Edwin Spencer was the 10th child of William Richard Smith and Mary Ann Barsden born in 1861 at
Native Dog Creek. Edwin grew up with his sisters and brothers during the peak period of the gold rush at Native Dog Creek although he was probably too young to understand why all these people were there. He married Margery Gertrude Cole on 10th July 1890 at Rockley. We do know from Edwin’s obituary that he was a grazier in the Oberon district for most of their married lives and they only moved into Rose St, South Bathurst [ 1930 and 1936 Electoral Rolls] 13 years before his death which would have placed the sale of their land about 1923.
Edwin died on 6th October 1936 after 7 months of illness in which he was mostly confined to his bed as his obit read.
Gertrude was born Margery Gertrude Cole in the Bathurst district in 1871 to John Charles Cole known as Charles and Hannah Humphries. The Coles and Humphries families are outlined a little later. Gertrude was 9th and third last child. She had 6 sisters and 4 brothers. She died in Bathurst on 20th August 1961 and is buried with her husband in Bathurst cemetery. Gertrude's family has many intersections with the Smith's and is well worth the read especially as it pertains to my childhood.
Gertrude and her daughter Phoebe Hilda
Edwin and Gertrude had 5 daughters:
1. Amy Gertrude Smith: born 26th February 1891 at Essington. The witness to her birth was Mrs Charles Cole, Gertrude’s mother. Gertrude was 19 and Edwin was 29. Amy married her cousin Thomas George Cash in 1911. Thomas was the 8th child and son of Edwin’s oldest sister Mary Ann Smith and her husband Thomas Cash. This made Amy and Thomas first cousins. They went on to have 6 children :
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Jessie E [1911-15/11/2002] who married John Anthony McMenamin in Sydney in 1931. They had 2 children- Gabrielle and Patricia. The family remained in Bathurst. The 1934 Electoral roll has Jessie living at 9 Torch St Bathurst and John at 209 Keppel St. He was a fitter. The 1954 Electoral Roll has them living together at Sydney Rd. Kelso. Jessie died in Kelso.
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Stella [1913-23/11/1955] who married Herbert Anthony Caldwell in 1934. They had one stilborn child in 1943 and a daughter Alison Yvonne Caldwell who died in 1939.
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Daisy [4/6/1915-1943] who married Francis Thomas Martin in 1934 at Bathurst. They had 6 children; Neville who died in 1976; Pamela Winsome;Francis Thomas; Peter;Terence;William.
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Horace: 1920-1920
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Spencer Thomas: 1922-1966
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Marie
Her gravestone see’s her resting with Horace Cash her son aged 4 months who died in 1920 and Spencer Thomas. They are next to little Edwin Spencer Mansell in a joint grave at Bathurst cemetery.
Thomas Cash’s funeral notice does not mention his wife and children only friends. He is buried in the Catholic section whereas Amy is with the general family in the C of E section. This is a little like Mary Ann Smith and Thomas Cash who are separated by faith at Oberon Cemetery.
2. Adelaide Grace: was born in 1892 likely at Essington also but died 14th July 1898 just 6 years old. She is buried with the family in the Oberon Cemetery.
Marjorie Adelaide Grace and with her aunt Edna Thalia to the right
Francis Lancelot Hilton Considine L & R
and below Robert Wheeler aka Bob Grosvenor- Bob in Car with Gary and at his bootmaking shop in Belmont.
3. Phoebe Hilda: born 15th February 1894 in Oberon District. She married Charles Frederick Mansell on 9th February 1918 at All Saints Church of England Bathurst. Charles [ 1892-1948] was the son of Charles Frederick Mansell and Annie Wall. Charles grandfather Samuel Augustus Adams Mansell born 3rd July 1831 Chippenham Wiltshire and grandma Jane Lee [1831-1897] and their infant son Edward John who was born 25/10/1852 at sea, St Pauls Island Antarctica during their emigration to Australia on the ship Helen in 1852.
Photos below: Phoebe and Charles and Phoebes' headstone in Bathurst Cemetery.
Phoebe and Charles had 2 children:
i) Marjorie Adelaide Mansell -27/2/1921 – 25/11/2007. Marjorie died in Toronto New South Wales. She had married Francis Lancelot Hilton Considine in Bathurst in 1947. IN 1954 they were living at 1110 Havannah St Bathurst and Francis was a canteen employee. Francis died in 1967 and Marjorie at her death was Marjorie Grosvenor. She had married or partnered with Robert Joseph Wheeler also known as Grosvenor. They had 2 daughters. Bob as he was known was a bootmaker who owned a shop on pacific highway Belmont NSW until the 1990’s. Marjorie and Francis had 2 children Paul Francis [1947-1947] and Gary John [1948-2012].
ii) Edwin Spencer: known as Eddie, born 1923 and died aged 9 years and 3 months on 26th November 1927. The photo of Eddie as a baby was sent to his Granny and Edwin was six and a half months old. We are not sure which granny this was. He is buried in Bathurst Cemetery.
4.Essie Ann: born 5th June 1896 Oberon. She was baptised at All Saints Cathedral Bathurst in the same year on 24th July. She married Frank Pettett in 1918 in Bathurst. From her photos Essie has that upright Smith stance which is so noticeable in my line of the family. The Leader (Orange, NSW : 1912 - 1922), Monday 8 April 1918, page 8 covered the wedding of Essie and Frank. Essie Pettett died on 10th Jan 1979 at Windsor NSW and she is buried at Woronora Memorial Park in Sydney.
Essie and Frank had 3 boys:
Ivor Frank: known as Frank in keeping with the Smith tradition of going by your second name! Frank was born on 5th February 1919 at Bathurst. He married Tessie Grace South in Granville in 1940 and they had 3 children.
Malcolm Jeffrey: born 14th May 1923 at Bathurst. He married Fay Crawford at Petersham Baptist Church on 23rd Sept 1950. It was reported in the National Advocate Bathurst and Gavin Wallace Malcolm’s cousin acted as groomsman. Gertrude travelled from Bathurst for the wedding. At some stage Malcolm worked for Ansett Airlines. They lived at Petersham, Lewisham and Ashbury and Malcolm also known as Mac died on 20th May 2006 and he rests at Woronora also. Family trees suggest he had one or two children. One of the children is Jeff Pettett.
Photos from upper left: Ansett Badge; Mac and Beaky a newspaper ad. wedding notice, Fay Essie and Jeff in the pool
Upper Left Essie Ann and left is Frank. To the right are Frank's parents Samuel and Hannah.
Photos from left: 2 Fifth Ave, the family with Ray and Shirley on the left. Essie and Frank at their front door.
The Pettetts
Frank was the son of Samuel Mewett Pettett [1860-1945] and Hannah Eliza Edwards [1864-1940]. Both his parents were born in Bathurst.
Samuel’s father William was born in 1818 in Brightling Sussex England whilst his mother Mary Jane Sweetnam was born in Lewes Sussex in 1828. This might suggest they were transported but no evidence exists of this. William and Mary had married in Bathurst on 28th Dec 1847 and had12 children their the last Sabine Ethline being born at Rockley River. The second and third youngest Benjamin and Arthur had been born in 1870 at Hill End whilst the fourth youngest Edward Cicero Taylor was born on Dennis Island which is on Queen Charlotte’s Creek near Perthville Bathurst. Edwards obituary is interesting:
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Edward Pettit, a leading coach builder at Forbes, and sergeant-major of the local Salvation Army for a number of years, died at Forbes on Sunday. Deceased was well-known in Bathurst, where a large number of relatives reside. These include Mr. Sam Pettit (brother) and Bandmaster J. Morgan (father-in-law). Deceased was one of the earliest soldiers of the Salvation Army in Bathurst. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/111518823?searchTerm=Edward%20Pettit
MR. E. C. T. PETTETT.
Under extremely sad circumstances, Mr. Edward Cicero Taylor Pettett died in the Forbes Hospital on Sunday morning, after being an inmate of that institution for one week. Deceased became ill about three weeks ago. Last Monday he was forced to give in and was admitted to the hospital, the nature of the illness being an attack of typhoid fever in a very severe form. The late Mr Pettett was 48 years of age, and by occupation was a coachbuilder, his business premises being situated opposite Nurse Draper's hospital in Lachlan-street. A very industrious and steady man, he had worked up a fine business when his fatal illness overcame him. Deceased was a member of the Salvation Army, and had attained the rank of Sergeant-Major, which is the highest non-commissioned rank possible to obtain. The Army officials will miss him very much, for he was in the habit of taking charge of the operations when the Captain and Lieutenant happened to be away.
He is survived by a widow and a daughter while he also has a number of step-children. The funeral took place yesterday morning, the remains being encased in a handsome polished cedar coffin, and interred in the Methodist cemetery. Members of the Salvation Army and M.U. Odd-fellows marched in the procession, and the Forbes town band played "The Dead March in Saul." One of the late Mr. Pettett's requests was that a service be held in the Army Hall when he died, and this was accordingly done yesterday morning. At the graveside the Rev. A. W. Parton read the prayers for the dead. The funeral was conducted by Mr. W. E. Luthje.
The other Pettett children of Samuel and Mary Jane were:
First Born: John William 1849-1896
2. Sarah Louise 1850-1872 ; 3. Mary Wood 1822-1927; 4. William Thomas 1824-1924; Elizabeth jane 1856-1935; 5. Richard James 1858-1930. Followed by Samuel and the others outlined above.
The Pettett children of Samuel and Hannah and Franks siblings were:
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Edith 1887-1960; 2. Ernest Arthur 1889-1970; 4. Walter Samuel 1902-1961.
Essie and Frank’s Family
The family moved to Granville and lived at 2 Fifth St Granville in 1954 [ electoral roll]. By 1977 Essie was living with her son Edwin at Punchbowl.
Edwin Samuel Ray: named after his grandfather and great grandad on both sides and as always in the Smith’s known as Ray. Ray was born on 17th Sept 1926. According to family trees he married Shirley Crawford possibly a relative of Fay in 1949 at Granville NSW but they must have divorced as his wife at death was Joan Kathleen Parker [1935-2012]. Edwin and Joan went on according to his funeral notice to have 5 children; Malcolm, Brian, Robin, Wayne and Audra. Ray died aged 68 yrs on 12th Dec 1988 in Sydney and is also buried at Woronora Memorial Park. Joan died in 2012. Photos are from family trees.
Ray and Joan above, Top left Ray below Ray on right with Ivor and Ray on right according to family tree websites.
4. Edna Thalia: born 7th Feb 1898 at Oberon. She was baptised at All Saints Cathedral Bathurst on 15th Sept 1898. Edna married Walter Kingsley Wallace [1895-1956] in 1924 at Bathurst. His probate records show he was a clerk. In 1914 he was a cadet charged with not turning up to Parade! Edna died on 4th June 1989 after her son Gordon and is buried at Bathurst Cemetery. Walter died 13th July 1956 and is also buried at Bathurst Cemetery GREF 7763.
They had 2 sons Gordon Bruce Wallace 11th July 1924-1981 and Walter Gavan Wallace born 1930. One family tree has Gordon marrying Aureole Roma Colley in 1946 but there is no documentary evidence of this. Little more is known of Walter Gavan or Edna’s family in general.
Walter’s parents were Wallace Kingsley Wallace born at sea in 1866 and Alice Jane Gogarty/Guggrty born abt. 1871 who died in Bathurst in 1957. Wallace died on 31st DGec 1845. They are both buried at bathurst cemetery. Wallace’s parents were Walter Thomas and Grace Magher who presumably were on route to Australia when he was born. They had8 children at Bathurst: Elsie J. b 1892; Edith B. b 1893; Walter was number 3; Thomas Clarence 1897-1955; Ida A b 1901; Keith Gordon 1904-1957; and Elizabeth M b 1906.
