Joshua Davis and Pamela Bowles

    In my younger years I can recall my mother taking me grandmother, Eva Voss (nee Smalley) to Brookvale to visit relatives. Also I recall stories of Arthur Smalley hiking from Yass to Brookvale near Braidwood, a trek that took him through bush that is now Canberra, His story of this was told in the Canberra Times some 58 years after the event when he re visited his son Roy in Canberra.
Many others have given me snibbets of information on Brookvale but nothing that I regarded as supportable. Brookvale according to the new owner was a 5000 acre property in those days. It is possible Brookvale remained in the family up till the 1960's when it was sold for Pine Plantations.
    My research suggested the homestead was demolished by the Pine Growers and all the remained was a ruin. However the Pine Plantation group that sold the concept of investing in Pine Plantations at that time, and I believe they has some 50,000 acres thoughout the country, went bankrupt and overnight the contractor's walked of Brookvale leaving piles of harvested pine sitting on the ground where it remains today.
    The new owners bought 350 acres of the Brookvale property last year and found they had the valley where the homestead was and still is. They are very interested in the history and have in their Sydney home some photos taken circa 1900 which they are hopeful I might be able to help in identifying the individuals.
    George Brooks and Ellen Davis married and had thirteen children and were the owners of Brookvale. The Brooks descendants are everywhere in Braidwood with many by that name in the Braidwood Cemetery. There appears no record of Joshua and Pamela Davis actually living at Brookvale nor have I found a record of them living elsewhere. That remains a mystery.
    There is also an old homestead that is said to have belonged to Jesse Davis. I have an old photo of Jesse which has been in the family from Melbourne for many years.
    I would appreciate and information, or photos, of activities and the history of Brookvale to pass on to the new owners and for inclusion in the family history which I have been working on for the past nine years.

The first land George Brooks bought, in 1863, was a 40 acre portion approximately 14 miles north of Braidwood off the road to Nowra (Nerriga Road) - lot 5 Parish of Marlowe, County of St Vincent, map courtesy of the NSW Dept Crown Lands, 1931. It cost him £40 and was a Conditional Purchase mortgaged to the Bank of NSW. A search of Land Title records shows that over the years he gradually increased his holding. In 1884, in answer to a question in Parliament, a document was prepared listing landholders and their holdings. Amongst the landowners in Police District of Braidwood we can find George Brooks of 'Brookvale', Marlowe who owned 112 acres, 6 horses, 52 cattle and 5 pigs. The property stayed in the family until it was sold in 1946. At that time it was 2,500 acres in size and was primarily a sheep cattle property. George also leased land for example in the Braidwood Dispatch, September 11 1889, under the heading of Annual Leases, it states George Brooks acquired 2 lots of 410 acres and 540 acres for £4. 12s. 6d. annual rent respectively. Again in the Braidwood Dispatch under the Braidwood Land Board listings of 19Dec 1900. George Brooks was granted an Annual Lease of 250 acres at 2d. per acre and on 18May1901 a Lease of 6400 acres at 1d. an acre rent was approved.
I have Joshua Davis living at Charley's Forest near Braidwood from 1863 to 1881 (electoral rolls).

I can now confirm that it was "our" Elias on the St Hilda as he was sponsored by Joshua Davis (his grandfather). Obtained this from TROVE, Empire Newspaper Wed 1 feb 1865 p.6.
Also Asher Davis died 1866 at Ryde, NSW. There was an asylum at Ryde and he may have died there. Ref NSW Death Reg No 6505.
Also from TROVE obtained this report:
Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850-1875), Monday 27 August 1866, page 2
Braidwood.
Disturbing Case.-Asher Davis aged between thirty-four and thirty-five, son of Mr. Joshua Davis of Burrinnia, under Budawang, was on Wednesday last held to sureties for a month at the instance of his father by Messrs. and Orridge the said Asher Davis being of unsound mind. In contradiction to the vast majority of these cases as occurring in the colony it was deposed that the unfortunate maniac was exceedingly temperate, but during the intervals of aberration which had prevailed for the past seven weeks he had been exceedingly violent, indeed, be had bruised his brother very much, particularly on the Tuesday. The peculiar mania under which he laboured was a singular one. For several weeks he had taken the opportunity of denuding himself of his ordinary apparel and wandering about in that state in the bush.

Joshua Davis and Pamela Bowles

Arrival in Australia

1841 Census

1851 Census

Brookvale

Acknowledgemnts