William Smith, my paternal Great Grandfather born in 1854, was the son of Owen Smith and Christiana Matheson (from the Isle of Skye). Owen disappeared from the records, however in 1857, Christiana went on to marry Jabez Smith, a shepard then later a store-keeper on the station "Boorolong" near Armidale. Jabez and Christiana had three children, Eliza and Catherine - twin girls, born in 1858 and Charles born 1860 .
Jabez wrote his will in 1885, and died in 1888. His will states that "My stepson William to have all my horses and 1 dray & harness". The probate papers for Jabez' will describes these items as " 1 harness (old) worth £1, 10/- and 1 dray (old) worth £6". When in total his whole estate was valued at probate for just under £1000; it seems step-sons were not very important in the scheme of things.
In 1881 William married Agnes Jane Johnson. I do not know why William and his family left the thriving Boorolong station, and moved to such a remote area. I might assume that he was no longer welcome at Boorolong after the death of his mother in 1894 and perhaps they thought he might "Make his Fortune" carting goods to the miners whom had flocked to the area because of the gold rush that was happening along Swamp Oak Creek during that time, but those reasons are now lost to time. Together William and Agnes Jane had 4 sons and 4 daughters; William Thomas; Ernest Jabez; Albert James; Henry Owen; Eliza Pearl; Janet Christina; Ethel May; and Vida F. Smith
A PITIFUL STORY:- A sad story of destitution
reaches us from Swamp Oak (writes the Walcha “Witness”) A Mr [William] Smith, a
carter by occupation, has been living with his wife [Agnes Jane Johnson] and
family near the school there. One boy got injured and was taken to Tamworth
Hospital with a broken leg. From inquiries made by Constable Payne it appears
the rest of the family were sleeping in the house without one blanket between
them. Sickness set in, in the shape of inflammation of the lungs. The residents
of Swamp Oak subscribed a little money and sent the father to Tamworth for
medical advice. He reached Tamworth, but appears to have got no advice and no
medicine for the children. On his return, although he did not complain, it was
noticed that he was bad. Now the father and two boys have died, and the mother
and remaining two [four] children are in a bad state. Constable Payne came into the
town – having ridden through from Tamworth and made arrangements for the admission
of the mother and two children to the Walcha Hospital. Mr W. Moore has gone out
for them.
Tamworth Observer, 24th August 1895
This trip, done either on horseback, by dray or by foot would have been no mean feat. The distance between Weabonga and Tamworth is about 45.5 miles, and the terrain is steep and wild and the tracks at that time, rough.
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| from Google Maps 2011 |
I had previously found a plaque inscribed with the name "W. Smith and his two sons" from their burial place at the Weabonga Cemetery, with only minimal details listed. I wrote to the Tamworth Historical Society filling them in with the missing details and asked if they had any information regarding an outbreak of diphtheria - the offical cause of death given on the NSW Death certifcates of William and his two sons, Henry Owen (aged 10) and Albert James (aged 6) - in the area during July and August (the months of their death) of 1895, but they could not give me any answer.
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| Weabonga Cemetery plaque - from Australian Cemeteries Index |
Information on Diphtheria:
"Diphtheria is an
infectious disease which primarily affects the mucous membranes of the
respiratory tract (respiratory diphtheria).
Throughout
history, diphtheria was a leading cause of death among children, and it was
once referred to as the "strangling angel of children." The
diphtheria bacterium was first identified in the 1880s. In the 1890s, the
antitoxin against diphtheria was developed, with the first vaccine being
developed in the 1920s.
The signs and
symptoms of respiratory diphtheria are caused by the bacterium's ability to
cause a localized inflammatory reaction of the cells lining the upper
respiratory tract. In certain cases, the disease can become more severe and
widespread, and it can involve other organs of the body as well.
Diphtheria is transmitted to close
contacts via airborne respiratory droplets. Overcrowding and poor living
conditions can further contribute to the spread of diphtheria."
Family lore always had William and the two children dying, after his horse and dray were broken up and washed away while trying to cross a flooded and swollen creek.
It is a story worthy of more investigation, but no matter what the circumstances, the idea of my Great Grandparents and their children "living without a blanket between them" will always send a shiver down my spine.
Sources:
NSW BDM Certificates Australian Cemeteries Index
Three of a kind : a history of Niangla, Weabonga & Ingelba / Claire Brazel et al, 1991
Google Maps
MedicineNet.com
