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Hi Peter,

Great to hear of someone else interested in William Maxwell Brown. I have a fair amount of information on William. Yes he did go bankrupt, twice in fact. He also had a go as a publican and that venture aslo sent him bankrupt. He also did performances at the Charlie Napier Theatre
and wrote his own play called "The Will and the Way". There is an interesting write up in the newspaper where he was in a pub and challenged about being the original writer of this play. He ended up punching the man and then being charged and going to court.
There is lots to see on Trove website - The Star Ballarat, Monday 7 March 1859 is a good starting point. I would love to swap and share more infomation with you. hopefully you may have found inforamtion I have not seen yet. His earlier days starting while stile in the UK at the Theatre Royal at Nottingham or Liverpool as far as I know.I hope to hear from you again.

Thank you very much Blue Jacket 
I saw my Nan on the weekend and told her all about this forum and the amazing people
who are willing to help strangers and offer information.

I also told her the details of the trawlers her father was skipper and the background of Sheringham fishermen you have kindly provided.
Needless to say my Nan was quite overwhelmed and absolutely delighted
to learn about her father William as she remembers him being at sea most of
the time and was only 12 when he died.

Thanks again, its was her 85th Birthday on the weekend and unfortunately she spent it in hospital
as she had a hip replacement operation only 2 days before. Talking about her dad definitely took
her mind of the pain, if only for a little while.

 

Sorry, one more thing..i think the confectionary business was Castlereagh st or Pitt st sydney. Thomas brother William Maxwell died at Liverpool asylum From pththsis 1886. Thomas is not mention for the funeral notice.

Hi All,
Thanks for all the post. I will try to answer some questions.
Annie' s father was Robert Potts who was a draper/lace manufacture at Swanston St Melbourne. He arrived after Annie from Nottingham Uk.
Thomas has signed Annies probate so he was alive. William Shaw was thee
business partner. Arthur Ernest was not mentioned at all on the probate.He was 15 when Annie died. His occupation is listed as carter on his marriage cert.
The probate in part says that William Shaw & William Mason are after payment for all and just debts well and truly worth in real and personal estate the sum of two hundred pounds. Also a statement by Thomas saying
the said goods if the dec is under thr value of two hundred pounds.
It was my mistake saying Thomas was marrried in Ballarat...it says melbourne, county of Bourke. I have contacted Rookwood and

Thanks for the information Eregil_gene,

I have spent many many hours searching Trove, and along the way found lots of Articles, Advertisments and personal notices for Thomas and family but still no death.

I have the birth, death and marriage certificates for Arthur Ernest, for are right about siblings,  brother Leslie Thomas and Emma Gee Jones (nee Brown).
I have attached Arthur's birth and marriage certs and will post another with death and Thomas and Annie Gee Potts marriage certs. Hopefully I have missed a vital piece of information which you could kindly point out to me.
I have the 1841 census when Thomas was still in Liverpool UK with his parents...His father John Brown, Mariner is a whole new headache.
Funny thing is I have progressed further with nearly every other surname other than my own surname