David BRYCE 1805-1851 was born in Scotland in 1805 and no particulars of his parents are known at this stage. He married Elisabeth DAWSON c. 1807-1890, the daughter of George DAWSON, a farmer of Ayr, at Alva, Stirlingshire on 17-8-1833. David BRYCE and his two brothers John and James came to South Australia with their respective spouses and children. The BRYCEs came out on the new "Wakefield" plan of free settlement they were on the ship "Fairfield" and arrived on the 14th December 1840 in South Australia. As yet this history only covers descendants of David BRYCE.

David BRYCE and Elizabeth DAWSON had the following children :-

1. John BRYCE 1836-1911, born Alva, Stirlingshire Scotland 8-1-1836. He married Sarah Ann FITHALL at Mount Beckworth, near Clunes, Victoria on 26-4-1860. They had ten children. Farmer Dunbulbalane, Victoria. Died aged 75 at Dunbulbalane, on 12-10-1911. Buried at Katamatite, Victoria.
2. Isabella BRYCE1837-1915, born at Alva, Stirlingshire, Scotland 13-6-1838. Married Heindrick KOHN 1832-1898, at Carisbrook, Victoria; settled at Merino, Victoria in the 1860s where she died aged 77 on 2-11-1915; 12 children; buried at Merino.
3. George BRYCE 1839-1869, born Scotland; d. Murray Flats, NE of Kapunda, SA (gun accident); married 1866, Adelaide South Australia to Elizabeth Matilda FREEMAN (nee HEAD) 1835-1919, b. ..?.. to George HEAD and Mary Ann WALTON; d. Adelaide, South Australia.
4. David BRYCE 1842-1921, born Adelaide, South Australia; married Margaret CLARK 1856-1934, at Mount Beckworth, near Clunes, Victoria. They had 13 children. He was a farmer at Birchip, Victoria when he died aged 78 on 5-5-1921. Buried at Birchip.
5. Ann BRYCE 1845-1938, born Adelaide, South Australia in 1845. She married William FITHALL c.1839-1918 on 11-2-1864 at Talbot, Victoria. They had 5 children. Settled at Moolerr, near St. Arnaud, Victoria. Died aged 93 on 4-3-1938. Buried at St. Arnaud, Victoria.
6. James Dawson BRYCE 1846-1938, born at Adelaide, South Australia in 1847. He married Jane JENKINS c.1849-1903 at Mount Beckworth, near Clunes, Victoria on 6-4-1871. Had 12 children. Farmer at Traynor's Lagoon and Moolerr, near St. Arnaud. Died aged 91 in April 1938. Buried at St. Arnaud, Victoria.
7. Charles Dawson BRYCE 1849-1924, born at Dry Creek, Adelaide, South Australia on 26-6-1849. He married Jane RHODES 1857-1937 in 1883. Had 4 children. Settled at Merino, Victoria. Carpenter and hotel-keeper. He died at Merino, Victoria aged 74 on 2-5-1924. Buried at Merino.

When David BRYCE was forty six years old he was killed on the 21st. May 1851, he was travelling with a bullock team from the Burra copper mine, a hundred miles north of Adelaide, when at Little Para near Salisbury, he fell beneath the wheels of the copper laden wagon and was run over by a wheel and died. His place of burial is probably at the near by Salisbury cemetery, South Australia.

After her husband David's death, Elisabeth, now with 6 children to support, married Joseph BOWMAN c.1805-1875, born Cumberland, England; a bachelor farmer of Turtle Scrub near Burra, at the Kooringa Church, Burra, South Australia on 16-9-1852. At about this time the rich gold discoveries in Victoria were attracting great numbers of people. BOWMAN / BRYCEs with bullock dray took 6 long weeks travelling from South Australia to Victoria where they engaged in gold digging at Avoca and Daisy Hill, Talbot for a period of 3 years. Then in the roaring fifties 1856 they quit the goldfields and purchased land at Mount Beckworth, near Clunes Victoria. They built "The Stirling Castle Hotel" where Joseph BOWMAN died in 1875 and was buried in the Clunes Cemetery, Victoria. The remains of this hotel are still there to this day.

Eilzabeth BOWMAN (nee DAWSON), widow of David BRYCE and Joseph BOWMAN, died at Merino in 1890, aged 82 and is buried in the Merino Cemetery.

Charles Dawson BRYCE & Jane RHODES

Charles Dawson BRYCE born 28-6-1849 in Dry Creek, Sth. Australia. Married 2-5-1883 in Sandford, Vic. Died 2-5-1924 in Merino, Vic. Spouse Jane RHODES born 15-1-1857 Portland, Victoria. Died 18-5-1937 at Ballarat, Victoria. Both buried at Merino Cemetery.

Son William Rhodes BRYCE born 6-5-1886. Married 22-10-1908 in Merino. Died 8-10-1954 in Hobart, Tasmania. Spouse Edith Helena HEAZLEWOOD born 1887 in Digby, Vic. Died 5-2-1937 in Merino, Vic.

Son Dudley Charles BRYCE born 27-9-1909 in Merino. Married 19-11-1938 All Saints Church East St.Kilda, Vic. Died 24-2-1954 in Hobart,Tasmania. Spouse Beth COFFEY born 6-3-1916, Toorak, Adelaide, SA. Died 14-7-1974 in Prahran, Vic.

Daughter Jillian BRYCE born 16-9-1939 in Casterton, Vic. Married 11-5-1974. Registery Office, Melbourne. Spouse James Albert ROUSE (farmer) born 6-11-1931 in Bunyip, Vic. Children of this marriage were:

1. Bryce James ROUSE born 14-6-1975 at Bunyip, Vic.
2. Lloyd Cameron ROUSE born 16-2-1977 at Bunyip, Vic.
3. Jenelle Ann ROUSE born 26-10-1978 at Bunyip, Vic.

Jill Rouse (Nee Bryce), Cora-Lynn, Victoria.

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