Hi, I found George Bowe in the 1841 census, Borough of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Parish of St John on Westgate Street, he has three brothers listed, Charles, Joseph and William and one sister Elizabeth. Their father George was married to Catherine (Hunter) at St Hilda's church in South Shields.
Charles Bowe is my great great grandfather, he was also born in South America (Province of Minas Briarie??) and can be found in all subsequent census records up till his death in 1892, I had wondered why George disappeared from the census records but emigration to Oz appears to answer that one.
The family appears to have spent some time working in South America before returning to the UK sometime before the 1841 census. They then split their time between between Newcastle and London.
George senior is listed in the 1851 census (age49), along with son Joseph (age 15 plasterer), at Park Place in St Andrews in Newcastle as a "house carpenter" it records his place of birth as "London, Middlesex".
1861 shows no trace of either George senior or junior but shows Joseph (age 25 plasterer) in St Paul's Greenwich (London) married to Lucy with daughters Charlotte and Lucy.
Charles Bowe is found in 1861 at Low Teams in Gateshead, married to Mary Ann (Stephenson) with sons Charles George and William.