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| John Stewart b 1822 d 1905 |
Three Stewarts Immigrate
All three of William Stewart and Margaret Livingstone's children immigrated in September 1841 from Dundee to Australia on the same boat.
Janet (aka Jessie) Stewart (single) , Margaret Stewart and her husband John Connolly (just married) , and John Stewart (19 year old and single) were on board the ship as it departed Dundee in an early morning fog. John's future wife Jane Duncan (13 year old, single) and her family including Jane or Jean Duncan 1828 - 1888 were on the Ann Milne but so were rest of her family. Her eldest brother James Duncan 1829 - 1841 and youngest sister Ann Duncan 1839 - 1841 died on the voyage from Dundee. Their parents Agnes Ross 1799 - 1889 and James Duncan 1798- 1855 as well as Charles Reid 1832 - 1825 Willian 1835 -1875 David Blackadder 1837 - 1905 came on Ann Milne. Many identified with the Catholic church on board but not after arriving in Australia.
Newspaper Articles
1905 Stewart History by James Stewart, John's son
Janet Stewart (Gray), sister
Bald Hills History by John's son Rev. James Stewart
Margaret Stewart (Connolly), sister and husband John Connolly
Bald Hills Cemetery Photographs
The Duncans
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All three of William Stewart and Margaret Livingstone's children immigrated in September 1841 from Dundee to Australia on the same boat.
Janet (aka Jessie) Stewart (single) , Margaret Stewart and her husband John Connolly (just married) , and John Stewart (19 year old and single) were on board the ship as it departed Dundee in an early morning fog. John's future wife Jane Duncan (13 year old, single) and her family including Jane or Jean Duncan 1828 - 1888 were on the Ann Milne but so were rest of her family. Her eldest brother James Duncan 1829 - 1841 and youngest sister Ann Duncan 1839 - 1841 died on the voyage from Dundee. Their parents Agnes Ross 1799 - 1889 and James Duncan 1798- 1855 as well as Charles Reid 1832 - 1825 Willian 1835 -1875 David Blackadder 1837 - 1905 came on Ann Milne. Many identified with the Catholic church on board but not after arriving in Australia.
Newspaper Articles
1905 Stewart History by James Stewart, John's son
Janet Stewart (Gray), sister
Bald Hills History by John's son Rev. James Stewart
Margaret Stewart (Connolly), sister and husband John Connolly
Bald Hills Cemetery Photographs
The Duncans
Jane Duncan 13, left Scotland with her parents James Duncan;
Agnes Ross, and five siblings, James 12, Charles 10, William 7, David 5 and Ann
2. Children James and Ann died during
the voyage, James in the Atlantic, somewhere near Cape Verde, and Ann, I suspect
but have no proof, somewhere off the coast of Australia close to her
destination. As far as my research has
taken me so far, I believe that on these ships, there was a small ceremony
carried out and those who died were buried at sea. Father James died 27 May
1855 and is buried in Hinton Pioneer Cemetery.
As well as being the passengers being on assisted passages,
these ships were Bounty ships, meaning that the Master and/or the Surgeon on
each ship was paid a bounty, at the end of the voyage by the government, on the
number of surviving persons who arrive at their destination. There was a measles epidemic on the ship, on
this voyage and there are deaths listed.
Whether it was done deliberately to help boost their numbers, or by
accident, Ann 10 (she was actually 2) is shown on the manifest as arriving in
Australia, but I have never found any record of her, alive or dead, after that
document. The Duncan family became a prominent in the new land. Louisa Duncan b
in Australia in 1844 - 1922. Charles,
David Duncan and John Stewart were early settlers at Bald Hills. William Duncan later lived in
Brisbane. He was a draper. Louisa also settled in Brisbane.
The Stewart Family’s Arrival in Australia
Probably the very
best account that could be given of the conditions in a penal colony at the
time they arrived is that written by Charles Duncan, the brother of John Stewart’s
wife – Jane Duncan. Charles
made no mention of the fact that two of his siblings youngest sister Ann, and
eldest brother James, died on the
voyage, his baby sister Ann and eldest brother James Duncan. The Duncan family headed to the Hunter Valley
soon after arriving in Sydney. John
Stewart joined them later after earning some money working as a carpenter.
Charles Duncan’s father, James, was employed as a convict overseer and
saw some terrible scenes with convicts being ill-treated. The push factor for Charles and his brother
David to leave the Hunter Valley was the
constant floods. The pull factor was
brother in law Thomas Gray who was
settled in Brisbane and informed them of new allotments at Bald Hills on the
outskirts of Brisbane. Charles
Duncan did not stay long farming at Bald
Hills and moved on to other ventures but David Blackether Duncan also married to an
unrelated Stewart from the Fort William area of Scotland and John Stewart and Jane Duncan remained in
the area. The area they settled was
pin-marked for a settlement to support a proposed large port at the nearby
coastal area of Bramble Bay where Sandgate now is located.
John Stewart and Jane Duncan Stewart – first settlers
at Bald Hills, Brisbane
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| Jane Duncan (Stewart) |
After their
experiences on the Hunter River, the settlers selected the higher ground for
their farms, erecting their first houses [apparently slab and bark] on the low
ridge above the South Pine River where St Peter's Anglican School is now
situated. Fearing attack from
Aborigines, their houses were loop-holed for rifles and located within sight of
each other. These precautions proved
unnecessary, for at the request of Thomas Gray and other settlers in the area
between Cabbage Tree Creek and Caboolture, a detachment of Native Police was
stationed at Sandgate from 1858 to 1862.
Under the command of Lieutenant Frederick Wheeler, the Native Police
eliminated Aboriginal resistance to white settlement in the Pine Rivers,
Cabbage Tree Creek and Caboolture districts by the early 1860s.
The Stewart and
Duncan families cleared the gentle slopes along the South Pine River for their
crops. By the end of the 1860s most of
the valuable stands of red cedar and hoop pine in the Bald Hills district had
been removed, although much scrub remained.
Through the 1860s, 1870s and 1880s maize, potatoes and some oaten and
wheaten hay were the principal cash crops, and John Stewart had early
experimented with arrowroot and cotton, for which he won bronze and silver
medals at the London International Exhibition of 1862. Following the opening of a railway to Bald
Hills in 1888, dairying became the principal economic activity in the district. By 1929, dairy farmers at Bald Hills were
supplying up to 1000 gallons of milk daily to Brisbane and Sandgate.
John Stewart's birth certificate:
Newspaper clippings regarding the Ann Milne:
Passenger lists from the Ann Milne:
John Stewart and Jane Duncan married in 1846 in New South Wales. The Duncan brothers Charles (and Georgina McPherson, married 5 June 1854) and David (and Jane Isabella Stewart, married 22 September 1857) and their wives as well as John and Jane Stewart, (and Agnes Duncan and daughter Louisa, born 17 April 1844 in Hinton), traveled as first settlers to Bald Hills, (now part of Brisbane) to adjoining farmland in October 1857. John started the first church/school at Bald Hills to educate family members. John and Jean Jane Duncan (b1828) were married October 4, 1846 in Butterwick, Hinton, Middlehope, Seaham, New South Wales by Revd Robert Blain, Presbyterian Minister at Hinton.
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| 1903 Electoral rolls |
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| Standing left to right Evaline Mellor unm; Annie Latham, eld unm; Samuel Latham; Anne Stewart unm (nurse); Thomas Gray Jnr; wife of Thomas Gray Jnr? Rev James Stewart; John Stewart Jnr; son of James Stewart (d ww1) ? or William or Arthur Latham; Elizabeth Brown (wife of John Stewart); Alfred Stewart; wife of Alfred Stewart (Rose? Tucker) Seated left to right: Louisa Duncan Mellor holding baby; Mary Elizabeth Stewart (Maud) unm; Agnes Stewart unm holding Caldwell Stewart?; John Stewart Snr; James Stewart's wife or Margaret Connolly; Jane (Jessie) Latham holding Winnifred (Winnie) Latham; On grass: Lilian Latham; John Stewart Latham; unknown child; Pearl Latham. Notes on photograph: I can recognize Agnes from other photos She is eldest sitting next to John Stewart on his left. I would say the lady on other side is probably Margaret Connolly as she lived nearby and would have come to family functions and was still alive then. Next to her is my g grandmother. Jessie Stewart . On other side is Louisa Duncan Mellor. Jean is dead by this photo. Thomas Gray Jnr is back row. The big man. My g grandfather is on his left up on top row. Samuel Latham. John Latham is on ground with kids. S.R. In the top right hand corner is Alfred Stewart and Rosamund Tucker. These are NH's ancestors. I know pretty much everyone in this photo. Ann Stewart is standing behind Agnes and next to her on left is Mary Stewart. The woman in front of Thomas Gray Jnr must be his wife. Rev James Stewart is next to Thomas Gray. The young guy beside him could be his son James Crichton who died in ww1 or it could be one of the Latham boys. My grandfather is on grass at front. He looks about 20. His sister Annie is next to Sam Latham in rear of photo on left hand side. The tall woman is Evaline Mellor and her mother Louisa Duncan Mellor is larger woman sitting down. I don't know if NH has this photo. She had a badly damaged other group shot which was taken at Rosamund Tuckers father's funeral. I have a restored copy of that in my home computer. SR |
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| Map showing Sandgate, Bald Hills and Bracken Ridge. |
Bald Hills History:
European settlement in Bald Hills has a very early history - the area
was settled by Europeans as early as the 1850s. According to Brian, "It
really all commenced with a group of people who met in the 1840s on a
voyage out from England on a ship called the 'Anne Milne'."Fast friendships were made on this trip. The group of travellers included Thomas Grey, who went on to become a bootmaker with a shop in George St in the 1850s. He made friends with a number of other people on the trip: a man called John Stewart, and brothers Charles and David Duncan, and their friendship lasted when the travellers arrived in Australia, and the Duncans and the Stewarts settled in the Hunter region.
There was actually quite a devastating flood in the Hunter region in 1856 - and that's what prompted these early settlers to leave the area and settle in Brisbane. Says Brian, "If it wasn't for this flood, these people would have never moved north."
By this time, Thomas Grey had set up his bootmaker's shop in George St, and when the Stewarts and the Duncans arrived in Brisbane (and then, later, William Carseldine, who'd also come out on the first ship), the first person they looked up was Thomas. It was Thomas who recommended the area around Bald Hills for them to settle.
These days, it's still reasonably easy to spot the area's history - if you know where to look. "The area around the railway station has lots of historic houses that date back to earliest times. Also the Bald Hills Primary School was actually the fourth school to have opened in Queensland, so it dates back to 1866, so very early, and of course those early settlers were instrumental in encouraging the establishment of the school."
Other landmarks in the history of the area include:
- First South Pine bridge - 1865
- St. Paul's - 1961 - on land that was once part of John Stewart's property
-John Stewart Park
-Thomas Gray Park
Link to article abovehttp://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2006/02/03/1561545.htm
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On 10 May 1865, amidst much pomp and ceremony, the Governor of
Queensland, Sir George Bowen, opened the first bridge over the South
Pine River. Two items of interest link this occasion to the history of
St Paul's School land. Firstly, the timber for the bridge was supplied
and hauled by Charles Duncan, brother of David Duncan and brother-in-law
of John Stewart, who were the first non-indigenous settlers in Bald
Hills and the first settlers (in the case of David Duncan and John Stewart) on what is now School land.
Secondly, a ball was held in the Stewarts' barn to celebrate the
opening of the bridge. The barn referred to would be an earlier barn
built by the Stewarts, not the one that was dismantled in 1986. The
1865 bridge was replaced in 1904, and again in 1941 (due to flood damage
on both occasions) and was duplicated in 1977. |
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| John Stewart Memorial Park at 2019 Gympie Road, There is a picnic area with shelter and electric barbecue, playground, rebound wall and water bubbler/tap. |
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Children
John and Jane had 16 births resulting in 13 living children. Jane died November 5, 1899 in Queensland Australia at the age of 71. She is buried in the family plot in Brisbane. It was said at Jane's funeral that there had been no deaths since 1851. They had been married 53 years. John died July 23, 1905 in Queensland, Australia at the age of 83. John Stewart is buried at Bracken Ridge but I think it is Sandgate cemetery.
John and Jane had the following children:
1. James born 11 March 1847 Wallalong NSW Australia, married June 26, 1872 Queenland, Australia to Margaret McNevin. He died 16 May 1907 in Queensland. - Rev James Stewart started the Brisbane City Mission for homeless people in Brisbane.
Children:
Archibald B. born April 13, 1873 in Brisbane, Australia.
Ethel Jane born March 30, 1875 in Brisbane Australia.
Grace Lillian born March 30, 1877 in Brisbane, Australia
Jeanette Isabel born January 31, 1880 in Brisbane, Australia.
James Crichton who died July 22, 1882 in Brisbane, Australia.
2. Agnes born April 16, 1849 in Wallalong, Australiais buried in the family plot in Brisbane in 1933.
3. William born August 1851 in Wallalong, Australia. Died in 1851 at the age of 4 in Wallalong, Australia
4. John Jr. born December 23, 1852 in Wallalong, Australia. He married Elizabeth and both are buried in the family plot in Brisbane. John Stewart Junior 1852-1921 married Elizabeth Brown 1869-1952.
Children:
Allan 1899-1957,
Alexander 1902-2001
Elsie 1906-1974..
5. Margaret born January 31, 1855, married Edmond Foran Mellor 25 June 1884, they had three children,
Edmund 1886-1958, grandson: John Mellor is Edmund’s son. Daughter: You should look at Jasmine Mansbridge art. She does 3D art and murals. She is John Mellors daughter who shares our GG grandfather William Stewart.
http://jasminemansbridge.com/portfolio/
Harold 1887-1968
Eric 1894-1978.
Children:
Arthur 1887 - 1918 he died in France
Mary Lilian 1899 - 1970
Lucy Isabel 1893-1972
William 1895 - 1895
7. Ann or Annie born October 27, 1860
Annie Stewart, John & Jane’s daughter, is buried in Lutwyche Cemetery in the same grave as her brother Charles Alexander.
8. Charles Alexander Stewart January 6, 1862. Presbyterian minister. Charles Alexander Stewart 1862 - 1950 married Fanny C Hickson (1885 - 1936) 11 March 1891
Children:
Violet 1892 1979
Howell 1893 - 1956
William D 1895 - 1895
Herbert L 1896 - 1980
Annie Stewart, John & Jane’s daughter, is buried in Lutwyche Cemetery in the same grave as her brother Charles Alexander. Charles’ wife, Fanny died in 1936 when they were living and working in New Zealand, and she is buried there.
9. Jessie or Jane or Janet’s (b February 8, 1864.) ggranddaughter is Sandra R., Jane died September 23, 1900 Brisbane, Australia. Jessie Stewart 1864 -1920 married Samuel Latham 1859 Shropshire UK on 12 December 1883 in Queensland. Samuel: Shrewsbury is town where Sam Latham was from. He is Jessie Stewart's husband. Registration number 000204 page 14232
Children:
Annie 1884-1980.
John Stewart Latham 1885-1964. Sandra dgdaughter
William Alfred 1887-1963.
Arthur 1888
Pearl Faithful 1890.
Charles 1883-1893
George 1893-1893.
Harold Stewart 1894-1960.
Lillian D 1897.
Samuel 1898-1950.
Sydney G 1906-1980
10. Elizabeth born April 16, 1866 in Queensland, Australia. Elizabeth Stewart 1866-1949 married William H Bell on 13 March 1889.
Children:
Evelyn Leila Bell 1890.
Amy Gertrude 1892 - 1964
William S bell 1893 - 1935
Florence G 1899
11. Alexander Caldwell Stewart born May 16, 1868 is buried in the family plot. He died October 8, 1900 at the age of 32. Alexander Caldwell Stewart managed Woodlawn dairy farm until his accidental death in 1900. I haven’t found a wife or children for him, he died in a farm accident when a horse & dray he was using rolled over and the dray crushed him while his father looked on.
12. Mary Louisa Maud born July 26, 1870 in Queensland, Australia. death: 1952
13. Alfred David Stewart born in October 26, 1872, in Queensland, Australia, the baby of the family who died 10 May 1952 at 79. Wife Rosamond (Rose) Elizabeth Stewart who died March 26, 1963 at 87. We have grave marker photo. Alfred’s grand daughter is Noelene. Alfred David Stewart 1872 /1952 Alfred David Stewart 1872 /1952 married Rosamund Tucker 1875-1963. (Note: It was Ethel Tucker who married Arthur Carseldine (son of Joseph & Sarah) in 1902 in double wedding with Rose & Alfred. NH) (I have a better shot of the group photo you have at a studio at Rosamund Tuckers father's funeral. Someone paint shop repaired it. SR.)
Their eldest sister Mary Jane Tucker (Rob Carseldine’s grandmother) married William Carseldine (son of James & Janet) on 24 November 1897.
Children
1. Doris Ethel Eveline (1903-1970) married Leonard Hawkins Butt (1901-1984) on 15/10/1927 and they had 4 children;
a. Colin Edwin (1929- ) married Yvonne Valerie Smith on 1/11/1952 and they had 3 children;
b, Audrey Jean (1931- ) married Clifford Charles Best on 5/9/1953 and they had 4 children;
c. Donald Leonard (1933-1948); and
d. Joyce (1935- ) married Roy Lewington and they had 4 children;
2. Edna Mabel (1904-1994) married William Christian Manthey (1905-1993) and had 5 children;
a. Mervyn Leonard (1931- ) married Patricia Mary Cavill (1932-1990) on 17/4/1954 and they had 3 children;
b. Leslie (1934- ) married Maureen Claire Beeston and they had 3 children;
c. Ailsa (1936- ) married Arthur Toye and they had 3 children;
d. Noel William (1937- ) married Loraine Baker; and
e. Lynette R (1939- ) married Leslie G Sinclair and they had 3 children.
3. Eric Gordon (1906-1992) married Ruby Florence Stead (1910-1963) and they had 2 children;
a. Heather June (1935- ) married Alan Croft Miles on 18/12/1954 and they had 4 children; and
b. Beverley May (1936- ) married John Smoothy and they had 3 children.
4. Vera Gwendolyn (1909-1986) married William Stephen Patrick Radford (1904-1991) and they had 1 child;
a. Noelene Patricia (1950- ) was married to Edward Charles Hutton (1973-1991) and now single.
5. Gladys (1911-1918)
6. Muriel Roslyn (1915-1994) married James Burns McCullough (1916-2010) in 28/10/1942 and they had 3 children;
a. Roslyn Gaye (1946-2013) married Charles McEwan and they had 1 child.
b. Alan James (1949- ) married Julie Saaal and they had 2 children; he has a second relationship with Michelle Roberts, they have 1 child; and
c. Judith (1952- ) married James Hunter and they have 4-5 children.
Who Built the Farmhouse?
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| The old Stewart farmhouse is at the St. Paul school and has history of Stewart family there. John's "will" is at Sandgate history society. SR |
The search for the answer to the question ‘Who Built the Farmhouse?’ (also known as St Paul’s School Administration Building) began in 2000 when I wandered into the literary minefield of trying to write a short history about the early life of St Paul’s School. The notion generally held in the St Paul’s community seemed to be that John Stewart was the first settler on the land and he built the farmhouse. So for the sake of posterity, I set about trying to prove this notion.......
So that is where the matter rests at the moment. If the Protheroe story is correct, the scenario would be something like this: when the Stewarts purchased Portion 32 in 1886 they built a new house on the land which was pulled down and rebuilt in about 1898 by Samuel Unwin when he bought the land from Taylor. On the other hand the historical information handed down by Alexander Caldwell ‘Caldie’ Stewart (grandson of the original pioneer), who had an excellent memory and was still mentally alert when he died in 2001 at the age of 99, is difficult to dispute. He was in no doubt at all that John Stewart built the house that is now on St Paul’s land. As Caldie’s son, Jack Stewart, points out, John Stewart, the original pioneer, was a carpenter by trade, and it is unlikely that a house he built would have been demolished after only 12 years and another house of the same style built in its place.
Link to full article: http://www.stpauls.qld.edu.au/paulipedia/articles/f/Farmhouse%202%20-%20Who%20Built%20the%20Farmhouse.asp
Death:
Obituary: August 2, 1905 Northern Star Newspaper:
Death of Mr. John Stewart, of. Queensland
On Sunday morning, 23rd, another of Queensland's best men. Mr. John Stewart, of Woodlawn, Bald Hills, died at the age of 8l years. Although so far beyond [the allotted span of man. Mr. Stewart was [ a hail and hearty old gentleman within a few days of his death. When about 21) years of age. Mr. Stewart landed on at Sydney, in January,1941 , and went to the Hunter River. After working for two years there he went to Wallalong and took a farm, and remained there until the floods
of 1857, during which period he married Jean Duncan. That same year he removed to what was then known as Moreton Ivy, and settled at Bald Hills, where he remained for a period of 48 years, and where he had gained the highest esteem of all who knew him. He died surrounded by his six daughters and three of the five sons who have survived him.
He died without a sign of pain, and was conscious to tho lust moment. He was ardently attached to the Presbyterian Church, in which he had been senior elder for over 40 years, and in which one of his sons is a minister. His son William is living at Johannesburg, in South Africa, and another son. Charles Alexander, is at present doing Home Mission work at Murphy's Creek, where his brother, the Rev. James Stewart, laboured for seven years.
Tho funeral took place on Tuesday morning. A short service was held in the house, after which thc coffin was removed to the Presbyterian Church, where tho Rev. ll. Fulton, assisted by tho Rev. Mr. Williams and the Rev. P. F. Mitchell, conducted service. Tho pulpit was draped for the occasion. A large congregation was present, and Miss Mac Pherson presided at the organ. Tho service was a very solemn one. Mr. Mitchell, who was very much affected, filleted throe texts of Scripture:"Mark tho perfect man, and behold the upright, for the latter end of that man is peace"; "Tho memory of tho just is blessed": and "Blessed are the dead who die in tho Lord from henceforth ; Yea, saith tho Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." Mr. Mitchell said that for a period of between 40 and 50) years their late respected revered brother had been among them as a man, truly a manly man, a modest man, a generous hearted man, a godly man, and a man whom they should all strive to follow. The coffin was again placed in the hoarse, and tho funeral cortege started for the Bald Hills Cemetery, about three miles from the township. There were about 40 vehicles and 30 horse men. A number were from Brisbane, Sandgate, Cabooture, and the Pine district for miles round had representatives. Among the members of the family at the graveside was Mrs. Connolly, of Sandgate, sister of tho late Air, Stewart, herself in her 87th year. At the graveside tho Rev. P. Fulton conducted tho service, Mr. C. Stewart engaged in prayer, and an impressive and solemn address was given by tho Rev. James Stewart. The coffin was of polished pine, with silver mountings. "Moreton Mail." (Deceased was tho father of Rev. J. Stewart who recently visited this district.-Ed. "Star.")
Stewart Grave Markers:
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| Bald Hills Cemetery, family plot. The Bald Hills cemetery is located at 225 Barrett St. Bracken Ridge. |
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| Put your finger on the bottom of the Cemetery picture to the left of the gate in Barrett St. Move up the left side of the road inside the gate. There is one tree on the fence, then a gap, then two trees, and another gap - that second gap is where you will find the cross. |
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| Bald Hills Cemetery, family plot, curb around John and Jane's grave location. |
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| Agnes born April 16, 1849, Bald Hills Cemetery |
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| Annie Stewart above is incorrect, see below. |
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| The Brisbane General Cemetery also known as Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery located at Toowong, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875.[1] It is Queensland's largest cemetery and is located on forty-four hectares of land at the corner of Frederick Street and Mount Coot-tha Road approximately four and a half kilometres west of Brisbane. |
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| Toowong Cemetery |
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| Lutwyche Cemetery is an Australian cemetery located at Kedron, Brisbane. It opened in 1878 and saw its first burial in the same year.[1] It is located at the corner of Gympie and Kitchener Roads approximately ten kilometres north of Brisbane |
Annie Stewart, John & Jane’s daughter, is buried in Lutwyche Cemetery in the same grave as her brother Charles Alexander. Charles’ wife, Fanny died in 1936 when they were living and working in New Zealand, and she is buried there.
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| General view of cemetery. |
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| John had a park named after him. |
