George Frederick Hounsell

  General Notes:

Peter Morris notes:
George Hounsell with wife Sarah and son Frederick had settled in Rockhampton before the Morris family. In 1866 he set up a monumental masonry business in North Rockhampton, the first in the area. It appears he was reasonably successful with this business, however, in August, 1875 he purchased the 'Leichhardt Stores' in Rockhampton. This general purpose store had become available due to the insolvency of its previous owner. By the April of the following year George was regularly advertising in the Rockhampton Bulletin:-
'G. Hounsell, Importer of Produce, Groceries, Drapery and General Merchandise, Leichhardt Stores, Derby Street, Rockhampton'.
Nevertheless, things didn't go well for George because, as the Brisbane Courier of October 1876 reported, 'In the insolvency Estate of George Hounsell of Rockhampton, a first dividend of 4s in the £ will be payable …' Earlier in the year, on July 6, the Hounsells had travelled to Brisbane aboard the vessel Yaralla.
For some time the Hounsell family had been involved with the Methodist Church and in 1879 George had taken up a life in the ministry of the United Methodist Free church. He practiced at Burwood, near Mereweather, (Newcastle) and Marrickville and on Feb. 11, 1891 he was appointed as Rev. G. Hounsell, Chapel Secretary for NSW. It was in 1902 when they moved to New Zealand, still practicing in the church. George Hounsell died in 1908 at Gisborne, North Island, NZ.

George married Sarah Harris. (Sarah Harris was born circa 1840.)