The BRAY Name
See Neville Bray's BRAY FAMILIES website for the Origin of the Bray Name.
Hampshire Origins
Our most likely first known forebears are Robert Bray and Martha Fuller who were married at Salisbury, Wiltshire on 5 April 1761. They later moved to Portsea, Hampshire.
The next three generations of Brays were born in Portsea / Portsmouth, Hampshire. The narrow Southampton Row, Portsea was where the family lived for many years. The children of Robert Bray and Martha Fuller were:
- Charles Bray (b 1779)
- Jenny Bray (b 1782)
- Martha Bray (b 1784)
- John Bray (b 1789)
Charles BRAY married Maria BUCKLAND and their children were:
- Maria BRAY (1805 - 29/8/1823)
- Amelia Martha BRAY(1808 - 20/4/1831)
- Charles BRAY (b 1810)
- Jane BRAY (1812 - 2/1/1831)
- Cornelius BRAY (1814 - 29/12/1864)
- Ann BRAY (b 1821)
- Emma Yetman BRAY (b 1823)
- Caroline Elizabeth BRAY (b 1824)
- Emily Maria BRAY (b 1828)
- William Horatio Benjamin BRAY (b 1831)
Cornelius Bray married Mary Ann HAYLES on 20/1/1840. Their children were:
- Mary Ann BRAY (b 1845)
- Harry Cornelius BRAY (b 2/7/1847)
- Robert BRAY (b 1850)
- Fanny BRAY (b 12/1851)
- Alfred BRAY
- Caroline Elizabeth BRAY (b 11/12/1859)
Cornelius and Mary Ann arrived in Australia on 28 July 1853 on board the barque "St George" with their two children and Mary Ann's brother Robert Trickett Hayles and sister-in-law Elizabeth.
Neville Bray of Nowra shares a common ancestor in Harry Cornelius. For more details of Bray families in Australia and especially those with Hampshire ancestors, visit Neville's website at Bray Families.
Brays in Australia
Successive Bray ancestors in Australia are: