In 1827, and probably until December 1835, the Ordnance Storekeeper in the Colony of New South Wales was Abner Brown.
Given that Abner Brown's place of work had been Dawes Battery, was he the person known as "Battery Brown" about whom the Editor of the Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser wrote on 15 May 1838? It seems highly likely; if so, there are some intriguing aspects to his family situation.
It seems that Abner Brown had departed the Colony leaving unpaid a bill owed to the newspaper. Further details of the delicate affair had been given in the Gazette's edition of 13 March 1838:
In confirmation of the Gazette report, the Sydney Herald of 30 April 1838 recorded the departure of the ship "Midlothian" the previous day; included amongst the passengers was a Mr Abner Brown. Intriguingly, the Gazette of 26 April, recorded the death at age 22 of Sarah, youngest daughter of A. W. Brown, late Ordnance Storekeeper, only 3 days prior to this departure (2):
Sarah had married Thomas Makeig at Scots Church, Sydney, in 1832 (3). Thomas was the Superintendent of the Phoenix convict hulk between November 1831 and 31 December 1837 when the Hulk establishment was discontinued; he was given a year's salary as a gratuity. He survived Sarah by less than two years, his death being reported in the Sydney Gazette of 13 August 1839 at the age of 40 years (4). Sarah and Thomas had lost an infant son (John Edman Makeig) 4 years earlier, in September 1834; at the time they were living on the Phoenix. The Phoenix was moored off Goat Island and its convicts laboured there on the construction of the magazine.
If the Abner Brown who departed Sydney in April was the "late Ordnance Storekeeper", there is no mention of an accompanying wife. This is understandable given the events related above. There is a probable explanation. In the case R. v. Macarthy and others, Supreme Court of NSW, Burton J., 17 November 1835 the stolen property involved was the lawful property of "Celia Brown, the wife of Mr. Abner Brown, of Sydney" who was "residing with" James Duffey, a settler at Campbell Town. It seems that Celia may have stayed in the Colony - there is only one death registration for that name in NSW between 1835 and 1920 - a death in Sydney in 1888. (5, 6)
Was Sarah's death related to the public humiliation of her father just six weeks before? There is a hint of scandal followed by family tragedy in all of this. (7)
Notes:
1. Prince Street was in The Rocks; its site is now under the approaches to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Early maps show it running parallel with, and to the west of Cumberland Street. It ran down towards Dawe's Battery, where the Ordnance Storekeeper had his office. A description of the Battery sent to the Colonial Secretary in 1827 included this:
"...At the west end of the Guard Room are the Quarters allotted to the Ordnance Storekeeper, consisting of three Rooms..." (Quoted in Peter Oppenheim The Fragile Forts, 2004, p.25)
There is evidence of Abner Brown owning a cottage in Prince Street in 1834; it is mentioned in delineating the boundaries of a claim to land notified in the Sydney Herald of 25 May 1834.
2. NSW BDM V1838120 102/1838
3. NSW BDM V1832253 73A/1832
4. NSW BDM V18391311 102/1839; V1839259 103/1839
5. NSW BDM 1052/1888
6. The identification of Celia Brown as the wife of Abner Brown the Ordnance Storekeeper is confirmed by a law report in The Australian of 20 November 1835 which identifies the stolen goods as the property of "Abner Brown, Dawes' Battery".
7. The burial registers for Sarah and Thomas Makeig do not give the cause of death. However Sarah died less than 2 months after she gave birth to a daughter (on 2 March 1838) so her death may have been birth-related. The daughter, Mary M Makeig, may have died around the same time as her death was registered the same year (NSW BDM V1838122 102/1838). Thomas's entry records his occupation as "Seaman" and the ship on which he arrived in Australia as the"Lord Rodney". The Hobart Town Courier of 6 December 1828 recorded "Arrived on Monday, the brig Lord Rodney, Captain Thomas Makeig, from Sydney, Nov. 15...".
More about Abner Brown - Abner Brown, Impartiality and "Blossom" the Cow
Material on this page may be copied for personal use. If you intend to republish any substantial part of the page in any manner, please acknowledge the source and provide the URL of the page.
