The Ruling Department of the
State Government Printing Office in 1912, at the time James Byrnes
worked there. James Byrnes (1857-1932)
(born SEXTON)
(born SEXTON)
This block will be replaced by LeftMenuGaffey (orByrnes) when the page is served from a server.
- Father:
- Francis Burns (b. 1806, Longford, Ireland)
- Mother:
- Mary Wilson (b. c1820, Ireland)
- Birth/Baptism:
- 1857 in Wellington, New Zealand[1] [2] (birth registered as James Sexton)
- Occupation:
- compositor, Qld Govt. Printing Office[3],[4]
- Moved to:
- Qld, from New Zealand, c1859
- Lived at:
- NZ-Qld: Toowoomba; Brisbane (between 1884 and 1932)
- Death:
- Jun 19 1932, of tumour of descending colon, carcinoma, exhaustion syncope[5] at 123 Baines Street, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, Queensland[6]
- Burial:
- Jun 20 1932 in Bulimba Cemetery (Brisbane)[7]
- Marriage:
- Grace Pobar (Dec 27 1882 in Toowoomba, Queensland)
- Children:
- Thomas Byrnes (Oct 19 1883-1973), married Amelia ("Lily") Dance, Ipswich, 1913
- James Byrnes (1886)
By all his own accounts, James was born in Wellington, New Zealand in
the late 1850s; however, no trace can be found of a birth certificate in
the name of James Byrnes. What does exist, however, is a
certificate [see below] for a James Sexton, born in 1857
to Mary Wilson, in Wellington (Sexton was the surname of his
mother’s first husband William). It’s probable that this is our
James, with James later taken his "stepfather’s" surname, after
Francis Burns and James’ mother formed a liaison , moving to Queensland
very soon after James' birth, along with Mary’s older children. (DNA
testing on descendants in 2018 confirmed an actual biological link to
Francis Burns, so his mother's liaison with Francis led directly to
James' birth, albeit under the Sexton name)
It’s not known where the five children lived immediately after their
mother’s death on a remote Queensland property near Gayndah in 1864, but
by the time he was a young man, James was working as a printer, so at
some stage during that time, he at least went to school. It appears
likely he was living in Toowoomba when he met his bride-to-be, Grace
Pobar, who came from a family of farmers and butchers on the
Downs. James’ brother and sister, Sarah and Joseph Sexton, lived
in Toowoomba in the 1870s, and it’s probable James was living with
them. Sarah’s step-father, Francis Burns was also a member
of the household when Sarah married in Toowoomba. Coincidentally,
Sarah’s husband, a young Englishman William Smith was also a printer, so
Smith may well have introduced his young brother-in-law to the trade.
By 1882, James was working in the Government printing office in
Brisbane, and soon after his marriage to Grace in Toowoomba that year,
the couple was living in Leopard Street, Woolloongabba, later shifting
to Kangaroo Point. James and Grace had only two children, Thomas
and James (jnr).
right: the Government Printing Office, in George Street, Brisbane (on the corner of William street) as it was in 1920, when James was a compositor there.
above: The interior of the
former Government Printing office, c1912 from the State Library of
Queensland.
James has been described by two of his grandchildren as “a quiet,
gentle, lovely man”.[8]
Grandson Peter Byrnes remembers him as "a tall, well-built man, of kindly disposition". James lived near the Brisbane Cricket Ground (the 'Gabba), and on one occasion, took young Peter and Peter's father, Tom, to see the West Indies play cricket there. James was a keen gardener, and according to Peter, always kept the yard neat and tidy.
Grandson Peter Byrnes remembers him as "a tall, well-built man, of kindly disposition". James lived near the Brisbane Cricket Ground (the 'Gabba), and on one occasion, took young Peter and Peter's father, Tom, to see the West Indies play cricket there. James was a keen gardener, and according to Peter, always kept the yard neat and tidy.
In 1932, James died of
cancer at his home (right) at 123 Baines Street, Kangaroo Point,
Brisbane and was buried in Bulimba cemetery, South Brisbane.
(left): James’ rather
forbidding grave on a hill in Bulimba Cemetery, South
Brisbane. The plaques have been smashed by vandals, and
decades of weathering have discoloured the concrete.
His granddaughter Eileen Boyle said that originally, the grave of James and his wife Grace was a more delicate affair, but after Grace’s burial, it was remodelled to allow Grace’s niece Gladys and her husband Terrence Ryan, to be buried with them.
His granddaughter Eileen Boyle said that originally, the grave of James and his wife Grace was a more delicate affair, but after Grace’s burial, it was remodelled to allow Grace’s niece Gladys and her husband Terrence Ryan, to be buried with them.
The 1857 birth certificate of James
Sexton, born in Wellington to Mary Sexton (née Wilson). James grew
up using the Byrnes surname.
[1] Birth certificate of James
Sexton.
[2] Queensland Death certificate. James' death certificate
[3] Queensland Marriage certificate (James and Grace Pobar)
[4] Queensland birth certificate of son Thomas.
[5] as above
[6] Queensland Death certificate (James)
[7] as above
[8] Peter Byrnes and Eileen Boyle (née Byrnes)
[2] Queensland Death certificate. James' death certificate
[3] Queensland Marriage certificate (James and Grace Pobar)
[4] Queensland birth certificate of son Thomas.
[5] as above
[6] Queensland Death certificate (James)
[7] as above
[8] Peter Byrnes and Eileen Boyle (née Byrnes)