My genealogy website
This web site is the attempt to add to the genealogy of the following families in England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and other countries. My father Lewis Smith (1931-2008) and I started reseaching in July 1983. I have created this web site to allow people to visit access information and contribute to the site so that we all may gain from the information.
I am researching the following families, (all except CHRISTIE and TOBIN I am related to):
Many thanks to all contributers and other researchers. I have tried to reference them wherever possible.
For privacy reasons I have tried NOT to include living people.
If you have any information, can help or wish to comment about this web page please contact me at the following address: ricksmith61@gmail.com.
I will update this page as more information comes to hand. Please note that I may have additional information about the people mentioned here.
Last modified: May and June 2009 - Updated trees and checked links.
| SMITH | John SMITH (about 1824 - 1888) lived at "Ratho" at Bothwell, Summerleas, Fern Tree in Tasmania 1865+. Later two of his sons, Edmund John SMITH (1877 - 1950) and Thomas Leonard SMITH (1878 - 1926) went to Mount Waverley, Melbourne, Victoria and later descendants to Colac in Victoria, Australia 1914+. (Last Update: May 2009). |
| LEVETT | East Sussex, England 1523+. South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. John LEVETT (1821 - ?) is of particular interest he was born in Lancaster Street, Lewes, East Sussex, England and was transported to Tasmania, Australia as a convict on the "Joseph Somes (I)" in 1846. His two trials newspaper reports are here. (Last Update: May 2009). |
| CHRISTIE | Lyell Symers CHRISTIE (1824 - 1906) lived at Menmuir, Angus, Scotland pre 1853. Tasmania and Victoria, Australia 1853+. (Last Update: May 2009). |
| ELLIS | Kiddall Hall near Leeds, Yorkshire and Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England pre 1834. Corfu, Ionian Isles, Greece. Tasmania 1834+ and New South Wales, Australia. Charles ELLIS (1807 - 1891) came to Tasmania as a colour sergeant of the 11th North Devonshire Regiment of Foot. (Last Update: May 2009). |
| HARDMAN | Lancashire, England pre 1817. Mainly northern Tasmania 1817+, and Western Australia, Australia; New Zealand. Richard HARDMAN (about 1784 - 1830) was transported as a convict to Tasmania via Sydney on the "Sir William Bensley" in 1817. He was charged along with William Duncan, James Shaw with having assulted and robbed James Scholfield of a pocket book and seven Bank of England notes, "for one pound each", on the King's Highway at Birtle-cum-Bamford, near Rochdale, Lancashire, England. (Last Update: May 2009). |
| (de) BOMFORD | Isaac BOMFORD (about 1800 - 1886) lived in Trim, County Meath, Ireland pre 1833. Mainly northern Tasmania, Australia 1833+. I strongly suspect along with other researchers that my BOMFORDs are descended from Col. Laurence BOMFORD (about 1617 - 1720) as appears in "Burke's Irish Family Records", 5th Edition, 1976, London, Burke's Peerage Limited, page 152-5 and to Peter Bamford's "The Bomford Family and Allied Families". (Last update: May 2009). |
| BOMFORD | Worcestershire area, England 1580+ and County Meath and Westmeath, Ireland and worldwide about 1650+. Based on Peter Bomford's "The BOMFORDs of Worcester" and Peter Bamford's "The Bomford Family and Allied Families". Special thanks to both Peters for their efforts in producing the documents. Another researcher who may have more information is Richard Bomford. His genealogy website is located at Richard Bomford's Bomford.net website. Special thanks to Richard. (Last update: May 2009). |
| BOMFORD | Peter Bamford's, "The Bomford Family and Allied Families" of County Meath and Westmeath, Ireland about 1650+. Special thanks to Peter and Catherine Holman and family for their efforts in producing the document. Another researcher who may have more information is Richard Bomford. His genealogy website is located at Richard Bomford's Bomford.net website. Special thanks to Richard. |
| RICHARDSON | From Alexander RICHARDSON (? - ?), Drum estate, Kildress, County Tyrone by 1618-19. Alexander is more than likely linked to the RICHARDSONs of Scotland below. The RICHARDSON, later RICHARDSON-BUNBURY Baronetcy, of Augher in the County of Tyrone, is including in this family tree. The title is in the Baronetage of Ireland. It was created on 30 August 1787 for Sir William RICHARDSON (about 1747 - 1830). The second Baronet assumed in 1822 his aunt's surname of Bunbury. Reverend William RICHARDSON (about 1815 - 1875) lived in Dublin, Ireland pre 1841 and later was the rector at Avoca, Tasmania, Australia. Mainly northern Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia, Australia 1841+. (Last update: May 2009). |
| RICHARDSON | Of Smeaton and Pencaitland, Haddingtonshire, Scotland. Robert RICHARDSON (? - 1578), commendator of St Mary's Isle and Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, was the son of Robert RICHARDSON (? - about 1556), burgess of Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland. Robert RICHARDSON (? - 1578)'s great grandfather moved to Scotland from England in 1424 during the reign of King James I of Scotland. The second son of Sir James of Smeaton (before 1552 - ?), Sir Robert (about 1589 - April 1635), was created Baronet of Novia Scotia on 13th November 1630, (RICHARDSON, later STEWART-RICHARDSON Baronets, of Pencaitland). The following site by Donald Richardson has more on these RICHARDSONs: RICHARDSON Scotland roots. These are more than likely linked to the above RICHARDSONs of County Tyrone, Ireland. (Last update: May 2009). |
| DENNIS | Ferdinando Pascoe DENNIS (about 1829 - 1910) lived in Truro, Cornwall, England pre 1854. Ballarat and Creswick areas, Victoria, Australia 1854+. (Last update: February 2008). |
| DEASON | Isles of Scilly and mainland Cornwall, England pre 1855. Bendigo area including Moliagul, Victoria, Australia 1855+. John DEASON (about 1829 - 1915) came to Victoria, Australia via South Australia and co-found the "Welcome Stranger" gold nugget with Richard OATES (about 1827 - 1906) on 5th February1869 near Moliagul, Victoria, Australia. Special thanks to Greg Campbell and Winston Deason for all of their work and records. Another link to the "Welcome Stranger". (Last update: June 2009). |
| KERRISON | Stephen KERRISON (1798 - 1881) lived in Norfolk, England pre 1835. Mainly Tasmania in Australia 1835+. (Last update: June 2009). |
| McIVOR | Edinburgh, Scotland pre 1836. Mainly northern Tasmania 1836+. Francis McIVOR/McIVER or IVOR (about 1822 - 1905) was a child convict on the "Lord Lyndoch (II)" to Tasmania in 1836. Francis was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in about 1822 and was convicted with Daniel BAIN for the crime of theft, habit and repute, and previous conviction in the High Court, Edinburgh, Scotland on 19th May 1835. Francis of College Wynd, Edinburgh was the son of Francis McIVER. (Last update: June 2009). |
| TOBIN | William TOBIN (about 1857 - 1936) came from possibly County Kilkenny, Ireland pre 1875; Victoria and Tasmania, Australia 1875+. (Last update: June 2009). |
| Isles Of Scilly - OPC guide to genealogy on the islands | Online Parish Clerk page for the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England. |
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SMITH family background:
My ancestor John SMITH lived at Summerleas, near Kingston, Tasmania before 1865. I do not know how he got to Tasmania but I suspect that he was the convict John LEVETT who was born in Lewes, Sussex, England in 1821. His two trials newspaper reports are here. In 1865 he married a Caroline MITCHELL at Macquarie Plains in Tasmania, Australia. He was a widower at that stage. His first wife? was a Merry/Mercia/Mercy/Mary SMITH/SMYTH (spelling may vary), (gaelic name was Mhairi Mac an ghabainn), who was thought to be an Irish girl from Cappoquin, County Waterford, Ireland, born about to 1820-25 Her father was a blacksmith. The family may have come from County Cavan or Leitram and was involved somehow in the Irish Army. Merry may have worked at Mount Mellerat and moved to Lewes, East Sussex in the mid 1830's. She delivered ales from Harvey's Brewery to the Anglican churches.
They may or may not have been married. The first child John his mother's maiden name. John was born approximately 1840. She died shortly after the birth of her second child about 1840-45. I do not know what happened to the second child, it may have died.
After 1865 I can trace the SMITH family quite well. They lived on "Ratho", Bothwell. John was a groom and Caroline was a servant. They had several children: Elizabeth, James, Caroline Matilda, Mary Ann, Sarah Louisa, Ethel Amelia, Edmond or Edmund John, Thomas Leonard and Christy Lucy. Approximately 1882 when they moved, due to John's ill health, back to Summerleas. John died in 1888 and was buried in a pauper's grave at Cornelian Bay Cemetery, Hobart. Caroline remarried a John EMMETT in 1891. John SMITH and John EMMETT previously worked the land together at Summerleas.
The son, John SMITH/SYMTH (uncertain about the surname) born about 1840 lived in Tasmania and then went back to England and died in the 1920's (or died in his twenties about 1860-1870) as a result of an equine accident in a border town of Sussex and Kent. I suspect at Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. He did not marry or have any children. He was buried under a big oak tree.
One person who may hold a big clue to solving the mystery is Lyell Symers CHRISTIE. He came to Hobart from Melbourne on 5th August 1854 on the "Tasmania" as cabin passenger, MB2/39/18 p198. He applied for grant of 200 acres in Summerleas, SC/285, p559, 14th December 1855. He went to Victoria and married Margaret Brown in 1860 and settled in Brighton until 1863 then Ballarat about 1864. He and Margaret had 11 children: Cath, Margaret, Jessie, Mary, Annie, Eliza, Martha, William, Charlotte, John Brown and Andrew Lyell.
Some pictures of the church (St John sub Castro in Lancaster Street) where John LEVETT went and was christened are as follows:St John sub Castro - March 2000,
St John sub Castro - March 2000,
St John sub Castro graveyard - March 2000,
Looking along Lancaster Street outside St John sub castro towards the Levett family house - March 2000
St John sub Castro - circa 1870.
Some of the pictures were very kindly taken by Geoff Foster. Please visit his link below.
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Search Engine:
NOTE: Please check every few weeks as it takes time for Google to update search results for frequently changing websites.
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Useful Links (Most offsite):
Ballarat and District Genealogical Society
The Thin Blue Line by Geoff Foster
Official Lewes Town Web Site in Sussex, England
Lewes Library - very helpful people
by Shirley Payne
Joanne Bruce's LEVETT/LEVITT and other genealogies
Barry Leadbeater's South Australian Family History and Genealogy Links
KERRISON and other genealogies
PastFinders - Very good professional researcher
Mike Dunphy's DUNPHY research (no relation)
Cornwall Family History Society
Richard Bomford's Bomford.net website
Descendants of Robert Richardson (1635 Scotland- 1682 Maryland).
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First created: 23rd September 2001.
Last modified: May and June 2009 - Updated trees and checked links.
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Contact
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ricksmith61@gmail.com |
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http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ricksmith61/smith.html |
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Please email for postal address. |
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Please email for telephone number. |
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Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of my employer.