Francis was a member of what I call the Surrey Burberry family. His full parentage is uncertain, but it seems fairly clear that he was the son of Elizabeth Burberry nee Smith. Elizabeth married James Burberry in 1832 and they had two daughters Maria and Amelia, but James died in January 1837. Elizabeth then married John Turner on 14 January 1851 at St. Dunstan in Stepney, London.
According to the registry of deaths for the state of Victoria in Australia, Francis was aged 81 at the time of his death in 1928, which puts his year of birth at around 1847. His death register entry also gives his mother's given name and maiden name as Elizabeth SMITH, but has the father's entry blank. There is a baptism for a Francis Burberry to mother Elizabeth Burberry on 23 May 1847 at All Saints' Church, Crawley Down, Sussex. Ths baptism information was taken from the International Genealogical Index (IGI) prepared by the LDS Church. It is possible that a look at the actual baptism register for All Saints might reveal further information about who Francis' father was.
Francis left his native country in 1868, boarding the ship True Briton at Gravesend on 20 June and disembarking at Victoria. At this time his profession was given as merchant, and he was 21 years old. He spent time in both New Zealand and Australia, and besides working in the boot business, he also searched for gold at the Eldorado field. He found gold and made some money from it, so then bought land and became a farmer.
According to Mrs Betsy Leemon, one of Francis' descendants, he jilted a Spanish girl to marry his first wife Elizabeth, but after Elizabeth died he married the Spanish girl as his second wife.
The following is a transcription of a short biography for Francis which was printed in a history of the state of Victoria. This transcription was kindly provided to me by Kaye Patterson.
BURBERY, Francis, Wangaratta, is a native of Sussex, England, who came to Melbourne in 1862, and went to the Bendigo diggings for a time. He was then in New Zealand for nine years digging and storekeeping, and at Christchurch for five years as manager of a boot warehouse. He was next at Beechworth for two years in the same business, and at the expiration of that time went to Wangaratta in 1876 and built the boot store which he now occupies. He is also owner of house property and of various allotments in the township. He was married in Wangaratta, and has a family of one son and two daughters.
(Source: Alexander Sutherland, 1888, VICTORIA AND ITS METROPOLIS: Past and Present. Vol. IIA. Chapter XVI. The Ovens, or North-Eastern District., p. 338)
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