Kindly contributed by Allan Brownlee.

"Thomas Brownlee married Mary Ellen Box at Kempsey in 1874.  They joined Thomas's brother William and his wife (formerly Mary McNally ) who had earlier moved north from the Macleay".**


My initial Brownlee information came from a book by Ian Brownlee(Katoomba) "The Brownlee Family"  published in 1986 ISBN O9588301 0 X.  The S.A.G. in Kent street has a copy and I guess it could be in other large libraries.  It deals largely with the Lanarkshire (Scotland) Brownlees but there are a couple of obituaries on pp 209- 212 dealing mainly with William and his wife Mary McNally.  My ggfather Thomas gets only a passing mention although there are interesting details of early days on the Bellinger.( some of the information regarding the actual arrival of the brothers appears suspect in a minor degree following my own investigation).

According to the obituary on Mary McNally she was the daughter of Bernard (mother not mentioned) who travelled to Australia at age 14 with her parents.

**  The stories of William Box and his wife Ann/Eliza- Evans/Charlton/ (parents of Mary Ellen, Thomas's wife) are fascinating.  Both were convicts who met and married in Tasmania- moving from there around 1870 to the Macleay and subsequently to the Bellinger.  On leaving Tasmania they endeavoured to hide all details of their convict origins.

The history of the Bellinger  area is absorbing and I am presently endeavouring to locate detail regarding Thomas's possible landholdings in and around Bellingen.

Family Tree

Descendants of John Brownlee

1 John Brownlee b: in Co Armagh Ire
. +Jane Mulholland
........ 2 Thomas Brownlee b: in Co Armagh N Ire d: 1916 in Bellingen NSW
............ +Mary Ellen Box b: 1855 in Tasmania m: 13 July 1874 in Court House Kemp
................... 3 Jane Brownlee b: 1875
................... 3 Frederick William Brownlee b: 23 June 1876 in Bellingen d: 27 April 1931 in Bellingen
....................... +Clara Catherine Kahoe b: 1883 in Pine Creek, Raleigh NSW m: 15 July 1903 in Bellingen d: 29 October 1949 in Bellingen NSW
.............................. 4 Frederick Geoffrey Brownlee d: 11 July 1945 in Sandakan Borneo
.............................. 4 Nellie Irene Nicole Brownlee b: 1904 in Bellingen d: 1977
.............................. 4 Cyril Stanley Brownlee b: 4 February 1907 in Gordonville NSW d: 12 January 1962 in Toowoomba Qld
.................................. +Merle Isabel Clements b: 24 July 1911 m: 6 June 1931 in Warwick, Qld d: 17 April 1966 in Brisbane, Qld
......................................... 5 William Allan Brownlee b: 30 November 1931 in Warwick, Qld.
............................................. +Shirley May Watson b: 8 January 1937 in Ingham Qld m: 10 January 1959 in Sandgate, Qld
......................................... 5 Barry Ross Brownlee b: 30 April 1934 in Warwick, Qld
......................................... 5 Peter Henry Brownlee b: 25 September 1939 in Warwick Qld
.............................. 4 Ernest W Brownlee b: 1909 in Bellinger d: 1909 in Bellinger
.............................. 4 Dulcie Margaret (Topsy) Brownlee b: 1920
................... 3 Arthur F Brownlee b: 1877 in MacLeay River d: 1878
................... 3 Anna Brownlee b: 1879
................... 3 Robert John Brownlee b: 1880
................... 3 George Brownlee b: 1882
................... 3 Maurice Brownlee b: 1883
................... 3 Nellie D Brownlee b: 1885
................... 3 Alice Brownlee b: 1887
................... 3 Emma L Brownlee b: 1888 in Kempsey
................... 3 Hettey Brownlee b: 1890 in Bellinger
................... 3 Francis T Brownlee b: 1892 in Bellinger
................... 3 Samuel M Brownlee b: 1893 in Bellinger
................... 3 Mildred Brownlee b: 1895
................... 3 Irene M Brownlee b: 1896
................... 3 Infant Brownlee b: 1898 d: 1898
........ 2 William Brownlee b: 1837 in Armagh N. Ire. d: 1927 in Thora Rd
............ +Mary McNally b: 1848 in Armagh N.Ire d: 26 January 1934 in Bellingen
................... 3 Elizabeth Brownlee b: 10 June 1871
................... 3 William Henry Brownlee b: 10 March 1873
................... 3 Sarah Brownlee b: 1875 in Boat Harbour
................... 3 Molly Brownlee b: 1877
................... 3 John Brownlee b: 1878
................... 3 Joseph Brownlee b: 1881
................... 3 Eliza Brownlee b: 15 September 1882
................... 3 James Patrick Brownlee b: 8 July 1884
................... 3 Margaret Brownlee b: 1887
................... 3 Hugh Brownlee b: 1888 in Boat Harbour
................... 3 Arthur Brownlee b: 9 July 1890

Email Allan Brownlee to give or get more information regarding the Brownlee family.