Sunday, December 2, 2012

The Smith Family from New South Wales

William Smith (1840 - 7 November 1910, Seddonville) married Janet Sharp (6 November 1839, Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland - 22 July 1916, Seddonville) on 21 July 1860 and had a family of seven - five boys and two girls.  Of these, the eldest three boys appear to have emigrated from their native Australia to the  West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, where they were apparently miners.  

The three who settled in New Zealand were George, Joseph (my Great Great Grandfather) and William Jnr.  I am unsure whether or not the other brothers or sisters came to New Zealand or if they remained in Australia.  I'd be grateful for any more information about this family. 

1. George Smith (1861, Newcastle, NSW, Australia - 1939, Matawai) married Mary Stevens (1864, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia - 11 May 1937, Wairoa)

   1.1 Albert Smith (28 July 1886, Denniston - August 1944, Rununga)
   
2. Joseph Smith (1862, Newcastle, NSW, Australia - 11 July 1935, Wellington) married Margaret McMahon (1867, Waimea - 2 January 1930, Wellington) in 1887.  
Joseph Smith 
Joseph and Margaret had seven children, and although the eldest was my great grandmother, I do not know a lot about her siblings and their families:

   2.1 Ellen "Nellie" Smith (25 March 1889 - 29 December 1975, Wellington) married Robert Todd (1879 - 1976, Wellington) in 1913.

      2.1.1 Kathleen Marie Todd (22 April 1915, Invercargill - 2 May 2011, Wellington) married William Thomas "Pat" Nidd (17 February 1914, Wellington - 8 November 2003, Wellington) on 6 August 1940.

      2.1.2 Robert Joseph "Bob" Todd (11 May 1917 - 1984) married Irene Ann Corlett (2 July 1915 - 1975)

      2.1.3 John Douglas "Jack"  Todd (11 July 1920, Wellington - 2008) married Judith Lorraine Luke (16 May 1919 - 2005)  

      2.1.4 Francis Murray "Murray" Todd married Barbara Scott.

   2.2 William Patrick Smith (28 September 1890 - 27 July 1975, Canterbury) married Gwendoline Mary Grenfell (1892 - 1964, Canterbury) in 1915.  Gwen  was the youngest daughter of Henry (1856 - 1928) and Caroline (1867 - 1895) (nee Loader) Grenfell, who had married in 1885.  Gwen's mother died very young, aged just 28.  Her death followed headaches and inflluenza type symptoms.  There was an inquest into her death and it was determined that she died of "effusion of blood on the brain."  It appears that a few a few years after Caroline's death, Gwen's father Henry married Rachel Batton (1854 - 1905).  Presumably during their brief six year marriage before her death, Rachel helped to raise the five Grenfell children, however given her age at the time of her marriage, she bore Henry no further children.  I believe Henry married for a third time, following Rachel's death, to Rose Hannah Weavers (1862 - 1937), in 1907.  Like Rachel, Rose was an older bride, being about 45 at the time of her marriage to Henry. Like Rose, she bore Henry no further children.  This wife managed to outlive her husband, so hopefully she was kind to the children and Gwen and her siblings had some kind of mother figure, in her.  Gwen was from Christchurch and I understand that at least by early in the 20th century they lived in Addington.  Gwen had an older brother and two older sisters and one younger brother.  Sadly, on 6 December 1910, when her younger brother Peter was 15, he was riding a bike which collided with a grocer's van.  The van then ran over him.  Peter was taken to hospital but died of his injuries.  I can imagine that these two may well have been very close and this loss must have been felt deeply by the whole family.  
William and Gwen were buried at Memorial Cemetery, Canterbury. 
William and Gwen had at least one son:

      2.2.1 William Joseph Smith (4 August 1916 - 1998)

   2.3 Janet Smith (1892)

   2.4 Joseph Gregory Smith (27 April 1896 - 7 September 1977, Bondi Junction, Sydney) married Marion Flower (1902)

   2.5 Michael John "John" Smith (12 June 1897 - 1975) married Norah Davanney (2 February 1905 - 1987) in 1934.  

   2.6 Constance Marie Smith (3 June 1908 - 1995) married Charles John "Jack" Taunt (30 June 1909 - 15 August 1984) in 1933.  

   2.7 Thora Margaret Mary Smith (31 December 1911 - 1974, Auckland) married William Thomas Patrick Heffernan (20 May 1904, Masterton - 4 October 1963, Auckland) in 1932.

      2.7.1 Peter Heffernan (1938, Napier - 23 July 1976, England)

3. William Smith (1864 Newcastle, NSW, Australia - 13 September 1940, Seddonville) married Mary Bain (27 March 1870, Thames - 10 January 1958, Buller) on 31 December 1886.  William and Mary had a family of five daughters, three of whom survived infancy, and one son.

   3.1 Jennet (Janet) Smith (7 April 1889, Sydney NSW - 18 October 1975, Greymouth) married Thomas Cornwall (2 July 1886, Edinburgh - 29 July 1968, Westport) on 11 April 1910 at Seddonville.

      3.1.1 Mary Agnes Cornwall (9 April 1911, Seddonville - 26 August 1998, Westport) married Frederick Charles Craddock (15 December 1904 - 3 January 1969) on 24 December 1934.

      3.1.2 Margaret Scott Cornwall (11 February 1913, Seddonville - 3 February 2001, Christchurch) married Thomas Carter (7 June 1907 - 24 April 1969) on 25 August 1945.

      3.1.3 Richard William Cornwall (30 May 1922, Seddonville - 24 September 1989, Seddonville) married twice.  His second marriage was apparently to Beryl Jean Murphy (31 August 1925, Australia - 8 September 2000).

   3.2 Grace Smith (1 February 1891, Denniston - 13 December 1980, Seddonville) married to William McGuire (1880 - 10 September 1939) on 5 April 1911.  

      3.2.1 Mary McGuire (1911 - 1911).  I understand this baby died aged only nine days. 

      3.2.2 Elizabeth Thelma McGuire (1912) married William Ernest Emms (26 August 1900 - 1982) in 1935.  William was the only son of William Harding (1872 - 1962) and Eleanor (nee Adams) (1870 - 1942) Emms, who had married in 1894. 

      3.2.3 Mavis McGuire (22 March 1915 - 1997) married Vincent Mullany (30 July 1914 - 1985) in 1932

      3.2.4 William McGuire (15 October 1916 - 1993)

   
   3.3 Mary Smith (1 November 1892, Denniston - 1 March 1894, Denniston).  This baby was buried on 3 March 1894 at the Waimangaroa Cemetery aged just sixteen months.  The clergymen who attended to the service were W Laycock and C Davis who both appear to have been Wesleyan Ministers.

   3.4 Lily Smith (3 July 1894, Denniston - 18 December 1897, Denniston).  This little girl was born four months after the death of little Mary.  Sadly, she also died as an infant - aged only three years.  Lily was buried on 22 December 1897 at the Waimangaroa Cemetery.  The ceremony was conducted by Rev.  Henderson, a Methodist Minister.  Burial notes indicate that Lily died after being scalded.

   3.5 Catherine "Katie" Smith (13 October 1898, Denniston - 18 December 1966, Christchurch).  Katie was born almost ten months after her sister Lily's death.  She married James "Jim" Black (8 February 1898, Camp Colliery, Motherwell, Scotland - 10 November 1986, Westport) on 4 November 1919 at Westport.

   3.6 Frederick William Smith (8 September 1901 - 1980) 

4. James Smith (1866, Newcastle, NSW, Australia)

5. Ann Smith (1869, Newcastle, NSW, Australia)

married William George Logan in 1888?

6. Ellen Smith (1871, Newcastle, NSW, Australia)

7. Robert Smith (1873, Newcastle, NSW, Australia).  Robert was possibly the 29 year old miner/horse driver who was crushed to death during an accident in the Coalbrookdale Mine at Denniston on 26 January 1903.  This man is interred in the Waimangaroa Cemetery in the Buller District.  

8. Janet Smith (23 May 1874 - 1925)

9. Alice Smith (9 March 1877 - 1951)

10. John Smith (1 September 1879)

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