Queensland immigration 1911 - Herbert Frank BEAUCHAMP

[cabrach]

Yes that's me.  Thanks for all that.  Pam at Douglas Shire has been fantastic, even found a photo of Thomson.
He arrived at Mossman around March 1895 and bought a house called Shannonvale with 160 acres and turned 60 acres over to cane.  From 1896-1902 he was a director of the Mossman Mill.
He was very large, liked to drink in town occasionally and career around on his horse.  I suppose that made him notorious.
Pam's notes suggested that earlier he had been in the West Indies and Brazil.  I found reference to him in the West Indies.  He and Barbara got married there in 1876 at Essequeba in Guyana where he was the manager of the Aurora plantation.  They disappeared again between 1882 and 1890 presumably having gone to Brazil.  Can't find any trace in Brazil though

[Gingermegs98]

Just a quick note to confirm that Thomson Low did in fact own the homestead "Shannonvale" on Shannonvale Road in Mossman.  I grew up on the farm and my parents still own it.  My Grandmother and father know a little about the Low family but we too are presently trying find out what happened to Robert David Low.  I am wondering if he actually returned to Scotland?!?

[cabrach]

That'll be the Rossi's then?

Intriguingly, among shipping records I've found in January 1892 a Mr T Low makes a trip from Southampton to Bahia in Brazil.  Then in November a Mr T Low goes also from Southampton to Demerara, British Guiana.  Finally in Nov 1894 a Mr T Low and Mrs Low go from London to Sydney.  These don't prove anything but they are interestingly coincidental.

There is no sign of Robert dying in Scotland. 

The Queensland indexes suggest he was on the electoral roll at Herbert until at least 1954.  They also fail to show his death up until 1964.  I suspect he died after that date but we won't know unless someone makes a search at the Queensland archives for a more recent death. 

Problem is I don't even know when Robert might have been born or who his parents were (Thomson had 8 brothers and it could have been any of them).

[tropicalj]

Regarding Robert David Low he appears on the 1903 Electoral and onwards,
so that would give a birth year prior to 1881

I noted with interest that on the 1903 roll there is a Frederick George Irvine Low, Barracks, Mossman Mill.  Perhaps just a sheer coincidence with the surname. 

Robert is not buried in Ayr the town where he was on the electoral roll in 1954 or in Townsville  the closest big town.

Jenn

[Ruskie]

The Queensland indexes suggest he was on the electoral roll at Herbert until at least 1954.  They also fail to show his death up until 1964.  I suspect he died after that date but we won't know unless someone makes a search at the Queensland archives for a more recent death. 

Unfortunately the death indexes at the Archives only go up to 1964 too. 

[cabrach]

Thanks Jenn. That dating is useful. Does it mean that people could not vote until 22?
FGI Low is new to me.

Ruskie, I realise that the on-line index stops at 1964 but presumably some organisation somewhere keeps track of deaths since then?  I'm in England so I'm profoundly ignorant of how any of that is organised in Australia.  Perhaps as in England it takes significant fees before a record can be produced.

Ian

[tropicalj]

I should have put birth as circa  as you had to be 21 to vote 

there is thisdeath in  NSW

reg no 29854/1955
name  LOW  ROBERT DAVID 
father JAMES 
mother NOT KNOWN 
district PETERSHAM 

Petersham is an inner Sydney Suburb ( as coincidence goes we are off to there tomorrow for a few days to celebrate hubbys 60th with his family)   

Jenn

[cabrach]

Jenn, that is fantastic.  The date is reasonable for our man and there cannot be many Robert David Lows around so I think that is a high probability.  It is a shame no mother is listed.  Thomson Low did have an elder brother, James (b1830), but he has been proving elusive in Scotland. I've not found him in the 1861 census but may have him in 1871 - though no sign of a wife at that point (but no reason to suppose that Robert David was legitimate).  Linking father and son and confirming RDLs birth may be tricky.

Have a good time in Sydney.

Ian

[cabrach]

Just to clarify the family position on the Lows I've checked the death indexes for QLD, NSW and Vic for all of Thomson's possible brothers.  NSW is the only one that has any with plausible parents and it comes up with the following:

Registration Number    Last Name    Given Name(s)    Father's Given Name(s)    Mother's Given Name(s)    District
12685/1897             LOW                 JAMES                   JOHN                         MARGARET                            NARRANDERA 
14420/1902             LOW                 WILLIAM                JOHN                         MARGARET                            LOCKHART 
9268/1920               LOW                 WILLIAM H           JOHN                          MARGARET                            GRETA 
9230/1900               LOW                 DAVID                   JOHN                          MARGARET                            KATOOMBA 

John and Margaret are the appropriate parent names and Thomson had elder brothers called James (b1830), William (b1832) and David (b1835).  William H I don't recognise.  This could mean that three Low brothers came out to Australia first and Thomson came out much later after having got his main sugar planting days behind him.  Wish I knew the ages at death for these other Lows.