Abraham Braybrook

Abraham Braybrookwho a convict who arrived on the Hoogly to Sydney in 1834. Abe was from Kelvendon in Essex, he was drinking at the Shipp inn

 After a big night on the grog he followed a man home called Timmothy Helen, beat him up and  stole a loaf of bread and a key from  him and was sent here for life.  He was assigned to Henry Boucher Bowerman, a gentleman from Parramata and was put in charge of one of Bowermans propertys near what was latter Canberra.   Abrahme was one of the very first white men to live in what was then the most remote of the settled districts. In 1836, Major Mitchell returned from his trip down this way and told his friend Henry Bowerman about the wonderful sheep country near what was latter Lexton, near Ballarat. Abraham was second in charge of the overlanding party who followed Major Mitchells track down here from Yass in 1838 with 5000 of Bowermans sheep and many horses and 26 other convicts to be the very first white settlers in Central Victoria.  In 1839, Abraham and a fellow convict, John Davis were at an out station of Bowermans property when they were attacked by aborigines. The killed 2 men with their guns and ended up back in Melbourne charged with murder. All of this can be found in Volume 7 of the historical records of Victoria, its an amazing thing to read. 

He was cleared of murder and then was sent back to the same area in 1839 and was working for Thomas and Sommerville Learmonth, Learmonth town is named after them.

He went to Melbourne and married Eliza Francis in 1842 and had a farm at the river plenty. He died in 1851 and is still buried under what was to become the Melbourne market-he is under the car park area!., this was the original Melbourne cemetery, they left 9000 people under there, removing just 1000 for reburial!..Eliza and Abraham had 3 or 4 children, the oldest was William, then Issac and Annie their daughter. Eliza remarried a fellow called Peter Black and went back up to the Ballarat area for the gold rush. She died and is buried in the old Ballarat cemetery-not far from the Eureka diggers,

All of the Braybrooks in Australia come from Eliza and Abraham