by the sons of John Fraser that his only legacy from his Father, was a pair of gold, diamond studded, cuff links. He was so chafed and annoyed by what he considered to be total neglect that he tossed them violently across the room and refused to even wear them.
John Fraser obtained a passport in 1879 and the story that he came to Australia with the the English staff for Sydney's International Exhibition in 1879/80, is a great big porky - according to Uncle Ossie, because there are no records to support his claim. Of course there are no records, due to the fact that the Garden Palace was razed to the ground in 1882. On the 27th April 1882 John was employed by the Colonial Treasurer's Department as a General Stamper for the Commissioner of Stamp Duties and Taxation.
Click on this link to Sydney's forgotten Garden Palace
Click on this link to totally gone in 40 minutes
Click on this link to Sydney's forgotten Garden Palace
Click on this link to totally gone in 40 minutes
William Francis Fraser - married Elizabeth Webb in 1896 and had 3 children. Their second son Alec was an Artist, Aquarist and an Ichthyologist. Click link for more info
Because William didn't pursue an academic career- he and his wife preferred the music and theatre scene - his family were shunned and treated like outcasts by the other members of the family. William died in 1950 aged 77.
Because William didn't pursue an academic career- he and his wife preferred the music and theatre scene - his family were shunned and treated like outcasts by the other members of the family. William died in 1950 aged 77.
Herbert Thompson - is recorded as having a paralysed arm from childhood. His recorded occupations are Upholsterer and street organ & piano playing - how he accomplished those, I have no idea - your guess is as good as mine. Later in life he managed a Book Store. He married Rose Martin in 1897. They had 6 children born, but 2 didn't survive. Their son Fraser William, was the half cousin who married our John Brunner's daughter, Lillian. Fraser came out to Australia in 1923 and worked in Victoria as a Painter & Decorator before he came up to Sydney in 1932.
Herbert died in 1941 aged 64.
Herbert died in 1941 aged 64.
Clara May Guest - never married. She devoted her life to teaching children, from Governess to Principal. She was proprietress of the Oxford House School in West Parade Lincoln and often took in under privileged children as well and at one time had 65 under her care with only a daily cha and a gardener to help. During WWI and also in WWII Clara was active in raising funds through bond drives.
Clara was known to have tea regularly once a week with the Vicar of Lincoln Cathedral.
She lived to the ripe old age of 87 and died in 1969.
Lilian Fraser & Violet Frances - These 2 youngest daughters are recorded with their Mother Clara in the Census. There is a possibility that these 2 sisters both married twice, but I have found it hard to put a positive stamp on it.
It is ascertained that there are no longer any male descendants with the Brunner name, left in England today, from our Brunner line.