Smith Girls from West Auckland

[DeniseBS]

Hi Oakleigh

I have the baptisms for Alice, Agnes and Mary, thank you anyway. I took the Rachel to just be an error on the part of the person who wrote it in the register.

The only way I could find my gt grandmother Jane's birth date was through her baptism, because she wasn't registered. She was one of the ones that was bapt in Holy Sepluchre. A couple were also bapt in St Patricks for their mother Bridget,  who was a Catholic.

The one I didn't have was Minnie. Wonder why they wandered up to Helensville? Do you know who the sponsers were? Most of the time it was William John's siblings and their spouses or in a couple of cases his parents. Poor wee Minnie was being looked after by her Aunts and grandmother when she died in Thames aged 4 at least thats what the burial record says. Obviously if she was born in Oct 1882 and died in May 1886 she was not quite 4. She is buried in Tarau with a cousin, who also died young.

Great bit of missing information.

Thank you

Denise

[OAKLEIGH]

Good  morning Denise

The sponsors were Minnie's parents. I wonder how many millions of William Smiths there were in the world.  My Smiths had loads of Williams all over the show. Smiths seem to move around a lot.

Good luck.
Oakleigh

[DeniseBS]

Hi Oakleigh

I don't think William and Bridget's appearance in Helensville was any kind of permenant move. Although William had been in the Waitakeres since 1854 working as a bushman, he only purchased his 20 acres at the bottom of what is now South Titirangi Road in 1881. He didn't sell that land until 1907/08.

I think they were in Helensville on some kind of trip. I was wondering how easy it would be to get there in the early 1880s from Titirangi. I remember that I have a photo of a letter written by Mary when she was in Standard Three at Titirangi School (she would be nine so it would be 1882). In the letter she talks of what she did in the Christmas Holidays, recounitng a trip by train to Kumeu with the Sunday School for a picnic. If the train line keep going to Helensville at that time which it quite likley did it would not have been as difficult as I first thought. It would just be the cost for a family of nine.

After being a bushman for years when William settled on his 20 acres he became a gardener (assume market)/orchardist. Apparently he had quite a plum orchard according to the recollections of one resident ( from the J T Diamond Collection at Henderson Library). He may have been in Helensville on business and took the whole family as a treat. Although Elizabeth was nineteen so she may have been looking after the others and it was only William, Bridget and the baby.

So many questions.

Thanks again for the info.

Cheers

Denise

[Beg Clonrode...]

Hi all...

Would some kind soul be able to find the electoral roll details for Mary BURNETT-SMITH. She is found in the Auckland Suburbs electorate in 1928 and 1935.

Just wondering who she is.

And do the rolls list anyone else with the same double-barrel surname.

Thanks
Beg

[firefly74]

Hi Beg

1928 Auckland Suburbs General Roll
BURNETT-SMITH Mary, Valley Road, Henderson, Spinster

1935 Auckland Suburbs General Roll
BURNETT-SMITH Mary, "Te Kohanga", Valley Rd, Henderson, Spinster

These are the only two Burnett-Smith entries that come up in all of NZ.

Cheers
Helen

[Beg Clonrode...]

Hello Helen...

Thanks very much :-)

I just had a thought and checked Wise's (index free to view on ancestry) and a "MS Mry Burnett-Smith" is listed in Wellington in 1936 and 1938.

I can't find her name in the usual b, m and d places but I'm thinking she's a red herring.

Thanks for your help.

All the best
Beg

[Beg Clonrode...]

Hi Denise...

Before I get too involved** I was just wondering if you've already discounted Alice Jane GERDES m.s SMITH.

She died in Sydney in 1936 and her death notice gives her age as 69 so born 1867-ish.

Death Notice
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17320285

Funeral Notice
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17320221

The funeral notice mentions a sister Mrs M SMALLWOOD so that's the obvious path to follow assuming you've not already discounted this Alice.


**When I say "get too involved" I actually mean "ask the Aussie board to trace Mrs M SMALLWOOD" :-)

Regards
Beg

[DeniseBS]

Hi Beg

According to her death record her father's name was Henry Alfred and her mother was Abigail Mary Jane, so no she is not mine.

I did start today looking at the Australian possibilty again.

Using the death records for New South Wales with no surname, there are no Alice, Agnes or Marys with the parents William John and Bridget. There is a Mary Walshe who died in 1943 who has John William and Bridget as her parents so she is worth checking further in case the informant mixed up her father's names.

I think I will need to get onto Victoria and South Australia.

Thanks

Denise

[Beg Clonrode...]

Ooops...silly me. Forgot to check the parents on NSW BMD Deaths.

As you were :-)

Regards
Beg