Ambrose Foss

Ambrose Foss (c. 1803 in England – 4 May 1862) was an Australian alderman, chemist, druggist, dentist and landowner based in Sydney.[1] Together with colleague Edward Hunt, Foss founded the Congregational Church in New South Wales. Foss built a house called Forest Lodge after which a Sydney suburb is named.

Career

In 1828, Foss purchased a chemist shop in Sydney from apothecary John Tawell; Foss would go on to own several more pharmaceutical and grocery stores in the next two decades.[1] In 1844, Foss established the Pharmaceutical Society of New South Wales with a few pharmacists based in Sydney. In 1859, Foss and his son Thomas Ambrose set up a wholesale drug store, Foss Son Company.[1]

Foss was also an landowner. In 1833, he and his first wife purchased the Hereford House in Glebe; three years later, in 1836, he built a house called Forest Lodge (demolished 1912) after which the Sydney suburb Forest Lodge is named.[1] In 1838, he built Carey Cottage on 18 Ferry Street, having bought land in Hunters Hill from Tawell.[1]

Personal life

Foss was a devout Christian who served as the deacon of the Pitt Street Uniting Church. He began attending the Forest Lodge Church in 1847.[1]

Foss's first wife, Louise, died on 30 December 1852.[2] His daughter Emily Jane Foss married astronomer Henry Chamberlain Russell in 1861.[3] His son Thomas Ambrose, with whom he established Foss Son Company, was born in 1828 and died in 1871.[1] Foss and his first wife had at least seven children.[1] In 1954, he married a widow, Jane McCurdy, daughter of Bourn Russell.[4][5]

Ambrose Foss died on 4 May 1862 aged 59 in Balmain, Sydney.[6] His funeral had a modest attendance, with representatives of the Sydney Female Refuge, the Bible Society, and the Religious Tract and Book Society all present.[7] He was buried with Louise at Rookwood Cemetery.[1]

References
  1. "Ambrose Foss". Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  2. "Family Notices". Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1875). 31 December 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  3. Serle, Percival (1949). "Russell, Henry Chamberlain". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  4. "Family Notices". Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1875). 10 January 1854. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  5. "Family Notices". Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848). 5 October 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  6. "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 7 May 1862. p. 4. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via Trove.
  7. "Ambrose Foss". Obituaries Australia. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.