John Digby Smith - (My G-Grandfather) 

 

Date of Birth

Location of Birth & Baptism if known
31 Mar 1829 Calcutta, India.
Date of Death Location of Death & Burial if known
5 May 1916 Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia

PARENTS

Father

Mother
John Davison Smith Caroline Birch Gray

SPOUSE & MARRIAGE DETAILS

Date of Marriage

Spouse

Location of Marriage

24 Oct 1866

 Anna Eliza Marianne Gibson ?

CHILDREN
Anna Digby (Daisy) Smith ANNA DIGBY SMITH (JOHN DIGBY4, JOHN DAVISON3, DIGBY2, WILLIAM1) was born 31-Aug-1867 in Lucknow, Vic, Australia, and died 17-Jan-1957 in Glen Iris, Vic, Australia. She married WILLIAM HENRY BALLANTYNE TWISS 22-Nov-1893 in Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia, son of GEORGE TWISS and MARGARET MURRAY. He was born 1869 in Happy Valley, Vic, Australia, and died 15-Oct-1946 in Glen Iris, Vic, Australia.
Children of ANNA SMITH and WILLIAM TWISS are:
i. ANNA MARGARET TWISS, b. 1894, Kyneton, Vic, Australia; d. 1981, Malvern, Vic, Australia; m. GEOFFREY HARRISON.
 
ii. LILIAN DIGBY TWISS, b. 1896, Kyneton, Vic, Australia; d. 1982, Malvern, Vic, Australia; m. RICHARD JOHN PETHYBRIDGE.
 
iii. DOROTHY BALLANTYNE TWISS.
Caroline Florence (Nina) Smith CAROLINE FLORENCE SMITH (JOHN DIGBY4, JOHN DAVISON3, DIGBY2, WILLIAM1) was born 15-Oct-1868, and died 29-Nov-1942 in East St Kilda, Vic, Australia.
Ada Penelope Smith ADA PENELOPE SMITH (JOHN DIGBY4, JOHN DAVISON3, DIGBY2, WILLIAM1) was born 04-Sep-1870 in Lindenow, Vic, Australia, and died 09-Jun-1878 in Victoria, Australia.
Digby John Davison Smith DIGBY JOHN DAVISON SMITH (JOHN DIGBY4, JOHN DAVISON3, DIGBY2, WILLIAM1) was born 12-Sep-1872 in Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia, and died 29-Mar-1873 in Victoria, Australia.
Horace Digby Smith HORACE DIGBY SMITH (JOHN DIGBY4, JOHN DAVISON3, DIGBY2, WILLIAM1) was born 10-Jan-1874 in Lucknow, Vic, Australia, and died 30-May-1961 in Maffra, Vic, Australia. He married CATHERINE MAUD MURPHY 01-Dec-1908 in "Linden", Lindenow, Vic, Australia, daughter of JAMES MURPHY and CATHERINE SCOTT. She was born 21-Apr-1877 in Lindenow Flat, Vic, Australia, and died 10-Jun-1952 in Maffra, Vic, Australia.

Children of HORACE SMITH and CATHERINE MURPHY are:

i. JAMES MAINWARING SMITH, b. 18-Aug-1910, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; d. 09-Jan-1989, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; m. (1) KATHLEEN ELIZABETH WHEELHOUSE, Abt. 1946; b. 1913, Fentons Creek, Vic, Australia; d. 30-May-1948, Maffra, Vic, Australia; m. (2) JOYCE CARLYLE TATTERSON, Abt. 1955; b. 30-Sep-1917, Newry, Vic, Australia; d. 07-Dec-2006, Stretton Park - Hostel, Maffra, Vic, Australia.

ii. ANNA MARIANNE SMITH, b. 31-Dec-1911, Heyfield, Vic, Australia; d. 16-Jan-1996, Heyfield, Vic, Australia; m. GORDON JAMES HORE, 05-Oct-1946, Sale, Vic, Australia; b. 22-Feb-1917, 40 Palmer St, Fitzroy, Vic, Australia; d. 20-Jan-1992, Moe, Vic, Australia.

iii. THOMAS VERNON SMITH, b. 10-Mar-1914, Heyfield, Victoria, Australia; d. 09-Mar-1986, Newry, Vic, Australia; m. MABEL JOAN WATTS, 12-Jan-1946, St Mary's Cathedral, Sale, Vic, Australia; b. 13-May-1920, Rosedale, Vic, Australia; d. 19-Jan-1998, Maffra, Vic, Australia.

iv. HORACE DIGBY SMITH, b. 10-May-1916, Heyfield, Vic, Australia; d. 03-Jul-1979, Gold Coast, Qld, Australia; m. THELMA WALDEN; b. 1917, Albany, WA, Australia.

v. GERALD MAINWARING SMITH, b. 03-Jul-1920, Heyfield, Vic, Australia; d. 25-Aug-1994, Newry, Vic, Australia; m. MARJORY ETHEL KINGSCOTT, 22-Apr-1950, Tinamba, Vic, Australia; b. 1925, Maffra, Vic, Australia.
Richard Alexander Digby Smith RICHARD ALEXANDER SMITH (JOHN DIGBY4, JOHN DAVISON3, DIGBY2, WILLIAM1) was born 24-Sep-1875 in Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia, and died 30-May-1965 in Geelong, Vic, Australia. He married EDIE MAUD BILLS 1903, daughter of JAMES BILLS and ELIZABETH HALE. She was born 06-Dec-1883 in Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia, and died 21-Dec-1954 in Kilmore, Vic, Australia.

Children of RICHARD SMITH and EDIE BILLS are:

i. MYRTLE MAUD SMITH, b. 12-Aug-1903, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; d. 08-Jan-1999, Geelong, Vic, Australia; m. JOSEPH HENRY ANTHONY.

ii. MURIEL SMITH, b. 22-Dec-1906, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; d. Deceased; m. JACK STEVENS (EDWARD FRANK?).

iii. ALEXANDER DIGBY SMITH, b. 12-Nov-1909, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; d. 11-Mar-1954, St Kilda, Vic, Australia.

iv. NORMAN DIGBY SMITH, b. 25-Jul-1912, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; d. 1913, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia.

v. JEAN DIGBY SMITH, b. 1914, Armadale, Vic, Australia; d. Deceased, Maffra, Vic, Australia; m. SEBASTIAN SYDNEY MOULTON.

Additional information on Edith's line can be found at :- http://users.esc.net.au/~dwhale/haletree/enghales/calneben.htm
Louisa Charlotte Smith LOUISA CHARLOTTE SMITH (JOHN DIGBY4, JOHN DAVISON3, DIGBY2, WILLIAM1) was born 19-Dec-1877 in Lucknow, Vic, Australia, and died May-1968 in Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia. She married CHARLES POTTER 17-Jul-1907 in St John's C of E, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia, son of DAVID POTTER and JOANNA FYFE. He was born 1874 in Lucknow, Vic, Australia, and died 1955 in Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia.

Children of LOUISA SMITH and CHARLES POTTER are:

i. JOAN FIFE POTTER, b. 1908, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; m. NORMAN MELVILLE ENGEL.

ii. GWENNYTH FYFFE POTTER, b. 1910, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; m. CHARLES GEORGE MILLS.

iii. DAVID FYFFE POTTER, b. 1912, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia.

iv. ERIC FYFES POTTER, b. 1916, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia.

v. ALAN POTTER, m. MARIE ?.
Arthur Digby Smith ARTHUR DIGBY SMITH (JOHN DIGBY4, JOHN DAVISON3, DIGBY2, WILLIAM1) was born 16-Nov-1879 in Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia, and died 28-Oct-1963 in Caufield, Vic, Australia. He married KATHERINE HOOPER 1914 in Vic, Australia, daughter of CHARLES HOOPER and MARY ROADKNIGHT. She was born Abt. 1891, and died 1929 in Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia.

Children of ARTHUR SMITH and KATHERINE HOOPER are:

i. BASIL DAVISON SMITH, b. 1914, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; d. 1916, Carlton, Vic, Australia.

ii. MARIANNE DIGBY SMITH, b. 1917, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; d. Deceased, Sydney, NSW, Australia; m. WILLIAM PAUL SINCLAIR.

iii. JOYCE VICARY SMITH, b. 1919, Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia; m. JACK C MORPHET.

iv. HELEN SMITH, m. ? ? HODGE.

v. ENID MARY SMITH, m. ? ? BEAGLEY.

vi. KATHERINE DIGBY SMITH, m. ? ? PENGILLY.

vii. BERYL ? SMITH, m. ? ? HALL.
Baby Smith By the entry in the family Bible this child must have only lived a few hours and there is no mention of it being male or female.
Nora Eileen Smith Never Married.  Died on 9th Oct 1968 at Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia.
Sydney Henry Smith  SYDNEY HENRY SMITH (JOHN DIGBY4, JOHN DAVISON3, DIGBY2, WILLIAM1) was born 27-Nov-1890 in Bairnsdale, Vic, Australia, and died 25-Sep-1942 in Heidleberg, Vic, Australia. He married JESSIE MAY TURNER 1929 in Victoria, Australia, daughter of WILLIAM TURNER and ANNIE NICHOLSON. She was born 1889 in Ascot Vale, Vic, Australia, and died Nov-1962 in "Park", Vic, Australia.

Child of SYDNEY SMITH and JESSIE TURNER is:

i. CLIVE SMITH, b. Abt. 1933.

Syd Smith's home address at the time of his death was: 73 Middle St, Ascot Vale.

Jessie May Turner had 7 siblings I know of all born at Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia.  These are Margaret Annie Turner born 1887, Bertha Ruby Turner born 1892, Herbert Turner born 1893, Albt Vic Turner born 1896, Arthur Turner born 1898 & died 1900, Norman William Turner born 1900, Horace Turner born 1905.  Maybe somebody in this line could tell me what happened to Syd & May's son Clive?.  One elderly member of the Smith family thought either May or one/two children maybe were deaf and that they lived either Port Melbourne or out Altona way in about the 1950's.  I have a photos of Syd and also their son Clive Smith at 12 months taken by a photo studio which appears to be "Doves Studios" at 17 Holmes Rd, Moonee Ponds which I would like to get back into that line of the family.

 

OTHER KNOWN INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:-

John Digby Smith had connections with horse racing in Gippsland for many years and mum on behalf of his descendants presented the "1860 Sale Cup" to the Greenwattle Racing Club for their display cabinet in 1994.  It is interesting that nobody appears to hold any records of the name of the winning horse, yet one older family member once told me they thought it went on to win a Melbourne Cup (Could it have been "Archer" although "Banker" in 1863 sounds more appropriate to me?).  Another story is that it was being ridden home from the Melbourne Cup (where it may have been a competitor) and was then run in the Sale Cup on the way home and won, which I feel is more feasible.   Yet another family member thought the horse's name was either "Alexander Black" or "Black Alexander" and "Swiveller" was also mentioned but that name appears to have connections to Alexander Smith (John Digby's younger brother).

"1860 Sale Cup" Mum holding "1860 Sale Cup"

I think from memory that my grandfather Horace Digby Smith presented the 100th Sale Cup in 1960.  2010 will be the "150th Sale Cup" and back in early 2008 I felt the 150th Cup weekend would be the right time to have a Smith family reunion.  Early in that year I flew over to Perth to meet up with other Smith descendants who had found this web-site and made contact and they also liked the idea of a family reunion the weekend of the Sale Cup with a gathering at Lindenow on the Saturday and attending the Cup on the Sunday.

Then I thought I had better attend the Sale Cup myself in 2008 as I knew there would be a lot to arrange if family members were coming from interstate.  This proved to be a very interesting day as I stupidly (I guess) expected the 1860 Cup I wanted a photo of to be on display for the public to see on "Sale Cup Day".  After about an hour looking all around the public part of the racecourse I gave up and went to the office to asked where I would find it, only to have the first two people I ask look strangely at me and they didn't seem to know it existed.  Finally they called in an official who directed me to the display cabinet hidden away from the general public where I found the Cup with a label showing that another family member had donated it to them.

That upset me quite a bit and when I notified one of the senior officials later that what was written on the label was wrong the response was almost as if I didn't know what I was on about.  I then tried to discuss my family reunion idea with the Smith family present at the 2010 Sale Cup and was smartly hit with "Well we had to pay to have the lid of the Cup repaired" which proved to me I wasn't really welcome there and I wasn't being listened to anyway.  I then informed them that the racing club had actually had the Cup on loan since 1985 for the "125th Sale Cup" and hadn't returned it to the Smith family as it was actually in the possession of uncle Gerald Smith back then but legally it was left to mum in their father's Will.  Mum had worried about that Cup for several years and only about 3 weeks after Gerald's death in 1994 she had the opportunity to attend the Sale Races with a group from Manor Gardens and asked to see the Cup.  When they eventually found it she then officially presented it to them as she felt that was where it should go.  That also saved any further hassles for other family members as to who should end up with it.

I left the racecourse that day feeling quite "P....d Off" and thought the only way I will have anything to do with my reunion idea is if there is actually a request/invitation from them for the family to attend.  Nothing has happened along those lines, so I gather my suspicions were correct.

I actually attended the 2010 Sale Cup and once again couldn't find the Old Cup on public display.  I expected it to be in the display cabinet this time with the above newspaper cutting I sent them beside it to prove how the Turf Club got it but there was just a photo of the Cup and a space where it had previously been sitting.  There was no indication of this being either the 150th Sale Cup or 150 years since the 1st Sale Cup.  I had a chuckle to myself before leaving the racecourse thinking "Why should I carry on about there being no acknowledgement of who donated the Turf Club the 1860 Cup when they actually forgot there was a jockey involved in winning at the presentation of this years Sale Cup trophies."  I hate to think what mum would be thinking if she was still alive as I know she would have wanted to have been there this year and this would have been her 99th year. 

Now I gather that I'm technically wrong in what I have written about the Sale Cup as it wasn't run every year since 1860, consequently this year wasn't the 150th Sale Cup but it seems very strange that the Turf Club made a big thing of the 1960 and 1985 Sale Cups (100 and 125yrs after John Digby Smith's horse won in 1860) and borrowed the old Cup from the Smith family on both occasions to my knowledge.  I also remember my grandfather Horace Smith all dressed up and wearing the "Gold Smith Chain with the wax seal Family Crest attached" to attend  the 1960 Sale Cup which wasn't long before his death.    I attempted to find out what was in the 1960 edition of the Gippsland Times about the Sale Cup to confirm my thoughts about his involvement but unfortunately there was a fire which destroyed those papers, so I was told.

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