When the Evans family celebrated Proclamation Day on the 10 Dec 1859, “George Evans of Fortitude Valley in the said Colony” was a “freeholder”, having already purchased two blocks of land in 1857, located on the corner of James and Stratton Streets, now known as Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley, where his growing family had been living, as the Indenture included not just land but “all houses and improvements thereon”.[1]
Not one of the original dwellings that George and his family lived in have survived, being located on the edge of what is today a popular commercial and residential area of Fortitude Valley and New Farm, where businesses like “Bed, Bath and Linen” now operate. The only images that have survived are the drawings in the Metropolitan Water & Sewerage Board, Surveyors Books, “c” series, completed in 1917.[2] Each property in the assigned area had been carefully measured and drawn with the precision of the skilled surveyor, recording property boundaries, buildings, noting building materials and features, as well as other structures like water tanks, sheds and out-houses.
There were seven buildings on the left side of James Street, between Doggett and Arthur Streets. Drawings for the first three properties, from left, were built on crown land originally purchased by Mary Jane Andrews of Brisbane in 1845. These buildings were recorded in the surveyor’s book on pages 3,4 and 5, a wooden cottage named “Abercrombie”. The four buildings outlined in red were built on subdivided land identified as allotment No. 54, sections 1 and 2, on the “old title” originally purchased by George Evans. The Queen’s Arms hotel on the opposite corner, was built around 1884 and today, is one of the oldest surviving hotels in Fortitude Valley.[3]
The early Queensland Post Office Directories listed names alphabetically and by occupation. In 1868 George Evans was first listed as “Evans, James, brickmaker, James-st., Val”, in the 1874 PO Directory, “Evens, George, drayman, James-st., Brisbane” and in 1885, his occupation, “bricklayer”.[4]
In the 1860’s mail had to be collected from the Brisbane General Post Office. Lists of names of “unclaimed mail” were published in the newspaper.[5] In the 1880’s and 90’s PO Directories included a Street Directory, listing householder’s names and occupations. To assist with postal deliveries, in the 1887 Directory for example; “James Street, New Farm, from Ann Street to New Farm, left hand side, Victoria St, Staples, Thomas, carpenter, Edward, Mrs Hannah, dressmaker. Holmes, J.L., painter and decorator, George Evans, drayman. Arthur St”.[6] Comparing the surveyor’s drawings on pages 3,4, and 5 to the names listed in 1887, Staples, Edward and Holmes were renting and George Evans, the only household as far as Arthur St.
In January 1877, James Cameron, auctioneer, “received instructions from Geo. Evans to sell by public auction” a large allotment described as “Fronting Stratton Street, about 2 chains from James Street. Comprises a Stable, good underground Water Tank and property enclosed with a hard-wood fence. 36 and ¾ perches”.[7] The land didn’t sell, so in February 1887 George subdivided this corner block into two lots, transferring 18 perches of land to his son, William, allotment 54 being subdivision 1 of section 1, allotment 54; this block was located on the corner of James and Arthur Streets.
William mortgaged the property with the Brisbane Permanent Building and Banking Company for £100, probably to build a home on the block, as he had plans to marry later that year. His daughter Eileen Evans was born in May 1888, Eileen is my grandmother. Checking her birth certificate, I found that William was listed as a “drayman”. Other birth records listed him as a fruiterer in 1894 and a dealer in 1903. This was confirmed in the 1894 PO Directory, William Evans, “fruiterer”, residing on the corner of James and Arthur Streets. The surveyor’s drawing of William’s property shows a wooden cottage with verandahs front and back and a small shop attached to the right side of the house, opening directly onto James Street.
Fortitude Valley had been developing slowly during this time, but in the 1880’s and 1890’s land was in high demand as the population increased.[8] This could have been what motivated George to finally bring his properties in line with the Torrens System, introduced in 1861, when In 1886, “George Evans of Brisbane, Brickmaker” lodged an application with the Titles Office, to bring his land “Under the Provisions of the Real Property Act of 1861”.[9] A reply on the 20 December 1886 confirmed that George Evans was “well entitled to the Land in respect of which application is made.”[10]
In 1885, a law had been introduced in Queensland, prohibiting “the subdivision of allotments smaller than 16 perches.”[11] George subdivided three lots into 18perch blocks. On the 12 April 1889 James Irvine (Jnr) purchased an 18 perch block from George Evans. Listed as a bootmaker in the 1891 PO Directory, James was residing in the property between George Evans, drayman and William Evans, fruiterer on the corner of James and Arthur Streets. The surveyor’s drawing of James Irvine’s property was “Shop & Dwelling. Two storied” and a large Avery and stables at the back.[12] Bobbie Edes, a GSQ Blogger, has written about James Irvine, her ancestor’s brother.
In 1891, the brick cottage, between “Abercrombie” and “Evaryn” shown as Lot 37 was sold to James Ryan of Townsville for £100, James had married George’s daughter Elizabeth Sarah Evans, in 1885. George deposited the money into the Queensland Deposit Bank and Building Society Pty. Ltd. In November 1908, the Certificate of Title transferred to James’ wife, Elizabeth Sarah Evans. This may have been the original house that George Evans built before the family moved there in 1857.
George Evans died peacefully in the family home in 1898, cause of death being senile decay and asthenia. The 1908 PO Directory listed Mrs Bridget Evans “Evaryn”, James St. From the evidence of Certificates of Title and PO Directories, I could determine that George would have been residing at “Evaryn” with his wife Bridget for an extended period. “Evaryn” was a small timber cottage typical of the early colonial period with the verandah extending along the front of the house, and three wooden steps down to a small brick path, leading to the front gate, onto James Street with a timber fence surrounding the block. Across the back of house is a long verandah with 4 steps to back yard. The drawing was completed on 7 July 1916. Two years before George’s death, a Memo of Transfer named Mary Jane Houghton their widowed daughter beneficiary of her father’s property.
[1] Evans, George, ITM 3860884, Application Packet 6370, Conveyance Forms 105 and 106, 29 May 1857, QSA
[2] M.W.& S.B. Book 49c. Dated 1914-1917. BCC Archives.
[3] Brisbane Living Heritage, Heritage Buildings, heritage. https://heritage.brisbane.qld.gov.au/heritage-places/728, accessed 23 June 2026
[4] Queensland PO Directories, 1868-1931, BCC Archives
[5] “Unclaimed Mail”. Ancestry.
[6] Queensland PO Directories,1887
[7] 1877 ‘Classified Advertising’, The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), 30 August, p. 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1366118, viewed 20 Jun 2026
[8] Brisbane Living Heritage, Heritage Buildings, heritage.Brisbane.qld.gov.au/heritage-places/684
[9] Torrens Title. Torrens title – Wikipedia accessed 2 June 2026
[10] Application to Bring Land Under the Provisions of the Real Property Act of 1861, Form A. Evans George, Application Packet 6370,14 December 1886, ITM3858057, QSA.
[11] Brisbane Living Heritage, ibid/2103.
[12] M.W.& W.B. Book 49c, p. 8.
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