This is my first entrance to RootsChat, so apologies for any mistakes. Alfred Smith was a great grandfather on my mother's side. My grandfather, Percy Joseph Smith, was a full brother of Leeroy's gggrandfather, Albert Francis Smith. There have been a lot of very worthwhile comments made in this chat and I have found it most interesting. Rather than try and answer each individual question, I think it is probably better that I approach my input from the start. But, before that, I must state that for some unknown reason, Percy Joseph's birth was never registered, whereas all the other children of Alfred's 3 wives were.
Alfred was the only son of James Smith and Sarah Ovell, and was baptised in Clavering, Essex on the 15 December 1833. He arrived in NSW aboard the 'Plantaganet' in 1854. He met Elizabeth Tucker on that voyage, and they married 3 years later in 1857. There were 5 children - Alfred (1858), John (1860), George (1863), Elizabeth (1865) & James (1871). John & James did not survive infancy. James's death does not show up on his mother, Elizabeth's, death certificate as he did not die until 3 months after her. There is no blood connection between Alfred Smith and either Emelia or Edward Smith. This latter mentioned couple were at 14 Hutchinson St. in 1869. Alfred is not at the same address until 1872. In 1869, Alfred is either in Botany St. Redfern or in Langley Lane, off Burton St.
Alfred married his second wife, the widow Sarah Ann Paley in 1872 and 3 children resulted - Henrietta (1872), Albert (1873) & Sydney (1876). Only Sydney survived. Sarah's death certificate shows 2 females deceased, but this is an error and should have read 1 male and 1 female deceased.
Alfred married Charlotte Bowers in 1881 and 4 children resulted - Arthur Maynard (1882), Clara (1883), Percy Joseph (1886) & Albert Francis (1889). Arthur did not survive infancy.
Alfred Smith died 7 February 1906 and is buried in Rookwood while Charlotte died 18 January 1914 and is buried in Waverley Cemetery. Unfortunately, no Wills were left by either person.
Of the surviving children of Alfred's 3 marriages, the following is known,
Alfred (1858) married Eleanor Francis Flower in Fitzroy, Vic. in 1886.
George (1863) married Clarice May Sherwood in Paddington NSW in 1902. He died in 1936 in Mascot.
Elizabeth (1865) married John Sinclair in Sydney in 1885. She died in in 1931 in Narrabeen.
Sydney (1876) married Jane Ann Shaw in Newcastle, NSW in 1904. He died in 1935 in Lidcombe.
Clara (1883) married Joseph Alfred Alexandria Tall in Leichhardt in 1903. She died in Westmead in 1976.
Percy Joseph (1886) married Frances McCulloch in Sydney in 1912. He died in Canley Vale, NSW in 1973.
Albert Francis (1889) married Helen Errington Mattsson in Leichhardt in 1909. He died in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in 1950.
Alfred's second wife, Sarah Ann, was born a Coker and married Alfred Paley in Newcastle, NSW, in 1863. She bore him 5 male children - Thomas (1863), Alfred Thomas (1865), William (1867), George (1869) & John born in 1870, 6 weeks after his father died. Thomas & William did not survive infancy. Sarah Ann Coker sometimes considered herself (on official documents) as Sarah Ann Green. But she was never a Green. Green was the name of the man that her widowed mother married in 1860.
Charlotte Bowers had 4 children before she married Alfred Smith. They were, Edward Laurence Bowers (1869), Alice Mary Bowers (1873), Margaret Theresa Bowers (1876) & George Bowers (1878). The 2 boys did not survive and Edward was buried as Edward Robert Byrne in Rookwood in 1878, while George was buried as Frank George Byrnes in Rookwood in 1881.
When Alice Mary married James Squires in 1894, she did so as Alice Mary Byrne. While when Margaret Theresa married Alfred Howard Denniss in 1906, she had changed her name to Emily Louisa Byrne
The father of these 4 children was one Edward (Laurence/Lawrence) Byrne and according to Emily Louisa's marriage certificate he was deceased by 1906. As Charlotte never married this man, it is never going to be possible to positively identify him. My own conclusions are that he was probably already married, Irish & a catholic and a carpenter.
I hope that this helps anyone connected with any of these ancestors.
Bill
