Historical information

John Smith was a carpenter and/or timber merchant who emigrated from England to Australia. He settled in Launceston in 1834-6. In 1836 he married Susannah (of Birmingham, nee Bradney/Bradbury, daughter of a gunsmith). Their first child was born in Launceston in 1837 (records in Wesleyan Church). They set out to try the Californian goldfields but at Tahiti they received such bad news about the Californian goldfields that they changed their minds and returned to Port Phillip. Apparently, John Smith's nephew George died of T.B. less than a year after arriving at Tarnagulla.

John Smith, Susannah and two of their 9+ children are buried in St Kilda Cemetery (Wesleyan sector). They were lifelong members of the Wesleyan Church.
A John Smith, carpenter was listed as being a business in Wellington St, St Kilda 1856-1860.




Donald Clark Collection.

Physical description

Eleven photocopied pages. Four pages are a letter (date circa 1990s) from S.A.S. Smith of England to Lorna Goltz of the Tarnagulla Gold n Rocks Museum. It explains the context of some accompanying photocopied historical letters. All the letters relate to S.A.S. Smith's ancestors who lived in Tarnagulla for a time. The photocopies are of:
1) Letter dated 15th April 1857, written and sent from St Kilda by John Smith
2) Letter dated October 24th, 1866, written and sent from Tarnagulla by John Smith
3) Letter dated October 17, 1866 written and sent from Tarnagulla by George, nephew of John Smith.