Hi defpilot
This is what I have found out so far about your family.
Not so much Hawkins but the Butt's
I'm still searching for more info about Harriet but here are some.
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Butt - F.G.Butt & Sons
F.G. Butt & Sons
Francis Gustavius Butt was born in Guernsey at Saint Peter Port on 6th September 1858, a son of Nicholas and Harriet (Hawkins) Butt.
By 1881 he was living in West Ham with his brother and his family. Both men were tinsmiths. Francis worked for a while in a fish and meat-canning works where he learned the art of hand soldering on 5 and 7lb cans. If the soldering was not done correctly, the lids blew of the cans and the worker had to pay for the lost can and contents. It was a great incentive to do the work properly.
Francis (Frank) migrated to New Zealand in 1884 and in 1888 he married Hilda Hall Odling, a daughter of a sea captain. They arrived in Brisbane in 1888 and settled at New Farm, later moving to the Geebung/Zillmere area in 1910. They bought the property called Weylands where they grew pineapples and small crops on their 24 acres,. The farm could not support the family so Frank decided to use his tinsmith skills and began to can his farm produce.
He started under the house and used the copper washing boiler for cooking. The business became so successful, with the assistance of all the family, that eventually Frank decided to concentrate on canning and gave up farming. Some of the items produced in their expanding factory included jam, apple jelly and marmalade but the main business was pineapple canning with associated lines such as tropical fruit salad, small cut, crushed pineapple and pineapple juice.
There were many canneries in Brisbane - Victoria Cross Manufacturing Co., Summerland Preserving Co., Hargreaves & Sons, R.M.Gow, John Fischle & Sons (Bald Hills), J.E.Bernard & Co., and the State Cannery.
The business continued until 1960 when the business was sold to Victoria Cross Cannery, later known as Henry Jones/IXL.
The Butt family was associated with the Methodist Church. Frank was a steward and trustee for many years and Hilda was the first president of the ladies Church Help Society.
Len and Colin Butt supplied much of the material for this article.
This is Harriet and Nicholas Butt's son Francis Butt's family
In the 1871 census lists
Nicholas O Butt born around 1820 St Peter Port, Guernsey and Harriet yes still had England down as birth
Children were
Osmond Butt age 23 born 1848 St peter port
Edwin H age 16 born 1855 st peter Port
Adolphus T age 15 born 1856 St Peter Port
Francis A age 12 born 1859 St peter port( The story is about him above)
James K age 10 born 1859 St peter port
Harriet age 8 born 1862 St peter port
All born Guernsey
Also the Butt's had a boarder with them a John Langlois age 5 born Torteval, Guernsey
In 1891 I think he was listed as son age 16
Another is a Harriet Susan Hawkins age 47 Niece born St peter port
There are lots of Hawkins in Guernsey in the navy
I would say Harriet may have been born Guernsey too
See what else I can find
AvonGirl
