Rosewood History

Philip ANGEL and Louisa BEAVIS
Rosewood Store & Bakery

© Jane Schy 2025

Name: Philip ANGEL
Occupation: Baker; Proprietor Rosewood Store & Bakery
Birth: 1st June 1857, at Rot, Bad Mergentheim, Main-Tauber-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Immigration: 26th November 1876, the Scottish Hero arrived Rockhampton (from London August, 9th)
Land: 24th November 1884, Lots 16 & 17 from the Vance estate, comprising 1 acre 8 perches.

Mother: Crescenz ANGELE
Died: Unknown
Married: 6th September 1884, in Queensland

Spouse: Louisa BEAVIS
Birth: 18th April 1867, at Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Death: 4th September 1947, at Toowoomba, Queensland aged 80 years
Burial: Drayton And Toowoomba Cemetery (Sect. Old Ang 2.9 Row R1 Plot 8)
Father: Martin BEAVIS
Mother: Marzellah “Zillah” PALFREY

Children: 7
Louisa Rose ANGEL (1884-1884)
Mazillah ANGEL (1885-1885)
Phillip ANGEL (1886-  )
Bertie ANGEL (1887-1957)
Norman ANGEL (1889-1889)
Conrad Martin ANGEL (1890-1935) = Mabel DOWNTON née TAMBLYN
Herbert ANGEL (1892-  )

Philip Angel was a Baker and Grocer. He trained as a Baker in his native land before traveling to England where he worked in London for three years honing his skills. After arriving in Queensland, he found employment at John Martin’s bakery in Woolloongabba, Brisbane (pictured at right). He worked there for six years as foreman before moving to Rosewood where he started his own bakery business in 1883. 

After he married Louisa in 1884, Philip purchased two blocks of land (1 acre 8 perches) in the main street from the Vance estate. The land was situated on the corner of John Street and William Street (now Drakes IGA).

In June 1886, P. Angel Esq. was on the committee of the Rosewood Racing Club. He was also a member of the Rifle Club and was one of the delegated men appointed to petition the Postmaster General for a new post and telegraph office, separate from the railway station, where this business was usually attended to. The risk that children ran in crossing the line, and in waiting on the platform for their mail while the trains were moving, as well as the rudeness of the station master, were the main reasons for the petition.

By October 1887, Philip was having trouble with people not paying their accounts. On November 23rd he was robbed. A man named Arthur Thompson was arrested for stealing from his cash register. Philip and his wife were in another room in the shop when they heard a noise from the bell of the patent spring till. He rushed and confronted the thief who ran away. Philip yelled out to Sergeant Minogue, who, along with Mounted Constable Twaddle, chased him through some paddocks into the scrub. There he was apprehended by Constable Twaddle. When they searched Thompson they found 9s. 4½d in his pocket, made up of three penny bits and sixpences, and 1s and 4½d in coppers. He was taken to Ipswich and faced court the next day where he was found guilty as charged. The accused, who maintained silence throughout, and gave no account of himself, was fined 40s., in default, fourteen days’ imprisonment. (1)

Philip Angel decided to build a better premises to improve his business. The Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 2 June, 1888 announced:
A splendid store is being erected by Mr. P. Angel, which, for convenience and comfort, as well as architectural beauty, leaves many stores, even in Ipswich, a long way behind. Our old friend, Mr. H. M’Geary, is also building a handsome residence, replete with every comfort; and, in fact, Rosewood is going ahead, the cry being, now,  “Advance, Rosewood”.

[Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, Saturday 18 August, 1888]

The new store was described as the largest and best building in the district. It was situated on the corner of John Street and William Street on his land he bought from John William Vance 24th November 1884.

He stocked groceries, drapery, crockery, ironmongery, etc. Besides being the only baker in the township, Philip also purchased of all kinds of farmers’ produce.

By dint of energy and perseverance he has succeeded so far that he is enabled to permanently employ six hands, although he superintends the whole of his business, thus ensuring to his customers every satisfaction. Mr. Angel is thoroughly liberal in his political ideas, and is a member of the Farmers’ Association Committee. (2) 

The bakery catered for various events around the town like church functions, important committee meetings and the Rosewood Show. This catering also extended to the surrounding district for events like the Ashwell School’s breaking up day and the official luncheon for the Marburg Show. One person wasn’t happy with his lunch at the Marburg Show and wrote a letter to the Editor of the paper. Philip responded. It makes entertaining reading.

THE MARBURG SHOW. To the Editor of the Queensland Times. (3)
SIR, With every good wish for the success of the Marburg show and that beautiful district, I must enter a mild protest as to the way in which visitors were handled. The luncheon was the poorest and most meagre I have ever seen at such a gathering, there was no attendance to speak of, and many besides myself and party, after having paid 5s. per head, found it necessary to go to one or other of the hotels and there satisfy our cravings. For Such a charge (5s.), surely one is entitled to something to eat. Yours, &c, GROWLER.

A REPLY to the Editor of the Queensland Timers. (4)
SIR, Allow me space in your valuable column to contradict certain statements re the luncheon at the Marburg show, made, in your issue of Thursday last, by one who signs himself “Growler”. He asserts it “was the poorest and most meagre spread he had ever seen at such a gathering.” I hereby deny it, as there was enough to spare of everything that was good and eatable. As the person who supplied the luncheon, I feel it my duty to defend myself, and to say that all the members of Marburg, &c., Agricultural Association are well satisfied with the luncheon, and are indignant at the tone of the letter in your issue of Thursday last.

“Growler” tries to cast a bad name on me as a caterer, but every such attempt from the pen of an ignorant yahoo will ultimately recoil upon the head of the assailant. I am not an untruth-teller, but I must say there was enough and to spare of everything that was eatable, and that is all I was supposed to supply. The name “Growler” suits the man that wrote the letter, and, if he is the man to put his name to it, I challenge him to prove his statements. A man (?) that signs an anonymous name must be, as the case shows, a “Growler” or “Crawler,” or a man without a principle at all. I challenge “Growler” to give his name, and I will then answer him straight as I have done before under his fictitious name.

If Mr. “Go Again” has anything to say about the catering for the Marburg show, let him put his name so it if he is not ashamed of himself, for I know who the party is. I think that “Growler” was a fit and proper name to put to a letter, for a man who could eat one roast, two fowls, custard, and two bottles of lager beer. It think it was time he stopped; and he would have eaten more, but for the shame.

“Growler” should not make statements that he is not able to substantiate, as I am able to refute every statement made by him as regards eatables, &c. and attendance.

“Growler” seems to have paid something more than he has been accustomed to during his life, but, as he begins to go to agricultural shows and mix with gentlemen, he will find he will have to pay the price for a gentleman’s dinner. If “Growler” is not now satisfied, I will return him his 5s., if he is man enough to put his name in print.
Yours, as a gentleman.
P. ANGEL.  Rosewood, July 23, 1888

Philip continually had trouble with unpaid accounts and by May 1889 he was facing insolvency. He was determined to succeed and in August he had a big clearing out sale for the purpose of making room for alterations to his premises. The sale, which started on August 26, lasted for 3 weeks.

Philip borrowed about £100 from Louisa’s mother to erect additions to the store in October.

In November, Philip’s and Louisa’s four month old son Norman died. He was the fourth child they’d lost in infancy in their five years of marriage. They took the boy to Ipswich but the doctor was not at home and the child died before he could get medical attention.

Despite his efforts, Philip Angel went into liquidation. He signed his estate over to his creditors in November and was appointed to manage the store on their behalf. Philip and Louisa and their son Bertie remained living in the small cottage at the back of the shop about 11 metres away. It must have been extremely difficult for them to be bystanders to the future proceedings. Mr. C. Cannon of Brisbane was appointed trustee and the property was mortgaged to the Royal Bank.

From 11th January 1890, Cannon employed Walter Cottrell to take over the management of the store and wind up the estate. Walter lived in the shop. All of the stock was sold off for about £300 by the 24th May with about £100 still owing. The shop was swept out and the rubbish was thrown into the creek a few yards at the back. [This creek was part of the original watercourse we know as Mason’s Gully.] Walter Cottrell put the iron safe onto a cart, locked the shop and left town.

On Thursday 12th June 1890, about 4 o’clock in the morning, the store burnt down. Philip was not at home at the time of the fire and had left by the 8.30 train on Wednesday night for Brisbane. Louisa was sleeping in the cottage and was awakened by the noise and glare from the shop and she raised the alarm. Philip arrived back in Rosewood on the 6 o’clock train that night unaware of the bad news.

An inquiry was held at Rosewood on Thursday 10th July 1890 into the circumstances of the fire. Philip Angel deposed: I am a baker, residing at Rosewood, and lately carrying on business there as a general storekeeper and baker; I commenced business at Rosewood in 1883; the allotment on which the store was erected is my own property; I think it was in 1884 that I bought the ground; it still belongs to me; there is a mortgage on the property amounting to £445; the main store was erected in October, 1888; I think the contract price was £335; there was some extra work also, which would amount to £13 or £14; the addition was erected about October, 1889, at a cost of about £100; I signed over the estate to my creditors in November, 1889, but the deed was not signed till December 11, 1889: I was appointed to manage the store on behalf of the creditors; I ceased to act for them on January 11, 1890.

I never had a fire before; if the insurance company pays the loss, I suppose the Royal Bank will get the money; the bank had not been pressing me to pay the mortgage just previous to the fire; just previous to the fire, apart from what was due to the bank and my trade creditors, I did not owe money to any other person. The equity of redemption of my Rosewood property is rested in myself; the property has been a subject of dispute between me and my creditors; it was not included in the deed of assignment to my creditors; I have not made a final settlement with my creditors, and they have not yet made me insolvent.

Read the full account of the inquiry here.

The origin of the fire was not discovered. The store was insured with the South British Insurance Company for £400. Philip Angel was adjudged insolvent on 23rd July 1890. On the 5th September Philip Angels’ property at Rosewood Gate was sold at auction. It was described as having substantial buildings and baker’s oven and was well situated in the main street. As a business site there was no better in the Rosewood.

Somehow he managed to find the means to take up agricultural farmland at Taromeo in March, 1891.
Nanango – Before Commissioner Lee, on the 4th instant. Agricultural Farm – Approved: P. Angel, 319 a ., Taromeo.

A year later he left Louisa and went to Victoria. This prompted me to dig a little deeper into their lives, and after further investigation I found that things had been much tougher for this family than it seemed. Their two sons Phillip and Bertie were admitted to St Vincent’s Orphanage at Queens Road, Nudgee on 2nd August 1893. The Orphanage was run by the Catholic Order of the Sisters of Mercy. Philip had deserted the family and Louisa was recorded as a patient in the Goodna Asylum. When they were deemed old enough at age 13, Phillip and Bertie were hired out to work for various people. They were released from the institution’s control on 2nd July 1903.

In 1893 the Brisbane police were looking for “Gerald Phillip Angel” for deserting his children at Brisbane on 24th June 1892. A notice was published in the Victorian Police Gazette In October describing him as a German baker, 35 years old, 5 feet 6inches high with a fair complexion, dark eyes and hair and a dark moustache. A warrant was issued 6th October, 1893. He was seen in September in Flinders Street, Melbourne by George Perrem of the Salvation Training Home, South Richmond, who apparently knew him well.

Their son, Conrad Martin (aka Cornelius), enlisted in in the 2nd Light Horse Regiment, 12th Reinforcements on 11th August 1915 and was a gunner then driver in 2nd Australian Divisional Ammunition Column. He was 24 years and 10 months old on enlistment and he gave his brother Phillip Angel (address unknown) as his next of kin.

Conrad was working for the Landsborough Shire in 1923-1926.

Con died after an accident when he was crushed to death under a mass of falling boulders while doing relief work at the Brisbane Central Wharf quarry (Howard Smith’s) on 14th November 1935. At the time he was living with his wife Mabel at Station Road, Sunnybank. He had been permanently employed with the Harbour and Marine Department about three or four months before his death. He was a driller and had had experience in that class of work. He died on his 45th birthday and is buried at Bulimba Cemetery.

On 15th September 1932, the Orungal arrived in Brisbane from Melbourne with passengers Mesdame Angel and P. Angel. Could this have been Philip and Louisa or their son Phillip and wife? Then a Mr & Mrs P. Angel traveled on the A.U.S.N. steamer Ormiston to Melbourne in October 1932. There seems to be some connection to Melbourne. There is also record of a Phillip Angel farming at Dimboola in December 1909.

At least two of their children survived to adulthood, Bertie and Conrad. The details of the deaths of two of the children, Phillip and Herbert,  have proven to be elusive at this stage.  There was a Herbert Matthew Angel living in East Street in 1917, who was working as a striker in the railway, however he seems to have disappeared as well. The fate of Philip Angel, proprietor of the Rosewood Store and Bakery is also yet to be discovered. These mysteries I’ll leave for interested descendants with time on their hands to unravel.

References:
(1) Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald & General Advertiser – Saturday, 26 November 188,7 page 4
(2) Aldine History of Qld – 1888 – Morrison, W. Frederick
(3) Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald & General Advertiser – Thursday, 19 July 1888, page 5
(4) Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald & General Advertiser – Tuesday, 24 July 1888, page 5