Our Smith family in Australia commences with John also known as Richard Smith born abt 1792 in Gloucester, Gloucestershire England. He probably used the name Richard as his son was named William Richard not William John , the Colonial Secretary Papers NSW listed him as Richard aka John and he also married under the name Richard. Local Gloucester research which I commissioned suggests his parents may well have been John and Sarah Smith and John Richard would have been baptised at St Mary de Lode Gloucester [ see photo on right] on 9th April 1792. Why an "also known as"? John and Sarah Smith had 2 other children  John, baptised December 10th 1786 and Mary , baptised December 28th 1794. If John was ailing at the time John Richard was born then the parents may well have named him John thinking their eldest was dying. Hence our John would use his second name Richard if his older brother had survived. Our John Richard's baptism is listed as Trinity which indicates the family were living in the parish of Holy Trinity.  The church at Holy Trinity was demolished in 1698, meaning that all children born in the parish after that had to be baptised in the parish church at St. Mary de Lode. [ see right]. John Richard's indictment file in 1811 [Somerset Assizes held at Red Lion Bridgwater] cites that he was a groom late of Compton Bishop, research indicates that :

 

As to why he was in Compton Bishop [pictures 4-5 below]  may be explained by his occupation. The parish contains two villages, Compton Bishop and the other Cross. Cross was on the main turnpike road and with its three coaching inns would have been busy with travellers day and night. It was where the horses were changed for the coaches and where they provided horses for the many travellers either ridden or to pull their carriages. Many people therefore earned their living from horses one way or another in the 18th or 19th century.

 

It is Richard who we take our name from but we have many other great grandparents and these pages are organised by the key ancestors for the Greens, Barsdens, Blackmans, Sewells, Grintons, Oakleys, Murrays and of course the Smiths.

 

I have not put my own generation in or significant detail on my fathers generation as I find it can stir up family issues around recollections. Living persons are also not included in any detail unless a family tree has already been published and it is in the public domain.

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