BROWN, William James

Name – BROWN, William James
Born – 11/12/1881
Died – 8/01/1933
Location – No 8 Anglican Section
Mother – Majery Maxwell Thomson
Father – James William Brown

Notes – William James was born in Toowoomba on 11th December, 1881 to Majery Maxwell (nee Thomson) and James William Brown. He came from a large family and was the eldest of eight surviving siblings, Maud Emily (1883), Ethel Jane (1885), Henry John (1887), Osmond Samuel (1889), Aeriel Jessie (1891), Adam Geddes (1896) and George Alexander (1900). Having the same name as his father, he was known to everyone as Bill

On the 7th January 1905 he married Annie Eliza Straten. The couple had nine children of their own, Olive May (1905), Maud Emily (1907), Ivy Beatrice (1909), James William III (1911), Glady Evelyn (1914), Leslie Gordon (1916), Mavis Muriel (1919), Annie Isabel (1922) and Noel Henry in (1926).

Electoral rolls indicate William worked for a long time on the railway. He is listed on the 1908 roll at Muckadilla as a Lengthsman and in 1925 at Tara as a Lenghtsman. At the time of his death he was still working for the railway as a ganger.

Bill is buried next to his wife Annie and baby son Noel Henry. He has a shared headstone with his wife and son which reads – In loving memory of William James Brown Aged 51 Died 8th January, 1933, Annie Eliza Brown Died Sept 6th 1965 and Noel Henry Brown Aged three weeks 28.7.1926.

NOTE: Because he was known as Bill his whole life, his headstone reads Williams James instead of his registered name of James William II Brown.

Newspaper Article – Obituary

War Service File  –

Learn more about the Tara Cemetery here.