Tom Cox Bray ^{1 2}

  Research Notes:

From: Richard <purton@shaw.ca <mailto:purton@shaw.ca>>
Subject: RE: [ENG-WIL] On the Subject of Wars
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2006 03:28:03 -0800
In-Reply-To: <001101c6556e$e3f16750$0100000a@hughes>

... Amazingly, my ancestor William Bray [1814-1882] visited his younger brother Tom Cox Bray in Adelaide, South Australia and T.C. returned the favour, before retiring to England. On one trip to Canada, ca 1847, T.C. was so taken with his young niece, Blanche Louisa Bray (1845-1934), Wm's eldest daughter, and my great-grandmother, that he tried to adopt her. After his brother's refusal, he named his own daughter born in Adelaide, S.A. in 1848, Blanche Louisa (Mrs Donaldson of Bath, Somerset, d. 1930), otherwise I might have been an Aussie.;) As it is I started out my genealogical research on tracing the Brays in England, Canada and Australia, and thought of writing a book, projected title "The Two Adelaides". One of my correspondents, now deceased, was the Hon. Dr John Jefferson Bray, A.C., sometime Chief Justice of South Australia and Chancellor of Adelaide University there, Sir John Cox Bray's grandson, a R oman law expert and a published poet. I even went to the same Oxford college, Balliol, that T.C. Bray's grandson, Sir Denys de Saumarez Bray, K.C.S.I., K.C.I.E. had attended in the 1890s. There I discovered that along with famous Canadian Balliol men who were in favour of that bygone idea of Imperial Federation, young Denny Bray, had spoken to the Brackenbury
Society in its favour. The apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree, but alas, genealogically speaking I am stymied on my Brays who seem to be run to
ground somewhere on the Isle of Wight.

...Cheers,

Richard Bray Carruthers, M.A. (Oxon.)
OPC Purton and Rodbourne Cheney, Wilts.
Compiling a study of the pedigrees of tentatively called "The Plenteous Pear
Tree" referring to the origin of Purton's name, as the enclosure of the pear
tree.
Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA