Person: George Ashe

Spouse

Story

George Ashe and his wife, Mary, were already married when they left their homeland to come to Australia. Like many other Syrians, when he came to South Brisbane in 1896, George started working as a hawker. He was granted a hawker’s license at the South Brisbane Bench in September 1896. After living at South Brisbane for about four years, George moved to Ipswich and was living there in 1902 when he applied for naturalization. At this time, he was a storekeeper and a dealer in fancy goods. He and his wife, Mary had a six year old child, Elias. George was keen to be naturalized as he was seeking to buy land.
In the police report regarding his naturalization application, it was noted that George had been before the Ipswich Bench twice once on a charge of assault and once for obscene language. In contrast there were no records against him in Brisbane. The police interviewed Mr Williams, the manager for D + W Murray wholesale warehousemen, Elizabeth Street North Brisbane who stated that ‘the firm has had a considerable amount of dealings with Ashe and always found him very honest and straightforward’.
As ‘an Asiatic Alien’, proof of marriage was required in order to be granted naturalization so George and Mary remarried 21 April 1902 at the District Registry Office, Ipswich. George then paid the required fee of £10 and was finally a British subject.
When he died at Merton Road and Henry Street, Woolloongabba in 1913, George was 52.

References

Queensland State Archives Item ID847577, Correspondence – inwards, George Ashe Naturalization Application.