Braby, Henry

BRABY, Henry [Harry] (1848–1907) engineer, was born at Newhaven, Sussex, England, eldest son of James Braby, a tax collector, and Caroline Luff. Nothing is known of his training but aged 17 he migrated to Queensland where he arrived in December 1865. After training as an engineer, he married Alice Billings in 1875, at Mackay where he may have trained under John DOW. By 1877, he was engineer at the River Estate Plantation, Mackay where most of the plant had been provided by MIRRLEES, TAIT & WATSON, of Glasgow. Braby supervised erection in 1880 of a (second) tramway at River Estate Plantation, Mackay, with a locomotive manufactured at William ROBERTSON & John Dow’s Victoria Foundry. In 1885, he was charged with manslaughter for the death of a Polynesian labourer but was later exonerated. In that year, Braby acted as agent for A&W SMITH of Glasgow in John Dow’s absence in England. After overseeing the installation of machinery at the Yeppoon Sugar Plantation he moved to North Queensland where as consulting engineer he played a major role in the development of the sugar industry on the lower Burdekin River having charge of large mills including Kalamia,Seaforth and Pioneer. Braby was inventive, devising the irrigation system on which sugar growing around Ayr depended and patenting various inventions, some with his son-in law, Charles Coutts (1866–1957), including a windmill (1901) and a steam generator which he exhibited at the Glasgow Exhibition in 1901. Early in 1907 in ill-health, he moved to northern New South Wales where his younger brother Henry Luff Braby (1855–1928) was living at Kyogle, but three weeks later he died. He seems not to be related to the engineer Frederick Braby (1830–1911), Frederick Braby & Co., London.

Employment

-1877-

Engineer, River Estate Sugar Mill, Mackay

1885

Agent, Mackay for A&W SMITH, Glasgow (in absence of John DOW)

Education

1865-

Trained as an engineer in Qld, possibly including at Mackay

Migration and Travel

1865

8 Dec 1865: Arr: Brisbane from London, Eng, passenger on “Queen of the South”.

Genealogy

[PGGF] John Braby (1753–1837) b. 5 Apr 1753, Houghton, Sussex, Eng; d. 8 Feb 1837, Wisborough Green, Sussex, Eng.

[PGF] James Braby (farmer) (1777–1858) b. 6 July 1777, Pulborough, Sussex, Eng; d. 25 June 1858, Haselhurst, Kirdford, Sussex, Eng.

[F] James Braby (1815–1886) b. 4 May 1815, Wisborough Green, Sussex, Eng; d. 13 Sep 1886, Bridlington, Yorkshire, Eng. [Inland Revenue]

[S1, 1842, Kirdford, Sussex/M] Caroline Luff (1820–1857) b. 7 Nov 1820, Wisborough Green, Sussex, Eng; d. 4 Dec 1857, South Hackney, London, Eng.

[8C/1-3B]Henry (aka Harry) BRABY(1848–1907) b. 28 Aug 1848, Newhaven, Sussex, Eng; d. 4 Apr 1907, Kyogle, NSW
[S, 1875, Mackay] Alice Billings (1857–1920) b. 26 Dec 1857, Battersea, Surrey, Eng; d. 25 Jan 1920, Ayr, Qld.
[12C/ ] Twelve children
[12C/3-6G] Mabel Ellen (May) Braby (1886–1957) b. 23 June 1886, Ayr, Qld; d. 19 Sep 1957, Brisbane, Qld
[S, 1905, Sydney] Charles Coutts (1866–1957) b. 16 Jan 1866, Homestead, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, Scotland; d. 8 Oct 1957, Ayr, Qld.
[12C/5-6B] William Martin Braby (1882–1953) b. 19 Sep 1882, Sea View Farm, Habana, Mackay, Qld.; d. 17 June 1953, Proserpine, Qld.
[8C/3-3B] Frederick Luff Braby (1855–1928) b. July 1855, South Hackney, London, Eng; d. 11 Sep 1928, Canterbury, NSW

[S2, 1859, York, Yorkshire / SM] Martha Heselton (1834–1909) b. 11 Sep 1834, Bridlington, Yorkshire, Eng; d. 3 Nov 1909, Bridlington, Yorkshire, Eng

[5C]

References

Mackay Mercury, 31 Oct 1877, 2; Brisbane Courier, 4 June.6.1885, 5; Queenslander, 27 June 1885, 1032; Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton): 23 July 1885, 4 and 16 Aug 1889, 6; North Queensland Register, 7 Sep 1892, 1S and 1 Feb 1893, 19; West Australian, 30 Dec 1902, 6;Richmond River Express, 9 Apr 1907, 2; Townsville Daily Bulletin, 23 Sep 1938, 2; John Kerr, Pioneer Pagent: a history of the Pioneer Shire, 1908; Henry Braby & Co, JCU Library Archives 330R; Henry Braby, Ayr, 1889: horizontal steam engine model, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.