Family background
Joseph Kingsbury was born in Somersetshire, England, in 1814. He and his wife Sarah (d. 1893) came to Australia in 1838 and moved to Enmore in about 1845. He lived and died at 26 Francis Street, Enmore. He and Sarah had three sons, James (also a doctor in Newtown), Joseph and John (both drapers), and a daughter, Jane Hodgson.
Occupation & interests
Dr Joseph Kingsbury trained as a vet, apprenticed to his father in Somerset, before setting up his own practice. He later also qualified as a medical doctor and practised both in Newtown.
Community activity
Joseph Kingsbury was one of the founders of the Enmore Church of Christ. A former Wesleyan, he was baptised in the Cooks River in 1853 and meetings were held at his house in Enmore until 1867 when a chapel was built on King Street. Under his leadership the congregation continued to meet there until 1886 when the Tabernacle at Enmore was built. He was the first president of the Association of Churches of Christ (ACOC) in 1885. He was a justice of the peace (JP).
Local government service
Joseph Kingsbury was an alderman on Newtown Council in 1863-65 and 1869-71, representing Enmore Ward; he was mayor in 1864 and 1870. He was one of the first supporters of the incorporation of Newtown. As he lived on the border of the suburb, he also ran for and served on Marrickville Council at other times.
References
Biographical information for this alderman was originally researched by Mark Matheson for the Newtown Project Website.
https://freshhope.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Digest-2010-Monograph-on-NSW-founders.pdf
‘Advertising’, Empire, 10 July 1855, p. 6 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60169199
‘Animal poison – infection from a diseased cow’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 August 1858, p. 6 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13015778
‘Family Notices’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 April 1893, p. 1 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13930955
‘Death of Dr Joseph Kingsbury’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 March 1902, p. 9 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14463844
‘The late Dr Joseph Kingsbury’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 March 1902, p. 8 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14435535