Rebecca Smith

GEDCOM Note

<p>Rebecca was born in the Adelaide Hills (probably near Meadow) in April 1851. Sometime before 1857 she moved with her father Henry, stepmother Harriet waters and their family to Clunes in Victoria where she grew up. She married a Joseph Colmer Smith in 1869 (Smith came from Cornwall) and lived initially in a place called Waubra (located about 20 kilometres southwest of Clunes). Here she gave birth to the couples' first six children: Emma Jane (born in 1870), Selina Sophia (1871), Thomas Henry (1873), William James (1876), Joseph Robert (1874) and John Albert (1878). In 1978, the family movedto Lalbert in the northern Wimmera district. </p><p> </p><p>Derived from an aboriginal name for the creeper that grew on the mallee trees in the area, Albert was probaly named by Major Mitchell during his trek through the area in 1836. The first white people to move into the area were the Ham brothers who took out a pastoral lease in 1846. In 1850, their sheep run was subdivided into three pastoral properties: Lalbert, Titybong and Towaninnie (which was leased, from 1863, by John and James Finlay). The 1865 gazetteer recorded that there were only around 40 white people in the district atthe time, all employed on the sheep stations. The whole district was said to be 'fit for nothing except sheep grazing for which purpose the entire available land is taken up'. </p><p> </p><p>As in other areas, subsequent Land Acts opened the land up to settlers who were able to take out leases for 320 acre holdings and pay these off at low rates (provided they dwealt on and gradually improved the land). Joseph and Rebecca Smith were among the first four families to settle in the Lalbert area, the others being the Ingrams, Meehans and the Tampions. According to one account, 'the first settlers' houses were mostly built of pine slabs and had roofs of sheets of bark taken from big box trees. The floors were of mud mud beaten flat. Later, when railways were not so distant the bark was discarded, iron roofs put on and rain tanks were installed'. </p><p> </p><p>Widespread settlement of the area did not occur until the early 1890s when some of the mallee scrub had been cleared, thefirst school was in operation (in 1889), and the township of Lalbert was established (in 1893). As original pioneers, Joseph and Rebecca played an important role in these early developments. According to one source, Joseph initially sold chaff to travellers and others in the district. Another (one of the couple's grandaughters, a Florence Groat from Nyah) stated that 'Rebecca acted as a mid-wife,delivering several babies in the Lalbert district [and] also helped neighboring women in cases of illness or other emergancies. She also started Picnic and Sports days held on Boxing day at Lalbert Lake to enable people to get together. Horse racing was held on Joseph's property. Joseph took his wagon to Wycheproof to pick up supplies of food, etc - possibly he brought back loading for other people as well'. Together with other early pioneers, including by then Rebecca's brother Henry Edward Hickmott and his family, they pressed the government to establish the first school in the area ( the Lalbert State School No. 2990) and provided a number of the children in attendance. Part of Joseph's land was also used as the gathering ground for the Lalbert Tank.</p><p> </p>During this time, Joseph and Rebecca had a further eight children: Richard (born in 1881), Charles Christopher (1883), Ernest Arthur (1885), George Edward (1887), Eliza Myrtle (1889), Percy Herbert (1891), Stanley Claude (1892) and Mary Lilian Isobel (1895). Rebecca died in 1914, aged 63 years. Joseph died in 1926 aged 94 years.

GEDCOM Note

<p>Rebecca was born in the Adelaide Hills (probably near Meadow) in April 1851. Sometime before 1857 she moved with her father Henry, stepmother Harriet waters and their family to Clunes in Victoria wher</p><p><p>e she grew up. She married a Joseph Colmer Smith in 1869 (Smith came from Cornwall) and lived initially in a place called Waubra (located about 20 kilometres southwest of Clunes). Here she gave birth </p></p><p><p>to the couples' first six children: Emma Jane (born in 1870), Selina Sophia (1871), Thomas Henry (1873), William James (1876), Joseph Robert (1874) and John Albert (1878). In 1978, the family moved to</p></p><p><p> Lalbert in the northern Wimmera district. </p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Derived from an aboriginal name for the creeper that grew on the mallee trees in the area, Albert was probaly named by Major Mitchell during his trek through the area in 1836. The first white people t</p></p><p><p>o move into the area were the Ham brothers who took out a pastoral lease in 1846. In 1850, their sheep run was subdivided into three pastoral properties: Lalbert, Titybong and Towaninnie (which was le</p></p><p><p>ased, from 1863, by John and James Finlay). The 1865 gazetteer recorded that there were only around 40 white people in the district at the time, all employed on the sheep stations. The whole district </p></p><p><p>was said to be 'fit for nothing except sheep grazing for which purpose the entire available land is taken up'. </p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>As in other areas, subsequent Land Acts opened the land up to settlers who were able to take out leases for320 acre holdings and pay these off at low rates (provided they dwealt on and gradually impr</p></p><p><p>oved the land). Joseph and Rebecca Smith were among the first four families to settle in the Lalbert area, the others being the Ingrams, Meehans and the Tampions. According to one account, 'the first </p></p><p><p>settlers' houses were mostly built of pine slabs and had roofs of sheets of bark taken from big box trees. The floors were of mud mud beaten flat. Later, when railways were not so distant the bark was</p></p><p><p> discarded, iron roofs put on and rain tanks were installed'. </p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Widespread settlement of the area did not occur until the early 1890s when some of the mallee scrub had been cleared, the first school was in operation (in 1889), and the township of Lalbert was estab</p></p><p><p>lished (in 1893). As original pioneers, Joseph and Rebecca played an important role in these early developments. According to one source, Joseph initially sold chaff to travellers and others in the di</p></p><p><p>strict. Another (one of the couple's grandaughters, a Florence Groat from Nyah) stated that 'Rebecca acted as a mid-wife, delivering several babiesin the Lalbert district [and] also helped neighborin</p></p><p><p>g women in cases of illness or other emergancies. She also started Picnic and Sports days held on Boxing day at Lalbert Lake to enable people to get together. Horse racing was held on Joseph's propert</p></p><p><p>y. Joseph took his wagon to Wycheproof to pick up supplies of food, etc - possibly he brought back loading for other people as well'. Together with other early pioneers, including by then Rebecca's br</p></p><p><p>other Henry Edward Hickmott and his family, they pressed the government to establish the first school in the area ( the Lalbert State School No. 2990) and provided a number of the children in attendan</p></p><p><p>ce. Part of Joseph's land was also used as the gathering ground for the Lalbert Tank.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>During this time, Joseph and Rebecca had a further eight children: Richard (born in 1881), Charles Christopher (1883), Ernest Arthur (1885), George Edward (1887), Eliza Myrtle (1889), Percy Herbert (1</p></p><p>891), Stanley Claude (1892) and Mary Lilian Isobel (1895). Rebecca died in 1914, aged 63 years. Joseph died in 1926 aged 94 years.</p>